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11 September 2025
United States Seeks Civil Forfeiture of Cryptocurrency Associated with Iranian National Mohammad AbediniRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action to recover approximately $584,741 in cryptocurrency alleged to be the property of Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, a/k/a Mohammad Abedini (Abedini), 39, of Tehran, Iran and/or his company San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (SDRA). The government seized USDT (Tether) from an un-hosted cryptocurrency wallet alleged to be controlled by Abedini. USDT (Tether) is a stablecoin, meaning its value is tied to the U.S. dollar.
Abedini was detained by Italian authorities on Dec. 16, 2024 but was later released in January 2025. He is believed to be in Iran.
According to court documents, Abedini is the founder and managing director of SDRA, an Iranian company that manufactures navigation modules used in the IRGC’s military drone program. SDRA’s main business is the sale of a proprietary navigation system—known as the Sepehr Navigation System—to the IRGC, which the United States designated as an FTO on April 15, 2019. The primary application of SDRA’s Sepehr Navigation System is for use in UAVs, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
In December 2024, Abedini was charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the IRGC, specifically, the IRGC Aerospace Force, which is the strategic missile, air and space force within the IRGC. Since at least in or about 2014, SDRA has had multiple projects with the IRGC Aerospace Force, including projects for guided rockets and integrated navigation systems. As alleged, between 2021 and 2022, approximately 99% of SDRA’s sales of the Sepehr Navigation System, which are used in IRGC one-way attack drones, were to the IRGC’s Aerospace Force.
In January 2024, three U.S. service members were killed, and more than 40 others were injured, in a drone attack by IRGC-backed militants on a military base located in northern Jordan, known as Tower 22. According to court documents, analysis of the drone that was recovered from the site of the attack showed that the drone was an Iranian Shahed UAV and that the navigation system used in the drone was the Sepehr Navigation System, which was manufactured by SDRA.
U.S. law authorizes the forfeiture of all assets of individuals or entities engaged in planning or perpetrating a federal crime of terrorism against the United States, citizens or residents of the United States, or their property and all assets, foreign or domestic, affording any person a source of influence over any such entity. U.S. law further authorizes the forfeiture of all assets acquired or maintained by any person with the intent and for the purpose of supporting, planning, conducting, or concealing any federal crime of terrorism against the United States, citizens or residents of the United States, or their property.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the District of Massachusetts’ Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture action. Assistant United States Jared Dolan, Alathea Porter and Christopher Looney of the District of Massachusetts’ Criminal Division; Trial Attorney Christina Clark of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section; and Trial Attorneys Jessica Joyce and John Cella of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the criminal case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is providing assistance.
The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint and criminal charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Midlands Men Sentenced for Their Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Drain Maurice Mazone, 54, of Irmo, and Clinton Raymond Donaldson, 42, of Columbia, have been sentenced to 13 years and three years respectively in federal prison for their role in a drug conspiracy.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Mazone and Donaldson, along with others, were involved in a drug conspiracy that began in Arizona. Drugs were purchased in Arizona and shipped to Mazone, who was involved in distributing them. Donaldson provided local addresses where packages would be shipped and also helped distribute the contraband. Proceeds from the drug sales were sent back to the distributor in Arizona. Some packages of drugs were shipped through the mail to Columbia, Florence, Myrtle Beach as well as locations in North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida. All four members of the conspiracy have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their involvement in the conspiracy.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Mazone to 156 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision and Donaldson to 36 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervision for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of marijuana. There is no parole in the federal system.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
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Two Akwesasne Men Charged with Alien SmugglingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Coffey, age 35, and Darren Cook, age 32, of Hogansburg, New York, were indicted yesterday for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and three additional counts of alien smuggling. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector made the announcement.
On August 8, 2025, Coffey and Cook are alleged to have conspired with an alien smuggling organization in Canada to smuggle three aliens—two of which were from China, with the third being from the United Kingdom—across the St. Lawrence River and into the United States for profit. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The defendants will appear in federal court to be arraigned on the indictment before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro. The defendants were previously ordered detained and are presently in custody.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “As alleged, Coffey and Cook, through their own greed to make a quick dollar, furthered the interests of dangerous alien smuggling organizations that put the people of our country in danger. What’s more, they utilized the Akwesasne Reservation ,which has been used by smugglers as a revolving door for moving aliens, drugs, and other contraband into the United States. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute alien smugglers, like Coffey and Cook, who put our country at risk.”
Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said: “The United States Border Patrol remains steadfast in its commitment to securing our borders and protecting the American people. Human smuggling is a dangerous and exploitative enterprise that preys on vulnerable individuals, placing them in harm’s way for the sole purpose of profit. Smugglers show a complete disregard for human life and the rule of law, often subjecting their victims to inhumane conditions and perilous journeys. We will continue to work tirelessly with our local, state, and federal partners, including the United States Attorney's Office, to dismantle these criminal networks and ensure justice is served. Let this serve as a warning to smugglers and traffickers: we will apprehend you, and we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling carry a mandatory minimum prison term of 5 years and a maximum prison term of 15 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt is prosecuting the case.
Transylvania County Drug Trafficker Is Sentenced to over 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – James Edward Frady, 39, of Brevard, N.C., was sentenced today to 130 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking ring that distributed methamphetamine and cocaine in Transylvania County announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to documents and court proceedings, from 2021 to 2023, Frady was part of a drug trafficking network that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Frady frequently communicated with his drug supplier, Zachery Micah Rice, to buy the methamphetamine and cocaine that he then distributed within the Transylvania County area. On October 19, 2023, deputies with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office arrested Frady for a traffic offense. Over the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement recovered from the passenger of the vehicle two plastic baggies containing 90.79 grams of methamphetamine and 56.51 grams of cocaine. Court documents show that Frady asked the passenger to conceal the drugs prior to being pulled over.
Frady pleaded guilty on February 21, 2025, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Rice was previously sentenced to 28 years in prison, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a machinegun.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, the Asheville Police Department, the Waynesville Police Department, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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).
Toa Baja Man Arrested After Being Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Children in Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — On September 10, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Julio Figueroa-Álvarez, a 32-year-old man from Toa Baja with sex trafficking of children and coercion and enticement of a minor. The defendant was arrested today by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents.
“Predators who target and coerce the vulnerable in our jurisdiction will face appropriately serious sanctions under federal law. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to seek justice to vindicate the rights of human trafficking victims,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting victims and ensuring that those responsible for such vicious crimes face the full weight of the law.”
“This individual, a registered sex offender, was arrested in 2014 on charges of sexual exploitation of minors and convicted in 2016 to serve a ten-year sentence. HSI is now arresting him for the second time in less than ten years following his conviction. Child predators remain determined to exploit minors, but we are equally determined to stop them and bring them to justice,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge. “We urge the community to take action before law enforcement becomes involved. Protecting our children requires vigilance and cooperation. Be alert and proactive; engaging in sexual acts with a minor is illegal, and when such heinous acts are committed in exchange for something of value, it constitutes a federal crime. Sex trafficking is real; it’s happening in our island too often. HSI is determined to hold accountable those who believe they can operate above the law; we will arrest them as many times as necessary. Help us keep our children safe and protected.”
According to court documents, between December 2024 and February 2025, Julio Figueroa-Álvarez knowingly and willfully recruited, enticed, transported, and maintained a 13-year-old male minor to engage in a commercial sex act. Figueroa-Álvarez is also accused with using a cellular phone, internet instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 13-year-old male minor to engage in prostitution or any sexual activity.
If convicted for the charges, the defendant faces the following penalties: sex trafficking of a child - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years up to life in prison; and coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison. All charges of conviction would to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI San Juan is leading the investigation into this case, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez Lora, from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to IntelHSISanJuan@hsi.dhs.gov.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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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Texas Resident Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud the Chickasaw Nation Department of HealthRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Nnamdi Felix Udeagha, age 39, of Humble, Texas, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and ordered to pay $214,908.34 in restitution.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On February 5, 2025, Udeagha pleaded guilty to the charge. Between April and December of 2021, Udeagha conspired with others to obtain money and property from the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health through materially false and fraudulent pretenses. According to investigators, the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health received emails claiming to be from a legitimate vendor with instructions to wire payments to certain bank accounts. It was later determined the emails were created and sent by a member of the conspiracy, and the bank accounts were opened by conspirators to receive and distribute the fraudulently obtained funds. Udeagha facilitated the fraud by providing the bank account information to the co-conspirator who sent the bogus emails to the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health.
“This defendant tried to hide in the shadows of the internet to steal money from the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, which was needed for vital medical programs and services,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “The FBI is committed to holding fraudsters accountable for the harm they cause the American people and our government institutions.”
“Fraudsters like the defendant employ email compromise schemes to prey on even the most sophisticated business enterprises,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I commend the FBI for the skilled investigative work which uncovered Udeagha’s criminal enterprise, and the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health for its work with law enforcement. This sentence demonstrates the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to pursuing white collar criminals who seek to exploit businesses in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Udeagha will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kara Traster and T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.
Stamford Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Charges Related to Theft of More Than $28 Million from Mars, Inc.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PAUL R. STEED, 58, of Stamford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to fraud and tax offenses stemming from his commission of multiple frauds against his former employer Mars, Inc.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately 2011 and 2023, Steed was employed by Mars Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars. Inc. (“Mars”), working remotely from his home in Stamford. Steed served in several positions at the company and last served as Global Price Risk Manager for Mars Wrigley’s Global Cocoa Enterprise. As part of his employment, Steed was responsible for managing Mars Wrigley’s participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Sugar-Containing Products Re-Export Program. In approximately 2016, Steed created a company, MCNA LLC, to mimic an actual Mars entity, Mars Chocolate North America. He then diverted more than $15 million in Mars assets to a bank account he set up in MCNA’s name by directing sugar refineries purchasing Mars’s re-export credits, obtained through the USDA program, to pay MCNA LLC as if it were a legitimate Mars entity.
Mars had an ownership interest in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”), a financial services company that operated financial exchanges and clearing houses, and received quarterly dividends in connection with that ownership. In 2017, Steed directed Computershare Limited (“Computershare”), a company that ICE utilized for stock-related services, to pay MCNA LLC for Mars’s dividends from its ownership shares in ICE. As a result, more than $700,000 in dividend payments were diverted to the MCNA LLC account. In 2023, after Steed had used a fraudulent letter purportedly from the Mars Treasurer authorizing him to trade ICE shares, Steed directed Computershare to sell Mars’s ICE shares entirely. Computershare issued a check in the amount of more than $11.3 million, which Steed deposited into the MCNA LLC account.
