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25 September 2025
Manhattan Teacher Charged with Possession and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Ricky J. Patel, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, and Special Commissioner of the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District (“SCI”), Anastasia Coleman, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging CHRISTOPHER WARD with possessing and distributing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography that depict pre-pubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. WARD was arrested yesterday and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave in Manhattan federal court.
“Every day, Christopher Ward stood at the front of a classroom of first graders while allegedly storing hundreds of images exploiting children just like them,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “The women and men of our Office are committed to ridding New York of child pornography. Together with our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department Special Investigations Unit, we will aggressively pursue and prosecute those who create, possess, and distribute child pornography.”
“Christopher Ward, a first-grade teacher, is accused of possessing and distributing child pornography, and even acknowledging his sexual attraction to his students—allegations that are chillingly disturbing and strike at the heart of every parent's fears,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “With over four years spent in close proximity to young children, the gravity of these accusations cannot be overstated. The safety of our children demands our unflinching attention, and HSI will not stop until the full facts are exposed and every offender faces the consequences.”
“When we send our children to school every day, we trust that they will be cared for and protected by their teachers. Instead, Christopher Ward made every parent’s worst nightmare a reality,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These allegations are as sickening as they are illegal, and there is absolutely zero tolerance for anyone who exploits our most innocent in this way. I want to thank the NYPD investigators and our partners at HSI, SCI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for putting an end to this horrific behavior and ensuring our children our safe.”
“Christopher Ward's actions as alleged are repugnant—and violate the trust of his school, his students, and the community overall,” said SCI Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman. “Possession of child pornography and other types of exploitation of minors are among the most serious issues society combats, and SCI works tirelessly to root out such misconduct from the New York City school district. SCI is grateful for its partners in law enforcement for their efforts in bringing Christopher Ward to justice.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]
From approximately September 2024 to approximately September 2025, WARD worked as a first-grade teacher at an elementary school in Queens, New York. Prior to that, from approximately January 2021 to approximately June 2024, WARD worked as a first-grade teacher at a school in Manhattan, New York.
From at least in or about July 14, 2024, through in or about July 22, 2025, WARD possessed and distributed hundreds of images and videos constituting child pornography on his account with an electronic mobile messaging application.
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WARD, 37, of Farmingdale, New York, is charged with one count of receiving and distributing material containing child pornography, including files containing sexually explicit images of minors, and one count of possessing child pornography, including images and videos of prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age. Both counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of HSI, their agents and Task Force Officers; the NYPD Special Investigations Unit, Computer Crimes Squad; the SCI Investigators; the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; the Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; and the Southern District of New York Digital Forensic Unit.
The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adabelle U. Ekechukwu is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
u.s._v._ward_complaint.pdf
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Manager at Long Island Company Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for Stealing from Customer Credit AccountsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Tony Ream pleaded guilty to wire fraud committed in connection with his employment as a credit supervisor for a Long Island Company (the Company). Over the course of four years, Ream sent wire transfers totaling approximately $1.6 million from the Company’s bank account to a bank account that he controlled, and used those funds for his own personal gain. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Sanket J. Bulsara. When sentenced, Ream faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
“Ream abused his authority and betrayed his employer and its customers to fund his own lavish lifestyle,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “In just a few years, Ream embezzled over $1.6 million and used the stolen money to pay for his wedding, luxury international travel, and for renovations to a restaurant he had opened. Ream will now be held accountable for this egregious conduct, thanks to the diligent work of our Office and our partners at the FBI.”
As set forth in court filings and statements made in court, the Company, headquartered in Melville, New York, is an American distributor of health care products and services, and serves as the world’s largest provider of health care solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners worldwide. Ream was hired by the Company in 2019 to work in its credit department and became a credit supervisor. From approximately October 2020 through November 2024, Ream siphoned corporate funds from customer refund accounts, some of which were inactive, and diverted the funds to his own personal accounts, masking the fraud by recording each transaction as a refund that was issued to a customer. Ream also deceived his subordinates into unwittingly taking steps that facilitated his embezzlement scheme. In total, Ream embezzled approximately $1.6 million from the Company, which he spent on his wedding, luxury international vacations, and a failed restaurant venture in South Carolina. As part of his plea, Ream has agreed to make full restitution to the Company.
The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorney Charles P. Kelly is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder.
The Defendant:
TONY REAM (also known as “Tony Ream-Hendley” and “Tony Moul Ream”)
Age: 34
Greenville, South CarolinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-179 (SJB)
Justice Department Sues Six States for Failure to Provide Voter Registration RollsRead the Press Release
Today the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced the filing of federal lawsuits against six states — California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania — for failure to produce their statewide voter registration lists upon request.
“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”
“States are required to safeguard American elections by complying with our federal elections laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Clean voter rolls protect American citizens from voting fraud and abuse, and restore their confidence that their states’ elections are conducted properly, with integrity, and in compliance with the law.”
According to the lawsuits, the Attorney General is uniquely charged by Congress with the enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which were designed by Congress to ensure that states have proper and effective voter registration and voter list maintenance programs. The Attorney General also has the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA) at her disposal to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of the statewide voter registration lists.
These lawsuits were filed on Sept. 25, 2025, in the federal districts of the respective states.
Jury Convicts Kansas City Man of Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal jury for his role in drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms.
Brandon R. Haywood, 47, was found guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, of one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and felon in possession of a firearm.
On Feb. 4, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a store in Independence, Mo., regarding a sexual assault. The suspect was identified as Brandon Haywood. On Feb. 15, 2023, Haywood returned to the same store and was arrested by officers. His vehicle was towed from the scene in anticipation of a search warrant. When the state search warrant was executed on his vehicle, investigators located a Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber firearm; the defendant’s wallet; and approximately 30 grams of cocaine in the center console. Prior to this incident, Haywood was convicted of the felony offense of Voluntary Manslaughter in the Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., returned guilty verdicts on all charged counts to U.S. District Judge D. Greg Kays, ending a two-day trial.
Under federal statutes, Haywood is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh Ragner and Jessica Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
Jury Convicts Defendant of Hiding Methamphetamine in Stuffed AnimalsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Late yesterday, following a two-day jury trial, Damien Duwjan Shade, age 48, was found guilty of all charged counts in the indictment, that is, one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and one count of Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“Stuffed animals are symbols of childhood, not vessels for poison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Turning a child’s toy into a cover for lethal drugs shows the lengths drug traffickers will go to peddle their poison. This verdict ensures there will be consequences.”
According to evidence presented at trial, in March 2023, the Rochester Police Department responded to the FedEx facility at the Rochester Airport after learning of three suspicious packages sent from San Diego, California, to two separate addresses in Winona, Minnesota. The packages were all shipped from the same sender—“Trayvon Strange”—and were addressed to fictitious individuals whom law enforcement determined did not live at the stated addresses.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Rochester Police Department arranged for a drug detecting K9 to sniff the packages. The K9 alerted to the presence of drugs inside the packages. Law enforcement received warrants to open the packages. In the packages, law enforcement found six pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside of stuffed animals.
The next day, law enforcement placed sensors and tracking devices inside the packages, removing all but a small amount of methamphetamine from each box and replacing the methamphetamine with “filler”—rock salt and other materials—to approximate the original weight of the packages.
Law enforcement conducted a “controlled delivery,” delivering the packages to the addresses on the packages. The mother of the defendant’s children initially retrieved the packages and then the defendant arrived at her home to collect the packages, which he believed were full of methamphetamine. Law enforcement searched the scene and found that the defendant had opened the controlled delivery packages. Law enforcement found the controlled delivery methamphetamine and the guts of the cut-open stuffed animals.
The defendant confessed. He said that he traveled to California, purchased several pounds meth, and then shipped it back to himself in Minnesota using fake names. He admitted he hid the methamphetamine inside of stuffed animals. He also admitted he had a gun at his apartment, which he was not legally allowed to possess because he is a felon.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Shade’s home. There, they found the third controlled delivery package, unopened, on a chair in the living room. The package contained the stuffed animals, repackaged with the filler material that law enforcement switched out for the methamphetamine.
Law enforcement further found a loaded Comanche III .357 Magnum revolver in a dresser drawer, a digital scale, approximately 30 small Ziplock baggies in an unlocked safe, and what appeared to be a drug ledger. A search of the bedroom closet further revealed a stash of over 400 live .357 Magnum handgun rounds and a spent casing.
As charged in the indictment, in 2013, Shade was previously convicted of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm in San Diego, California.
On September 24, 2025, a federal jury convicted Shade on both charged counts in U.S. District Court before District Judge Michael J. Davis. Shade will be sentenced at a later date. He faces up to life in prison.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Rochester Police Department, the Winona County Sheriff’s Office, the Winona Police Department, and other members of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (SEMVCET).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Syngen Kanassatega prosecuted and tried the case.
Illegal alien sentenced to over 7 years for taco truck robberyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 49-year-old Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for robbing a local food establishment at gunpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Moises Arvizo Del Carmen pleaded guilty May 27.
U.S. District Judge Ellison sentenced Del Carmen to serve 94 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceeding following his imprisonment.
On Sept. 12, 2023, Del Carmen entered a taco truck through the customer window and demanded money from the register. He threatened and pointed a firearm at employees before exiting through the same window and fleeing. Surveillance video showed Del Carmen entering a Hummer decorated with purple flames.
Witnesses provided a description of the robber and the distinctive vehicle.
Approximately three weeks later, authorities executed a search warrant at Del Carmen’s residence and discovered clothing matching the description from the robbery as well as a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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.
Illegal alien admits to abandoning corpse after smuggling scheme results in deathRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 24-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Edinburg has pleaded guilty to transporting other illegal aliens resulting in death, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
On May 27, 2024, Victor Manuel Martinez-Gallegos picked up several aliens in Brownsville and drove them to a stash house where he harbored and shielded them from detection.
