Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
28 September 2026
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 165 Months Imprisonment for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On September 22, 2026, THOMAS VIRGIL, a/k/a “Savage,” a/k/a “Tom Virgil,” (“VIRGIL”), age 30, was sentenced by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long to 105 months as to Counts One, Five, and Fifteen, and 5 years as to Count 13 of the superseding indictment pending against him, in addition to a consecutive term of 60 months as to Count Three, for a total of 165 months, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. VIRGIL was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and payment of a $500 mandatory special assessment fee.
Count One charged VIRGIL with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and (b)(1)(D). Count Three charged VIRGIL with possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). Count Five charged VIRGIL with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Count Thirteen charged VIRGIL with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D). Count Fifteen charged VIRGIL with being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, VIRGIL, possessed fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with intent to distribute in Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. VIRGIL also possessed firearms despite being a prohibited person, and also to further his drug trafficking crimes.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua K. Vanderhooft of the Narcotics Unit.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
* * *
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug-Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ROBERT POLK (“POLK”), age 23, of New Orleans, was sentenced on September 24, 2026 by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 80 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(a)(i); being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); and possessing a stolen firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(j) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, since at least 2024, POLK was selling tapentadol and marijuana in the New Orleans area. On May 20, 2024, New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) officers encountered POLK at a tire shop on North Claiborne Avenue. POLK was in possession of a loaded handgun and tapentadol pills and marijuana that he intended to sell. POLK was arrested but later released. On December 11, 2025, POLK stole a Glock Model 23 pistol from an associate. On December 30, 2025, law enforcement searched POLK’s residence and found the stolen Glock pistol hidden inside a cooler. POLK is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions in Arkansas for aggravated assault on a family or household member and terroristic threatening in the first degree.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Threatening Red Mass Attendees at St. Matthew’s CathedralRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Louis Geri, 42, of Vineland, New Jersey, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison in connection with threatening to detonate more than 100 homemade explosive devices on the steps of St. Matthew's Cathedral during the annual Red Mass attended by U.S. Supreme Court Justices and other senior government officials, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Geri pleaded guilty March 5 before Judge Randolph M. Moss to a count of Hobbs Act extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear, and to a count of possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device). In addition to the 70-month prison sentence, Judge Moss ordered Geri to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 87 months.
“The First Amendment will be respected in the District of Columbia. Threatening to detonate explosive devices at a house of worship during an important historic religious service, known as the Red Mass, is an attack on our community and on the fundamental right to worship freely,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Defendant Geri chose to terrorize a sacred space, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and endanger officers and parishioners, thereby preventing Supreme Court Justices from attending an annual religious event. Seventy months in federal prison reflects the seriousness of his conduct and our commitment to protecting every community from extremist threats and violence.”
According to the plea agreement, on the evening of Oct. 4, 2025, Geri rode his motorcycle to St. Matthew's Cathedral, on the 1700 block of Rhode Island Ave. NW, and erected a tent on the church's front steps. Inside the tent, he assembled more than 100 explosive devices he had manufactured from materials — including nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal, and thermite — purchased in Arkansas and assembled in Virginia. He also carried a nine-page list of written demands.
The Red Mass, a high-profile annual religious ceremony attended by members of the Supreme Court, Cabinet, Congress, and the diplomatic corps, was scheduled at the cathedral for the following morning.
About 5 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers approached Geri's tent while patrolling the area before the service. When officers told him he would need to move, Geri refused and threatened to throw one of his explosive devices into the street to demonstrate its destructive power. He told officers that "several of your people are gonna die from one of these" if federal agents did not come to negotiate his demands.
Geri's written demands included hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to himself and others, extended accommodations at the Mayflower Hotel, an expatriation flight to Japan, and requests that the Supreme Court remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a “foreign enemy.” He also made numerous demands directed at leaders of the Catholic and Jewish faiths.
Law enforcement established a barricade around the tent and apprehended Geri about 5:53 a.m. when he briefly emerged. Officers found one explosive device in his pocket along with a butane lighter. A search of the tent revealed more than 100 additional devices. Testing by an FBI laboratory confirmed the devices were improvised explosive devices in operable condition.
Following his arrest, Geri waived his Miranda rights and described the devices as “grenades” and “rockets.” He admitted that he intended to use the threat of force to coerce negotiations and that he was willing to use the devices to harm people and property — including St. Matthew's Cathedral, the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol, and the Supreme Court.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
The defendant holding destructive devices in his tent.
Items—including destructive devices—found inside of the defendant’s tent.
One of the six homemade destructive devices examined by the FBI laboratory.
26cr32
Follow us on X, Instagram, and YouTube
Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc
Michigan man sentenced to 10 years prison for trafficking methRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Michigan man who was trafficking methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Jemichael Leon McCoy, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that McCoy was found hiding baggies of meth in the bathroom of a Billings man on state probation. Montana Probation and Parole had arrived at the house on May 19, 2026, after learning that the probationer there may have been interacting with a woman from whom he was barred contact.
Upon entering the home, officers found the probationer; the woman was hiding in the basement. Officers noticed drug paraphernalia scattered about and heard noises from the bathroom. Inside they found McCoy with a black backpack and a black plastic shopping bag. Officers contacted the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and sought a warrant to search the entire house.
With the warrant, they found 25 clear plastic baggies with a pound and a half of suspected meth hidden inside the toilet tank. They found a Ruger handgun, a small digital scale, a clear plastic baggy with suspected meth, and $700 cash in McCoy’s backpack.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Mexican citizen sentenced to 2 years prison for cocaine traffickingRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Mexican national who was trafficking cocaine in Billings and illegally owned a pair of handguns was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, after which he will be remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Raul Molina-Mendoza, 34, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement began investigating Molina-Mendoza in June 2025 after learning from a source that he was trafficking cocaine into Billings. Molina-Mendoza travelled to Denver that month to pick up a quarter-pound of cocaine.
In September 2025, investigators learned Molina-Mendoza was working with his brother Jose Molina-Mendoza to sell cocaine. After learning the brothers were planning another trip to Denver, law enforcement placed a tracker on the White Escalade they were driving.
Billings police pulled over the brothers on Oct. 9, 2025, after watching the Escalade make an illegal U-turn. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers that illicit material was possibly inside. Investigators then sought warrants for the vehicle and for the house where the two men lived.
Searching the house, investigators found 137 grams of cocaine, two 9MM handguns, and $16,000 cash. They found another 127 grams of cocaine in the garbage can, 21 baggies filled with 1 gram of cocaine each, and cell phones. In the vehicle, investigators discovered $4,203 in cash and drug paraphernalia.
Jose Molina-Mendoza pleaded guilty to drug charges in February 2026. He was sentenced last month to time served and was remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department, FBI, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and the Fraudulent Use of Government SealsRead the Press Release
Ocala, FL – Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr. (50, Massachusetts) has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of government seals. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 18, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Dos Santos was the president of an organization called Chaplain Emergency Management Agency, Inc. (CEMA), which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In doing so, Dos Santos fraudulently used the seals of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to fraudulently portray CEMA as a federal government agency and charge individuals to attend “Chaplaincy Training Courses” in Florida and other states, as well as abroad. Neither Dos Santos nor CEMA have authorization to use the seals of DHS, FEMA, or FBI, nor are they otherwise affiliated with these agencies or any other department or agency of the federal government.
As outlined in the court documents, Dos Santos organized numerous CEMA Chaplaincy Training Courses. At these trainings, Dos Santos falsely told attendees that CEMA partnered with FEMA and that CEMA and its courses were endorsed by FEMA. The courses were free to attend, but Dos Santos charged attendees approximately $400 to $450 to receive a chaplaincy certificate. After attendees completed the course and paid the associated fees, Dos Santos provided them with identification cards, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates containing the seals of various departments and agencies of the United States. Dos Santos told attendees that the ID cards and badges authorized them to support law enforcement during emergency situations and take control of emergency situations until law enforcement arrived. He also told them that their status as CEMA chaplains would give them a level of immunity from immigration enforcement and would keep them safe from deportation. These claims were false.
As shown in the images below, the ID cards contained one of CEMA’s logos, which consists of the DHS seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.” The back of the ID cards contained the DHS/FEMA seal. The certificates contained the FBI seal and a slightly different version of the CEMA logo—an older version of the FEMA seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.”
Dos Santos also offered various CEMA merchandise for sale, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders—all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal. During an undercover operation conducted at a training held on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased merchandise items, pictured below. Approximately 30 to 45 individuals attended the training.
As part of the undercover operation, the confidential informant also obtained access to a CEMA group chat which had more than 750 members at the time the investigation began in August 2025. Dos Santos used the group chat to promote upcoming courses, including by sending digital flyers of such courses.