In addition, from 2013 through 2020, Steed used a company he owned called Ibera LLC to invoice Mars for services Mars did not receive. Mars paid Ibera LLC more than $700,000 through this scheme.
Steed failed to report and pay taxes on his stolen income on his 2014 through 2023 federal tax returns.
Steed pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and one count of tax evasion, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
Steed has agreed to pay restitution of $28,410,489 to Mars, Inc., and the government has calculated that he owes the IRS an additional $10,310,680 in back taxes.
The government has seized, and Steed has agreed to forfeit, more than $18 million from bank accounts controlled by Steed, and the government is seeking to forfeit, or alternatively liquidate for restitution, a Greenwich home that Steed is alleged to have purchased with nearly $2.3 million in stolen funds. It is alleged that another $2 million was sent by Steed to Argentina, where he is a dual citizen, has family ties, and owns a ranch.
Steed was arrested on March 26, 2025. He is released on a $5 million bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for December 9.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.
St. Louis Lawyer Admits $379,900 Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis lawyer on Thursday admitted defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration out of $379,900 by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic loan.
John J. Diehl Jr., 60, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Diehl admitted that on March 30, 2020, he applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) on behalf of his law firm, the Diehl Law Group. The EIDL program was designed to help struggling small businesses during the pandemic by providing deferred, low interest loans to be used strictly for working capital, payroll and other fixed debts of the business caused by the pandemic. Diehl signed a loan authorization and agreement form in which he falsely represented and certified that Diehl Law Group “…will use all the proceeds of this Loan solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by disaster occurring in the month of January 31, 2020 and continuing thereafter….”
On April 16, 2020, an advance of $1,000 on the EIDL loan was deposited into a Diehl Law Group bank account. On April 27, 2020, Diehl made a $1,320.15 payment to a country club for personal dues and charges, a payment that inappropriately included those EIDL funds.
On June 9, 2020, the remainder of the EIDL loan, $93,900, was transmitted into his law firm’s bank account. Diehl transferred some of the funds to his personal bank accounts and between June 10, 2020, and August 16, 2021, he impermissibly used the EIDL loan proceeds for unauthorized personal use and purposes. Those included payments on personal Tesla, Audi and Jeep automobiles, personal credit cards, a personal home mortgage, a family member’s college tuition, pool maintenance, country club dues and fees and cash withdrawals for personal use and expenses. On Sept. 16, 2020, Diehl also transferred $50,039.55 of the EIDL proceeds to the Diehl Law Group’s retirement plan in which Diehl was the only participant.
In March of 2022, Diehl requested an EIDL loan modification. He again pledged that Diehl Law Group will use the funds “to alleviate economic injury caused by disaster.” On April 12, 2022, the additional loan proceeds of $285,000 were wired into the Diehl Law Group bank account. Diehl then transferred some of the funds into his personal bank accounts. Between April 14, 2022, and June 21, 2023, Diehl inappropriately used the EIDL funds for payments on personal credit cards, fees paid to a St. Louis law firm for a personal legal matter, college tuition, residential mortgage payments and cash withdrawals for personal use and expenses. On Sept. 16, 2022, Diehl also inappropriately transferred $150,000 of the EIDL modified loan proceeds into his retirement plan.
In total, Diehl obtained $379,900 in EIDL loan funds through his fraud scheme.
Diehl is scheduled to be sentenced on December 19. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. He has repaid the EIDL loan proceeds to the United States Treasury, his lawyer said Thursday.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Felon Accused of Pointing Gun at 7-Year-Old Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man accused of pointing a gun at a 7-year-old to 10 years in prison.
Dwight Byrd, 59, pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Sept. 7, 2023, two witnesses told St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers that Byrd threatened a 7-year-old boy by pointing a black handgun at him and saying that he would “teach him some (expletive) respect.”
After officers spotted Byrd, he ran into his nearby home and changed clothes before surrendering. Officers found a loaded black 9mm handgun with a chambered round near the stairs Byrd used to get to his second-story apartment and a .38 special revolver and 9mm ammunition in his apartment. At the time, Byrd was on parole for a state drug offense.
Byrd conceded at Thursday’s hearing that prosecutors could prove that he pointed a gun at the child by a preponderance of the evidence.
In a letter to Judge Autrey, the victim’s mother wrote that she is not sure what sent Byrd off, adding, “We are all traumatized, and he probably still doesn’t care.”
In court and in a sentencing memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj pointed out that Byrd’s prior robbery and drug convictions include three other occasions in which he pointed or shot a gun at one or more people.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
Six Defendants Charged with Operating A Fentanyl Mill That Manufactured and Sold Millions-Worth of FentanylRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton; Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Frank A. Tarentino; and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging JESUS JAVIER BRITO RIVERA, JOSE ALEXIS DE LA CRUZ MORA, JOSE ANTONIO DE LA CRUZ MORA, DANY RIVERA SANCHEZ, JOAN ALBERTO TORIBIO TAVAREZ, and FREDDYS RIVERA QUEZADA with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute narcotics. The defendants were arrested Tuesday, September 9, 2025, inside a Bronx apartment while in the middle of processing more than eight kilograms of apparent fentanyl powder, producing thousands of individual packages of the drug for distribution. Records recovered from within the mill indicate that the defendants conspired over at least a year to sell millions of dollars’ worth of fentanyl. All six defendants were present in the U.S. without legal status, and one was previously removed from the U.S. after entering the country illegally and later being convicted of another drug distribution offense. All six defendants were presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo and ordered detained pending trial.
“As alleged, these defendants were caught in the act of packaging and preparing to distribute enough fentanyl to potentially amount to four million deadly doses,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “At the time our law enforcement partners raided this fentanyl mill, fentanyl glassines were drying in the kitchen oven, and the defendants were gathered around individual workstations. New Yorkers want these mills destroyed and their operators off the streets. We and our law enforcement partners are committed to that mission.”
“Once again, the DEA and our law enforcement partners successfully shut down a fentanyl mill, resulting in the arrests of six illegal, alleged criminal drug traffickers, and the removal of approximately eight kilograms of fentanyl powder from an apartment building in the Bronx,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino. “As we have seen time and again, the Bronx is often exploited by drug trafficking organizations as a hub to transport and distribute their illicit and dangerous narcotics throughout the Northeast corridor of the United States. This operation eliminated their distribution network and their ability to flood our streets with poison. The DEA remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting our communities and safeguarding our nation.”
“These defendants allegedly turned a Bronx apartment into a full-scale drug den, pumping out thousands of packages of illicit fentanyl for profit,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “We know how dangerous even a trace amount of fentanyl is, but this staggering amount would have put countless New Yorkers in great danger. The NYPD will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle dangerous operations like this. I am grateful to the NYPD investigators, the DEA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their relentless work to shut this network down and ensure these criminals are brought to justice.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[[1]]
Inside the Bronx apartment searched by law enforcement, officers observed a table that appeared to be set up with four working stations to mix and package apparent fentanyl powder, each lit with a reading lamp and covered in apparent fentanyl dust; a large pile of individually stamped glassines filled with powder, but which had not yet been sealed; another table piled with thousands of wrapped and stamped glassines; two plastic bags filled with white powder; two boxes filled with 17 grinders, themselves filled with powder; numerous scales, boxes of packaging materials, colanders, markers, rubber bands, and MetroCards, all of which appear to have been used to separate, measure, process, and package the powder; and a shopping bag containing hundreds of fully bundled and stamped glassines. Officers also found glassines and stamps drying inside the kitchen oven and identified a drawer full of stamps used to mark variations of fentanyl being prepared for distribution. Below are images taken during the search of the mill:
* * *
RIVERA, 23; ALEXIS DE LA CRUZ MORA, 23; ANTONIO DE LA CRUZ MORA, 22; SANCHEZ, 34; TAVAREZ, 45; and QUEZADA, 44, all citizens of the Dominican Republic, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of distribution of narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are 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 outstanding investigative work of the DEA, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Narcotics. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan T. Nees is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
u.s._v._rivera_et_al._complaint.pdf
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Six Alleged “Unknown Vice Lord Gang” Members Indicted for Attempted Murder in aid of Racketeering and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — A nine-count indictment was unsealed in the Western District of Tennessee charging six alleged members of a criminal street gang known as Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) – Ghost Mob with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and firearms violations.
“As alleged, these individuals showed a blatant disregard for public safety, engaging in a retaliatory gang shooting in a residential neighborhood,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gang violence inflicts profound harm on our communities, fostering fear, destabilizing neighborhoods, and damaging the quality of life for law-abiding residents. The arrest of these violent gang members underscores the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting public safety and the rule of law. We will continue to dismantle these criminal organizations and protect the safety and security of our citizens.”
“The premeditated and horrendous acts of violence that these gang members committed demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division. “The men and women of the ATF, along with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, remain committed to combatting violent crime and swiftly bringing these individuals to justice before they commit other senseless acts of violence.”
According to court documents, the UVL Ghost Mob is a violent, criminal street gang that operates throughout the Western District of Tennessee and elsewhere. The UVL Ghost Mob is a subset of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation, which originated in Chicago, and eventually spread to other parts of the United States, including Tennessee.
Court documents allege that on Sept. 6, 2020, after rival gang members opened fire on UVL Ghost Mob members and their families, injuring four people, UVL Ghost Mob leaders ordered a retaliatory attack. Shortly after midnight on Sept. 7, 2020, the defendants travelled to the residence of the rival gang members, armed with assault style rifles and wearing masks and gloves. The defendants intentionally shot approximately 40-50 bullets into the residence while the rival gang members were inside. Neighborhood security cameras captured the shooting. In the video, the defendants are depicted using, carrying, and firing multiple firearms into the residence.
The following defendants were charged for their role in the offense:
- Antwon Brown, also known as Yayo, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Cordera Douglas, also known as Chuckie Dee, 36 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Willie Merriweather, 41 of Antioch, Tennessee;
- Tevin Richardson, also known as Santana, 34 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Ricky Rogers, Jr., also known as Double R, RR, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee; and
- Laraveus Williams, also known as Ray Ray, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee.
Assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. Conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. The charge of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a mandatory sentence of at least 10 years consecutive to any other sentence. If convicted, a federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF and Memphis Police Department investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Dennis Robinson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee, and surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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If you have questions, please use the contacts in the message or call the Office of Public Affairs at 202-514-2007.