The investigation revealed that an illegal alien from Guatemala was in visible distress but still alive. However, he later died at the location.
As part of his plea, Martinez-Gallegos admitted leaving the body at a site near Maverick Road in Brownsville. Authorities later discovered human remains at the location and identified them as belonging to the missing victim.
“Human smuggling is a depraved, dangerous business, and one where the smugglers often show no mercy or compassion to those they transport,” said Ganjei. “I implore anyone considering hiring a smuggler - either for themselves or their loved ones - to think twice. Stay home and stay safe.”
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera will impose sentencing Dec. 17. At that time, Martinez-Gallegos faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office and University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano is prosecuting the case.
Inkster Mayor’s Executive Assistant Pleads Guilty to Lying to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Former Inkster Mayor Patrick Wimberly’s executive assistant pleaded guilty today to lying to federal agents during their investigation into Wimberly’s bribery scheme, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Saif Alsenad, 33, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, served as Mayor Wimberly’s executive assistant from May 2021, through June 2023. According to the information, in October 2024, Alsenad lied to FBI agents and told them he was not aware that Wimberly had corruptly solicited, demanded, and agreed to accept $100,000 with the intent to assist an investor in acquiring a vacant 13-acre parcel owned by the city of Inkster. At the time he made the statements, Alsenad knew they were false because he knew Wimberly had agreed to accept cash bribes in exchange for Wimberly’s assistance in obtaining the parcel of land for the developer. Alsenad was charged with making a false statement or representation to a department or agency of the United States, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). This charge carries a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
In September 2024, Wimberly pleaded guilty to agreeing to accept $100,000 in cash bribes. He was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.
“When law enforcement officers are investigating a crime, lying to them to help shield the offender is never the right decision. This is especially true when those involved are government officials who have a duty to serve the public’s interest, not their own,” said Gorgon.
"Today’s guilty plea by Saif Alsenad demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to investigate those who undermine the public’s trust, regardless of their position or influence,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Working for an elected official does not exempt anyone from accountability when engaging in public corruption. I want to thank the members of the FBI Detroit Area Corruption Task Force for their outstanding investigative work throughout this investigation.”
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton P. Brown.
Houston pimp felon sentenced to over 15 years for sexual conduct with minor and illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 42-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Brandon Dominic Porter pleaded guilty May 15.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now sentenced Porter to a total of 188 months in prison. He will also serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Porter will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“The goal of Project Safe Childhood is to protect children from sexual abusers,” said Ganjei . “Thanks to the good work of law enforcement and our SDTX prosecutors, this dangerous predator will spend the next decade-and-a-half behind bars.”
On Oct. 11, 2022, the victim’s mother reported her daughter missing. The investigation led law enforcement to Porter who had been at a local hotel.
Following his departure, they conducted a traffic stop at which time they found a pink iPhone, school paperwork and documents containing the name of the victim. They also discovered another phone in the vehicle as well as a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol under the driver’s gear shaft and center console.
He claimed the pink phone was his, but authorities were able to link it to the victim. They located her the following day.
Forensic examination of the two phones revealed photos and videos, several of which depicted sexual activity between the minor female and Porter. The videos were taken July 20-Oct. 5, 2022. The investigation revealed he had coerced her into performing sex acts and prostituting herself for his financial gain.
Porter has multiple prior felony convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition per federal law.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Stuart Tallichet and former AUSA Sherri Zack prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Houston gunmen sentenced to 14 years for armed robberiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two Houston men have been sentenced to significant federal prison terms following their convictions for using a firearm during the commission of two convenience store robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Derian Joel Caesar and Centel Devon Willis Jr. pleaded guilty in April.
Today, U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett ordered Willis to serve 14 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Bennett noted that if Willis continued to make these decisions following his imprisonment, he will either return to prison or could even end up dead.
Caesar was previously ordered to serve 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Caesar and Willis admitted that on March 15, 2023, both acted together and used firearms to rob two different 7-Eleven convenience stores in Harris and Fort Bend Counties. In both crimes, Caesar carried a black firearm and took money from the cash drawer, while Willis pointed a black semiautomatic handgun towards the employee on duty.
Both have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin R. Martin prosecuted the case.
Honduran National Sentenced for Reentry of Removed AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ROLANDO HUMBERTO CASTILLO-BERNARDEZ (“CASTILLO-BERNARDEZ”), age 41, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, CASTILLO-BERNARDEZ was found in Orleans Parish on or around July 15, 2025. He had previously been deported to Honduras on May 17, 2019.
United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced CASTILLO-BERNARDEZ to time served and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. He will be transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation to Honduras.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
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Honduran National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that OLGER RENE MALDONADO-SANTOS (“MALDONADO-SANTOS”), age 29, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced on September 9, 2025, for illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Sections1326.
According to court records, MALDONADO-SANTOS reentered the United States sometime prior to May 17, 2025, after having been previously removed on or about February 14, 2018. MALDONADO-SANTOS was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter after receiving credit for time served, and one year of supervised release. At the completion of his term of imprisonment, MALDONADO-SANTOS shall be surrendered to the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Hammond Man Sentenced to 262 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Michael Swiger, 41 years old, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after a jury found him guilty of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography, following a three-day jury trial, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Swiger was sentenced to 262 months in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and ordered to pay $49,000 in restitution to the victims of the offenses.
According to documents in the case, a jury found Swiger guilty of distributing videos of child sexual abuse material over a social media application on April 4, 2022, and also of possessing child sexual abuse material on April 5, 2022.
“Today’s sentence stands as a warning to all those who believe distributing and collecting images and videos of the sexual abuse of children will be ignored or tolerated,” said Acting United States Attorney Proctor, “My office, in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies will aggressively investigate, prosecute, and seek restitution from anyone who victimizes the most vulnerable members of our community.”
“This case demonstrates the unwavering commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to pursue justice for the most vulnerable members of our society—our children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Scarpino. “What began as a narcotics investigation quickly revealed the defendant’s involvement in the heinous crime of child exploitation. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of HSI Minneapolis, HSI Chicago/Hammond, and our local law enforcement partners, we were able to uncover the full scope of the defendant’s criminal activities and bring him to justice. This conviction sends a clear message: HSI will relentlessly pursue those who exploit children and will use every resource available to ensure they are held accountable for their actions.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (Chicago and St. Paul) with assistance from the Hammond Police Department and the Indiana State Police Digital Forensics Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily A. Morgan, Caitlin M. Padula, and Thomas M. McGrath.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Failing to Register as a Sex Offender and Being Illegally Present in United StatesRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A Guatemalan national, Roberto Nicolas-Simon, 24, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2025, to being illegally present in the United States after a prior removal and failing to update his registration as a convicted sex offender. Acceptance of the plea is pending before U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce. Sentencing for Nicolas-Simon has been scheduled for February 2, 2026, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.
In court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Nicolas-Simon admitted to illegally reentering the country and failing to update his sex offender registration. The government noted during the hearing, that Nicolas-Simon had previously been removed from the United States following his conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor in Champaign County, Illinois, in 2020. Due to that conviction, he was required to register his residential address under the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act.
This year, an investigation revealed that Nicolas-Simon had illegally returned to the United States and was living in Champaign without registering his residence as required by law.
Nicolas-Simon remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Nicolas-Simon faces statutory penalties of up to ten years of imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine for each offense. He could also receive up to three years of supervised release for being illegally present in the United States and at least a five-year term and a maximum life term of supervised release for failure to update his registration as a sex offender.
The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, in collaboration with the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch is representing the government in the prosecution.
Greenville Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced today that a Greenville, Alabama, man has been sentenced to federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On September 23, 2025, a federal judge ordered that 41-year-old Undray Lamond Lowery serve 120 months in prison. Following his prison term, Lowery will serve three years of supervised release. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
According to court records and police reports, on January 1, 2023, a Greenville patrol officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of one potentially linked to a shots-fired incident at a residence the night before. The officer recognized Lowery as the driver and was aware that Lowery had outstanding arrest warrants. After Lowery pulled into a parking lot and exited the vehicle, the officer placed him under arrest.
During a search of the vehicle, officers found a handgun. Because Lowery has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. On June 11, 2025, Lowery pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Greenville Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Paul Markovits prosecuted.
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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Greensboro Man Sentenced for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Greensboro, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Greensboro to over 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to a firearm charge, announced United States Attorney Clifton T. Barrett of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
TRISTAN DYLAN GRAY, age 38, was sentenced to 100 months imprisonment plus 3 years of supervised release by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC.
According to court records, on January 1, 2024, officers with the Greensboro Police Department (GPD) responded to a shooting into an occupied apartment on Merritt Drive. On January 4, 2024, officers with GPD conducted a traffic stop on GRAY during which he was found in possession of Taurus handgun. GPD officers arrested GRAY as a felon in possession. Subsequently, a Firearms and Toolmark Examiner with GPD determined that the cartridge cases collected from the shooting at the apartment on January 1, 2024 were fired by the same Taurus handgun that GRAY possessed on January 4, 2024. After an evidentiary hearing today, the Court found that GRAY shot multiple rounds into the occupied apartment.
At the time of his arrest, GRAY had been previously convicted of felony hit and run inflicting serious injury (Rockingham County, 2022) and sentenced to an active term of imprisonment exceeding one year. Thus, at the time of the instant offense, GRAY was legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
GRAY pleaded guilty on June 10, 2025, to one count of felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
The case was investigated by the Greensboro Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by MDNC Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Ann Courtney.
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Former State Official and Lincoln Club Owner IndictedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned an Indictment charging Hobert Rupe, 58, and Brent Zywiec, 45, both of Lincoln, Nebraska, with offenses related to honest services fraud. Rupe and Zywiec were arrested on September 24, 2025.