CEMA’s website and social media accounts all displayed the CEMA logo (an altered version of the DHS seal) and falsely identify CEMA as a government organization or federal agency. The website also falsely claimed that CEMA was “fully accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and the American Council on Education (ACE).”
Dos Santos was arrested February 19, 2026, at the Orlando International Airport, after he traveled from Boston to Orlando for a CEMA training that was scheduled for February 21. At the time of his arrest, Dos Santos was wearing a CEMA polo shirt with the DHS seal on the sleeve and chest.
Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings.
“Impersonating federal government agencies and/or officials is a serious crime,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “The collective values and missions of these agencies represent the communities they serve and must be protected.”
DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., said, “We condemn the misuse of any government seal to defraud victims for personal gain. We want to thank all our federal, state and local partners for their work leading up to this arrest.”
“This plea demonstrates the importance of holding accountable those who misuse the credibility and symbols of the federal government for personal gain,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate fraud schemes that deceive the public and undermine the trust in legitimate government agencies.”
If you believe you have been a victim of this fraudulent scheme, please contact the FBI via email at CEMAPotentialVictims@fbi.gov no later than October 30, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.
Marshall County Man Admits to Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A Glen Dale, West Virginia man has admitted to receiving hundreds of images and videos containing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced today.
Jason Matkovich, 39, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, Matkovich downloaded more than 600 child sexual abuse images and videos from a subscription-based file-sharing website. These downloads, some of which depicted physical violence against children, occurred weekly or biweekly for nearly two months in 2025.
Matkovich is scheduled for sentencing on December 22, 2026.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Perri is prosecuting the case. The West Virginia State Police investigated.
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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Marion County Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Jeremy De Jesus Almonte Contreras (20, Marion County) has pleaded guilty to six counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement, on six separate occasions between December 2025 and January 2026, Almonte Contreras sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. Almonte Contreras was arrested on April 8, 2026. He remains detained pending the resolution of the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Man Caught Twice with Kilos of Meth Sentenced to 200 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was twice involved with trying to transport kilograms of methamphetamine to St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 200 months in prison.
Courtney D. McDonald, 30, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted paying an undercover agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations $1,005 on Jan. 24, 2025, for the delivery of a 2006 Toyota Highlander that had once been packed with 55.18 kilograms of meth. The New Mexico State Police had intercepted the Highlander two days earlier and removed the meth.
On May 21, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested McDonald in Kansas City, Missouri after he got off a train. A drug-sniffing K-9 alerted to McDonald’s suitcase, which contained about 18 kilos of meth. McDonald’s backpack contained 3.27 grams of cocaine and $4,873 in cash.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Mexico State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Little Eagle Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on September 22, 2026.
Arthur Lane Taken Alive III, age 23, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Taken Alive was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 25, 2026.
Around 11:00 p.m. on December 27, 2024, a 15-year-old girl was walking home across the footbridge in Bullhead, South Dakota when Taken Alive accosted her. When the girl declined his invitation to come with him, Taken Alive dragged her to a nearby root cellar and raped her. Bullhead is a community in the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Taken Alive was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
Justice Department Announces Charges and Guilty Pleas Involving 12 Individuals for Election CrimesRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals, including three illegal aliens, in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes across the country. The cases include voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, false statements on citizenship applications, and the alleged disposal of approximately 300 mail-in ballots by a former postal carrier.
Case details are as follows:
Middle District of Florida
Christiane Vinette Young, 75, an illegal alien from Canada, was charged by information with three counts of voting by an alien. Young voted in three federal elections – the 2024 general election, 2022 general election, and 2022 primary – despite knowing that she was not a citizen of the United States.
Southern District of Florida
Haitian national Valery Zidor, on Temporary Protected Status at the time of voting, falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to register to vote and voted in the 2024 General Election. Zidor pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by an alien.
District of Kansas
Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of false claim to United States citizenship, one count of false claim to United States citizenship in order to vote, one count of fraudulent election conduct, and one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. Johnson is accused of falsely indicating that he is a U.S. citizen while registering to vote in February 2010 and allegedly cast a ballot in the November 2024 election.
Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent residentDistrict of New Jersey
Two aliens were charged with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship.
- Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, a lawful permanent resident, voted in person in the presidential elections held in November 2012 and November 2016, and via mail-in ballot in the presidential elections in November 2020 and November 2024. Additionally, Reid was charged with making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
- Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat, 49, a lawful permanent resident, voted in person in the 2024 general election. Additionally, Bernat was charged with making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Four aliens, including two illegal aliens, were charged with election-related crimes.
- Cliff Sanon, 39, an illegal alien from Haiti who has been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 prior to the May 2026 primary election, despite being a citizen of Haiti and not an American citizen. The complaint further alleges that this was among eight fraudulent voter registration applications submitted by Sanon, who also voted in the November 2022 election.
- Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien. According to the information, Ochoa-Perez allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections, even though she was a citizen of Mexico at the time of both elections and not a U.S citizen.
- Trinidad & Tobago national Sade Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election, even though she was not a U.S. citizen.
- Mexican national Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Maldonado allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, even though he was not a U.S. citizen.
Western District of Texas
Mexican national Imelda Magallanes, 51, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. Voting records from the Midland County Elections Office indicate that Magallanes first registered to vote in October 2020 using her Texas driver’s license as identification. Voting records also reveal that Magallanes voted in the November 2024 general election.
District of Hawaii
Filipino national Bernadette Acaso, 20, a lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting as an alien. Acaso voted in the 2024 election by casting a mail-in ballot.
District of Utah
Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah with U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail after he allegedly unlawfully threw away mail that he was entrusted to deliver – including approximately 300 mail-in ballots to registered voters in Utah.
Image of ballot Image of dumpster in church parking lotA complaint, indictment, and information merely contain accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Meet a 13-Year-Old Child for Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Adeis Jonathan Francis (26, Jacksonville) has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger for attempting to entice and meet a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Francis was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He was arrested on March 6, 2026, and has remained in custody. He pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in north Florida using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user “Jay,” exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised “Jay” that the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay,” who was identified as Francis, asked the “child” if “she” was ok talking with him, and requested the “child” to send him photos. On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and texted, “I can show you how to have sex ...” Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the “child” in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis traveled to the vicinity of the “child’s” purported residence where he was arrested by FBI agents. During an interview, Francis stated, among other things, “I’m not gonna get to go home for months,” and “so I’m going to prison.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Irving couple convicted of federal conspiracy charges related to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme targeting investors in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – An Irving couple has been convicted in federal court of charges related to a multi-million-dollar fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Marina Brooks, 70, and Charles Brooks, 74, were both found guilty by a jury of conspiring to commit wire fraud. The verdicts were reached on September 28, 2026, following a week-long trial before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
According to information presented in court, the defendants engaged in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment fraud scheme targeting Hispanic victims, including American citizens and immigrants. The defendants fraudulently solicited investments, including investments in entertainment and cryptocurrency ventures, including through radio advertisements. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants’ lies included promises and representations that the investments they sold would earn 100%, that shares in a private company would go up and never down, and that one of the cryptocurrencies they sold carried no risk. The defendants used much of the investor funds for their own purposes, including paying themselves and soliciting investments from additional victims. In all, the defendants fraudulently took at least $9.5 million from over 700 victim investors.
“For years, Marina and Charles Brooks repeatedly victimized hardworking members of the community in the Eastern District of Texas and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Through their lies, the family stole life savings and retirement earnings from people who had worked for decades to realize the American dream. Working with our law enforcement partners like the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation, our office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who lie for money and to vigorously seek justice for their victims.”
“Today’s guilty verdict provides justice to the victims whose lives were financially impacted by this investment scheme. Through fraudulent representations and fake business ventures, these defendants solicited funds from vulnerable investors and diverted them for their own personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI remains committed to working closely with our partners to ensure that individuals who engage in fraudulent conduct are held accountable.”
“The evidence against Charles and Marina Brooks was overwhelming, and it begins with the bravery of their victims to come forward and help us put an end to this fraud. This conspiracy deceived the victims for years, targeting many in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. It is why IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office pool our resources to stop these criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., of IRS Criminal Investigation's Texas Field Office. “Investor fraud is often a story of misplaced trust and grand promises. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you should walk away.”
The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is up to 20 years in federal prison, a potential fine, and restitution at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter T. Thomas and Ashlyn Scott.
###
Iowa Attorney Sent to Federal Prison in Medicaid Fraud Scheme Involving His Rolls-Royce Vehicle CollectionRead the Press Release
An Iowa attorney who made a false statement to Iowa Medicaid was sentenced on September 11, 2026, to six months in federal prison. Timothy Mark Anderson, age 67, from Garner, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 30, 2025, guilty plea to one count of false statement relating to a health care matter.