Six Alleged “Unknown Vice Lord Gang” Members Indicted for Attempted Murder in aid of Racketeering and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
A nine-count indictment was unsealed in the Western District of Tennessee charging six alleged members of a criminal street gang known as Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) – Ghost Mob with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and firearms violations.
“As alleged, these individuals showed a blatant disregard for public safety, engaging in a retaliatory gang shooting in a residential neighborhood,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gang violence inflicts profound harm on our communities, fostering fear, destabilizing neighborhoods, and damaging the quality of life for law-abiding residents. The arrest of these violent gang members underscores the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting public safety and the rule of law. We will continue to dismantle these criminal organizations and protect the safety and security of our citizens.”
“The premeditated and horrendous acts of violence that these gang members committed demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division. “The men and women of the ATF, along with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, remain committed to combatting violent crime and swiftly bringing these individuals to justice before they commit other senseless acts of violence.”
According to court documents, the UVL Ghost Mob is a violent, criminal street gang that operates throughout the Western District of Tennessee and elsewhere. The UVL Ghost Mob is a subset of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation, which originated in Chicago and eventually spread to other parts of the United States, including Tennessee.
Court documents allege that on Sept. 6, 2020, after rival gang members opened fire on UVL Ghost Mob members and their families, injuring four people, UVL Ghost Mob leaders ordered a retaliatory attack. Shortly after midnight on Sept. 7, 2020, the defendants travelled to the residence of the rival gang members, armed with assault style rifles and wearing masks and gloves. The defendants intentionally shot approximately 40-50 bullets into the residence while the rival gang members were inside. Neighborhood security cameras captured the shooting. In the video, the defendants are depicted using, carrying, and firing multiple firearms into the residence.
The following defendants were charged for their role in the offense:
- Antwon Brown, also known as Yayo, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Cordera Douglas, also known as Chuckie Dee, 36 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Willie Merriweather, 41 of Antioch, Tennessee;
- Tevin Richardson, also known as Santana, 34 of Memphis, Tennessee;
- Ricky Rogers, Jr., also known as Double R, RR, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee; and
- Laraveus Williams, also known as Ray Ray, 32 of Memphis, Tennessee;
Assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. Conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in aid of racketeering carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. The charge of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a mandatory sentence of at least 10 years consecutive to any other sentence. If convicted, a federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF and Memphis Police Department investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Dennis Robinson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee, and surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Andrew Gross, 42, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty September 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Gross was convicted of possessing child pornography.
At the plea hearing, Gross admitted that between April 1, 2024, and May 14, 2024, he engaged in the receipt and possession of child pornography. Sioux City Police received a report from the parents of a 15-year-old regarding conversations Gross was having with their child that were sexual in nature. Further investigation revealed that Gross and the minor victim discussed sexually explicit messages which also contained photographs of the minor victim. Gross also admitted to possessing other images and videos of child pornography. In 2021, Gross had been convicted of offenses relating to aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor in Minnesota.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Gross remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Gross faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by Sioux City Police Department and the South Sioux City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4021. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
SDSU Men’s Basketball Team to Host Fentanyl Awareness/Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament with U.S. Attorney’s Office and City Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office and the non-profit MESA (Mentoring and Empowering Student Athletes) Foundation will host a three-on-three basketball tournament featuring San Diego State University Men’s Basketball student athletes as referees and members of the SDSU Greek System as participants to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
Media is invited to cover the tournament, to be held on September 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Aztec Recreation Center on the SDSU campus (5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182) will highlight the urgent threat fentanyl poses to the community, particularly to college students and young adults. The tournament will feature educational booths with information on fentanyl awareness, prevention and resources on how to obtain free naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan.
Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication, available either as a nasal spray or an injector. In California, naloxone can be purchased from a pharmacist without a prescription. It is also possible to get naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments at no cost. For more information about naloxone and how to get training on using it, visit: Naloxone Information.
This is the third time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have teamed up to feature SDSU student athletes in partnership with an SDSU NIL organization. In 2024, the SDSU Women’s Soccer Team participated in a social media campaign to spread fentanyl awareness, and in 2023 the SDSU men’s basketball team participated in the first-ever social media campaign between law enforcement and collegiate athletics to promote fentanyl prevention.
“This tournament is about more than basketball – it’s about educating young people on the dangers of fentanyl and how to respond in the case of an overdose,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “We are proud to partner with SDSU, the City Attorney’s Office, and the MESA Foundation to reach students with these terrific SDSU basketball ambassadors”.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have attacked the fentanyl crisis through aggressive prosecutions at every level of the supply chain – from cartel leadership to cross-border trafficking organizations, to money launderers, to street level dealers who are selling drugs that result in overdose deaths.
“Fentanyl has taken too many lives, and prevention starts with awareness,” said San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert. “By partnering with SDSU, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the MESA Foundation, we’re reaching students directly with life-saving information and resources. Our goal is to empower young people to make safe choices and help keep our campuses and communities healthy.”
MESA is the official partner of San Diego State Athletics dedicated to the advancement of Aztec Basketball and community outreach. Through this partnership, MESA connects Aztec basketball student-athletes with community-based organizations, charitable initiatives, and local businesses across San Diego. More information about the MESA Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, can be found here https://www.mesa-aztecs.org/
For further information, please contact Logan Manning, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (619) 546-7344, or Special Assistant U.S. Attorney/Deputy City Attorney Mark Robertson at (619) 533-5500.
Press officials are permitted to film the participants in the tournament only.
Press please RSVP to logan.manning@usdoj.gov
Repeat Offender Under Federal Supervision Is Sentenced to over 15 Years for Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – John Quentin London, 39, of Hendersonville, N.C., was sentenced today to 188 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release for drug and gun offenses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. London’s 15+ year sentence will run at the expiration of an additional 24 months he was ordered to serve for violating his federal supervised release.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Lowell S. Griffin of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court records and the sentencing hearing, in early 2024, law enforcement learned that London was distributing drugs in the Henderson County area while on federal supervised release for a firearm conviction.
On April 18, 2024, deputies with the HCSO conducted a traffic stop of London’s vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, deputies seized two clear plastic bags containing 9.08 grams of methamphetamine and digital scales. The items were found in a magnetic case under the hood.
On June 13, 2024, deputies with the HCSO attempted to pull over London’s vehicle. Initially, London pulled over but then fled the scene, driving in a reckless manner. London eventually slid into a ditch and wrecked his vehicle before fleeing on foot. London was arrested a short time later. Deputies searched London and seized a clear plastic bag containing 1.26 grams of cocaine from his pocket. According to court documents, deputies subsequently executed search warrants at London’s residence and the car from the vehicle chase. Detectives seized from London’s basement a small amount of suspected marijuana, a digital scale with residue, and a stolen .38 Smith and Wesson model 649 revolver loaded with five rounds. Deputies also seized from behind London’s driver’s seat a Puma backpack. Inside the backpack, deputies found a total of 58.17 pure grams of meth, 5.06 grams of psilocin, five suspected Xanax pills inscribed with “21,” suspected marijuana, two digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
On July 25, 2024, deputies with the HCSO initiated a traffic stop on London and located 17.74 grams of pure meth in the center console and a digital scale in the driver’s door pocket.
On August 27, 2024, deputies with the HCSO and members with United States Marshals
Service attempted to arrest London on an outstanding warrant. They found London hiding in a camper in Henderson County and he placed under arrest. A loaded 9mm pistol with a round in the chamber and 0.589 grams of pure meth were seized from the camper.
London pleaded guilty on June 30, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by felon. Court records indicate London has two prior felony state convictions for possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances and as a result he qualified for an increased sentence as a career offender. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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).
Quant at Investment Management Firm Charged with Securities and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced today an Indictment charging JIAN WU with engaging in a scheme to defraud his employer, a New York-based investment management firm (the “Firm”), by secretly manipulating computer-based algorithmic investment models that were used to execute securities trading strategies at the Firm. WU is currently a fugitive, and the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
“As alleged, Jian Wu deceived his employer, a quantitative trading firm, into paying him millions of dollars of unearned compensation,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Wu’s employer trusted him to act with integrity when creating models for the firm’s use. Instead, Wu used his technical abilities to cheat his employer out of millions. This Office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate, detect, and prosecute fraud in the securities markets wherever we find it.”
“Jian Wu allegedly abused his position to manipulate data models, which resulted in an undeserved multimillion-dollar award for his unlawful actions,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “In doing so, Wu betrayed the trust of his employer who relied on his expertise. The FBI continues its steadfast promise to hold accountable those who seek to exploit their positions to generate illicit compensation.”
As alleged in the Indictment:[1]
WU was employed as a modeler at the Firm, a quantitative investment management firm in Manhattan. In his role, WU designed models for the Firm’s investment vehicles and related funds, using data to build price forecasting models that generated forecasts on stocks and other financial instruments.
Between 2021 and 2023, WU deceived the Firm by manipulating trading models he created in order to increase his own compensation. Specifically, WU designed models, which were approved and released for use, and then covertly made post-release changes to the models’ parameters, which significantly altered the models’ behavior. WU also secretly tested his models on data sets that misrepresented how the models would perform once approved and released. As a result of these changes and misrepresentations, the Firm rewarded WU with an inflated year-end compensation of approximately $23 million. WU then used a portion of his compensation to purchase a multimillion-dollar apartment in Manhattan. When the Firm uncovered WU’s scheme, WU made additional unauthorized changes to the models’ parameters in an attempt to conceal his prior tampering. The Firm fired WU in 2024.
* * *
WU, 34, of China, is charged with one count each of wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. Clayton also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which separately initiated civil proceedings against the defendant today.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Li and Alexandra Rothman are in charge of the prosecution.
U.S. v. Wu Indictment.pdf
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Prior felon arrested on new gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael Mitchell, 32, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, late in the evening on August 25, 2025, Buffalo Police officers responded to a residence on Austin Street for a call reporting a male in the house with a gun. When officers arrived, they located the 911 caller down the street. Officers made contact with Mitchell at the residence and detained him while conducting the investigation. Officers searched the residence, during which they seized a black hoodie sweatshirt with an unloaded firearm in the pocket, and a container with two 9mm rounds of ammunition. Officers also located a small amount of suspected crack cocaine.
In April 2013, Mitchell was convicted of a federal charge of bank robbery by force of violence and sentenced to serve 108 months in prison. As a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Alphonso Wright and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.
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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Philippine Citizen Charged with Election Fraud OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Emily Custodio, 51, of Clementon, New Jersey, has been charged by indictment with one count of voter fraud and one count of voting by an alien.
The defendant made her initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday.