Rupe, former Executive Director of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, and Zywiec, a partial owner of “The Office Gentleman’s Club” and “The Night Before Lounge” in Lincoln, are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Fraud and three counts of Honest Services Fraud. Additionally, Rupe is charged with two counts of Wire Fraud, and one count of Hobbs Act Extortion Under Color of Official Right. The alleged conspiracy occurred between on or about January 1, 2022, and May 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty for each of the charges is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment of $100 for each count.
Rupe is alleged to have violated his oath of office as the Executive Director of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission when he allegedly conspired with establishments’ owners to include Zywiec to receive a stream of significant personal and financial benefits in exchange for illegal assistance he provided the owners of the establishments. The alleged stream of benefits included commercial sex acts, cash, and free benefits at the clubs that others pay to receive such as VIP dances, alcoholic drinks, and cover charges. In exchange for these benefits, Rupe would fail to report or investigate numerous liquor license violations that occurred at each establishment and would separately abuse law enforcement resources in an attempt to harm Zywiec’s competitors in Omaha.
Rupe is additionally charged with failing to disclose these benefits on his state accountability forms.
Finally, there is a count of the Indictment that alleges Rupe extorted a business owner in the community for $65,000 with the understanding that Rupe would provide assistance with helping that business owner retain a liquor license that the business owner would not otherwise qualify for under state rules and regulations.
United States Lesley Woods stated, “Public corruption undermines the trust of all Nebraskans in their officials. The citizens of Nebraska are the primary victims of this case. The Executive Director of the Liquor Control Commission should be the official who polices establishments like the ones identified in the Indictment for the benefit of public safety. Furthermore, allowing individuals who should not have liquor licenses to obtain or retain those licenses is a dangerous abuse of power. There are good public safety reasons for many of the rules that govern liquor licenses, and the Executive Director of the Liquor Control Commission should serve as the public guardian against those threats to public safety, not be the enabler of them. Mr. Rupe is alleged to have violated that trust and allowed himself to be unlawfully influenced in the execution of those duties. This investigation was a joint effort with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office is grateful to those partners for their tireless efforts on this critical investigation.”
Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
Former Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Interstate Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Trevor Christopher Fountain, 38, formerly of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to transport stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Fountain worked with co-conspirators Stephan James Evanovich, 46, of Sacramento; Jonathan Matthew Curl, 36, of Sacramento; and Andrea Carter, 35, formerly of Sacramento, to illegally enter communications towers and steal rectifiers and other communications equipment. Rectifiers are a power source necessary to maintain power at communications towers. Fountain was responsible for stealing equipment and transferring it to Evanovich, who then paid him for the stolen equipment. Evanovich sold the stolen property to legitimate third-party vendors in California, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. The conspirators stole, sold, and shipped more than 485 stolen rectifiers across state lines. The total value of the stolen rectifiers is no less than $260,000.
As part of the scheme, Fountain created false invoices in the name of a false business. These invoices were used to make it appear as though Evanovich had obtained the stolen rectifiers from legitimate businesses.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is prosecuting the case.
Carter pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to 29 months in prison. Evanovich and Curl are awaiting trial, which is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2026. The charges are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fountain is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Feb. 19, 2026. Fountain faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Former Ohio Deputy Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing an InmateRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A former Ohio deputy employed at a detention facility has been sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a female inmate in his custody.
Damon K. Perry, 53, of Youngstown, was sentenced to 112 months (approximately 9.3 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after he pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sexual abuse of a detainee and two counts of sexual abuse.
“Mr. Perry’s abusive and appalling actions against a detainee were a violation of her basic human rights. Using his power of authority to deliberately take advantage of a woman, who he was charged with supervising, is dishonorable and despicable,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We thank the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General for investigating this matter.”
According to the plea agreement, Perry admitted to engaging in a sexual act with a female inmate under federal detention at the Mahoning County Jail on two dates in November 2023. The correctional facility, located in Youngstown, Ohio, serves under contract with a federal law enforcement agency to house detainees at their direction as needed.
The first sexual act committed without the victim’s consent occurred Nov. 9, 2023, when the inmate was under Perry’s supervision while she was being held in custody. A second incident occurred Nov. 30, 2023, when Perry again engaged in a non-consensual sexual act with the same federal detainee placed under his authority.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yasmine Makridis for the Northern District of Ohio.
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Former CEO of Public Telecommunications Company Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Accounting FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that MICHAEL PALLESCHI, the former chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FTE Networks, Inc. (“FTE”), was sentenced today to 12 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon for leading a years-long scheme to inflate FTE’s revenue, conceal liabilities and expenses, and embezzle company funds. PALLESCHI previously pled guilty in August 2023 to conspiring to commit securities and wire fraud, making false statements in SEC filings and improperly influencing the conduct of audits, securities fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
“FTE’s financial statements were fraudulent, harming FTE’s investors and undermining confidence in our markets,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Our Office is committed to personal accountability in white-collar crime and Michael Palleschi’s sentence reflects that commitment.”
As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
FTE was a telecommunications company based in Naples, Florida, and Manhattan. As of December 2017, its stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange. From 2014 to 2019, PALLESCHI was the chairman of FTE’s Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer.
From 2016 to early 2019, PALLESCHI and others at FTE caused FTE to issue approximately 70 convertible notes with a total principal balance of more than $22 million to private lenders. The lenders could convert the notes to FTE’s common stock, either upon demand or upon default. Issuers of such convertible notes must recognize on their financial statements liabilities and expenses that arise from the notes’ conversion features. PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize only the principal amounts and resulting interest expense on the company’s books, but not the substantial liabilities and expenses arising from the notes’ conversion features. He and others also took steps to conceal the notes’ conversion features, including by providing FTE’s accountants with fake notes, creating fake board resolutions with forged directors’ signatures that purportedly authorized the issuance of the convertible notes, forging the signature of FTE’s transfer agent on letters provided to lenders and repeatedly lying to FTE’s auditors by falsely denying that the company had issued convertible debt. As a result of this fraud with respect to convertible notes, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to understate its debt derivative liabilities and warrant derivative liabilities and to fail to recognize losses on conversion derivative liabilities and losses on issuance of notes in 2017 and 2018.
As part of a second fraudulent scheme, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize more than $13 million in fraudulent revenue. This fraudulent revenue included more than $10 million in “unbilled” revenue that the conspirators represented FTE had earned from services it had supposedly provided to a large customer that had not yet accepted bills for those services. FTE never provided any such services. In addition, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize approximately $2.6 million as an account receivable for which there was no support. When FTE’s auditors said that the account receivable should be written off, PALLESCHI and others created a fake email from a representative of the customer saying that the customer would “expedite payments” for more than $1.5 million for projects completed by FTE in 2016 and 2017. The conspirators caused this fake email to be sent to FTE’s auditors so that FTE could continue to recognize the receivable. As a result of this fraudulent recognition of revenue, FTE’s financial statements overstated the company’s accounts receivable by between 18% and 120% for each of the quarters in 2017 and 2018 and by approximately 477% for 2016.
PALLESCHI also embezzled corporate funds by taking personal trips on the company’s private jet and unauthorized stock issuances.
At the sentencing, Judge McMahon said “this was a fraudulently run operation from the beginning.”
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In addition to the prison term, PALLESCHI, 50, of Naples, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,541,707 in restitution and $546,846.75 in forfeiture.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Securities & Exchange Commission for their assistance with the case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Davis and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.
Forfeiture Actions Result in Remission of More Than $2.8 Million to Okaloosa Victim CharitiesRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today that more than $2.8 million in unlawfully retained bingo profits forfeited through criminal asset forfeiture actions have been sent to ten Okaloosa County charities as part of the Department of Justice’s remission process.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Victims of crime too often suffer losses at the hands of criminals that cannot ever be restored, but my office is committed to taking action to ensure those offenders cannot reap or retain the benefits of their wrongdoing, and we will remit the proceeds of those forfeitures whenever possible to compensate victims to the greatest extent. This case required substantial effort from our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate and bring the defendants to justice, and this multi-million dollar recovery by my office and remission to victim charities will have a meaningful impact on our community.”
Larry and Dixie Masino were federally prosecuted and sentenced for illegal gambling and money laundering charges stemming from their ownership and operation of Racetrack Bingo in Fort Walton Beach, which purported to conduct bingo games and provide the proceeds to a group of local non-profit organizations. The Masinos made it appear that Racetrack Bingo was running charitable bingo when they were actually illegally conducting bingo and pocketing a substantial amount of the proceeds for themselves. Between 2006 and 2015, the Masino family personally retained and laundered over $5.8 million in illegal gambling profit that should have either gone to charities running the bingo games or returned to the players in the form of prizes.
As part of their sentences, the Masinos were ordered to forfeit substantial sums of money seized from bank accounts and three real properties. Funds forfeited and deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund may be used to compensate victims and restore losses caused by criminal conduct. The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida requested and received permission from the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) to remit the forfeited funds back to the victim charities. MLARS administers the Department’s Asset Forfeiture Program victim compensation process to ensure forfeited funds are returned to victims when possible.
The forfeited assets in this case were converted to over $2.8 million, which will be shared among the following member non-profit organizations making up Fort Walton Beach Charities LLC:
- The ARC of the Emerald Coast, formerly Horizons of Okaloosa County, Inc.;
- Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast;
- Emerald Coast Science Center;
- Habitat for Humanity in Okaloosa County;
- Horizons Foundation of Okaloosa County;
- Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties;
- Northwest Florida Ballet;
- Northwest Florida Fair Association;
- Okaloosa County Festival Association; and
- Order Sons of Italy in America, Joseph B. Franzalia Lodge 2422.
“After all these years of investigation and legal battles, I am thrilled to see these forfeited funds returned to the deserving charities of Okaloosa County,” said Sheriff Eric Aden. “This long-awaited justice not only holds the perpetrators accountable but also restores vital resources to organizations that uplift our community.”