Evidence at Anderson’s plea and sentencing hearings showed that Anderson is an attorney licensed to practice in Iowa. Anderson offers financial, tax, and estate planning services from his law office in Garner. Anderson’s legal services have included assisting elderly clients with Medicaid eligibility. Anderson is also an avid collector of Rolls-Royce and other luxury vehicles.
Medicaid is a cooperative federal-state health care benefit program for low-income persons and others, including the elderly. As part of his legal practice, Anderson prepared and submitted applications for Iowa Medicaid-funded nursing home care. Iowa Medicaid has rules for eligibility, including an evaluation of the financial resources available to the applicant. In determining the resources of an individual, one automobile is exempt, regardless of value, if it is used for the transportation of the Medicaid applicant or a member of the applicant’s household.
Between 2017 and 2022, Anderson told elderly individuals and their heirs to engage in a series of purported transactions with his vehicle collection. Anderson directed families to have the elderly person purportedly “buy” one of his Rolls-Royce or other luxury vehicles before applying for Medicaid benefits. Later, Anderson told the families to have the elderly persons “gift” the same vehicles to the heirs, who then “sold” the vehicles back to Anderson at a lower price. The purported purchasers of Anderson’s vehicles never drove the vehicles and, for the most part, never saw them.
For example, in 2021, an elderly couple had over $400,000 assets, including a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox valued at $30,000. The couple wanted to become eligible for Iowa Medicaid, have Iowa Medicaid pay for nursing home expenses, and pass on their assets to their heirs. The husband in the couple was receiving nursing home care at the time without public assistance.
In October 2021, Anderson deposited a $186,000 check from the wife into his personal savings account and provided her a certificate of title to a 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Anderson signed the title for the Phantom V over to her. Anderson also created a bill of sale for the transaction, stating that the car was transferred on October 18, 2021. Two days earlier, on October 16, 2021, Anderson had driven the Phantom V and got into an accident. The car suffered front-end damage, was inoperable, and was towed to a farm shop.
On November 4, 2021, Anderson wrote Iowa Medicaid and provided a series of documents to qualify the husband for Iowa Medicaid benefits. Anderson provided a document that stated that the Phantom V had a fair market value of $194,000. At the time Anderson submitted the form to Iowa Medicaid, he knew that the fair market value of the car was not $194,000.
Anderson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Anderson was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined $25,000. He was ordered to make $184,274.36 in restitution to Iowa Medicaid. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. In sentencing Anderson, Judge Strand found that Anderson’s luxury vehicle sales to the elderly Medicaid applicants were “obviously fraudulent and illegal.”
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Anderson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-3053.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Illinois Man sentenced to 36 Months’ Imprisonment for Stolen Check Negotiating SchemeRead the Press Release
Brad Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 25, 2026, Coran D. Smith (age 47) was sentenced to 36 months’ incarceration for committing a scheme to attempt to negotiate two stolen checks, with a total value of nearly two million dollars. One of the checks was a U.S. Treasury check, and the other was a State of Illinois check. Both had been stolen from the mail.
According to court records, in March 2023, Smith participated in a bank fraud scheme that involved the production of a false driver’s license in the name of another real person, as well as other false documents in that same person’s name. These false documents were designed to mislead two financial institutions into negotiating the stolen checks. Thanks to alert personnel at each targeted financial institution, Smith and his accomplices failed in their attempts to negotiate either stolen check.
“Federal law enforcement is committed to pursuing and catching those who commit fraud against the people of the United States,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “As this case demonstrates, if you steal from the taxpayers, you will be held accountable.”“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) aggressively investigates individuals who attempt to exploit U.S. Treasury refund checks meant for hardworking taxpayers for their own private gain,” said TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening. “TIGTA’s mission is to protect the integrity of our nation’s tax administration system. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate federal laws are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”
Nicholas Bucciarelli, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, added, “The sentencing in this case shows the Postal Inspection Service does not tolerate mail theft and will hold those individuals who choose to steal U.S. Mail accountable through criminal prosecution.”
The case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen A. Ingraham.
# # #
For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on X
Illegal Alien with Two Prior Deportations and Multiple Felony Convictions Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced today by United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed from the country on two prior occasions. The government recommended a sentence of 24 months in prison.
“This defendant has shown a complete indifference to American law by illegally reentering the country after being deported multiple times, all while carrying a criminal history marked by multiple felony convictions,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Our office, alongside our federal law enforcement partners at ICE, remains steadfastly committed to removing individuals who pose a risk to public safety and ensuring that those who illegally breach our borders face meaningful criminal consequences.”
According to court documents and statements made during court proceedings, Ismael Bernal Olguin was found in the United States by immigration officials on March 9, 2026, after Nevada Highway Patrol arrested him for Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and False Statement to Obstruct Public Officer.
Olguin was previously deported to Mexico on or about December 11, 2018, and again on March 1, 2022.
Olguin has prior felony convictions for Attempt Possession of Stolen Vehicle; Attempt Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm; and Deported Alien Found Unlawfully in the United States. This is his second conviction for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Olguin pleaded guilty to one count of Deported Alien Found in the United States. After serving his two-year prison sentence, he will be deported to Mexico for a 3rd time.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
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.
###
Illegal Alien with Prior Deportations and Felony Convictions Charged for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national, with felony convictions, made his initial court appearance today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
“Our immigration laws are designed to protect the integrity of our borders and the safety of our communities Individuals who repeatedly violate removal orders and return to the United States after committing serious felonies will be held accountable,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “This office remains committed to prosecuting repeat offenders who disregard our laws.”
Gerardo Macias-Gonzalez is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Macias-Gonzalez is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported on or about October 8, 2019, and July 27, 2020, and reentered the United States illegally.
On September 14, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Las Vegas Fugitive Operations Team arrested Macias-Gonzalez in a targeted operation.Macias-Gonzalez has prior felony convictions for Battery Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm, and Deported Alien found Unlawfully in the United States, the same offence he is currently charged with.
If convicted, Macias-Gonzalez faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated this case; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Illegal Alien Arrested and Charged for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Marlborough, Mass., has been arrested and charged with illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Alcario Lorenzo Lopez, 32, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant remains detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Sept. 24, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Lopez is alleged to have been previously deported from the United States in 2017 and unlawfully reentered at an unknown date thereafter. Lopez allegedly returned to the United States and was arrested for rape of a child in May 2025. The state charges are pending.
The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern he determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Conroy of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Eric Wade Thompson, 36, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 28 grams or more of cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 26, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Thompson’s apartment in Huntington and seized approximately 123.5 grams of fentanyl, approximately 92 grams of crack, and $1,763. As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted that he possessed and intended to distribute the seized controlled substances, that the seized cash was proceeds from drug sales, and that officers executed the search warrant after he sold fentanyl to a confidential informant on multiple prior occasions.
Thompson also admitted that he arranged the sale of approximately 6.5 grams of fentanyl by another individual in Huntington on February 11, 2026, and personally sold approximately 6.9 grams of fentanyl on March 11, 2026, and approximately 9 grams of fentanyl on March 20, 2026, each time inside his residence. All three sales were to a confidential informant.
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2027, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah N. Hudson and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the case.
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. 3:26-cr-66.
###
Honduran Illegal Alien Guilty of Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ, age 29, a citizen of Honduras, pled guilty on September 22, 2026, to reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. His sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge William J. Crain on December 15, 2026.
According to the bill of information, DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ reentered the United States sometime prior to May 7, 2026, after having been previously removed on or about November 27, 2023.
DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of 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.
Heart Butte man sentenced to over 2 years in prison for shooting at family on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Heart Butte man who shot at a family, including two children, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. The court also imposed a $7,500 fine as part of its sentence.
Raymond David Boggs, Jr., 53, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of felony child abuse.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that a woman and her son called 911 on May 14, 2024, to report that Raymond Boggs was firing a gun at them. The woman and her son were cleaning out a family property along with the woman’s 12-year-old nephew and her 11-year-old niece.
When law enforcement arrived, the woman and her son explained that Boggs had yelled at them from his property while he watched them from a golf cart. He later returned in a truck, pulled a gun, and fired at the group while they were outside. He continued to shoot into the house when the four took shelter inside. The woman and her nephew described hearing two different sounding gunshots. They then pointed out Boggs to the officers as he drove around on a golf cart. Law enforcement canvassed the area between the two houses and ultimately contacted Boggs, who was riding in a golf cart and had a shotgun with him. Boggs was detained, and the shotgun was taken into evidence.