As alleged in the indictment, on or about July 18, 2020, Custodio, a citizen of the Philippines who does not hold American citizenship, applied online to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of State to register to vote in Pennsylvania. In doing so, the indictment alleges, the defendant falsely answered “Yes” to the question about whether she was a United States citizen.
On or about July 21, 2020, based on the information allegedly provided by Custodio, including the false statement that she was a U.S. citizen, her application to register to vote was accepted and she was successfully registered to vote in Pennsylvania.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about November 3, 2020, Custodio appeared in person at her assigned Philadelphia County polling place to cast a vote in the 2020 general election. The defendant allegedly presented photo identification, signed her name in the pollbook next to the statement “I hereby certify that I am qualified to vote at this election…” and cast a vote in the 2020 general election, which included the election for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States.
“The integrity of our electoral system depends on every citizen having confidence that the process is fair, transparent, and free from manipulation,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Election fraud of any sort undermines public trust in our system, and illegal voting by non-citizens dilutes the voice of lawful American voters.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of six years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $350,000 fine.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Potts and Mark Dubnoff.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Philadelphia Man Convicted at Trial in Connection with Violent Home Invasion RobberyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Tyreek Byrd, 37, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted today by a federal jury of conspiring to commit armed home invasion robberies, robbery affecting interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery) and using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The defendant was charged with those offenses by second superseding indictment in February 2022.
As proven at trial, from November 2019 through January 2020, Byrd and three co-conspirators conspired to carry out a series of robberies that targeted business owners and another individual that they believed would keep cash in their home. The offenders researched their victims and their businesses, using a GPS tracking device to learn where the victims lived, and used zip ties, duct tape, and firearms to commit these crimes.
On the night of December 31, 2019, Byrd and two co-conspirators accosted the owner of a nail salon in Delaware County, Pa., as the owner returned to the business. The offenders forced the victim inside, and repeatedly demanded money, placing zip ties on the owner’s wrists, covering his mouth with duct tape, and striking his face with their fists and a gun.
The men took cash from the business, then forced the owner to his residence, where they encountered his wife, their children, and their nanny. The men zip-tied the wife and children, then continued to beat the owner and demand money. They ransacked the residence, while making statements like “we have been watching you for weeks” and threatening to drown the victims’ three-year-old daughter.
After approximately 40 minutes of terrorizing the family, the robbers fled with thousands of dollars in business proceeds, jewelry, and other items of value.
Byrd is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a statutory maximum of life in prison.
One of Byrd’s co-conspirators, Willie Singletary, previously pleaded guilty to offenses related to this conspiracy and was sentenced to 17 years’ incarceration on May 20, 2025. Another co-conspirator, Shaquan Brown, was convicted on April 15, 2024, after a trial and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20.
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.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Haverford Police Department, with assistance from the FBI and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Carissimi and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Doherty.
Pensacola Man Indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jerney Jabara Purifoy, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge today.
Purifoy appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho for his arraignment in federal court on September 8, 2025, in Pensacola, Florida. Trial is set for October 20, 2025, before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Purifoy faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton 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.
Oskaloosa Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – An Oskaloosa man was sentenced on September 10, 2025, to 18 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a child.
According to public court documents, Matthew Scott Beal, 42, produced child pornography of a minor child. Beal also used the internet to distribute four videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement account operated by the Homeland Security’s Newark Child Exploitation Task Force. Later, law enforcement seized Beal’s phone during a search of his home in Oskaloosa. Beal’s phone contained over 100 images and videos of child pornography, including prepubescent children engaged in sex acts with adults.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Beal will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Beal was also ordered to pay $15,938.50 in restitution to multiple victims.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations Newark Child Exploitation Group, the Oskaloosa Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jonathan Ayer, 25, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 5, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for bank fraud. Chief Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Ayer to 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ayer’s release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release. Additionally, Chief Judge Rossiter ordered Ayer to pay $6,406.89 in restitution.
On January 31, 2023, a United States Postal Service (USPS) mail delivery man was delivering mail in a neighborhood near North 25th and Crown Point avenues in Omaha when he was robbed at gunpoint. The armed robbers demanded his arrow key and were able to obtain it. An arrow key is like a mastery key, allowing the holder to gain access to secure publicly accessible USPS drop boxes, such as blue collection boxes. U.S. Postal Inspectors canvassed the area of the robbery and obtained surveillance video from several neighboring homes, which captured a black sedan that appeared to be following the mail carrier on his route. Footage identified the black sedan leaving the area at an accelerated speed around the time of the robbery. No suspects were immediately identified, but the investigation into the robbery continued.
In April 2023, a victim placed two checks in the blue collection box at the Florence Post Office in Omaha. In May 2023, the victim checked his bank account and saw that one of the checks, originally made out to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), had cleared his bank account. The check was originally made out to the IRS in the amount of $15,171. The image of the deposited check had been altered. The victim indicated the writing on the check was all fraudulent and the only thing that was the same was his signature. The victim reported another check was attempted to be cashed; however, the payment was declined by the bank as a stop payment was placed on the check. The check was in the amount of $10,913 and written out to the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The attempted cashing showed the check was altered and the payee was also changed.
In May 2023, a U.S. Postal Inspector had contact with the Florence Post Office. The clerk indicated they believed they were having issues with an arrow key being used at the location as the volume of mail picked up from the blue collection box outside the Post Office was lower than normal.
Investigation into the bank fraud ultimately identified two addresses in Omaha of interest, which were neighboring homes. The investigation also revealed two possible suspects who were captured on surveillance video cashing checks at ATMs and in Walmart stores. One of the suspects drove a black sedan. Investigation ultimately revealed Jonathan Ayer and Ronnie Colvin, III were suspects in both the robbery and bank fraud.
A search and arrest warrant were simultaneously executed on both Ayer and Colvin in the early morning hours of December 7, 2023. Colvin was pulled over in a vehicle away from the home. Subsequent searches revealed thousands of checks, stolen mail matter and firearms. Colvin was charged with the firearm, robbery, and bank fraud offense. Ayer was charged with bank fraud.
This scheme involved obtaining legitimate checks from the mail and altering the original payee and amount of the check, replacing it with names and identities of individuals whose banking account information Ayer and Colvin had access. Ayer and Colvin would pass the fraudulent checks, obtaining cash. As a result of this scheme, the intended loss amount was over $4.4 million, and the actual loss was more than $200,000.
Colvin was sentenced on August 14, 2025, to a total of 126 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, assaulting a USPS mail carrier, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Miguel Angel Rodriguez Ramirez, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 3, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for transportation of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Rodriguez Ramirez to 150 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rodriguez Ramirez’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On May 1, 2024, Google LLC made a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating a Google user uploaded 13 videos depicting child pornography. The IP address associated with the CyberTip resolved to an Omaha residence where Rodriguez Ramirez resided. A Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a search warrant for Rodriguez Ramirez’s Google account and, in reviewing the Google account’s contents, confirmed Rodriguez Ramirez uploaded the videos referenced in the CyberTip to his Google Drive in March 2024. On August 8, 2024, the FBI executed a residential search warrant at Rodriguez Ramirez’s Omaha residence. Agents seized his iPhone and several electronic devices from within the residence. Rodriguez Ramirez informed agents he received the child pornography videos from a link someone sent him via Telegram and then uploaded the images to his Google Drive.
Agents forensically extracted and analyzed Rodriguez Ramirez’s electronic devices. The content of Rodriguez Ramirez’s Google account and his device extractions revealed he possessed at least 270 child pornography image files and 13 child pornography video files. The files included pornographic images and videos depicting prepubescent children, including an infant, and contained masochistic conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Oklahoma City Daycare Owner Convicted of Obstructing Audit and Embezzling Funds Meant for ChildcareRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – PRISCILLA ORANGE, 67, of Oklahoma City, has been convicted of obstructing a federal audit and two counts of federal program theft, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On April 16, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Orange, charging her with the crimes listed above. On September 10, 2025, after a two-day trial, a federal jury found Orange guilty on all counts. Orange owned and operated Rainbow Connection Child Care & Learning Center (Rainbow Connection), a childcare center with multiple locations in the Western District of Oklahoma. Evidence presented at trial indicated that, in 2021, the Oklahoma Department of Education launched an audit of reimbursements provided to Rainbow Connection by the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CACFP funded nutritious meals and snacks for low-income children at participating childcare centers. Since at least 2013, Rainbow Connection participated in CACFP and received approximately $1,555,000. The 2021 audit was intended to verify that Orange had served as many meals and snacks to children as she had previously claimed each month and for which she had been reimbursed. Testimony at trial showed that, in an attempt to obstruct the audit, Orange submitted false and fraudulent food-related expenses to the Oklahoma Department of Education.
Additionally, trial evidence showed that Orange applied for and received childcare stabilization grants (CCSGs), money allocated by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Childcare centers that received CCSGs were required to use the money for approved business expenses. In all, Rainbow Connection received nearly $500,000 from the CCSG program. Evidence at trial showed that Orange used Rainbow Connection accounts to gamble at local casinos and otherwise diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal use.
At sentencing, Orange faces up to 25 years in federal prison, and fines of up to $750,000.
This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys D.H. Dilbeck and Jackson D. Eldridge are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Ocean County Man Admits to Traveling to a Foreign Place to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a MinorRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County man admitted to traveling to a foreign place to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Jacob Bauer, 29, of Toms River, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to a one-count Information charging him with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 1, 2023 through December 10, 2023, Bauer, then 27 years old, traveled from the United States to Norway to engage in sexual activity with a 14-year-old female. Once in Norway, Bauer, staying at a hotel, engaged in sexual activity with the victim. After returning to the United States, Bauer communicated over social media platforms with the victim and others about his sexual activities with the victim. During those conversations, Bauer acknowledged the victim’s age and status as a minor. After members of an online community that Bauer was active in learned of his sexual activities with a minor, Bauer was “doxxed” (his public information published online) by members of that community.
The charge of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place carries a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited the special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. She also thanked the New Brunswick Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Vincent Sabo, the Manchester Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Antonio Ellis, the FBI Legal Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark, the FBI Legal Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, Warsaw, Poland, the Jackson County, Georgia Sheriff's Office, INTERPOL, the Norwegian Politiet, Troms District, the Norwegian Politiet, NC3 KRIPOS, and the Poland Policja CBZC, Central Cybercrime Bureau for their assistance in the investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Andrea Aldana, Esq., Federal Public Defenders.
bauer.information.pdfNew Jersey Woman Indicted on Charges Relating to Stolen U.S. Treasury CheckRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Northeast Field Division, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned an indictment charging MADISYN PETTAWAY, 30, of Newark, New Jersey, with offenses related to the attempted deposit of a stolen U.S. Treasury check at a Connecticut credit union.