“Through financial fraud, Larry and Dixie Masino betrayed charities providing important services to their communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker, IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office. “I am proud of the work IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office did to ensure these charities were made whole again.”
The forfeiture actions were the result of a joint investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.
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.
Federal grand jury indicts former FBI director for false statements and obstruction in congressional testimonyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced today that a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey with making a false statement and obstruction relating to his oral testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020.
“The charges as alleged in this case represent a breach of the public trust at an extraordinary level,” said U.S. Attorney Halligan. “The balance of power is a bedrock principle of our democracy, and it relies upon accountability and a forthright presentation of facts from executive leadership to congressional oversight. Any intent to avoid, evade, prevent, or obstruct compliance is a violation of professional responsibility and, most importantly, the law.”
If convicted, Comey faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-272.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Federal Indictment Charges Man with Forging Signatures of United States District Court JudgesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a man for allegedly forging the signatures of two United States District Court judges in court filings.
WALTER BRZOWSKI, 67, of Chicago, is charged with eleven counts of forgery in an indictment returned Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois. Each count is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
According to the indictment and a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, Brzowski represented himself in numerous civil lawsuits that he initiated in federal court in Chicago. The U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dismissed the lawsuits and found that many of Brzowski’s filings were frivolous. In 2021, the Executive Committee of the U.S. District Court in Chicago issued an order placing restrictions on Brzowski’s ability to file new civil cases and warned that violating the order may lead to monetary sanctions or a contempt of court finding.
In 2023, Brzowski filed a “notice” in the District Court stating that he was relieved of any previously imposed prohibitions and instructing the District Court Clerk’s Office to “rescind any filing restrictions,” the charges allege. The notice included an attached Executive Committee Order that was purportedly signed by U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer. The District Court determined that Brzowski had forged Judge Pallmeyer’s signature and sanctioned him $25,000, the charges allege. Brzowski allegedly continued to file materials with the Court, including multiple filings in 2025 that contained forged signatures of Judge Pallmeyer and U.S. District Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and LaDon A. Reynolds, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Stern.
“The forgery of a judge’s signature is a serious matter and an attack on the rule of law,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “We will hold accountable those who use forgeries and frauds to undermine the important judicial work of the Honorable Judges of the Northern District of Illinois.”
“The defendant allegedly sent fraudulent court orders through the U.S. mail bearing forged signatures of multiple United States District Court judges in an effort to circumvent standing orders and unlawfully twist the legal system to his favor,” said Inspector-in-Charge Mendonça. “Thankfully, Chicago Postal Inspectors uncovered his scheme to delegitimize the rule of law, and brought him to justice."
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
brzowski_complaint.pdf brzowski_indictment_stamped.pdfFormer Tallahassee Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Gabriel Michael Stoelzel, 26, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, formerly of Tallahassee, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity, distribution of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “It is one of our highest duties to protect our children from the predations of sex offenders like this defendant, so I applaud the outstanding investigative work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to identify and catch this offender. My office will continue to prosecute these sick individuals with the full force of the law to keep our children safe both online and in our communities.”
Court documents reflect that in 2024, the Tallahassee Police Department received CyberTips that were generated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children based on information provided by online social media platforms. Records show that the defendant uploaded child pornography to social media servers while he sent the files to other users. An investigation revealed that the defendant had been communicating with other users, some of whom said that they were as young as 14 years of age, to convince them to meet for sex. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the defendant sent and received child pornography through an online application.
The defendant faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum of life imprisonment, followed by five years to life of supervision upon release.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 5, 2026, at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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.
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.
Federal Jury Convicts Baton Rouge Man of Wire Fraud and Engaging in Unlawful Monetary TransactionsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced the conviction of Oscar Hills, IV, age 53, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a three-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson, the jury unanimously convicted Hills of two counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions. Hills has been living in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2021.
As the evidence at trial demonstrated, between March 2020 and May 2020, Hills submitted several fraudulent loan applications. One of these loan applications was submitted in the name of a supposed business called Bootstate Financial Group under the Payment Protection Plan (“PPP”) program, created by Congress under the CARES Act. Another loan application was submitted in the name of a supposed non-profit called Baton Rouge Teen Summit under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, expanded by Congress under the CARES Act.
In the PPP loan application submitted in the name of Bootstate Financial Group, Hills represented that Bootstate had 40 employees and over $270,000 in average monthly payroll, both of which were material fraudulent representations. The lender relied on these representations by Hills, approving the loan application and depositing PPP loan proceeds of $675,272 into a bank account owned and controlled by Hills. Days later, Hills used $75,500 of these PPP funds to purchase a Dodge Viper.
In the EIDL application submitted in the name of Baton Rouge Teen Summit, Hills represented that this supposed non-profit had 25 employees and over $184,000 in annual operating expenses, both of which were false. The SBA relied on these numbers to approve the loan application and deposited $159,900 in total funds to a bank account owned and controlled by Hills. Hills subsequently used $23,272 of these EIDL funds to pay eleven years-worth of unpaid property taxes on his residence.
The evidence also demonstrated that this is the second time Hills has been convicted of wire fraud in the Middle District of Louisiana. On April 26, 2010, Hills pled guilty to four counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud State Farm, Ascension Credit Union and Eagle Louisiana Federal Credit Union. On March 12, 2011, the late U.S. Chief District Court Judge Ralph E. Tyson sentenced Hills to 33 months imprisonment and ordered him to pay over $89,000 in restitution to his victims.
As a result of this most recent conviction, Hills now faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and supervised release per wire fraud count, and a maximum term of imprisonment of up to ten years, a fine of $250,000, and supervised release per money laundering count.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristen L. Craig and John B. Casey.
Anyone with information about allegations of pandemic fraud can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Eleven Accused of Large-Scale Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A California man, three St. Louis area residents and seven others have been indicted and accused of involvement in a large-scale cocaine conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Thursday.
Jimmy Abraham Majeau, 43, of Chino Hills, made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Majeau and ten others were originally indicted on May 28, 2025. The indictment was unsealed on July 9, when the initial arrests began.
Three of the defendants are from the St. Louis area: Michael Hunter, 63, Sonja Anne Orlando, 48, and Aaron Lamont Russell, 42.
A motion seeking to have Majeau held in jail until trial said he traveled frequently to Mexico to obtain cocaine, which he then transported throughout the U.S. using a commercial shipping company.
Also indicted were Earl Banks, 33, of Detroit, Eric James Hernandez, 42, Marvell Brian Lloyd, 43, Juan Jose Mendoza, 55, Alexxis Marie Ramirez, 36, Jonathon Javon Ward, 44, and Andrew Watson, 65.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of assets alleged to be linked to the crimes, including Majeau’s home, a 2021 Lamborghini Urus, $235,000 cash and 18 pieces of diamond and gold jewelry, including watches, rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Dayton Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Defrauding Veterans OrganizationRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Dayton, Oregon, woman was sentenced today for defrauding the Department of Oregon Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Cheryl Elizabeth Campos, 62, was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, between January 2022 and June 2024, Campos misused her position as Quartermaster of the VFW to access the VFW’s bank accounts and embezzled large sums of money to her personal accounts. To conceal the embezzlement, Campos falsified financial documents, bank statements, and accounting records.
In total, Campos embezzled more than $1.7 million from the VFW’s accounts to her personal accounts. Campos used the funds to buy hundreds of crystals, semi-precious rocks, marbles, stones, and statues. She also used the funds for personal expenses, including making credit card payments and purchasing a vehicle for a family member.
On March 24, 2025, Campos was charged by criminal information with wire fraud.
On April 15, 2025, Campos pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Robert S. Trisotto, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
D.C. Man Arrested for Felony MurderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard Holmes, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with a homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of August 26, 2025, in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Holmes made his initial appearance on September 24, 2025, before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann who found probable cause that Holmes committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) and ordered that he be held without bond pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 8, 2025.
According to court documents, Holmes, shot and killed the victim, 31-year-old Franck Foute Mohdjiom, during an attempted robbery before fleeing the scene. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fugitive Unit assumed custody of Holmes while he was held at the D.C. Jail on an unrelated matter on September 23, 2025.
Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Carson.
These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
D.C. Inmate Gets an Additional 36 Months for Smuggling Contraband into JailRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stefon Freshley, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to smuggle a knife, dangerous drugs including fentanyl, and cell phones into the Central Detention Facility (CDF) of the Department of Corrections while he was awaiting trial for his role in the shooting of a 14-year-old boy and his father, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Freshley pleaded guilty June 27, 2025, to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. In addition to the 36-month prison sentence, Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered Freshley to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in March 2019, Freshley was awaiting trial in two separate assault with intent to kill cases. He was being held in the maximum security units of the CDF where he was housed with other detainees from the Clay Terrace neighborhood that included co-defendants Marcel Vines and Darius Robertson.
The Clay Terrace detainees recruited a correctional officer to smuggle contraband into the jail. One of the smuggled containers was intercepted by DOC investigators and included a switchblade, an iPhone, an iPhone charger, eyeglasses, bundles of marijuana and tobacco, rolling papers, gambling dice, three sheets of paper that had been impregnated with a synthetic cannabinoid, and cigarettes. The correctional officer was put on administrative leave.
Freshley and the other Clay Terrace inmates recruited a new officer to smuggle goods into the CDF. Prior to a July 2024 smuggling incident, Freshley coordinated the delivery of two unlocked phones into the CDF. One of the phones was used in an apparent attempt to intimidate witnesses in Vines’ murder trial. The post sparked increased courthouse security measures for Vines’ trial.