Law enforcement found spent shell casings and a spent shotgun shell where Boggs had been shooting; ballistic evidence showed the shotgun shell had been fired from Boggs’ shotgun. Officers also found bullet holes in the exterior of the house that traveled into the house, and they found bullet holes in vehicles parked alongside the house. They also recovered a bullet from a couch inside the home. When the occupants of the house were interviewed after the shooting, all four named Boggs as the shooter. The quartet described feeling terrified that they would be hurt or killed as Boggs shot into the house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The BIA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, and Pondera County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Four Members and Associates of Paterson Based Gang known as “4K” Sentenced for Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering for Their Role in a ShootingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Four members of the Paterson based neighborhood street gang known as “4K” were sentenced for their roles in a shooting, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
Jatrail Avent, a/k/a “Curry” (“Avent”), Shequan Roberts, a/k/a “Shingy” (“Roberts”), Jahmir Moody, a/k/a “Jahdi” (“Moody”), and Wiziar Johnson, a/k/a “Wababy” (“Johnson”), all of Paterson, each previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to Superseding Informations charging them each with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
On September 2, 2026, Avent was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. Thereafter, on September 9, 2026, Roberts was sentenced to 104 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release and Moody was sentenced to 84 months and one day’s imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Most recently, on September 15, 2026, Johnson was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release.
These charges are the result of a long-running investigation coordinated between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, among other law enforcement agencies.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson were all members and associates of the neighborhood-based street gang known as “4K,” which operates in the area of Rosa Parks Boulevard near Lyon Street, Keen Street, and Mercer Streets in Paterson, New Jersey (the 4K Enterprise). Members and associates of the 4K Enterprise have engaged in numerous criminal acts in furtherance of their gang, including shootings, robberies, homicides, and drug trafficking. Members and associates of the 4K Enterprise have also engaged in acts of violence against members of rival gangs.
In the early morning hours of November 6, 2022, Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson opened fire in a residential area of Paterson on members of a rival gang, called the 230 Boys, who were inside a van, as part of a dispute between 4K and the 230 Boys. In total, the 4K members fired over 60 rounds during this shooting.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited law enforcement members with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka; the New Jersey State Police, Gangs and Organized Crime North Unit, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Patrick Murray, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Kober and Harry Morgenthau of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Daniel Rosenblum of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
###
Defense counsel:
Jatrail Avent – Michael T Simon
Shequan Roberts - Richard J. Verde
Jahmir Moody - Ernesto Cerimele
Wiziar Johnson - Mary E. Carpenito
Former Texas Detective Pleads Guilty to Five Counts of Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to MinorsRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – John Frederick Black, 46, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to minors. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty plea.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I truly appreciate the dedication of our state and federal law enforcement partners to target, identify, and incapacitate the sexual predators, like this defendant, seeking to sexually exploit and victimize kids online. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those sick individuals to ensure they are locked away behind federal bars where they belong.”
Court records reflect that in January 2026, detectives with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office participated in an undercover operation in Tallahassee focused on identifying adults who used the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, the defendant contacted the undercover officer, who he believed to be a 13-year-old child, and engaged in sexually explicit conversation. The defendant also sent obscene photographs and videos of himself. The investigation revealed that the defendant resided in Texas and was employed as a police detective with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, Texas.
Black will be sentenced in federal court before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee, Florida, on December 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
Black faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.
The case involved an joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former Tallahassee Postal Employee & Accomplice Sentenced for Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida –Taija Avion Smith, 25, and Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, both of Tallahassee, Florida, have been sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy, and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. Williams, who also previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. Smith was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our citizens deserve to be able to rely upon the U.S. Postal Service to quickly, efficiently, and securely deliver the mail, but this former postal employee violated the position of trust she occupied to enrich herself and her accomplish. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by the USPIS and Postal Inspector General, with support from our local law enforcement partners, these criminals are being sent to federal prison.”
Court documents reflect that between March 11, 2021, and May 21, 2024, Smith was employed by the United States Postal Service, in Tallahassee, Florida. Due to her employment, Smith had access to a postal key, which she stole and gave to her co-defendant, Williams. Together, Smith and Williams conspired to steal U.S. Mail, which included stealing mailed checks that they fraudulently deposited in financial institutions and thereafter split the proceeds of their scheme. Court records also show that Smith fraudulently received and used online bank login credentials of other individuals as part of the conspiracy.
“Individuals who engage in crimes that violate the laws protecting the United States mail, whether employees or non-employees, will be pursued by the Postal Inspection Service alongside our state, local and federal partners,” said Bladismir Rojo, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “These federal prison sentences should serve as a warning to criminals who consider mail theft and check fraud a lucrative endeavor.”
This case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former MBTA Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracies to Falsify Track Inspection Reports and Collecting Fraudulent Overtime PaymentsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employee pleaded guilty on Sept. 24, 2026 in federal court in Boston to multiple conspiracies, including conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as committing overtime fraud.
Jensen Vatel, 43, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify records; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud, aiding and abetting; falsification of records, aiding and abetting; and false statements, aiding and abetting. Vatel was indicted in May 2025 along with four others. In July 2026, a superseding indictment added two additional defendants and 30 additional charges.
Vatel was a former Red Line Maintenance of Way employee, where he was a track inspector. As track inspector, Vatel’s job duties included completing track inspections for the Red Line. In order to complete the inspections, track inspectors used MBTA-issued cellular phones with an application called MaxTrax to record information regarding their track inspections, including whether the inspection was completed. The application then generated a report with details concerning the inspection:
Rather than complete inspections, from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators either falsified track inspection reports or aided and abetted the submission of falsified inspection reports. Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did this by not completing their inspections and creating falsified inspection reports with information found online and extending the duration of such “inspections” on the MaxTrax applications to make the inspection period appear longer than they were, so senior MBTA executives did not complain about the length of inspections.
Additionally, during the times when some of Vatel’s inspections were reported as having been conducted, Vatel was actually present inside Cabot Yard – an MBTA location that contained a coffee and breakroom for Red Line inspection employees. Cabot Yard also contained a large garage, which Vatel and alleged co-conspirators treated and operated as an automobile repair shop to work on non-MBTA vehicles during work hours. While some co-conspirators allegedly worked on the vehicles, others had their non-MBTA vehicles worked on, including Vatel.
From Jan. 1, 2024 to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators also submitted false overtime sheets, for hours that they did not work, in order to receive overtime payment from the MBTA. Rather than work their overtime shifts, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did not show up at all for the shift; showed up hours late for their shifts; or showed up at the beginning of the shift, used the hand scan and then disappeared for hours (sometimes to sleep in their vehicles) before returning to work.
The charge of conspiracy to falsify records provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of falsification of records, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of false statements provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aiding and abetting provides that an individual who aids and abets is punishable as a principal. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years in Prison for Violating Rights on Crypto-Criminal’s Behalf, Cheating on TaxesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for abusing his law enforcement powers to threaten and intimidate a now-imprisoned, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman’s perceived adversaries, to advance that criminal’s interests, and for concealing from the IRS more than $373,000 in income he obtained from that criminal.
Eric Chase Saavedra, 42, of Chino, who once served as an LASD detective and federal task-force officer, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $90,984 in restitution.
Saavedra pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights and one count of false subscription to a tax return.
As part of his plea agreement, Saavedra agreed to forfeit several items he purchased as part of the conspiracy, including 32 Louis Vuitton bags, 27 pairs of Gucci shoes, five Louis Vuitton wallets, and a money-counting machine.
According to court documents, Adam Iza, 26, who resided in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, was a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman who hired off-duty LASD deputies to act as his personal enforcers against his enemies. As part of the conspiracy to violate civil rights, Iza had the deputies assist him in carrying out extortion, intimidation, setting people up for arrest, and abuse of legal process.
One of the deputies Iza employed was Saavedra, who was assigned to LASD’s Operation Safe Streets Bureau and served as a federal task force officer assigned to the United States Marshals Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Saavedra founded a private security company, Saavedra & Associates LLC, which provided private security for its clients and often employed active LASD deputies and other law enforcement officers.
From August 2021 to March 2022, Iza – who then lived in a Bel Air mansion – hired Saavedra & Associates to provide him round-the-clock private security at a typical cost of $100,000 per month. Iza hired the company again from July 2024 until Iza’s arrest in September 2024.
Starting in the fall of 2021, Saavedra illegally and regularly used his LASD credentials to access sensitive law enforcement databases to obtain personal identifiable information (PII) for Iza, including PII for people with whom Iza had personal or business disputes, their associates, and their family members.
Saavedra knew he was not authorized under LASD rules to access this information for non-law enforcement matters or to share it with private clients. He did so because he wanted to impress Iza with his access to law enforcement information and to continue to receive lucrative business from Iza, according to court documents.