As alleged in court documents, on August 27, 2024, Pettaway, using a stolen identity and a fraudulent New Jersey driver’s license, opened an account at a branch of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union. On September 13, 2024, Pettaway attempted to deposit a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $410,085.48 at the credit union. Charter Oak FCU ultimately did not accept the deposit.
It is further alleged that, in June 2025, Pettaway opened another account at a branch of Charter Oak FCU using a fraudulent identity. On July 28, 2025, East Lyme Police arrested Pettaway and charged her with state offenses. Pettaway possessed a fake New York driver’s license and three debit cards in the name of the fraudulent identity at the time of her arrest. She was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 20, 2025.
The indictment, which was returned on September 3, charges Pettaway with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, offenses that carry a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years on each count; theft of government property, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years.
Pettaway appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven and was released on a $100,000 bond.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the East Lyme Police Department, and the Montville Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang.
Naugatuck Resident Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Operating Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAFAEL MUZZI, 28, a citizen of Brazil residing in Naugatuck, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 18 months of imprisonment for operating an investment fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2017 and 2018, Muzzi, at times using two entities he formed, Solace Investments LLC and Asseno LLC, induced victim-investors to provide him funds based on the representation he would use the funds for trading currencies in foreign exchange markets using a trading software program that he told his victims he had developed. Muzzi represented to victims that his software program had a feature that would cause trading to cease in the event of a certain loss in value, thus minimizing downside risk. Muzzi failed to invest a substantial portion of invested funds as he represented, and instead diverted those funds for his own personal use, and to pay other individuals who had invested with him. Through this scheme, Muzzi stole a total of $579,925.28 from 21 victim-investors.
Muzzi sent victims fabricated monthly account statements that falsely overstated their return on investment and their account balances. These misrepresentations induced some victim-investors to provide him with additional investment funds.
In response to victim complaints, the State of Connecticut’s Department of Banking investigated Muzzi’s conduct, issued orders finding that Muzzi and Solace Investments had violated state securities laws, ordered them to make restitution to victims, and fined Muzzi $300,000. On September 6, 2020, Muzzi traveled to Brazil and did not return.
On August 23, 2022, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Muzzi with fraud and money laundering offenses. Muzzi was arrested on April 1, 2023, in Panama, and subsequently waived his right to contest his extradition to the U.S. On July 30, 2024, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
Judge Underhill ordered Muzzi to pay full restitution.
Muzzi, who is released on a $150,000 bond, is required to report to prison on February 11.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Banking, Securities Division.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked Interpol and Panamanian authorities for their assistance in apprehending this defendant, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for providing significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant from Panama.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor M. Reardon and Michael S. McGarry.
Naturalized United States Citizen from Pakistan Charged with Attempting to Kidnap a Minor Child in CanadaRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Today, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Shahzad Hameedi, a.k.a. Sheraz Hameed, 46, with attempted kidnapping of a minor child, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. Hameedi is a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan who resides in Wayne County, Michigan.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz, Homeland Security Investigations, Detroit.
According to the criminal complaint, Hameedi began dating a single mother in Windsor, Canada under the alternate name Sheraz Hameed. After she restricted his access to her minor child, Hameedi embarked on an operation to kidnap the child in June 2025. During the investigation, agents recovered a laminated ransom note, and evidence showed that Hameedi had researched tranquilizers and assembled items such as a stun gun, a toddler life vest, zip ties, duct tape, rubber gloves, and strong cold medication with a funnel. Evidence also showed that Hameedi then surreptitiously crossed the border to Canada and entered the child’s home at night, where he tried to strangle the mother before being chased away. Two days later, Hameedi returned to the home and assaulted the child.
“The defendant’s alleged plan to kidnap a young child by sneaking across the border and entering Canada, breaking into a mother’s home at night, strangling her and then assaulting her innocent, young child two days later is diabolical. No parent or child should ever be subjected to this wickedness. We will bring the full force of the law against violent predators.” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said.
“HSI is committed to working with our Canadian partners to hold criminals accountable and safeguard innocent children on both sides of the Northern border,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “I’m proud of the HSI agents, the Windsor Police Service and the prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring charges in this case.”
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Windsor Police Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Nee, Matthew Roth, and Eaton Brown.
Nadine Menendez Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Bribery, Foreign Agent, and Obstruction OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that NADINE MENENDEZ was sentenced to 54 months in prison for bribery, foreign agent, and obstruction of justice offenses. NADINE MENENDEZ was sentenced for her critical role in a corruption and foreign influence scheme involving her husband, convicted former Senator Robert Menendez, and others. NADINE MENENDEZ was convicted on April 21, 2025, following a five-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein, who imposed today’s sentence.
“The defendant and her partner in crime, former Senator Robert Menendez, engaged in the most brazen form of public corruption—gold bars, cash, and a luxury car in exchange for a Senator’s power,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s sentence sends an important message: our elected officials are not for sale.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, the evidence at trial, and public filings:
Robert Menendez, at all relevant times, was the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey and held a leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (the “SFRC”), first as the Ranking Member and then the Chairman. Shortly after Robert Menendez began dating his now-wife NADINE MENENDEZ, then known as Nadine Arslanian, in early 2018, NADINE MENENDEZ introduced Robert Menendez to her long-time friend Wael Hana, a New Jersey businessman who was originally from Egypt and maintained close connections with Egyptian officials. Hana was also a business associate of Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer and long-time donor to Robert Menendez, and Jose Uribe, who worked in the New Jersey insurance and trucking business.
Between 2018 and 2022, when they learned of the federal investigation, Robert Menendez and NADINE MENENDEZ agreed to and did accept hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribes from Hana, Daibes, and Uribe. These bribes included gold, cash, a luxury convertible, payments toward NADINE MENENDEZ’s home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job for NADINE MENENDEZ, home furnishings, and other things of value. In June 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) executed a court-authorized search warrant at the New Jersey home of Robert Menendez and NADINE MENENDEZ. During that search, the FBI found many of the fruits of this bribery scheme. Over $480,000 in cash—much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe—was discovered in the home. Some of the envelopes contained the fingerprints of Robert Menendez or Daibes. Law enforcement agents also found home furnishings provided by Hana and Daibes, the luxury vehicle paid for by Uribe parked in the garage, and over $100,000 worth of gold bars in the home, which were provided by either Hana or Daibes.
In exchange for these and other things of value, NADINE MENENDEZ and Robert Menendez agreed and promised that Robert Menendez would use his power and influence as a Senator to seek to protect Hana’s, Uribe’s, and Daibes’s interests and to benefit a foreign country. Through this corrupt relationship, NADINE MENENDEZ and Robert Menendez promised and agreed that Robert Menendez would take a series of official acts. First, Robert Menendez took actions to benefit the Government of Egypt and Hana, including by seeking to pressure an official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an attempt to protect a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt, and by secretly representing the interests of Egypt by, among other things, ghostwriting a letter for Egypt to be provided to his own Senate colleagues and providing non-public information and assistance to Egypt. Second, Robert Menendez took actions seeking to disrupt a criminal investigation undertaken by the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General related to Uribe and his associates. Third, Robert Menendez recommended that then-President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey whom Robert Menendez believed he could influence to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution undertaken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey of Daibes. Finally, NADINE MENENDEZ conspired and endeavored to obstruct justice in connection with the federal investigation into this scheme.
* * *
In addition to her prison term, NADINE MENENDEZ, 58, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of $922,188.10.[1]
Robert Menendez, Hana, and Daibes were convicted on July 16, 2024, following a nine-week jury trial. Robert Menendez, Hana, and Daibes were sentenced principally to 11 years, more than eight years, and seven years in prison, respectively, for bribery, foreign agent, and obstruction of justice offenses.
Uribe previously pleaded guilty pursuant to a cooperation agreement to conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and wire fraud. Sentencing for Uribe is scheduled for October 9, 2025.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation for its invaluable assistance on the investigation and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section for its support of the case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli J. Mark, Paul M. Monteleoni, Lara Pomerantz, Daniel C. Richenthal, and Catherine Ghosh, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Clark, are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shirel Garzon and former Paralegal Specialist Arjun Ahuja.
[1] The Court ruled that NADINE MENENDEZ’s conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent charge was subsumed by the bribery conspiracy count and did not impose a separate sentence for it.
Multiple Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Running Commercial Pill Press Operation in HillyardRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington –United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice has sentenced Timothy Gary Maddox, 44, of Spokane, Washington to a 20 year term of incarceration, to be followed by 5 years of court supervision upon his release stemming from his role in running a commercial pill press operation out of a residence in the Hillyard neighborhood of Spokane.
According to court documents and information discussed during the sentencing hearing, Maddox and his co-defendant Nicholas Adams obtained a commercial pill press via mail from China and set up a ‘pill mill’ the basement of Adams’ residence, mixing powder fentanyl and cutting agents to make their own fentanyl pills for bulk distribution into the community.
Search warrants were executed at multiple locations in November 2023 and yielded a massive amount of fentanyl powder, cutting agents, pill press parts, and multiple firearms along with an operational commercial pill press (below). Given the extremely hazardous conditions and contamination of nearly every flat surface created by operating a pill lab, the Department of Ecology assisted in the execution of the search warrant at Adams’ residence.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s calculations, the amount of fentanyl powder Maddox and Adams had on hand to produce pills was easily enough to make over 2,000,000 fentanyl pills containing a lethal dose. Put another way, the amount of fentanyl powder they had on hand to make these illicit pills could kill the entire population of Spokane County almost four times over.
In addition to their fentanyl pill production, Maddox and Adams possessed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. They were each armed with multiple loaded firearms in their respective residences, which included loaded (and chambered) handguns, loaded modified shotguns, and AK-type rifles. In Maddox’s residence, he also had a loaded firearm (with a round chambered) that had a “Glock switch,” making it a fully automatic machine gun, along with a loaded large drum magazine as well as three sets of body armor.
Notably, Maddox engaged in this conduct after already amassing multiple criminal convictions over the course of the last 30 years, including, residential burglary, vehicle theft, domestic violence, negligent driving, protection order violations, assault, and drug trafficking. Maddox also has a previous federal conviction for drug trafficking in 2015, when he told arresting officers that he had been dealing drugs “for years” in the Spokane area and that he was one of the area’s largest drug dealers. He further advised that during the two years before that arrest, he was dealing approximately one pound of methamphetamine and one ounce of heroin every other day. His criminal history also shows that when he was engaged in the conduct at issue in this case, he committed a drive-by-shooting during which he fired eight rounds into an occupied residence and several days later, fired approximately 17 times into an occupied vehicle (Spokane County Superior Court Case Number 23-1-10840-32).