On July 25, 2024, the Department of Corrections conducted two searches of the Clay Terrace inmate units for contraband. DOC staff found, among other things, 269 blue pills which tested positive for fentanyl; 60 cigarettes soaked in an unknown liquid, 255 suboxone strips, seven pieces of paper soaked in an unknown liquid substance, three cellphones; and cigarettes.
On Aug. 30, 2024, Freshley was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in the drive-by shooting of a 14-year-old boy and his father. Freshley was a passenger in a vehicle with two associates on Dec. 28, 2018, when one of the associates fired about 30 rounds into a moving SUV. The boy was shot nine times, including in the head, abdomen, chest, and back. The father sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and hand. Freshley and his associates fled the scene.
The sentence handed down today by Judge Kelly will be served consecutive with the previous 90-month sentence.
This case was investigated by the DOC Office of Investigative Services, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold and Sarah Santiago.
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Colombian National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Nationwide Jewelry Theft RingRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that YESENIA MELENDEZ RINCON, 41, a citizen of Colombia last residing in Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment for her involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 2023 through April 2024, Melendez Rincon and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls and then transported the stolen property or the proceeds from it across state lines. Melendez Rincon and her co-conspirators burglarized jewelry establishments at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, Connecticut, on October 5, 2023; in Lombard, Illinois on October 17, 2023; in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, on October 27, 2023; and in Henrico, Virginia on November 4, 2023. The total losses from these burglaries exceed $1.33 million.
Melendez Rincon typically cased the targeted business, served as a “lookout” during the burglaries, and she was involved in the sale of the stolen jewelry to others.
A photo taken in January 2024 and retrieved from Melendez Rincon’s iCloud account shows Melendez Rincon wearing a distinctive heart-shaped ring that was stolen during the Milford, Connecticut, burglary in October 2023.
The investigation revealed that Melendez Rincon’s co-conspirators also were involved in the theft of an additional $3.1 million in jewelry from establishments in Paterson, New Jersey, on May 17, 2023; in Mentor, Ohio, on July 21, 2023; in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on August 13, 2023; in Greece, New York, on September 20, 2023; and in Horseheads, New York, on April 18, 2024. Members of the conspiracy also cased additional jewelry stores and kiosks in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Delaware.
To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement.
Melendez Rincon was arrested on July 18, 2024. On July 1, 2025, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
Melendez Rincon, who had been released pending sentencing, was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of the sentencing. She faces immigration proceedings when she completes her prison term.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Haven’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force with the assistance of the Milford (Conn.) Police Department, the Hamilton Township (N.J.) Police Division, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County (Va.) Police Division, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, the Pensacola (Fla.) Police Department, the Paterson (N.J.) Police Department, the Mentor (Ohio) Police Department, the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Police Department, the Greece (N.Y.) Police Department, and the Lombard (Ill.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Conor M. Reardon.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the FBI Field Offices in New York, Dallas, Miami, and Tampa for their assistance.
Christopher Reese Sentenced to 16.5 Years for Unlicensed Legal Services SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that CHRISTOPHER REESE, a/k/a “Christopher Eugene Thomas,” was sentenced today to 16.5 years in prison for crimes related to running a bogus legal services business, which defrauded numerous inmates and their family members. REESE, a nine-time convicted felon who is not a lawyer, deceived his victims into paying him to perform unlicensed legal services for them, including drafting and filing motions in federal courts. Despite REESE’s repeated promises to get inmates out of prison in exchange for money, courts overwhelmingly denied his motions, while REESE kept the money. REESE was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with his criminal convictions at trial in March of this year, and an additional 18 months for violating the terms of his supervised release in connection with a prior case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
“Christopher Reese conned vulnerable people by promising them outcomes in legal cases that he could not deliver and tried to manipulate the federal courts to further his scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s substantial sentence is a clear reminder: the fraudulent and unauthorized practice of law is a crime. The public should be on guard against so-called ‘independent paralegals’ or ‘legal assistants’ selling services that only licensed lawyers can provide, without supervision by a licensed lawyer. Unlicensed practitioners may seem like a bargain, but often leave their clients in far worse circumstances.”
According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:
For years, REESE ran a scam targeting federal inmates, their family members, and friends. To carry out his fraud scheme, REESE promised favorable results in criminal cases that he could not actually obtain, rendering legal services he was not authorized to provide in exchange for hefty fees. REESE styled himself as a “legal assistant” or “paralegal,” but worked without the supervision of a licensed lawyer and offered services that only a lawyer is authorized to provide, including drafting and submitting legal filings in federal courts. REESE induced prisoners and their family members to pay him by promising beneficial outcomes that he could not guarantee, while knowing—but failing to disclose—that his unlicensed legal practice was illegal.
REESE promised, for example, that defendants would be “immediately released” based on motions he would file in exchange for fees in the thousands of dollars. Sometimes REESE also offered to provide a refund if his motions were unsuccessful; but when they failed, REESE kept the money. When his fraud succeeded, and inmates or their family members paid REESE his fees, REESE engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, by making a business of drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including cases heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan, a federal enclave where New York State’s prohibition on the unauthorized practice of law applies via the Assimilative Crimes Act. To hide his involvement from the courts, REESE wrote the inmate’s name in the signature block of each filing and falsely labeled it as “pro se,” i.e., written by the inmate.
REESE earned over a million dollars from this scheme, and REESE committed additional crimes in connection with these fraud proceeds. First, REESE was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case in this District during most of the scheme. In connection with his supervision, and in order to avoid paying criminal restitution that he owed, REESE made false statements to the U.S. Probation Office. Second, REESE laundered the proceeds of his scheme by using a co-conspirator to engage in financial transactions designed to conceal the source and movement of the fees REESE collected from his victims.
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In addition to the prison term, REESE, 57, of East Meadow, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. The district court also imposed a forfeiture judgment of $1 million.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The case was prosecuted through the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz, Kingdar Prussien, and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.
Central Oregon Man Charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.— Theodore Ernest Jokinen, 48, of Madras, made his first appearance in federal court yesterday after being charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on September 19, 2025, detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE) observed Jokinen driving westbound on Interstate 84 near The Dalles, Oregon. Investigators previously received information that Jokinen traveled to Yakima, Washington, and was returning to Oregon in possession of methamphetamine intended for distribution in the Central Oregon area. Jokinen was initially stopped by The Dalles Police Department for a traffic infraction. A certified narcotics detection K9 alerted on Jokinen’s vehicle. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Jokinen’s vehicle. This search revealed roughly ten pounds of prepackaged suspected methamphetamine inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
Jokinen is currently on pretrial release in a Jefferson County felon in possession of a firearm case and has multiple prior convictions for delivery of a controlled substance.
The case is being investigated by the CODE and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from The Dalles Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the Mid Columbia Interagency Narcotics Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Andrew R. Doyle, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Central Georgia Woman Found Guilty of Pandemic Loan Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Milledgeville, Georgia, resident was found guilty of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with most of the funds received used for luxury cars and personal expenses.
Rosalend Way, 40, of Milledgeville, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of money laundering on Sept. 24, following a three-day trial that began on Sept. 22. Way is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2.
Codefendant, James Frank Austin, 51, of Americus, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and two counts of money laundering on Aug. 27. Austin is facing a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Austin is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 19.
U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell is presiding over the case. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our office will pursue justice against those who exploited a taxpayer funded program created to sustain citizens during a national emergency,” stated U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our federal investigative and prosecutorial team is committed to holding these offenders accountable.”
“Way and Austin chose to commit fraud, further depleting funds designed to help people who struggled to survive during the pandemic,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue criminals who cheat federal health programs and profit at the expense of American taxpayers.”
“Defrauding the U.S. government is a serious offense which can bring lifelong consequences to individuals who commit the crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Taxpayers expect their hard-earned dollars to fund the programs and policies enacted by the government. IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners will hold those accountable who exploit and defraud government programs for their own benefit.”
According to court documents and evidence submitted at trial, on June 21, 2020, Way and Austin applied for a PPP loan on behalf of Propel Opportunity Fund, a business established to raise capital through investors and use the funds to conduct pre-development work in underserved neighborhoods, preparing them for future development. The PPP loan application indicated that Propel had 18 employees with an average monthly payroll of $420,558, and they needed the funds to make payroll, as well as to pay their mortgage interest and utilities. They also submitted a fraudulent W-3 that indicated Propel paid $4,999,789 in wages in 2019. Way claimed 100% ownership of Propel on the PPP loan application.
IRS records from Propel’s 2019 corporate tax return showed that the company did not pay any salaries or wages, nor did Propel’s bank statements reflect payroll as suggested in the PPP application. The loan was approved and Propel received $1,051,395. Approximately $500,000 ended up in bank account’s belonging to Way and was spent on personal items including dining, retail, gas, groceries and cash withdrawals. Additionally, Austin used approximately $30,000 in funds from another fraudulently obtained PPP loan to pay off Way’s Mercedez-Benz.
Austin submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application on May 9, 2020, on behalf of the Austin Smith Center for Community Development (ASCCD). As a result of this fraudulent application, ASCCD was awarded a $654,315.00 PPP loan. Austin also obtained another fraudulent PPP loan for Propel and received $372,500 on March 15, 2021. Instead of these funds being spent for authorized expenditures under the PPP program, Austin used the money for personal expenses, including $119,840 on a Bentley. Austin obtained a total of $2,078,210 in fraudulent PPP loans.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The FBI and the IRS investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Howard and Hannah Couch are prosecuting the case for the Government.
Cayuga County Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Brien Fredendall, age 46, of Port Byron, New York, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for his convictions on two counts of possession of child pornography. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Fredendall, who has a previous New York State conviction for possession of child pornography, admitted that he possessed videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) he received from a minor on his Snapchat account. He also admitted to possessing additional CSAM on his cellular phone.
Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed a 15-year term of supervised release to begin after Fredendall’s release from imprisonment. Fredendall will also be required to continue to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Acting United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will relentlessly pursue and prosecute anyone who seeks to exploit and harm children. There is no room in our society for predators like Fredendall, other than in prison. His decade-long federal prison term is a clear message: those who prey on our most vulnerable will face the full force of the law. We are unwavering in our mission to protect children and hold offenders accountable.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli said, “Mr. Fredendall, who was already a convicted predator, continued to prey on our most vulnerable. Now, he’s headed to federal prison for a decade. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to leverage our partnerships at every level of law enforcement to stop children from being exploited and bring to justice those responsible for these despicable acts.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with the assistance of the Cayuga County Sherriff’s Office. 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.
Canadian Man Sentenced Following Trial Convictions for Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Osei, a/k/a/ “Kyngjo,” age 30, a Canadian citizen formerly of Albany, was sentenced on Tuesday to 54 months in prison for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits using stolen identities.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Boston Division; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), made the announcement.
The trial evidence showed that from August 2020 through November 2020, Osei fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor worth more than $200,000. Additional evidence also included Osei’s schemes to defraud the state workforce agencies of California, Rhode Island, and Arizona using stolen identities to apply for and obtain pandemic unemployment insurance benefits. In May, jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict on all counts, including four counts of mail fraud, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered a 3-year term of supervised release to follow Osei’s release from prison, as well as restitution to the State of New York and State of Arizona in the total amount of $211,360, and forfeiture of a money judgment.
Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Joseph Osei’s brazen exploitation of critical relief programs during a national crisis was an affront to every individual who genuinely relied on these resources to survive. By stealing the identities of other people, Osei not only violated the law but also undermined the very purpose of programs designed to help those in need. His actions were callous and calculated, and justice was served when he was found guilty on all counts and then sentenced yesterday to 54 months in prison. I thank each law enforcement agency involved in this task force for their hard work in prosecuting this case.”
USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated: “The relief programs that Osei stole from were created as lifelines during the COVID pandemic and Osei took funds away from those in need and victimized unsuspecting people by stealing their personal identifying information. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will relentlessly pursue those who misuse the mail for fraud and bring them to justice.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said: “HSI Albany is proud to have played a role in ensuring Joseph Osei faced the consequences of his fraud and identity theft. The prosecution of Osei will serve as a deterrent to anyone else who thinks about trying to steal from New Yorkers and government programs.”
Jonathan R. Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, USDOL-OIG stated, “Joseph Osei used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain critical taxpayer funds intended for American workers in need of unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Safeguarding the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains a top priority for the Office of Inspector General. We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to ensure the protection of U.S. Department of Labor programs and operations.”
This case was investigated by USDOL-OIG, USPIS, and HSI, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office and the New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping and Joshua R. Rosenthal prosecuted the case.
Convicted Felon Charged with Possession of a MacHine Gun and Other Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – James Wiley Kelley, Jr., 50, of Altha, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon, possession of a machinegun, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Kelley, Jr. appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on September 24, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for November 27, 2025, before District Court Judge Mark E. Walker.
If convicted, Kelley, Jr. faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of an unregistered NFA weapon, an identical penalty for possession of a machinegun, and up to fifteen years’ imprisonment for possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, with the assistance of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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 available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Brothers Charged in $8 Million Armed Crypto-Kidnapping HeistRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were charged federally by complaint with Kidnapping for engaging in a kidnapping and cryptocurrency heist where they held a family at gunpoint for nine hours and stole $8 million in crypto currency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. The crime forced Mahtomedi Public Schools to cancel its homecoming football game for the safety of its community.
“A violent kidnapping that stole $8 million and silenced a homecoming game is not just a crime. It is a blow to the sense of safety of everyone in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “This is not normal. Minnesotans should not accept wild violence and thievery as normal. Every Minnesotan deserves to live in peace and a life unaffected by rampant crime.”
On September 19, 2025, at 4:45 pm, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an adult male who reported that he and his family had been victims of an armed robbery and kidnapping by two adult male suspects and had been held hostage at gunpoint within their residence in Grant, Minnesota. The two kidnappers were the Garcia brothers. The 911 caller reported that he, his father (Victim 1), and his mother had been held hostage.
At 7:45 am that morning, Victim 1 was taking out a garbage can to the street when the Garcia brothers suddenly appeared and pointed an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun at Victim 1. The Garcia brothers took Victim 1 into the garage where they bound his hands with zip ties. They then brought Victim 1 into the house. The Garcia brothers woke up Victim 1’s wife and adult son at gunpoint. They also zip tied their hands and forced them to lie on the floor.
Defendant Raymond Garcia held the wife and son in their home for nine hours. Raymond Garcia was armed with the AR-15-style rifle for the duration of the kidnapping. About 15 minutes before the son called 911, Raymond Garcia left the home out the back door with the AR-15-style rifle, heading towards the tree line. Raymond Garcia returned to the home shortly thereafter, without the rifle.
Meanwhile, while Raymond Garcia held the wife and son hostage, defendant Isiah Garcia forced Victim 1 at gunpoint to log into his cryptocurrency accounts. Isiah Garcia demanded that Victim 1 transfer large amounts of cryptocurrency into a cryptocurrency wallet that Isiah Garcia provided. During the robbery, Victim 1 saw both Garcia brothers frequently making phone calls to an unknown third party, who appeared to be providing the information related to the cryptocurrency accounts and transfers.
Through this third party, the Garcia brothers became aware that Victim 1 had additional cryptocurrency funds. They demanded the money. Victim 1 explained that the remaining funds were on a hard drive-style cryptocurrency wallet that was stored at a family cabin approximately three hours away.
Isiah Garcia, armed with the shotgun, then forced Victim 1 into Victim 1’s truck. Isiah Garcia drove the truck and Victim 1 to the family’s cabin to retrieve the hard drive. All the while, Raymond Garcia held Victim 1’s wife and son hostage with the AR-15-style rifle. At the cabin, Victim 1 transferred the remaining funds to the cryptocurrency wallet provided by Isiah Garcia. Isiah Garcia then drove Victim 1 back towards Victim 1’s home.
In total, the Garcia brothers forced Victim 1 to transfer $8 million worth of cryptocurrency to their wallets.
As Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 were returning to the home, Victim 1’s son used the moments that Raymond Garcia left the home to call 911. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene following the 911 call and found the wife and son zip tied in the house. As they arrived, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a man, later identified as Raymond Garcia, running out the back door. When law enforcement searched the area around the home, they located a suitcase in the tree line. In the suitcase, they found a disassembled AR-15-style rifle, AR-15 ammunition, as well as clothing items and beverages.
Multiple squads responded to the 911 call, some of whom unknowingly passed Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 as they pulled over to allow the emergency vehicles to pass. Isiah Garcia turned the truck around, parked it nearby, and walked towards a nearby middle school parking lot. Isiah Garcia ditched the shotgun in a nearby field. To protect the safety of the community, Mahtomedi Public Schools was forced to cancel its homecoming football game in response to the ongoing law enforcement activity near the campus.
Using a Wendy’s receipt located in the suitcase recovered behind Victim 1’s house, law enforcement was able to determine that Isiah Garcia had rented a white Chevrolet three days prior to the kidnapping, near Houston, Texas. Law enforcement also located video surveillance showing that Raymond Garcia rented a Motel 6 room in Roseville, Minnesota, shortly before the kidnapping. Law enforcement saw that, shortly after law enforcement responded to the scene of the kidnapping, the white Malibu returned to the Motel 6. The next day, law enforcement spotted the car on cameras in Oklahoma. On September 21, 2025, law enforcement tracked the car back to the home of the Garcia brothers in Waller, Texas. After returning to Texas, Raymond Garcia reported that his AR-15-style firearm that he used in the kidnapping and robbery had been stolen.
On September 22, 2025, law enforcement arrested the Garcia brothers in Texas. Once in custody, Isiah Garcia confessed. He admitted that he and his brother Raymond Garcia had driven to Minnesota, held Victim 1 and his family at gunpoint, tied them up using zip ties, and driven Victim 1 to the family cabin. On September 23, 2025, the Garcia brothers were charged by complaint in Washington County, Minnesota with three counts of kidnapping with a firearm, one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, and three counts of first-degree burglary.
On September 24, 2025, the Garcia brothers were both charged in a federal complaint with kidnapping. Both defendants will make their initial appearances in federal court today and the government will request their detention pending trial.
“As alleged in the complaint, the Garcia brothers terrorized a Minnesota family in their own home, kidnapping one family member while holding the rest of the family hostage in order to conduct a brazen cryptocurrency theft,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. “This office, together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Minnesota and in Texas, will work tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific crime.”
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound sympathies to the victims and lauds them for their bravery and quick action in calling 911. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful for its partnership with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County Attorney’s Office. The quick and excellent federal-state cooperation in this case was essential to the filing of federal charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bellevue Woman Sentenced to Nine Months for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Joya M. Kinney, 45, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 24, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for one count of embezzlement from an organization that received federal benefits. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Kinney to 9 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Kinney’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Kinney was additionally ordered to pay $495,652.13 in restitution.
From 2014 until her termination in May 2023, Kinney was the bookkeeper for an incorporated private school located in Nebraska. This school received a Paycheck Protection Program loan in the amount of approximately $302,500 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As the bookkeeper for the school, Kinney was responsible for handling funds and making financial entries into the school’s accounting system.
In May of 2023, an outside auditor reported inconsistencies in the school’s accounting records. When confronted, Kinney admitted to school staff that she had conducted four $10,000 cash withdrawals the auditor identified, which were not authorized by the school. Kinney was then terminated from her position.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation and found additional financial losses at the school. Specifically, records and other evidence gathered by the FBI showed that between March 2016 to May 2023, Kinney embezzled approximately $452,176 from school funds, which included taking cash, using school funds to pay her personal credit card, making unauthorized purchases charged to the school, and receiving unauthorized checks.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bellevue Police Department.