Saavedra used his powers as a sworn law enforcement officer to improperly obtain court-authorized search warrants related to individuals with whom Iza had disputes, including a warrant to search an individual’s residence that Saavedra helped facilitate and a warrant to obtain location information associated with another individual that Saavedra directly obtained.
Iza, Saavedra and others used confidential information that the LASD deputies obtained in their official capacities to locate, intimidate, harass, threaten and extort individuals with whom Iza had disputes and their associates, according to court documents. They also used Telegram and other encrypted communications apps to avoid law enforcement detection.
For example, in late 2021 or early 2022, Iza – believing a victim possessed a laptop computer containing more than $100 million in cryptocurrency – discussed and agreed that Saavedra would obtain a search warrant for GPS location associated with that victim’s telephone number. In January 2022, Saavedra applied for and obtained a search warrant under false pretenses from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. In an affidavit supporting the search warrant application, Saavedra falsely stated that the victim’s telephone number was associated with a suspect in a firearms investigation.
After securing the illegal warrant, Saavedra tracked down the victim and provided the victim’s address to Iza. In March 2022, Iza caused three armed individuals to try to force entry into the victim’s home to steal the laptop. The individuals fled after the victim fired a gunshot in their direction. Afterward, Iza sent the victim a video of the attempted home invasion robbery.
Saavedra further admitted to receiving approximately $373,146 in unreported income and subscribed to a false tax return for 2021.
Iza, who has been in federal custody since September 2024, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights, one count of wire fraud, and one count of tax evasion. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 5 before Judge Anderson.
Iza is serving a 15-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in an attempted robbery of Bitcoin and a kidnapping in Connecticut in August 2024.
Saavedra is the fifth former LASD deputy to be sentenced in this matter. The other four former LASD deputies are:
- Michael David Coberg, 45, of Eastvale, is serving a 63-month federal prison sentence for helping Iza extort a rival and arranging the sham illegal drug possession arrest of another adversary in Paramount in 2021. Judge Anderson sentenced Coberg on March 16.
- Scott Allen Simpkins, 34, of Brea, was sentenced on July 13 to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation into Iza’s extortion of $25,000 from a party planner at Iza’s Bel Air mansion.
- David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, was sentenced on July 20 to one year in federal prison and who had worked for Iza as a private security guard, pleaded guilty to submitting a false search warrant application to a state court judge on behalf of a different client.
- Christopher Michael Cadman, 34, of Fullerton, was sentenced on September 14 to 21 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution for abusing his status as a law enforcement officer to threaten and intimidate adversaries of a now-imprisoned, self-proclaimed cryptocurrency businessman, and for cheating on his taxes.
Relatedly, Judge Anderson on September 21 sentenced Iris Rabaya Au, 37, of Irvine, to 18 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $1,484,343 in restitution for failing to report more than $2.6 million in ill-gotten gains she obtained via the criminal activities of Iza, her former boyfriend.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the National Security Division prosecuted this case.
Former Federal Employee Sentenced for Time-and-Attendance SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A former federal senior official, who pled guilty to theft charges, received a federal sentence, today, in connection with a timecard scheme.
Chief Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan sentenced Evester Edd, 64, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to two years of supervised probation, including three months of home confinement on electronic monitoring, for theft of government property. Additionally, Judge Sullivan ordered Edd, a former Peace Corps (PC) senior human resources employee, to pay $20,758.50 of restitution and perform 250 hours of community service.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Inspector General Joaquin E. Ferrao, Peace Corps Office of Inspector General (Peace Corps OIG); James Hodge, Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General, performing the duties of Inspector General,Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG); and Inspector General Robert J. Feitel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the Inspector General (NRC OIG). This prosecution supports the objectives of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
According to court documents, Edd worked daily from his duty station at PC headquarters in Washington, D.C., or an alternate site, as the agency also allowed teleworking. Beginning in September 2024, and continuing through November 2024, Edd falsely recorded work hours that he did not work in PC’s time-and-attendance system. During this time frame, Edd submitted his time and attendance sheet electronically from his alternative telework duty station. The false entries resulted in PC paying Edd for hours he did not work.
After NRC OIG’s Cyber Crimes Unit investigators analyzed Edd’s NRC-issued laptop for the specified timeframe, they found that on nearly a daily basis, Edd signed on from his residence to work for the NRC during his PC work hours. Additionally, on nine of the days that he worked as a contractor, Edd, remotely signed into the NRC network but did work for the NRC while sitting in his workspace at PC headquarters during the PC workday.
Investigators also determined that Edd sent numerous government documents from the agencies’ accounts to his personal AOL email account. Many documents were related to employment actions and included personally identifiable information (PII), along with other confidential details.
When law enforcement executed a search warrant on Edd’s Silver Spring residence, investigators searched his electronic media. During the search, investigators identified a thumb drive that contained government documents, including documents containing federal employees’ PII. The documents on the thumb drive dated back to Edd’s previous periods of federal employment from at least the 1990s. In December 2024, Edd retired from federal service during the pending criminal investigation.
This prosecution is the result of a yearslong investigation led by the Peace Corps OIG in partnership with FHFA-OIG, NRC OIG, and other law enforcement partners.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the Peace Corps OIG, FHFA-OIG, and NRC OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
# # #
Former Bank Teller Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mercedes Henry, a former banker at Ameris Bank, was arrested last week on federal charges of bank fraud, access device fraud, and bribery after she allegedly defrauded Ameris Bank out of more than $900,000.
“Henry allegedly stole sensitive information to facilitate nearly $1 million of fraudulent transfers from victims’ bank accounts to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by her co-conspirators,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will work with our partners in law enforcement and the private sector to identify, arrest, and punish greedy criminals who lie, cheat, and steal to enrich themselves.”
“Ms. Henry and her conspirators allegedly stole consumers’ hard-earned money directly from their bank accounts,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Crimes of greed and opportunity will not go unpunished as the FBI and our law enforcement partners use all the tools at our disposal to uncover these illegal acts.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2021, Ameris Bank employed Mercedes Henry as a universal banker at Ameris Bank at multiple locations in the Atlanta area. On at least six occasions from September 2021 to November 2021, Henry allegedly used six Ameris customers’ bank account numbers and identifiers to link the customers’ Ameris accounts to accounts at Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform that allows account holders to buy different cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Through this scheme, Henry and her conspirators caused the fraudulent transfer of approximately $931,500 from victims’ accounts at Ameris Bank to Coinbase accounts controlled by the conspirators. Henry received more than $1,000 in exchange for her participation in the scheme.
On September 25, 2026, Mercedes Henry, 35, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, appeared in federal court following her arrest after a federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 22, 2026.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Cathelynn Tio is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Flores Family Agrees to Pay Additional $2.5 Million in Civil Penalties for Defrauding United StatesRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – The United States has reached agreements with KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, Irma Flores, and Christopher Flores to resolve allegations they defrauded the United States by submitting false claims in connection with contracts for housekeeping services at U.S. Army medical facilities. The agreements require the defendants to collectively pay $2.5 million in civil penalties under the False Claims Act.
In August 2023, Kenneth, Irma, and Christopher Flores pleaded guilty to criminal fraud and gratuities charges. Shortly after they were sentenced in September 2024, the United States filed a civil lawsuit against these three individuals as well as KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores’ company, in federal court in San Antonio. See United States v. KHDK, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-1023. The United States alleged that the defendants unlawfully conspired with federal employees to steer a housekeeping contract in Hawaii and increase the value of a second housekeeping contract in Washington. In furtherance of that scheme, Christopher Flores and his company submitted fabricated invoices for cleaning supplies to the other defendants, which were then used to fund gratuity payments to the federal employees.
Under the terms of the civil resolutions announced today, KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, and Irma Flores will jointly pay the United States $2,000,000, and Christopher Flores will individually pay the United States $500,000, for their respective roles in perpetuating this fraud. The United States previously obtained judgments imposing a total of $547,613.92 in civil penalties against the two federal employees who conspired with the Flores family. See United States v. Kelley, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-558; United States v. Mathes, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-980.
“This settlement shows my office does not leave any stone unturned when it comes to those who defraud the United States,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “The convicted members of the Flores family already confessed to betraying the American public and stealing from taxpayers. It was imperative that we follow through to ensure those responsible in the scheme were held fully accountable for their actions. Our Civil AUSAs who work these types of cases are laser focused on protecting the public fisc from thieves like these.”
“Safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Defense’s contract procurement system is essential to ensuring our warfighters receive unsurpassed equipment and services at a fair price to American taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southwest Field Office. “As the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, DCIS will ardently pursue those who corrupt the procurement process for personal gain.”