“Stopping the production and flow of fentanyl into our communities is one of the most challenging crises we face as law enforcement. This is a matter of importance as it will protect public health. This investigation and prosecution provide a tremendous example of the collaborative approach we take to fighting this serious and ever-increasing threat to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Serrano. “The volume of fentanyl that this investigation took of the street is truly staggering. I cannot overstate the impact our team made here, by identifying a repeat criminal who was manufacturing vast quantities of this deadly drug while heavily armed. Removing him for decades will protect this community in ways seen and unseen. We want the public to know that these threats exist and that our team is working tirelessly to combat them wherever and whenever they appear.”
“Mr. Maddox is a career criminal who endangered the safety and health of our community with a truly lethal mix of homemade counterfeit fentanyl pills and automatic weapons,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “Mr. Maddox made fentanyl even more dangerous by recklessly mixing substances at home, where he could include anything he chose into his deadly concoctions. Mr. Maddox spent years peddling misery and death for his own enrichment and I am proud that DEA and our partners could put an end to his trafficking with this sentence.”
"HSI Seattle answered the President's call to confront our nation’s fentanyl crisis head-on by bringing justice in one of Eastern Washington’s largest pill manufacturing cases,” said HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson. “With this sentencing, Maddox is held accountable for endangering a residential neighborhood by operating a makeshift narcotics lab that housed enough fentanyl to produce over two million lethal pills. Clearly, Maddox had no regard for public safety and was only out to make a profit. This case underscores HSI’s unwavering dedication to safeguard our communities and protect the well-being of the American people.”
“I am confident that the removal of this significant and lethal amount of fentanyl, other dangerous drugs, and cache of weapons, combined with the equipment used to produce and distribute these deadly pills rapidly, saved lives,” stated Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. “This is a direct result of the strong partnership between our local law enforcement agencies and our federal colleagues. Together, we share the goal of eliminating this destructive poison from our community and ensuring that those who pedal it are held accountable.”
Adams is still pending trial which is currently set for December 2025.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement & Narcotics (RAVEN) Task Force, and the Spokane Police Department. It is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard.Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Reentry; Faces DeportationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose Miguel Molina-Echavarria, age 40, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced yesterday to time-served (nearly 4 months in prison) by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. for illegally reentering the country after having previously been removed.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Molina-Echavarria was indicted by a federal grand jury after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence and related charges in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on May 18, 2025. Molina-Echavarria had previously been removed from the United States pursuant to a court order in 2024. Molina-Echavarria pleaded guilty to illegal reentry before being sentenced.
The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francis P. Sempa and Tatum Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Molina-Echavarria still faces pending state charges in Franklin County, and an ICE detainer is lodged against him for deportation proceedings.
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Mexican National Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry by Deported AlienRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell has sentenced Pedro Lucas-Cruz (31, Mexico) to 30 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien. Lucas-Cruz pled guilty to the offense on June 30, 2025.
According to court documents, Lucas-Cruz had been previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and felony battery on or about February 12, 2015. He was previously deported and removed from the United States on September 21, 2017, and reentered thereafter. Lucas-Cruz was convicted of illegal reentry by a deported alien on March 11, 2021, and was again deported and removed from the United States on February 4, 2022. Sometime thereafter, Lucas-Cruz again illegally reentered the United States and was found in the Middle District of Florida on January 6, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick M. Flanigan.
Mexican National Charged with Illegal Reentry After Committing an Aggravated FelonyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose Leon-Avalos, age 32, of Mexico, was indicted on September 10, 2025, by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States after committing an aggravated felony.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Leon-Avalos was convicted of Aggravated Assault and Attempted Indecent Assault in Dauphin County’s Court of Common Pleas in January 2015. It further alleges Leon-Avalos was removed from the United States on January 6, 2016, through Brownsville, Texas, and then found on or about August 26, 2025, in Dauphin County without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.
This case was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen W. Dukes is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is twenty years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Mexican Citizen Living Illegally in Charleston Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Bernabe Montalvo Salas, 24, a Mexican citizen living illegally in Charleston, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, to reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to time served. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has an immigration detainer on Salas and he will be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2025, law enforcement officers encountered Salas in the South Charleston area. ICE agents confirmed that Salas was a citizen of Mexico in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States. Salas had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States.
Salas was removed from the United States to Mexico on or about March 4, 2019, after being found at or near Roma, Texas, on March 1, 2019. Salas never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means.
ICE agents encountered two brothers of Salas living illegally in Charleston. Maximino Montalvo Salas, 20, was deported after pleading guilty on July 24, 2025, to the felony offense of knowingly possessing a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”). Federico Montalvo Salas, 22, pleaded guilty on July 1, 2025, to reentry of a removed alien and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2025. ICE has an immigration detainer on Federico Montalvo Salas so he will be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-81.
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Media Advisory- Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (CRMC) Case UpdatesRead the Press Release
CASE NAME: United States v. Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, Criminal Case No. 2:25-cr-1
COURT: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division
CASE SUMMARY: On January 8, 2025, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (aka Chesapeake General Hospital, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare) (CRMC) was charged in a two-count criminal indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States and interfere with government functions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347, related to its alleged actions involving CRMC’s billing to insurance companies for Dr. Javaid Perwaiz’s performance of surgeries and other procedures at its facility. CRMC made its appearance before the Court and entered a plea of not guilty.
According to court documents, CRMC was a hospital in Chesapeake, Virginia. In April 1984, CRMC granted privileges to Perwaiz. In November 2020, Perwaiz was convicted of 52 counts of health care fraud and false statements in health care matters. Approximately 38 counts of the convictions were for procedures performed at CRMC, including unnecessary hysterectomies and other invasive and irreversible surgeries, elective inductions prior to 39 weeks of gestation without medical justification, and sterilizations of Medicaid patients without consent forms signed 30 days in advance. Perwaiz performed all his obstetric deliveries and inpatient surgeries, including hysterectomies, and other surgeries and procedures, at CRMC. From 2010 to 2019, CRMC received approximately $18.5 million in reimbursements from health care benefit programs for surgical and obstetric procedures Perwaiz performed at the facility.
CASE STATUS: Two motions to dismiss were denied by the Court, but the order to deny is currently on appeal.
VICTIM RESPONSE: To ensure that members of the public, including potential victims of CMRC’s alleged fraud, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a page on its website, available at the following link:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/united-states-v-chesapeake-regional-medical-center-crim-no-225-cr-1
The website currently includes a copy of the indictment and other pleadings filed in this case. Victims with questions can call 1-844-527-5299 and reference the above case name and docket number. Victim impact statements can be emailed to EDVA Victim Witness, or mailed to:
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Attn: Victim Witness
101 W Main Street
Suite 8000
Norfolk, VA 23510-1671
McCurtain County Resident Pleads Guilty to Failing to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Allan Wayne Hilton, a/k/a Alan Wayne Hilton, a/k/a Terry L. Leonard, a/k/a Allen Wayne Hilton, age 67, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
The Indictment alleged that Hilton was required to register as a sex offender after being convicted of three counts of Rape in Miller County, Arkansas, on February 25, 1993, and that from June 20, 2023, until June 10, 2025, Hilton failed to register and update his registration despite entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Hilton will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Wittlinger and Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Maryland Felon Convicted by District Federal Jury for Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Glock PistolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Eugene Burns, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of being in unlawful possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled sentencing for Nov. 24, 2025.
According to the evidence presented to the jury, on Feb. 25, 2024, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were on patrol in Southeast when they received a call about a disorderly group of people at an apartment building on the 2700 block of Wade Road Southeast. As officers walked to the building, they observed Burns quickly turn and sprint away.
As Burns ran, officers saw him make an overhead throwing motion, appearing to toss a dark-colored object over a fence and into a large vacant lot. Burns continued to run through an alley between Eaton Road Southeast and Sumner Road Southeast. Officers briefly lost sight of Burns in the alley; however, they soon found him hiding on the 1200 block of Sumer Road Southeast.
Officers returned to where they observed Burns throw an object and recovered a black Glock 27 pistol with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one in the chamber.
Burns previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2017 in connection with a violent armed robbery spree, that included conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Burns was still on probation for those charges at the time of this offense.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Special Assistant United States Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti. Former Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Craft provided valuable assistance as did Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Robinson, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Litigation Technology Specialist Charles Bruce and Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling.
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Manchester Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 3 Pounds of Methamphetamine Sourced from LawrenceRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man was sentenced on September 9th, 2025, in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Joseph Coffey, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to 60 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. On February 25, 2025, Coffey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Coffey’s co-defendant, Zachary Austin, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.
“The defendant and his co-conspirator worked to introduce a significant amount of methamphetamine into the Manchester area,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. “Methamphetamine has inflicted tremendous damage on our communities over the past decade, and law enforcement in the Granite State will continue to relentlessly work to dismantle large-scale drug distributors.”
“DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes poisons like methamphetamine in order to profit and destroy lives,” said Special Agent in Charge, Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take drugs off the streets, lives are saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state and federal law enforcement efforts and our strong partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Coffey and Austin operated a methamphetamine distribution business out of their shared Manchester apartment. Between July and September 2024, Coffey and Austin sold methamphetamine to law enforcement on five occasions. Searches of their apartment and vehicle later uncovered additional methamphetamine. In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 3.66 pounds of methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case.
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Lawton Man Sentenced to Serve More Than Five years in Federal Prison for Possessing Machinegun Conversion DeviceRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JEREMIAH ALEXANDER DEARING, 21, of Lawton, has been sentenced to serve 70 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on October 9, 2024, Dearing participated in a recorded video jail call with an inmate at the Grady County Jail. During that call, officers with the Lawton Police Department (LPD) observed Dearing display an AK47-style pistol and flash multiple gang signs. As Dearing’s age prohibited him from legally carrying such a firearm under Oklahoma state law, LPD detectives sought and obtained a search warrant for his residence. Law enforcement executed that warrant and discovered five firearms in Dearing’s bedroom, including a privately manufactured firearm that did not have a serial number. All of the firearms were chamber-loaded and equipped with high-capacity magazines. Officers also seized a machinegun conversion device (MCD). When installed, the MCD converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic machinegun. Law enforcement also recovered approximately 92 fentanyl pills from the residence.
On December 3, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Dearing with unlawful possession of a machinegun. Dearing pleaded guilty on February 11, 2025, and admitted to possessing a machinegun.
At the sentencing hearing on August 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Dearing to serve 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Wyrick noted the significant public safety concern posed by Dearing’s conduct and the need to promote respect for the law.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lawton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle M. Connolly prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This case is also part of “Project Switch Off,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s local implementation of PSN. “Project Switch Off” targets illegal machinegun conversion devices to address the significant danger these illegal devices present and to remove them from our streets. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Last of Eight Defendants Sentenced in Transnational Money Laundering “Phantom Hacker” ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – The last of eight defendants who participated in a vast transnational money laundering conspiracy, that robbed victims in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana of their life savings, has been sentenced to prison.
Victims in Ohio resided in Lima (Allen County), Sunbury (Delaware County), Goshen (Clermont County), and Zanesville (Muskingum County).
Kishan Vinayak Patel, 26, an Indian national, was sentenced today to 46 months (3.8 years) in prison after a federal jury convicted him of participating in a large-scale money laundering conspiracy that sought to promote an international fraud scheme. Co-defendant Pranay Kumar Mamidi, 27, also of India, was found guilty of money laundering conspiracy by a federal jury and previously sentenced to 60 (5 years) months in prison. Patel and Mamidi, along with six other defendants in the case, were also ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution, both joint and severally.
The following defendants, all Indian nationals, were previously sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering charges:
- Dileep Kumar Sakineni, age 26, 72 months (6 years) in prison;
- Balaji Rakesh Mulpuri, age 26, 27 months (2.25 years) in prison;
- Avi Jitendrakumar Patel, age 22, 33 months (2.75 years) in prison;
- Sai Hruthik Thodeti, age 25, 24 months (2 years) in prison; and
- Srinivas Ravi Valluru, age 31, 60 months (5 years) in prison.
In addition, Hiren Jagdishbhai Patel, age 33, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 39 months (3.25 years) in prison after also pleading guilty to money laundering charges.
“These individuals stopped at nothing to purposely confuse their victims and used scare tactics to bully and coerce them into unknowingly handing over their life savings. This coordinated effort to steal from hardworking Americans is over,” said United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “To those who take advantage of others—and then launder their money on behalf of transnational criminal organizations—know that your callous actions will have consequences. We thank our partners with FBI Cleveland who conducted the investigation as their role was vital in bringing these individuals to justice.”
“Targeting victims and knowingly siphoning their life savings is reprehensible,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI is focused on defending the homeland and protecting the American public from conniving criminals, such as Kishan Patel and his associates, who preyed on their victims through coercion and scare tactics. The FBI will continue to aggressively identify and investigate those who engage in money laundering schemes, whether domestically or globally, with an intent to harm Americans.”
According to court documents, from about May to November 2023, the defendants engaged in a multi-layered plan to launder proceeds derived from a fraud scheme known as a “phantom hacker” scam. The scam typically involves a fraudster contacting a victim and falsely claiming that the victim’s legitimate bank or company account has been compromised. Then, the victim is contacted by another person claiming to be a law enforcement agent who informs them that their accounts are facing imminent seizure due to purported involvement in criminal activity. In some cases, the victim is threatened with arrest. After the victim is sufficiently misled by the fake agent, he or she is then manipulated into transferring their savings for the supposed purpose of keeping the funds safe. In reality, and unbeknownst to the victim, they transferred their funds to members of a money laundering conspiracy to distribute and enrich other members of the scheme.
In one common example, elderly victims are informed of supposed suspicious activity on their Amazon account and are then contacted by someone pretending to be an Amazon employee. Next, the victim is contacted by another person who claims to be from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and informs the victim that their identity was stolen. The victim is then transferred to another individual who claims to be a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent. The fake DEA special agent claims that the account in question is being investigated for facilitating drug offenses or for the production of child pornography, and as a result, that the victim will be arrested. Fearing arrest or seizure, the victim follows the scammer’s instructions to withdraw savings from their bank account and convert the funds into cash or gold bars, so that the agent can keep the funds safe on the victim’s behalf. The victim is further instructed to give a purported law enforcement official cash and/or gold bars at either the victim’s home, or a designated drop-off point, such as a gas station or fast-food restaurant. After the drop, the victim is then sent a receipt which appears to be from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Members of the money laundering scheme then distribute the cash and/or gold bars to scheme participants.
According to court documents, the defendants in this case served as money launderers for other co-conspirators throughout the world who participated in phantom hacker schemes operating out of India. The U.S.-based money laundering infrastructure allowed funds illegally taken from victims to be distributed throughout the world. Investigators estimate that the total amount of money laundered is in the tens of millions of dollars.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Melching and Dexter L. Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio.
The investigation and prosecution of this case is in response to the Elder Justice Initiative Program originating from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA). The mission of the EAPPA and Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and scams that target the nation’s elderly population.
If you suspect fraudulent conduct involving an older adult, please contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov to report it.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced today by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to 130 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for selling approximately 100 fentanyl pills and over six pounds of methamphetamine. The government recommended a prison sentence of 151 months.
According to court documents, between January 10, 2023, and February 28, 2023, Richard Gleason conspired with others to sell methamphetamine and fentanyl in Las Vegas. As part of the conspiracy, he sold approximately 10.5 grams of fentanyl and 2,724.6 grams of actual methamphetamine.
In June 2025, Gleason pleaded guilty to one-count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance (Methamphetamine and Fentanyl).
Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division made the announcement.
The DEA investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.
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Jury Convicts Hensley Mother and Daughter of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl That Caused Death, Face Minimum 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—A drug-filled evening that ended with four overdoses, including one death, at a Saline County home has now resulted in a mother and daughter spending decades in federal prison. On Wednesday, a federal jury convicted the two women of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl that caused a death. The jury also convicted the mother, April Adams, of distribution of methamphetamine, and the daughter, Amber Church, of distribution of fentanyl. Following a three-day trial and after just over four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted both Church and Adams on all charges.
On April 2, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Adams, 62, and Church, 38, both of Hensley. Both women were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death. Church was also charged with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and Adams was also charged with distribution of methamphetamine.
The jury returned the verdict to United States District Court Judge James M. Moody, Jr., who will sentence Adams and Church at a later date. Adams and Church will remain in federal custody while they await sentencing. They both face a statutory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison on the fentanyl charges related to the death. Adams also faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years on the methamphetamine charge.
The evidence presented at trial showed that on April 16, 2023, law enforcement officers from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence on Crab Apple Circle in reference to multiple overdoses. Once law enforcement officers arrived, they located four individuals who overdosed. After medical personnel administered Narcan, three individuals survived, but one individual died at the scene.
During the trial, two witnesses who survived overdoses testified that after arriving at the residence on Crab Apple Circle, Adams offered them methamphetamine, along with Church and the victim who died. After smoking the methamphetamine, Church asked Adams if she could provide to the group what Church said was the “cocaine” that Adams had in her room. Church then got the substance from Adams’ room and provided it to the group, using some herself. The substance was in fact fentanyl.
Nearly immediately after ingesting the fentanyl the four individuals who used the drug began passing out, including Church. Adams, who did not use the substance that caused the other four individuals to overdose, waited approximately 45 minutes before notifying anyone about the overdoses, and then called a friend rather than emergency services.
The drug offenses carry additional penalties of up to a $1,000,000.00 fine and at least three years of supervised release.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The investigation was conducted by the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward Walker and Jordan Crews prosecuted the case.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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@USAO_EDAR
Jemez Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Jemez man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for sexually abusing two minors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, in 2012, Tyler Chinana, 35, an enrolled member of the Jemez Pueblo, engaged in unlawful sexual contact with a minor victim who was under the age of 12 at the time. In a separate incident in November 2022, Chinana engaged in similar unlawful sexual contact with a second minor victim who was also under the age of 12.
Chinana pled guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact. Upon his release from prison, Chinana will be subject to ten years of supervised release and must register as a sexual offender.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Jemez Pueblo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meg Tomlinson prosecuted the case.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Luis Cuellar-Martinez, a/k/a Luis Cueller, a/k/a Luis Martinez, a/k/a Luis Martinez Cueller, age 32, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Poteau, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Indictment alleged that on July 31, 2025, Cuellar-Martinez, an alien, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed in 2014.
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 violehttps://Operation Take Back Americant 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 Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Cuellar-Martinez will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
House of Prayer Christian Church Pastor Indicted for Enticement and Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA- A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, indicted a pastor connected to the House of Prayer Christian Church of America (HOPCC) for various sex offenses involving a minor.
On September 10, 2025, a federal court unsealed a five-count indictment. The indictment charges:
BERNADEL SEMEXANT, age 35, of Hinesville and Savannah, Georgia, with Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography.
“Our law enforcement partners work relentlessly to protect our most vulnerable citizens from harm and exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “This indictment demonstrates the continued success of those efforts.”
“The allegations in this indictment reflect a profound betrayal of trust by an individual in a position of spiritual authority. The FBI is committed to pursuing those who exploit children and ensuring they are held accountable”, said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We urge anyone with information about Pastor Semexant or others in positions of trust within HOPCC to come forward—your voice matters, and you may help protect other potential victims.”
The maximum penalties for Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity are not less than 10 and up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release.
The maximum penalties for Sexual Abuse of a Minor are up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release.
The maximum penalties for Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor are up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 3 years of supervised release.
The maximum penalties for Receipt of Child Pornography are up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release.
The maximum penalties for Possession of Child Pornography are up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release.
Each count also requires registration as a sex offender and mandatory restitution.
Pastor Bernadel Junior Semexant may have worked at multiple HOPCC locations around the United States. HOPCC has locations in the following areas: Hephzibah, Georgia; Hinesville, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Tacoma, Washington; Waco, Texas; and Clarksville, Tennessee; among others.
If you and/or your minor dependent(s) are actively being victimized, please immediately notify local law enforcement or call 911.
The FBI and the United States Attorneys Office are seeking additional information. If you and/or your minor dependent(s) have information concerning Pastor Bernadel Junior Semexant or any other individual serving in a position of trust for HOPCC, or have any information relevant to this investigation, please fill out this short form at https://fbi.gov/SEMEXANTHOPCC.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Assistant United States Attorneys Frank M. Pennington, II and Sherri A. Stephan are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former police officer sentenced to 15 years for having sexual relations with minor femaleRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old resident of Corpus Christi has been sentenced for enticing a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Daniel Verduzco pleaded guilty May 23.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has now sentenced Verduzco to 180 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that Verduzco had met the victim while on duty as a police officer. The court considered Verduzco’s position and his pursuit of the minor female while on duty when determining his sentence. Verduzco will serve 10 years on supervised release following 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. Verduzco will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be considered at a later date.
On Jan. 8, authorities discovered Verduzco was having a relationship with a 15-year-old minor female dating back to May 2024. The two had exchanged more than 3,700 messages which included sexually suggestive images and detailed different times they had engaged in sexual relations and intentions for future sexual acts.
The conversations further revealed Verduzco and the minor victim had met in person on multiple occasions.
Previously released on bond, Verduzco was taken into custody following the sentencing today where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman is prosecuting 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.
Former Washington state employee sentenced to prison for embezzling nearly $900,000Read the Press Release
Tacoma – A 48-year-old Olympia resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 18 months in prison for wire fraud in connection with his scheme to steal nearly $900,000 from his former employer – the State of Washington – announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Matthew Randall Ping pleaded guilty in June 2025 to wire fraud and making and subscribing a false tax return. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said, “Your crime was very serious but was driven by severe addiction…. Gambling addiction can destroy the life of someone who is otherwise an upstanding citizen.”
“This theft was not just the largest insider embezzlement from Washington State in the last 15 years, it also undermines trust in our state financial safeguards,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “Mr. Ping not only cheated state taxpayers, he cheated on his federal taxes as well by failing to pay the income taxes he owed on ill-gotten gain.”
According to records filed in the case, Ping began working for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) in 2009. By 2017 he had been promoted to the role of Management Analyst and served as the department’s credit card custodian. Between 2019 and 2023, Ping used a sophisticated scheme to abuse his credit card access so he could embezzle at least $878,115 from the state agency.
The plea agreement, charging information, and sentencing memo detail how Ping hid the fraud from his employer. Ping opened accounts with payment processors and gave the accounts display names that indicated the accounts were associated with legitimate OAH business vendors. Between 2019 and 2021, Ping secretly charged more than $330,000 to OAH credit cards as purported payments to these vendors. In fact, the money went to accounts Ping controlled. In 2021, Ping set up an account via a different payment processor and continued the fraud, stealing approximately $530,000 in additional funds from OAH. Ping also used OAH credit cards to buy $17,359 in personal items from Verizon and Walmart.
Ping also circumvented state procedures designed to detect credit card fraud. For example, OAH required that Ping’s co-workers review and approve Ping’s credit card transactions, but Ping would provide false or incomplete lists of transactions during that review process. After the review, Ping would add in his fraudulent charges and upload and approve payment himself without the required oversight on his fraudulent transactions. He also took steps to manipulate the accounting data to make it more difficult to determine that he had violated protocol by uploading, reviewing, and approving his own transactions
In all Ping secretly executed 210 transactions with the phony vendors he created for a total loss to the state of $860,756. The improper charges on his state issued credit card total $17,359, bringing the total loss to the State of Washington to $878,115.
In asking for a 33-month prison sentence, Assistant United Staes Attorney Dane Westermeyer noted that much of the money Ping stole was gambled away at casinos. “He used this stolen taxpayer money to fuel his gambling habit, fund at least six trips to Las Vegas, pay off a luxury vehicle loan, and otherwise support his lifestyle. And, perhaps not surprisingly, he failed to report any of the income from his theft on his federal tax returns, which resulted in a tax loss of nearly $250,000,” Westermeyer wrote in his sentencing memo.
Speaking to the court Matthew Ping said he tried to get help for his gambling addiction, but that resources for that addiction are very limited. Ping will be on three years of supervised release following his prison term. Judge Cartwright urged him to be active advocating for services and regulations that would benefit those struggling with a gambling addiction.
The embezzlement was first discovered by the Washington State Auditor’s Office. Ping resigned his position in 2023 when the theft was discovered. For tax years 2020-2023, the resulting tax loss totals $240,247. Ping has agreed to pay full restitution to the state, to its insurer, and to the IRS for his tax obligation -- a total of $1,118,362.
The FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) worked with the Auditors Office on the criminal investigation.
The case is being Prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A. Westermeyer.
Former Peoria Store Owner Convicted of Twenty-One Felonies After Being a Fugitive for Fifteen YearsRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict at approximately 9:00 pm on September 10, 2025, against Jalal Nimer Asad, 61, of Lindenhurst, Illinois, on twenty-one felony offenses for his role in separate but related conspiracies charged in two cases. In the first case, Asad was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the tax laws, six counts of tax evasion, and nine counts of mail fraud. In the second case, Asad was convicted of conspiracy to structure financial transactions and four counts of structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements. Sentencing for Asad has been scheduled on January 8, 2026 at 10:00 am at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.
Over seven days of testimony, the government presented evidence establishing that Asad had been the leader of a group of individuals that owned and operated several convenience and liquor stores in the Central District of Illinois. During trial, the government established that Asad and his cohorts (all of whom had pleaded guilty or been convicted following trial over 15 years ago) kept two sets of books, a true set and a false set, in order to underreport their earnings and pay less state and federal taxes. The government also proved that Asad structured financial transactions to withdraw more than $4 million in cash without triggering the bank’s reporting requirements.
A federal grand jury returned indictments against Asad and his co-defendants in 2009. While all the other defendants were convicted or pleaded guilty years ago, Asad remained at large overseas for 15 years until his recent return to the United States.
The Court allowed Asad to remain on bond pending sentencing. At sentencing, Asad faces statutory penalties of up to twenty years in prison.
The case investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and was carried out with the support of local law enforcement partners, including the Decatur Police Department. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Eugene L. Miller and Assistant United States Attorney Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government at trial.
Former Liberian Rebel General Sentenced to over Four Years in Prison for Concealing Serious Human Rights Violations to Fraudulently Obtain Immigration Status in the United StatesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA — United States Attorney David Metcalf, the Justice Department, and Homeland Security Investigations announced that Laye Sekou Camara, 47, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney for using and possessing a green card that Camara unlawfully obtained by making false statements about his involvement in the civil war in the West African nation of Liberia.
In March of 2022, the defendant was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant and subsequently charged by indictment in May 2022 with three counts of using, and one count of possessing, a fraudulently obtained green card. Camara pleaded guilty to all charges against him in January of this year.
According to court records, in 2010, Camara, also known as “general K-1” and “general Dragon Master,” entered the United States pursuant to an immigrant visa and later obtained Lawful Permanent Resident status and a green card by falsely stating on immigration forms that he had never participated in extrajudicial killings or other acts of violence; had never been involved with a paramilitary unit, rebel group, or guerilla group; and had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers.
At a preliminary sentencing hearing held on January 23, nine Liberian witnesses described how Camara used his position of power in the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group to terrorize civilians, committing extrajudicial killings and other atrocities. One farmer in Lofa County, Liberia, described how “K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed.” Another witness recounted how Camara used a handgun to kill at close range a pregnant woman and her 13-year-old son after the woman objected to LURD’s recruitment of her son.
Other witnesses described how LURD rebels — and Camara specifically — fired on and killed civilians who were trying to obtain food. Camara also ordered a “mortar crew” under his command to attack central Monrovia, striking the U.S. Embassy compound, resulting in the death of a U.S. embassy employee — a Liberian guard — and other civilians. Other witnesses testified about Camara’s tactics to humiliate and terrorize civilians, including through mutilation of his victims. In one instance, a witness described how Camara tied a man’s hands behind his back and “cut off his right ear,” when the man continued to resist.
“The defendant was a notorious LURD commander, brutal even by the standards of the Second Liberian Civil War, and he lied about his past to build a new life in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes.”
“As a leader in Liberia’s civil war, Mr. Camara facilitated atrocities against civilians in his own country including the use of child soldiers,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “By concealing his crimes in Liberia, Camara was able to obtain immigration benefits and use those documents to seek employment and a new life here. HSI will not allow the United States to become a refuge for human rights violators or for individuals who secure lawful status through deception. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and international partners to identify fraud, protect the integrity of the immigration system, and support the prosecutors that hold these offenders accountable.”
HSI Philadelphia investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia.
The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) supported the case. Established in 2009 and led by HSI, the HRVWCC uses a whole of government approach to further efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, and Patrick Brown of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the case.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete this online tip form.
Former Liberian Rebel General Sentenced to over Four Years in Prison for Concealing Serious Human Rights Violations to Fraudulently Obtain Immigration Status in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Laye Sekou Camara, 47, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of visa fraud.
“The defendant, who was a member of a Liberian rebel group, engaged in the extrajudicial killing of civilians and ordered a mortar attack which struck the U.S. Embassy compound in Monrovia, Liberia, before traveling to the United States and making false statements to obtain lawful permanent residence,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human rights violators are not welcome in the United States, and the Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those who attempt to conceal their crimes and live freely without consequence in the United States.”
“The defendant was a notorious LURD commander, brutal even by the standards of the Second Liberian Civil War, and he lied about his past to build a new life in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s sentence holds him responsible for his immigration fraud and officially ends his efforts to avoid accountability for his horrific crimes.”
According to court records, in 2010, Camara, also known as “general K-1” and “general Dragon Master,” entered the United States pursuant to an immigrant visa and later obtained Lawful Permanent Resident status and a green card by falsely stating on immigration forms that he had never participated in extrajudicial killings or other acts of violence; had never been involved with a paramilitary unit, rebel group, or guerilla group; and had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers.
At a preliminary sentencing hearing held on Jan. 23, nine Liberian witnesses described how Camara used his position of power in the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group to terrorize civilians, committing extrajudicial killings and other atrocities. One farmer in Lofa County, Liberia, described how “K-1 and his boys surrounded the town, . . . [and] . . . [t]hose who refused to be arrested, those who resisted, they were killed.” Another witness recounted how Camara used a handgun to kill at close range a pregnant woman and her 13-year-old son after the woman objected to LURD’s recruitment of her son. Other witnesses described how LURD rebels – and Camara specifically – fired on and killed civilians who were trying to obtain food. Camara also ordered a “mortar crew” under his command to attack central Monrovia, striking the U.S. Embassy compound, resulting in the death of a U.S. embassy employee – a Liberian guard – and other civilians. Other witnesses testified about Camara’s tactics to humiliate and terrorize civilians, including through mutilation of his victims. In one instance, a witness described how Camara tied a man’s hands behind his back and “cut off his right ear,” when the man continued to resist.
HSI Philadelphia investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) supported the case. Established in 2009 and led by HSI, the HRVWCC uses a whole of government approach to further efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linwood C. Wright, Kelly Harrell, and Patrick Brown of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the case.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.