Baltimore Felon Convicted of Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Jermaine Porter, 34, of Baltimore, Maryland, for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Porter is currently on federal supervised release for a 2018 conviction for possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the conviction with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
On March 3, 2023, BPD’s Northeast District Action Team conducted a traffic stop in the 3900 block of Loch Raven Blvd. Prior to the traffic stop, officers observed Porter moving in his seat, which led them to believe he was hiding something. Officers stopped Porter and removed him from the vehicle. In the vehicle, they found a light blue SCCY CPX-1 9mm handgun loaded with eight 9mm rounds of ammunition on the seat directly underneath Porter’s legs.
This is Porter’s second federal felony conviction. Due to his prior felony conviction, Porter is prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition. Porter is facing a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. District Judge Adam B. Abelson scheduled sentencing for Tuesday, December 16.
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 commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai Everett and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keelan Diana who are prosecuting the 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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Augusta “Ghost” Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: On September 25, 2025, a Richmond County man who operated a “ghost” tax preparation business in Augusta, Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding the IRS.
Allen Brown, 41, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, said Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Brown to pay $1,003,631 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
As described in court documents and at sentencing, in 2022 and 2023, Brown and several individuals operated a “ghost” tax preparation business at 1850 Gordon Highway, Suite C, Augusta, Georgia, and at two other Augusta locations including a church and Brown’s residence. Brown operated as a “ghost” preparer because, contrary to IRS requirements he failed to identify himself as a paid preparer on the federal income tax returns that he prepared and filed for his clients. As a “ghost” preparer, Brown fabricated income to qualify his clients for tax credits, claimed fake deductions to boost the size of the refund, and charged clients a fee based on a percentage of the tax refund. Brown did not provide his clients with a copy of the tax returns he prepared, nor did he review the returns with clients before electronically filing them with the IRS. Brown and other “ghost” preparers who worked with him falsified 63 federal income tax returns for clients, causing the U.S. Department of Treasury to issue $1,003,631 in false tax refunds. The tax fraud scheme Brown executed entailed offering clients two filing options, the “Standard” option or the “I’m Not Scared” option. The “Standard” option generally resulted in a fraudulent tax refund of $2,000 - $9,000. The “I’m Not Scared” option resulted in a fraudulent tax refund of $14,000 - $30,000. For the “I’m Not Scared” option, Brown instructed his “ghost” preparers to falsely claim Fuel Tax Credits and falsely report gross income and other expenses on Schedule C and medical and dental expenses on Schedule A with the tax returns. For the “Standard” option, Brown instructed “ghost” preparers to falsely claim Sick and Family Leave Credits and other false items. Brown required his clients to pay him a ten-percent fee of each refund obtained.
“Tax preparers have a responsibility to accurately prepare tax returns on behalf of their clients. Brown undermined the American tax system and the trust of taxpayers relying on his expertise,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the serious nature of Brown’s conduct. The criminal tax laws are designed to protect the integrity of the nation’s tax system and to obtain and preserve funds needed for public services. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia works closely with our partners at IRS Criminal Investigation to protect the law-abiding American public and the treasury by stopping this fraud.”
“Every year around tax season, ghost tax preparers like Allen Brown and other unscrupulous preparers open up shop to take advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers by convincing them into taking credits and benefits for which they don’t qualify,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are working to protect taxpayers from these unethical tax preparers by investigating and holding them accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs, III.
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Attorney General Bondi, Director Patel Statements Regarding Indictment of Former FBI Director James ComeyRead the Press Release
Today, a federal grand jury has charged former FBI Director James Comey with serious crimes related to the disclosure of sensitive information.
The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.
The indictment also alleges that Comey made a false statement in violation of 18 USC 1001. Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment that statement was false.
“No one is above the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
“Today, your FBI took another step in its promise of full accountability,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “For far too long, previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust. Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on. Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose. Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account - no matter their perch. No one is above the law.”
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man admitted to engaging in sexual acts with a victim using threats and intimidation.
According to court documents, in August of 2021, Fernando Yatsatie, Jr., 47, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, unlawfully engaged in in a sexual act with a victim, placing them in fear.
Yatsatie pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. At sentencing, Yatsatie is subject to a sentence of up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Yatsatie will be subject to no less than five years and up to life of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Administrator of Online Group Dedicated to Exploiting Minor Girls Sentenced to 22 YearsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Thomas Ray Hudson, 34, most recently of Grenada, Mississippi, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 22 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release. Hudson pleaded guilty to this charge on June 10, 2025.
In August of 2024, Hudson flew to Minnesota to meet a 13-year-old girl in Burnett County, Wisconsin, whom he was speaking with online. That attempt was thwarted when he could not find her home and got stranded in Minneapolis. Through a law enforcement tip, he was later identified, charged, and arrested. His electronics were searched, and multiple additional victims were identified. Law enforcement ultimately discovered that Hudson was an online administrator of a group with hundreds of members, dedicated to child exploitation. He was also involved in online groups where adult members threatened violence against minor girls who did not create sexually explicit material for the members of the group.
At the sentencing hearing, a relative of one of the child victims, who described Hudson as a “monster,” talked about the devastating emotional impact the crime had on the child and her family. She relayed that the child was now afraid to even go outside out of fear that Hudson was coming to get her. Judge Peterson called Hudson’s conduct cruel and manipulative and noted that this was among the worst case of this type that the Court had ever seen.
“Today’s sentencing reaffirms my office’s steadfast commitment to protecting our children, the most vulnerable among us, from predators who exploit and harm them online,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Elgersma. Elgersma also praised the extraordinary effort of the law enforcement agents around the country who worked tirelessly to bring Hudson and his cohorts to justice.
“Mr. Hudson’s inexcusable actions of exploiting minors online as a group administrator with hundreds of members will not be tolerated,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “The men and women of the FBI are committed to identifying and investigating those who victimize children. We will continue to leverage resources while working with our local, state, and federal partners to safeguard our communities.”
The charge against Hudson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Burnett County Sheriff’s Office; the Kentucky State Police; the Bothell, Washington, Police Department; and FBI field offices across the country, including offices in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.justice.gov/psc.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office encourages parents, educators, and community members to talk to children about the dangers of online predators and to review helpful safety resources available to the public, including those found at NCMEC’s NetSmartz website: missingkids.org/NetSmartz/home.
43 Members of the Criminal Organization known as a Los Vira’o Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violations in Cayey, Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On September 22, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 43 gang members from the municipality of Cayey with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) Guayama Strike Force, with the collaboration of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) and Air and Marine Operations (AMO), the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Today during the arrests, the following agencies provided support: Puerto Rico National Guard, Ponce Municipal Police, Guaynabo Municipal Police, Bayamón Municipal Police, and San Juan Municipal Police.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our law enforcement partners, the important leaders, enforcers and other members of the violent gang known as Los Vira’o are being taken off our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “These arrests reflect our steadfast determination to remove violent gangs from our communities.”
“We will not tolerate criminal organizations that continue to threaten the safety and well-being of our communities while profiting from the distribution of deadly narcotics on our streets. These groups show nothing but disrespect for our neighborhoods, our children, and the elderly —taking lives at every turn. Let me be clear: the arrests do not end here. Our commitment and resources are fully dedicated to one mission—eliminating transnational criminal organizations. Not disrupting. Not dismantling. Eliminating,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Juan (Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands).
The indictment alleges that from 2021, the drug trafficking organization distributed heroin, cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), cocaine, marijuana, and fentanyl, Oxycodone (commonly known as Percocet), and Alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax) within 1,000 feet of the Luis Muñoz Morales and Jardines de Montellano (a/k/a “Greyskull”) Public Housing Projects (PHPs), the Polvorín Ward in Cayey, and other areas throughout Puerto Rico, all for significant financial gain and profit.
The object of the conspiracy was to distribute wholesale quantities and street amount quantities of controlled substances at the Luis Muñoz Morales and Jardines de Montellano PHPs, the Polvorín Ward in Cayey, as well as other areas throughout Puerto Rico and the continental United States. The organization referred to itself as Los Vira’o and used other insignia to identify its membership and loyalty, including jewelry, stickers, or tattoos of the letters “LFNM,” which stands for “La Familia Nunca Muere,” (The Family Never Dies). The top leader of the gang, Efraín A. Planell-Pérez, although incarcerated, used contraband cellular devices to communicate with gang members, hold conference calls and video calls, make electronic fund transfers, and coordinate gang activity. Additionally, Planell-Pérez purchased drugs and guns, gave orders regarding the function of the drug points, ordered murders, resolved disputes, and taught new members how to prepare drugs for sale, among other criminal actions.
According to court documents, members of Los Vira’o posted criminal activities to social media both to raise their own status and intimidate rivals. On occasion, some members of the drug trafficking organization purchased commercially available security cameras, installed them in the PHPs, and downloaded corresponding applications to their cellular devices to monitor activity within those PHPs, looking out for police activity and attacks by rival gangs.
A group of the founding members of Los Vira’o previously belonged to another drug trafficking organization based in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Those members of Los Vira’o turned against the other Caguas-based gang, and since the inception of Los Vira’o in 2021 have been in a turf war with that other organization, to include coordinated shootings in rival gang territory using automatic weapons and squad-like tactics, killing both intended and unintended victims.
It is alleged that members of Los Vira’o carried out violent carjackings using firearms to acquire vehicles to use in murders and other criminal acts. They would refer to those stolen cars as units, and those cars were generally forbidden from being stored inside the PHPs. After use in a murder or other criminal act, gang members would burn the cars or sell them.
The investigation revealed that during the conspiracy the defendants and their co-conspirators created a music label and produced music and music videos with lyrics describing specific gang activity, real coconspirators, and real criminal events. Music videos of Los Vira’o feature real firearms brandished in the videos.
The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, including as leaders, enforcers, runners, sellers, facilitators, and lookouts. Twenty-seven (27) defendants are facing one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and fifteen (15) of those defendants are facing one count of possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The defendants charged in the indictment are:
[1] Efraín A. Planell-Pérez, a.k.a. “Gordo Billar/Billar/Simba/Simbad/el Ocho”
[2] David González-Olmo, a.k.a. “Cagüita”
[3] Eliezer Rivera-Otero, a.k.a. “Tiki/Tiky”
[4] Luis D. Maldonado-Berríos, a.k.a. “Guinea/La G”
[5] Miguel Y. Fuentes-Oquendo, a.k.a. “Barba”
[6] José M. Rivera-Fuentes, a.k.a. “Che/Cheque”
[7] Edgar Antonio Santiago-Vázquez, a.k.a. “Mili/Militar”
[8] Julio A. Torres-Roche, a.k.a. “Doctor”
[9] José David Serrano-Santiago, a.k.a. “Hacha Vieja”
[10] Kris L. Vega-González, a.k.a. “Yandel/Kris Llandel”
[11] Miguel A. Olmo-Garcia, a.k.a. “Mine/Bolillo”
[12] Yandel O. Bermejo-Rodríguez
[13] Jouseph De Jesús-Reyes, a.k.a. “Boti”
[14] Juan A. Flores-Lebrón, a.k.a. “Juanki”
[15] Noel Nieves-Lora, a.k.a. “Bulin”
[16] Cristopher Colón-Viera, a.k.a. “Topher”
[17] Joseph A. Torres-Quesada, a.k.a. “Mueca”
[18] Zael Y. Lao-Ortiz, a.k.a. “Vieques”
[19] Jay L. Diaz-Del Valle, a.k.a. “Jay Livan/El Cantante”
[20] Héctor M. Cruz-Ayala, a.k.a. “Gordo Gordo/Gordo Chiquito”
[21] Jeremy Ortiz-Díaz, a.k.a. “Millo”
[22] Victor M. Cruz-Ortiz, a.k.a. “Papa/El Father”
[23] Carlos A. Arroyo-Santel, a.k.a. “Rata/R”
[24] Adrián J. Miranda-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Pilo/Pilotito”
[25] Rubén M. Torres-Reyes
[26] Luis Y. León-Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Ika”
[27] Kevin M. Torres-Rivera, a.k.a. “Kevo”
[28] Edgardo Ortiz-Figueroa, a.k.a. “Pucho”
[29] Michael A. Santiago-Cruz, a.k.a. “Colo/Colorao”
[30] Christopher J. Nieves-Pérez, a.k.a. “Chucho”
[31] José G. Jiménez-Robles, a.k.a. “Joy”
[32] Christopher J. Fontanez-Vega, a.k.a. “Lagarto”
[33] Endel Gabriel Vidal-Malavé
[34] Bryan L. Montalvo-Colón, a.k.a. “Yambra”
[35] Luis A. Trinidad-González, a.k.a. “Chivito”
[36] Mariela E. Santiago-Cuevas
[37] José Orlando Ortiz-Martínez, a.k.a. “Champu de Coco/Vizco”
[38] Kenneth O. Claudio-Vega, a.k.a. “Kenny”
[39] Jonathan A. Ortiz-Martínez, a.k.a. “Cocodrilo/Orejas”
[40] Joseph Vicente-Vázquez, a.k.a. “Joe Cantera”
[41] Alejandro M. Tarafa-Fortuño, a.k.a. “Zombie”
[42] Rosemary Santiago-Serrano
[43] Paola M. Rodríguez-Morales
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort, Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares, AUSA R. Vance Eaton, and AUSA Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted on the drug charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug and firearms charges in Count Seven, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to life in prison. The defendants charged with possession of machineguns in furtherance of drug trafficking in Count Eight face a mandatory sentence of thirty years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the drug trafficking charges. All defendants are facing a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $9,362,160.
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).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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24 September 2025
Woman arrested for transporting an illegal alienRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Yuizanet Elias, 46, a United States citizen, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transportation within the United States of an illegal alien, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen M. McCarthy, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on May 18, 2025, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO) performed surveillance at 317 Schenck Street in North Tonawanda, NY, which is the residence of Elias and her boyfriend, Jose Antonio Arzate-Negron, a known illegal alien. Arzate-Negron was seen by agents but as they approached, he ran back into the residence. Elias then exited the residence and was confronted by agents, who requested that she bring Arzate-Negron to the door, but she refused. Agents explained that Arzate-Negron was illegally present in the United States. However, Elias still refused to go get Arzate-Negron. Agents then left the residence.
On multiple days in July 2025, agents surveilled the residence and observed Arzate-Negron exiting the residence and getting into a vehicle registered to and driven by Elias. On these days, it also appeared that Elias was conducting counter-surveillance before Arzate-Negron would leave the residence, attempting to spot law enforcement vehicles. On July 25, 2025, Arzate-Negron exited the residence and got into Elias’s vehicle. Agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop but Elias fled the area. Agents followed the vehicle which, after a short distance, stopped, and Arzate-Negron got out and fled on foot. After a brief foot pursuit, Arzate-Negron was apprehended and taken into custody.
Elias made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.
The complaint is a result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer.
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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Wolf Point man sentenced to 4 years in prison for multiple assaults on the Fort Peck Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Wolf Point man who assaulted two individuals on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Philip Ray Azure, 22, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The first incident occurred on March 16, 2023, when Azure went to John Doe’s residence in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Azure and John Doe were friends and were drinking alcohol together. Azure became intoxicated and was asked to leave for being too loud. A family member of Doe’s, who also lives in the home, started to walk Azure out. As he was leaving, Azure struck the family member. John Doe confronted Azure about hitting his family member. Azure pulled out a knife and stabbed Doe in the chest and then turned and walked away without saying anything.
Doe was rushed to the hospital for treatment of his serious injuries and later airlifted to Billings for surgery. After surgery to repair his lung, Doe spent a week in the hospital.
The second incident happened on January 27, 2024. Azure and several friends, including two co-defendants, and the victim, John Doe 2, were in a yard in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, playing a game of “slap-boxing.” The fighting escalated and eventually the group separated. Azure and his co-defendants returned home, and John Doe 2 arrived a short time later asking for his phone. Azure and his co-defendants exited the home and confronted Doe 2 in the driveway.
Several people witnessed the assault. One witness described seeing Azure and his co-defendants hitting John Doe 2 and saw someone using a bat and someone else using a hammer. A second witness saw Azure and his two co-defendants approach Doe 2 while he backed away and said all three “jumped” Doe 2. That witness saw Azure use a bat during the assault.
Doe 2 died at the scene before law enforcement arrived. According to an autopsy, he died from blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and chest, including a stab wound to the chest that perforated Doe 2’s sternum, heart, and esophagus.
Azure was arrested the day after the second assault. He initially claimed he wasn’t there when Doe 2 was assaulted. He later admitted he was involved but didn’t remember the details because he was intoxicated. He claimed Doe 2 had a big knife and he ultimately hit Doe 2 with a bat to stop him from using the knife. None of the other witnesses reported seeing Doe 2 with a knife.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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West Tennessee Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Garrett Baughman, 19, of Wildersville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for soliciting sexually explicit images and videos from a thirteen-year-old child. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
Baughman was charged with one count of production of child pornography; one count of use of a facility and means of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, entice a minor to engage in sexual criminal acts; and one count of receipt of child pornography. Following his guilty plea to the enticement of a minor charge, United States Senior District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Baughman to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Additionally, Baughman must comply with the conditions of the Sexual Offender Registry upon his release.
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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville-Jackson Resident Agency Child Exploitation Task Force and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Caroline Parish prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Waterloo Woman Going to Federal Prison for Defrauding Social Security Administration for More Than Twenty YearsRead the Press Release
A woman who concealed her ineligibility for Social Security benefits for twenty-two years was sentenced on September 23, 2025, to more than one year in federal prison.
Penny Linn Teel, age 60, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 23, 2025 guilty plea to one count of theft of government property.
In a plea agreement, Teel admitted that she began receiving insurance benefits from the Social Security Administration in 1992 after her husband passed away. In 2002, Teel married again. She did not report or disclose her marriage to the Social Security Administration. In 2022 and 2023, Teel filled out applications for Social Security benefits for her husband. She falsely indicated in those applications that he was not married. Information from sentencing showed that, when Teel was subsequently confronted by law enforcement agents, she made additional false statements about her marriage and whether she told the Social Security Administration that she was married.
Teel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Teel was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment. She was ordered to make $297,281 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Teel was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-2042.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Virginia Beach mail carrier pleads guilty to dumping mailRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier pled guilty yesterday to delay or destruction of mail.
On May 2, a witness observed Jerold Brent Mayers, 34, remove mail from his truck and discard it into a dumpster at an apartment complex in Virginia Beach. The witness reported the incident to the post office. Later that day, investigators recovered the discarded mail, which included checks, billing and bank statements, Department of Motor Vehicles correspondence, and medical mailings among other items. The mail was returned to the post office and placed back into the mail stream.
Mayers is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2026, and faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek is prosecuting the case.
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kathleen Woodson, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid Atlantic Area Field Office for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-82.
Two Zuni Men Sentenced for Armed AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Zuni men were sentenced to 33 months in prison each for a violent armed assault involving four victims.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 8, 2023, Kamron Kallestewa, 25, and Kaden Panteah, 20, both enrolled members of the Zuni Pueblo, assaulted four individuals at a residence on the Pueblo using firearms. Kallestewa hit two victims in the head and face with his weapon and pointed it at two of the victims. Panteah, meanwhile, aimed and fired his weapon toward the victims.
Upon their release from prison, Kallestewa will be subject to two years of supervised release and Panteah will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case.