DCIS and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation of this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Parnham negotiated the civil resolutions on behalf of the government.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
###
Federal jury finds Stanislaus County man guilty of fentanyl trafficking following a Homeland Security Task Force investigationRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — On Friday, Sept. 25, after a four day trial, a federal jury found Andrew Madrid, 27, of Modesto, guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distributing fentanyl in Stanislaus County, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, Madrid was involved in two drug deals that took place in a shopping center parking lot in Turlock. In March 2023, Madrid and others provided another individual with two firearms and 1,000 fentanyl pills. A month later, in April 2023, Madrid and others sold 6,000 fentanyl pills and a Draco rifle (PAK-9 9 mm Luger) to the same individual.
March 2023
April 2023
This case was part of Operation Blue Death, an investigation into illegal drug and firearm trafficking in Stanislaus County between September 2022 and June 2023. The operation came to a conclusion on June 13, 2023, when officers arrested Madrid and three co-defendants in possession of 50,000 fentanyl pills and several firearms. All seven individuals charged with drug and firearm trafficking offenses as a result of Operation Blue Death have been convicted.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Chan Hee Chu are prosecuting the case.
Madrid is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Micah W.J. Smith on Jan. 11, 2027. Madrid faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Central Valley HSTF is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Federal Jury Finds Conroe Man Guilty of Enticing a Minor in Del RioRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A federal jury in Del Rio convicted a Conroe man for enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on May 29, 2025, Brandon Westfall, 26, used an internet dating site to message a user who told him she was 16 years old. Their interactions moved from the dating site to text messages, followed by phone calls and Facetime calls in which Westfall described in detail a number of sexual activities he wanted to engage in with the minor. He further expressed his desire to meet the 16-year-old in Del Rio. To verify her location, Westfall invited the minor female to connect with him on Snapchat. There, Westfall proceeded to send the minor a photo and a sexually graphic video of himself followed by requests for the minor to send him pornographic images of her in return.
FBI special agents arrested Westfall on May 30, 2025, and seized his phone. He was indicted on June 25, 2025, for one count of enticement of a minor. This week, a two-day trial led to a 20-minute jury deliberation and resulted in a guilty verdict. He now faces 10 years to life in federal prison.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Duarte and Nallely Duarte are prosecuting the case. Donna Myrdahl, Valeria Chapa, Jimie Murdoch and Marisol Rangel assisted with litigation support and trial preparation.
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.
###
Federal Jury Convicts Mount Pleasant Man for Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Deandre Malik Horry, a/k/a “Sosa”, 29, of Mount Pleasant, has been convicted by a federal jury following a two-day trial. Horry was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of, and during and in relation to, a federal drug trafficking crime.
Evidence introduced at trial showed that beginning in approximately 2020 and continuing until at least July 2022, Horry and others conspired to distribute fentanyl to drug dealers and customers in the Charleston area. The jury determined that Horry conspired to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl.
On July 11, 2022, a Charleston County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on Horry’s vehicle in North Charleston after federal agents observed a possible drug transaction involving Horry and a co-conspirator. The deputy located 11 grams of fentanyl in Horry’s sock, a loaded Glock pistol in the vehicle’s center console, more than $1,400 in cash, a digital scale, and a holster for the pistol.
Horry faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of at least 10 years.
U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers, II, presided over the trial and will sentence Horry after receiving and reviewing a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Lowcountry Violent Crimes Task Force, with assistance from the Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Summerville Police Department, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Sowards and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting the case.###
Federal Judge Adds 35 Years to Houston Man’s 11-Year Imprisonment for His Role in a Fatal Alien Smuggling OperationRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Houston man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 35 years in prison for his role in smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of two illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, Roland Heith Martinez, 26, was identified as an active member of the Guzman Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) from May 2021 until he was arrested for a drug trafficking charge in Houston on Jan. 25, 2023. The Guzman TCO is an international criminal enterprise operating in Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana and Mexico. Directly connected to the Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), the organization traffics guns and drugs and smuggles illegal aliens into the United States.
In his role for the TCO, Martinez conspired to transport illegal aliens within the U.S., sending more than $54,000 dollars to multiple smuggling facilitators through at least 368 money transfers and CashApp payments, and soliciting additional load drivers for future smuggling operations. One of the smuggling events tied to Martinez and his co-conspirators, resulted in a fatal single vehicle crash in Kimble County on Aug. 7, 2022. Two illegal aliens died in the crash, as did the smuggling vehicle’s driver, a U.S. citizen.
Already arrested for unrelated federal drug charges in the Southern District of Texas in January 2023, Martinez was named in a 12-count superseding indictment in the Western District of Texas on June 26, 2024. He pleaded guilty in the Western District on June 30, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.
“Martinez was heavily involved in the operations of the Guzman TCO, not only facilitating tens of thousands of dollars in smuggling funds, but managing stash houses and dealing firearms as well,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Our Assistant U.S. Attorneys and our partners at HSI have been working diligently to bring down this TCO and others that operate in the Western District, and successful prosecutions like this one prove that the work is paying off.”
“Roland Heith Martinez’s sentencing delivered a measure of justice for the victims of his violent criminal organization, including two illegal aliens who lost their lives,” said Special Agent in Charge, John A. Pasciucco, HSI San Antonio. “HSI Eagle Pass led the investigation that exposed a pattern of violence that included murder, attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, home invasion and arson. This 35-year sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes and HSI’s unwavering commitment to dismantling violent criminal organizations, protecting the public and bringing dangerous offenders to justice.”
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Chief Judge Alia Moses will be served consecutive to Martinez’s 140-month sentence that he received in 2023 in the Southern District of Texas for drug trafficking charges.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
###
Farmington Man Charged with Sexually Abusing Two ChildrenRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington man has been charged federally in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of two minor victims.
According to court documents, on September 19, 2026, and on previous occasions, Raleigh Jackson, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in sex acts with two minor victims.
Jackson is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Jackson faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is 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.
Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Huntington-Area Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – William Louis Johnson III, also known as “BJ,” 40, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the distribution of 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture. Johnson admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 12, 2025, Johnson sold approximately 389.2 grams of methamphetamine and 1 gram of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $2,400. As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted that the confidential informant contacted him beforehand to arrange the transaction, that it occurred at a Huntington residence, and that co-defendant Elizabeth Jane Cumper delivered methamphetamine to him for the transaction.
Johnson further admitted that law enforcement officers in Ohio seized cash proceeds from fentanyl distributions during two different traffic stops of vehicles he was in while traveling from Huntington to Detroit. Officers recovered approximately $27,951 on March 17, 2025, and approximately $22,803 on July 9, 2025.
Johnson also admitted to selling methamphetamine on four occasions in August 2025, each time to a confidential informant in exchange for $650. Johnson sold approximately 110 grams of methamphetamine on August 7, 2025, approximately 107 grams of methamphetamine on August 11, 2025, and approximately 111 grams of methamphetamine on August 20, 2025, each time after the confidential informant contacted co-conspirator Joshua Willie McCarver. On August 14, 2025, Johnson sold approximately 111 grams of methamphetamine during a transaction arranged by co-conspirator Darnell Marice McCarver.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1, 2027, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
Darnell Marice McCarver, also known as “WAP,” 20, of Detroit, was sentenced on April 13, 2026, to 12 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture. His uncle, Joshua Willie McCarver, also known as “TJ,” 28, of Detroit, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 23, 2026, after pleading guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Four other co-defendants pleaded guilty in the case. The indictment is pending against Elizabeth Jane Cumper, 45, of Marlette, Michigan, and one other co-defendant. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and the Huntington Police Department, and the assistance provided by the Ohio Highway Patrol and the Marion County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-154.
###
Defendants Sentenced in a Multi-State Vehicle Theft, Obliterating Vehicle Identification Numbers, and Identity Theft Conspiracy and Additional Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced the last of four defendants in a multi-state conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle, altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number, possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices and conspiracy to sell a firearm to a conviction felon.
Dennis Lloyd Sizemore, age 55, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and Robert Gregory Brazell, age 41, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. The Court further sentenced both men to serve three years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment and ordered Sizemore to pay $92,500 in restitution and Brazell to pay $95,000 in restitution.
In imposing the sentences, the Court found that Sizemore, Brazell and their co-defendants, Chrisopher Don Byerley and Adrienne King, carried out a coordinated and complex operation extending across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in which the group stole, then used or sold the stolen and altered vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value of over $250,000.
The conspiracy involved tampering with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs), the use of a chop shop, fraudulent documentation, false business fronts and stolen identities to sell stolen equipment and further conceal their criminal activities
An investigation of a shoplifting incident in the Juban Crossing Shopping Center led Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives to uncover an unregistered firearm silencer and 9mm pistol from a stolen pickup truck being operated by Byerley and King. Additional other documents, emails, text messages and photos led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise.
Byerley was recently sentenced to 115 months in federal prison following his convictions in this conspiracy and for firearm violations. King was sentenced to 48 months.
U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Saint Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Sheriff’s Department, and Lafayette Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and M. Patricia Jones led the prosecution.
Cruise Ship Employee Charged with Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Filipino national has been arrested and charged in Boston, Mass. with transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Bobby Prieto, 35, was arrested yesterday and charged by criminal complaint with one count of transportation of child pornography. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, Pietro was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for Oct. 1, 2026.
According to the charging documents, prior to Prieto’s arrest, he had been serving as a crew member on the Norwegian Jewel, a cruise ship owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line. The vessel docked at Boston’s Flynn Cruiseport on Sept. 24, 2026, and Prieto was flagged for secondary screening by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. During a preliminary review of two mobile phones belonging to Prieto, multiple media files were identified, allegedly depicting CSAM, including at least one media file depicting Prieto sexually assaulting a prepubescent girl.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Criminal Illegal Alien from Guatemala Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Selvin J. Tello-Perez, 25, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the plea.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office continues to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche that we will protect our streets from criminal illegal aliens who have demonstrated a brazen disregard for our nation’s laws. Our citizens deserve secure borders and crime-free neighborhoods, and my office will deliver both with continued successful prosecutions like this one.”
According to court documents, in January 2026, the defendant was arrested in Okaloosa County after being caught driving an electric scooter with a loaded revolver in a fanny pack zip-tied to its handlebars. The defendant is a previously deported Guatemalan citizen who had illegally re-entered the country.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2026, in Pensacola, Florida before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. Tello-Perez faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The case was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Convicted Murderer Indicted for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Dontai Lamont Johnson (37, Ocala) has been charged by indictment with distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Johnson faces an enhanced minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison due to having a qualifying prior conviction for a serious violent felony offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, on July 13, 2026, Johnson distributed and possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court records, Johnson was convicted of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in 2017. Johnson was released from the Florida Department of Corrections in February 2025.
Johnson was arrested on September 24, 2026, in the Middle District of Georgia. He is currently detained pending the resolution of the case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Connecticut Man Who Attempted to Travel to the Middle East to Join and Fight for ISIS Sentenced to over Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Ahmad Khalil Elshazly, 29, of West Haven, Connecticut, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in the District of Connecticut to 92 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in approximately September 2018, Elshazly, a U.S. citizen, expressed a desire to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIS. In numerous conversations online and in person, he swore “bay’at” allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In October 2019, just after al-Baghdadi’s death, he sent a message pledging allegiance to the new leader of ISIS, saying “I pledge my allegiance...to the Khilafah (the successor of the leadership) of the Muslims Abu Ibrahim Al Husseini Al Hashami Al Qurashi…” Elshazly also created and administered a pro-ISIS Discord server that he used to post hundreds of ISIS and other extremist propaganda memes and videos.
On Dec. 14, 2019, Elshazly paid $500 to a person he believed was an ISIS facilitator who would be able to smuggle him out of the U.S. to Turkey. He believed this would enable him to connect with an ISIS member who would assist him with traveling to ISIS within Syria. The next day, Elshazly was arrested after he arrived in Stonington, Connecticut, where he expected to board a boat to begin his trip.
Elshazly has been detained since his arrest. On Nov. 30, 2022, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. While detained, Elshazly has had numerous disciplinary infractions. In August 2025, officers searched his cell and found a handwritten plan for a coordinated uprising at the detention facility, complete with diagrams of the housing unit, instructions for breaching secured areas, and tactics for confronting the Correctional Emergency Response Team.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s JTTF with the assistance of the Stonington Police Department, the New Haven Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The FBI’s JTTF includes participants from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS Criminal Investigation, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, The State Department, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, Norwich Police Department, Hartford Police Department, Stamford Police Department, Norwalk Police Department, Town of Groton Police Department, UConn Police Department, Yale Police Department, Stonington Police Department, New Haven Police Department and New York Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney John Cella of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel for the District of Connecticut.
Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Visa FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, 47, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally obtain a U Visa.
A U Visa is a temporary U.S. immigration status that is reserved for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and have been helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. The U Visa provides a path to lawful permanent residence in the United States (commonly referred to as a “Green Card”), and therefore a path to U.S. citizenship for qualified applicants.Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on March 9, 2025, Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, a/k/a “Mike Patel,” and a convenience store clerk staged a robbery at a convenience store in Fairfield County. Law enforcement received a 911 call reporting a robbery. When the authorities arrived at the scene, the clerk attempted to explain the robbery before being transported to the hospital. Patel also arrived at the scene and attempted to explain the robbery. Officers reviewed surveillance video of the event, which appeared to show a robbery, but further review showed that the robbery was staged to make it appear that the store clerk was the victim. Patel acted as the robber and attempted to disguise himself by covering his face and wearing a jacket with long sleeves.
On March 25, 2025, Patel and the clerk requested a copy of the incident report concerning the March 9 incident. In an attempt to appear as a crime victim and qualify for a U Visa, on April 3, 2025, Patel and/or the clerk caused to be mailed a federal certification to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department requesting that the head of that department sign a form acknowledging that the clerk was the victim of a “felonious assault.” Officials determined that the store clerk was a citizen of India and that a U Visa would have allowed him to remain in the U.S. legally.
Patel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Joseph A. Anderson, Jr. accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Patel after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. The clerk was deported to India.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Potterfield is prosecuting the case.###
Columbia Felon Indicted for Illegally Possessing Gun Stored in Baby’s CribRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a single-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charging Karlos Damon Gibson, 20, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to statements and filings in court, on Aug. 5, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at an apartment where Gibson had been staying. They found a.40 caliber handgun and a drum magazine containing 50 rounds of ammo in Gibson’s daughter’s crib. They also found a.45 caliber pistol in the little girl’s closet.
Gibson has a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute. His criminal history prohibits Gibson from possessing firearms or ammunition. At the time he possessed these firearms, Gibson was out on bond after being charged with being an accessary after the fact to a felony, specifically a murder. His bond conditions further prohibit him from possessing firearms.
Gibson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. Gibson is currently detained pending trial.
This case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Columbia Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Timmons is prosecuting the case.
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.###
Collinsville Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of Preteen; Mother Imprisoned for Allowing Access to ChildrenRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Collinsville man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for coercing a preteen into sexually explicit acts, and the child’s mother received more than 17 years for knowingly failing to protect her children and allowing the abuser continued access to her home and family, announced U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar.
“These sentences reflect the serious harm these defendants inflicted on vulnerable children and the grave breach of trust involved,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Nassar. “Our office will continue to pursue those who exploit children and those who knowingly allow that exploitation, and we remain grateful to our law enforcement partners for their diligent work in bringing these offenders to justice.”
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Jesse Lane Mitchell, 36, for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor after he admitted persuading a 10- to 12-year-old child known to him to engage in sexually explicit activity. Mitchell will serve 360 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and must register as a sex offender upon release.
In August 2024, Collinsville Police responded to a call involving a 12-year-old with multiple red marks on their neck that appeared to be hickeys from an adult male. Officers learned that Mitchell fled the home when he knew police had been contacted and that he had been living with and caring for his girlfriend’s three minor children. At the time, the mother was incarcerated on unrelated charges, leaving Mitchell as the only adult residing in the home with the children. Law enforcement reviewed messages across multiple social media platforms and found alarming communications between Mitchell and the child.
The investigation revealed that Mitchell groomed and coerced the child into sexually explicit acts. Investigators also found that the child’s mother, Jacklyn Paige Roberts, was aware of the abuse and allowed Mitchell continued access to all three children by permitting him to live in the home, even after learning he was sexually abusing her preteen.
In her plea agreement, Roberts, 34, admitted she knew Mitchell was sexually abusing her child and failed to protect her children from ongoing harm. She pleaded guilty to Child Neglect in Indian Country and received a sentence of 210 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Roberts, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and Mitchell have remained in custody since 2024. They do not have access to the minor children and will be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Collinsville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler prosecuted the case.
Cleveland Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking substantial amounts of controlled substances and for illegal possession of a firearm.
Phillip Moreland, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in prison and five years of supervised released by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan after pleading guilty in May to: • Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (2 counts)
• Felon in Possession of a Firearm; prior convictions include Drug Possession, Failure to Comply, and Felonious Assault in 2008, and Tampering with Evidence and Drug Possession in 2016.
• Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking CrimeDuring the investigation, officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Moreland for speed and illegal tint violations. Moreland initially complied with the officers’ commands but then began to flee on foot. As officers pursued Moreland, he was observed removing a bag with blue pills from his pocket and throwing it into an open field. He jumped several fences and evaded arrest. During an inventory search of his car, officers found a loaded pistol under the driver seat, two cellphones, two bottles of alcohol, and a plastic bag containing a purple powder which later tested positive for more than 1,500 grams of methamphetamine. The bag thrown into the field was retrieved and later tested positive for more than 55 grams of methamphetamine in pill form. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Moreland and he was later apprehended at his home where additional controlled substances, scales, and a cutting agent was located. Several cellphones were seized and searched pursuant to federal search warrants, yielding evidence of a drug trafficking conspiracy involving Moreland and co-defendant Deonte Dillard, 34, of Cleveland.
Dillard is currently serving a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to his role in this drug trafficking operation.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Cleveland Resident Office with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Hanna led the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
Central Valley man sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for a $10 million real estate fraud schemeRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Gilberto Barron, 26, formerly of Delano and Las Vegas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to seven years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aggravated identity theft relating to his participation in a $10 million real estate fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced today.
“Barron chose to engage in a multimillion‑dollar fraud scheme, and today’s sentence makes clear that such criminal conduct will be met with substantial punishment,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “Our office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue criminals who think they can hide behind false identities or fabricated documents. We will hold them accountable every time.”
“This sentencing marks a critical step in holding Mr. Barron accountable for the harm his scheme caused and in providing justice for his victims,” said IRS Criminal Investigation San Francisco Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge David Lowe. “Mr. Barron didn’t just steal money. He took advantage of people’s trust by subverting an American financial system for his own gain. IRS-CI scrupulously follows the money, uncovers the truth, and ensures that individuals behind schemes like this are brought to justice.”
According to court records, in 2021 and 2022, Barron and others conspired with federal inmate Seth Depiano, 45, formerly of Clovis, to commit the fraud charged in this case. At the time, Depiano was serving a 12-year prison sentence for a prior, multimillion-dollar fraud (Case No. 1:17-cr-172 DAD). Depiano, assisted by Barron and others, helped create fake identities for supposed real estate agents and shell companies that mirrored the names of legitimate real estate companies. They then used the fake identities and shell companies to market various properties online that were not actually for sale to would-be buyers in California’s Central Valley and elsewhere at discounted prices. This included properties where the actual owners had died.
Barron and others would meet with the buyers using the fake identities and close the sales. They even went so far as to present the buyers with fabricated deeds, title reports, and other real estate documents to substantiate the sales.
After getting the would-be buyers’ money, Depiano, Barron, and others would launder the funds primarily through Las Vegas casinos. For example, they would travel to the casinos, put large amounts of money into gaming machines, and quickly cash out with little to no gaming activity. They did this to try to hide the fact that the money was proceeds from their fraudulent scheme. They would then use the money to purchase properties for their own benefit.
Barron pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026.
Zahria Barber, 29, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 29, 2026, to one year in prison for her involvement in the scheme. She helped launder money in the casinos, and in exchange, she received payments toward some of her living expenses and student loans.
Depiano pleaded guilty and was sentenced in January 2026 to nine years in federal prison. This sentence is in addition to the 12 years he was already serving and makes for a total sentence of 21 years in prison.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Bakersfield Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance from the FBI and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody Chapple and Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.
Cabell County Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering after Embezzling $624,599.86 from Nonprofit Veterinary ClinicRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jerod Timothy Vannatter, 43, of Barboursville, pleaded guilty today to money laundering. Vannatter admitted that he embezzled $624,599.86 from a nonprofit veterinary clinic he managed.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Vannatter was the clinic’s manager from approximately February 2018 to approximately February 2025 and oversaw all administrative functions, including payroll and vendor payments. As part of his guilty plea, Vannatter admitted that he conducted his fraud scheme from approximately October 2022 until approximately December 2024. Vannatter made multiple payroll and other unearned deposits into his personal checking account using numerous checks he issued from the clinic’s bank account. Vannatter also created false vendor invoices to initiate payments from the clinic’s bank account and directed those illicit payments to his personal checking account.
As part of his embezzlement scheme, Vannatter transferred $20,000 in embezzled funds from his checking account to his savings account on October 11, 2023. Vannatter admitted that he embezzled a total of $624,599.86, that he initiated and carried out his embezzlement scheme because he was addicted to online gambling, and that he lost all the proceeds from his scheme as a result of gambling.
Vannatter is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Vannatter also owes $624,599.86 in restitution.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Barboursville Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
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. 3:26-cr-109.
###
Burlington Man Convicted on Drug Charges Following Record Meth Seizure as Part of Homeland Security Task Force InitiativeRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. – A jury in federal district court convicted ARTEMIO RIVERA AVILEZ on Thursday, September 24, 2026, of multiple drug charges, announced United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to court documents, AVILEZ, age 34, was initially indicted on May 26, 2026, and was tried on charges in a Superseding Indictment filed August 31, 2026. AVILEZ was charged in Count One with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and in Count Two with possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Evidence at trial showed that AVILEZ possessed 167.4 kilograms of 95% pure methamphetamine in his enclosed utility trailer in Burlington, NC, and coordinated with others to distribute the drugs on October 10, 2025. The 167.4 kilogram seizure is believed to be the largest methamphetamine seizure in the history of North Carolina.
A jury convicted AVILEZ on all counts of the Superseding Indictment after a four-day trial. At sentencing, AVILEZ faces a term of imprisonment of 10 years to life, not less than 5 years of supervised release, fines, and restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2027, before United States District Judge Lindsey A. Freeman in Greensboro.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Greensboro comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshal Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Greensboro Police Department, Winston-Salem Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, the Eden Police Department, the Piedmont Triad International Airport Police Department, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Burlington Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the High Point Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Lead Task Force Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney Randall S. Galyon.
###
Buffalo man pleads guilty to his role in conspiracy to steal mailRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Timothee Tidwell, 26, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiracy to commit mail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Between October 9 and October 14, 2024, Tidwell conspired with co-defendant Alexandria Duncan to steal mail from receptacles in Hamburg, NY, and take articles from inside the letters and envelopes that were stolen. For instance, in the early morning hours of October 14, 2024, Duncan drove a vehicle to Camp Road with Tidwell, who exited the vehicle and approached a row of mailboxes outside the post office on Camp Road with a postal arrow key he was not legally entitled to possess. That same day, law enforcement recovered opened and unopened mail addressed to other people from the vehicle Tidwell and Duncan drove in to commit the mail thefts. The opened mail included checks from various individuals and businesses and totaled approximately $369,104.92.
Duncan previously convicted and sentenced.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Village of Hamburg Police, under the direction of Chief Richard Schara, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Justin Page, Boston Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 23, 2026, before Judge Arcara.
# # # #
Brookings Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Brookings, South Dakota (formerly of Veblen, SD), man convicted after a jury trial of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child. The sentencing took place on September 21, 2026.
Joseph Darrell Peterson, Jr., age 47, was sentenced to Life in federal prison and must pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.
Peterson was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2024. He was found guilty of both counts following a jury trial the week of June 15, 2026.
Over the course of twelve years, starting in 2006 when the child was just 6 years old, Peterson began to groom and sexually assault her. Peterson lived in the home with the child and was a parental figure to her. Over the next 12 years, throughout multiple states and locations including the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, Peterson repeatedly and illegally raped and sexually abused the child. The child was able to escape the home and abuse when she was 19. Then in 2023, she summoned the courage to report the abuse to law enforcement. An investigation ensued resulting in the federal prosecution and leading to the guilty verdicts and sentence.
This case was investigated by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal Law Enforcement, South Dakota DCI, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person AUSA for the Great Plains Region Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners. The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components. Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. This prosecution upholds the Department’s mission to the unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of victims and their families despite the passage of time.
This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Peterson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Billings woman sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for stealing handgunRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings woman who stole a handgun from an unlocked pickup truck was sentenced Friday to three years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Cassie Marie Carlos, 38, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm and possessing a stolen firearm.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Carlos stole a handgun while on probation for a Yellowstone County felony drug charge. Billings police took a call from Carlos’s mother, who told officers her daughter had given her a stolen firearm. She also let them know Carlos was on parole.
Earlier in the week, a man had called BPD to report that overnight someone had stolen a gun from his unlocked pickup. The weapon, a Smith & Wesson M&P 10MM pistol, was the same make and model as the handgun Carlos gave her mom. Investigators learned Carlos had been “car hopping” that night and stole a firearm, wallet, and cash. Her fingerprint was found on the gun case and on the pistol’s magazine. Along with Carlos’s state drug charge, she also had been convicted of felony drug possession in Idaho in 2024.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the ATF conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities