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23 May 2025
Memphis Man Sentenced to over Three Years of Federal Imprisonment for Possession of a Glock SwitchRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Kalen Thompson, 25, to 40 months in federal prison for possession of a machine gun. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, on September 15, 2023, detectives with the Memphis Police Department went to an address in Memphis looking for a robbery suspect. They encountered Thompson under the carport area in possession of a 9mm Glock pistol with a conversion device (“switch”) attached, which made the firearm fully automatic. Officers ran the serial number of the weapon and determined Thompson had stolen the firearm in January 2023 and added the conversion device.
In February 2025, Thompson pled guilty to unlawful possession of a machine gun. On May 22, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Thompson to 40 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by detectives with the Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Musselwhite prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
May Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the May Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Alejandro Aldave. Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Counts 1 and 2); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Count 3); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 4). Aldave, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute. He is additionally charged with maintaining a residence to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. McConney is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-173
Daniel Allen Ash; Amber Dawn Murphy. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 1); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 2 through 5); Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country; (Count 6); Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 7); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 8 through 11) Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country (Count 12) (superseding). Both from Commerce, Ash, 32, and Murphy, 30, a member of the Cherokee Nation, are charged with unlawfully killing a minor child in Sep. 2024 and willfully neglecting the health, safety, and welfare of four minor children. Ash is further charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor child under 12 years old. Additionally, he is charged with possessing visual images depicting the sexual abuse of at least one prepubescent minor. The FBI and Quapaw Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-088
David Moses Castro-Rivera. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Castro-Rivera, 22, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in June 2021. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-183Javier Cortez Banda. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Banda, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2020. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Whipple is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-184
James Devon Davis. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After Conviction for a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence. Davis, 29, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony and a domestic violence misdemeanor. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-177
Bradley Ray Dick. Child Abuse in Indian Country. Dick, 47, of Claremore and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with willfully and maliciously injuring a child under the age of 18. The FBI and the Claremore Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Heign is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-176
Stephen Dale Homer. Production of Child Pornography; International Production of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Homer, 57, of McAlester and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with using a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of child sexual abuse material. He also coerced a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the sexually explicit conduct. This visual depiction was then transported to the United States. Additionally, Homer is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The FBI Tulsa, FBI Charlotte, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case with assistance from the Western District of North Carolina USAO. 25-CR-171
Robert Marcus Johnston. Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country. Johnston, 19, of Tulsa and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with assaulting a minor victim by strangulation. The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Weems is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-169
Kaci Anne-Rene Lima. Bank Fraud (Counts 1 through 3); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 4 through 6). Lima, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with fraudulently obtaining funds from the victim's bank account without permission. Further, Lima used the victim’s identity while committing a felony. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Catoosa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-179
Jorge Antonio Lopez Vasquez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lopez Vasquez, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in July 2018. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case.
25-CR-180Olajuwon Hasan Myers. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Myers, 39, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-178
Ricardo Plateado-Martinez; Rosa Maria Olmos; Rafael Gonzalez; Joel Rosales Pina. Drug Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Commit International Money Laundering; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance (third superseding). Plateado-Martinez, 34, of Broken Arrow; Olmos, 35, of Broken Arrow; Gonzales, 31, of Beaumont; and Pina, 40, a Mexican National are charged with conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. Plateado-Martinez, Olmos, Gonzalez, and Pina are charged with conspiring to move money internationally with the intent to promote methamphetamine distribution and the conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pina is further charged with maintaining a residence to distribute drugs. Gonzalez, and Pina are charged with conspiring to import more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from Mexico. The Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Broken Arrow Police Department, and Oklahoma City Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case.
24-CR-131Jordan Frazier Payne. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Child Neglect in Indian Country. Payne, 31, of Grove, is charged with unlawfully killing the minor victim by blunt force trauma to the head. Further, Payne is charged with willfully failing to provide medical care for the minor victim. The FBI, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, the Grove Police Department, and the Jay Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria Luster and Emily Dewhurst are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-168*
Adan Orozco-Godines. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Orozco-Godines, 38, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2016. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-182
Lekeith Deshawn Russell. Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 1 and 2); Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 3). Russell, 38, of Tulsa, is charged with attempting to possess methamphetamine through the mail. He is further charged with attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-172
*A federal jury tried Jordan Frazier Payne in November 2025 and acquitted him.
Marion Man Who Trafficked Fentanyl and Cocaine Sentenced to Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who distributed fentanyl and cocaine was sentenced May 22, 2025, to more than seven years in federal prison.
Kendrick Ankum, age 52, from Marion, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 27, 2025, guilty plea to Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence at the guilty plea and sentencing hearing showed that on four occasions between March 28, 2024, and April 25, 2024, Ankum distributed fentanyl and cocaine to a confidential source. On May 16, 2024, investigators searched Ankum’s properties. At his Marion residence, officers located four firearms, 2,518 pills containing fentanyl, and over 750 grams of cocaine.
Ankum was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Ankum was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Ankum is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-86.
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Man Charged in Connection with CARES Act Loan FraudRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Joseph Ronald Trenkle, 54, formerly of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado and currently of Dorado, Puerto Rico, has been charged in a criminal information with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the information, between April 30, 2020, and February 25, 2022, Trenkle applied for and received $1,850,000 in COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and $2,999,995 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds from an SBA-approved lender. The information alleges that after first obtaining an EIDL loan in March 2020, Trenkle made two requests to increase the amount of his EIDL and made false representations as part of each of request. The information further alleges that Trenkle submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications, and also submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loan forgiveness for each PPP loan.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created the PPP, a program administered by the SBA that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. Additionally, the CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The defendant made his initial appearance on May 22, 2025, in Denver in front of Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung.
The charges contained in the information are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig Fansler.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
Case Number: 25-cr-00150-RMR
Leticia Russi-Shareno Sentenced to Three Years Probation for Labor Union EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Leticia Russi-Shareno, 60, of Kenmore, New York, was sentenced yesterday by Chief United States District Court Judge Christina Reiss to a term of three years’ probation and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution. Russi-Shareno previously pleaded guilty to a charge of Wire Fraud on December 10, 2024.
According to court documents, between approximately August 2019 and December 2020, Russi-Shareno served as president of Local 2076 of the American Federation of Government Employees. Local 2076 is a labor union whose members are employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security working in Vermont and upstate New York. As president, Russi-Shareno had check signing authority on Local 2076’s Vermont bank account and also received a debit card to make official purchases on behalf of the union.
According to court documents, during her presidency, Russi-Shareno embezzled approximately $36,000.00 from Local 2076’s coffers by using the union’s debit card to make ATM withdrawals of funds for personal expenses; using the debit card to make purchases for her personal benefit; and by falsifying paperwork to obtain duplicate reimbursements for expenses incurred on behalf of Local 2076. Russi-Shareno also cashed or deposited into her own account several checks that the national AFGE union had issued to Local 2076.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Boston and Buffalo Regional Office of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and the Department of Homeland Security.
Russi-Shareno was represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. The prosecutors were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas J. Aliberti and Gregory Waples.
Lawton Couple Pleads Guilty for their Roles in Child Sex Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – NIA HALL, 30, and JACKIE DUNCAN, 35, both of Lawton, have pleaded guilty for conspiring to commit sex trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On January 21, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Hall and Duncan, charging them with sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. According to public record, in May 2024, two juveniles ran away from a juvenile group home in Lawton, Oklahoma, and were entered into law enforcement databases as missing juveniles. One of the juveniles was located by officers with the Plano Police Department on July 16, 2024, at a motel in Collin County, Texas, where she disclosed that she and the other missing juvenile had been sex-trafficked. The juvenile told officers that after she and the other juvenile had fled the group home, they were approached by two people, later identified as Hall and Duncan, at a gas station. The juveniles began living with Hall and Duncan, who soon after transported the juveniles to various cities in Texas, where they performed sex acts for money, which Hall and Duncan kept. In return, the juveniles were provided food and shelter. The juvenile told authorities she had recently escaped Hall and Duncan’s car in the Dallas area. On September 30, 2024, the second juvenile was found and recovered in San Antonio, Texas. She recounted a similar story of being sex-trafficked by Hall and Duncan in exchange for food and shelter. During the investigation, local and federal law enforcement reviewed sex advertisements associated with Hall. These advertisements contained photos of the juveniles. Hall and Duncan were arrested on December 16, 2024.
On May 19, 2025, Hall pleaded guilty to Count 3 of the Indictment, and admitted she knowingly worked with Duncan to recruit and transport the juveniles for purposes of commercial sex acts, and that she knew the victims were under the age of 18. Duncan pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment on April 30, 2025, and admitted he knowingly recruited two minors under the age of 18 to cause them to engage in commercial sex acts, and that he aided and abetted Hall to do the same.
At sentencing, Hall and Duncan face up to life in federal prison, Duncan faces at least 10 years in federal prison, and both face fines of up to $250,000.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, FBI, Lawton Police Department, Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Control, Fort Smith Police Department, Arkansas State Police, San Antonio Police Department, Plano Police Department, and Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Ganz and Brandon Hale are prosecuting the case.
This case is also the result of an investigation by the Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force, which is led by HSI. The Tornado Alley Child Exploitation Task Force is an implementation of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Lawrence Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for COVID Relief Fraud and Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining and misusing COVID-19 relief funds and stealing Social Security benefits totaling over $200,000.
Randolph Dominguez, 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 15 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Dominguez was also ordered to pay $274,119 in restitution. In January 2025, Dominguez pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money.
In June 2020, Dominguez submitted a loan application on behalf of an interpreter business he owned and operated, Dominguez SP Interpreters, to the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dominguez fraudulently obtained approximately $90,000 in EIDL funds from the SBA from June 2020 through July 2021 when he claimed falsely on EIDL applications that his gross business revenue was $600,000 the previous year, when it was only $16,989. Further, Dominguez improperly spent all of the EIDL funds received on non-business expenses, including $16,192.22 to purchase an SUV, and several purchases at smoke shops, liquor stores, gun ranges and an adult bookstore and website. In addition, in May 2021, Dominguez applied for an additional $200,600 EIDL loan modification increase based on the false business revenue amount, which was rejected when SBA detected his fraud.
Similarly, in June 2021, Dominguez obtained a $3,500 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which was another temporary loan program intended to provide relief for small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic so that they could retain employees and cover overhead. Dominguez also spent the PPP loan for an improper business purpose – an all-inclusive vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
Separately, from April 2001 through April 2023, Dominguez stole approximately $163,642 in Social Security benefits. Dominguez’s father was receiving Social Security benefits at the time of his death in March 2001. His death was never reported to the Social Security Administration. Instead, the deceased’s address was changed in 2006 to Dominguez’s residence and the agency continued to pay monthly benefits on his behalf. Dominguez used his deceased father’s debit card to withdraw the improperly paid benefits at ATMs and to make purchases more than 22 years after his death.
Finally, Dominguez claimed his deceased father as a dependent on his 2019 federal and state income tax returns to fraudulently obtain tax credits. As a special condition of the term of supervised release, Dominguez was ordered to work with the Internal Revenue Service to correct all inaccurate tax returns.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.Latimer County Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dustin Lee Harp, age 41, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for one count of Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment or Information.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office.
On January 7, 2025, Harp pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between December 12, 2020, and December 9, 2021, Harp received a semi-automatic rifle despite being charged in the District Court of Latimer County, Oklahoma, for a crime punishable by imprisonment of more than a year.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Harp was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarrod Leaman and Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Prison for Operating Sports Betting Ponzi Scheme That Stole More Than $8.5M from VictimsRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Matthew J. Turnipseede, 51, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been sentenced to more than five years in prison (65 months) by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher A. Boyko after admitting to orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded business investors out of over $8.5 million. He was also ordered to pay $4,731,165.10 in restitution. Turnipseede pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud in November 2024.
According to the indictment, from March 2015 to May 2021, Turnipseede induced approximately 72 individuals in Ohio and elsewhere to invest over $8.5 million in his betting companies, Edgewize and Moneyline Analytics. He promised that their funds would be used to make sophisticated sports wagers which used an algorithm that generated double-digit returns. Turnipseede also told investors that he would not take compensation for placing wagers, but instead would retain a percentage of winning profits.
In truth, none of Turnipseede’s companies ever generated the promised profits. Instead, the defendant used the investors’ money to maintain the businesses, seek additional sources of funds, and pay off earlier investors.
To perpetuate the scheme, the defendant emailed the victim-investors periodic updates describing how successful Edgewize and Moneyline Analytics were. He also emailed the victim-investors falsified financial statements purporting to show substantial gains on their investments. When a victim wanted to withdraw some, or all, of their funds, Turnipseede would use money invested by other victims to cover the withdrawal request. The scheme collapsed in May 2021 when Turnipseede declared bankruptcy, still owing his investors over $4.7 million in principal alone.
The defendant also admitted to using investor funds for his personal expenses such as family trips, spa treatments, lease payments on multiple vehicles, and country club membership dues.
This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica D. Barnhill and Brian M. McDonough for the Northern District of Ohio.
Jury Convicts Canadian Citizen of Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Osei, a/k/a/ “Kyngjo,” age 30, a Canadian citizen formerly of Albany, was convicted today following a five-day jury trial of four counts of mail fraud, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits using stolen identities. Jurors deliberated for less than 2 hours before returning a guilty verdict on all counts.
United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), made the announcement.
The trial evidence showed that from August 2020 through November 2020, Osei fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor worth more than $100,000. Additional evidence also included Osei’s schemes to defraud the state workforce agencies of California, Rhode Island, and Arizona using stolen identities to apply for and obtain pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.
U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Joseph Osei stole real people’s identities to illegally exploit lifeline programs set up to help Americans during the pandemic. Osei worked hard to commit unemployment fraud, and federal and state investigators worked even harder to uncover his scheme, culminating in today’s quick guilty verdict. Today’s result marks more than 45 convictions of pandemic fraudsters that my office has obtained with its law enforcement partners.”
USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated: “The pandemic relief programs were created as lifelines during an unprecedented period in our history. The actions of the defendant not only diverted funds from those in need but also victimized unsuspecting people by stealing their personal identifying information. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will relentlessly pursue those who misuse the mail for fraud and bring them to justice.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said: “HSI Albany is proud to have played a role in ensuring Joseph Osei faces the consequences of his egregious crimes. Together with our local, state and federal partners, New Yorkers’ well-being will always be our foremost priority.”
Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2025. The mail fraud convictions carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The access device fraud conviction carries a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 15 years. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of 2 years in prison, to be imposed consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by USPIS, HSI, and USDOL-OIG, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office and the New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.
Illegal alien arrested for impersonating U.S. citizen for over 9 yearsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 39-year-old Columbian national illegally residing in Houston has been charged for theft of government funds, false representation of a U.S. citizen and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Javier Alfonso Nunez Suarez is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho at 2 p.m.
The now unsealed indictment, returned May 15, alleges Suarez fraudulently applied for and obtained Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits in February 2016 by impersonating a U.S. citizen. Suarez then allegedly qualified for Medicaid benefits.
According to the charges. Suarez continued receiving both SSA disability and Medicaid benefits until his arrest, resulting in a total theft of government funds exceeding $588,000.
If convicted, Suarez faces up to 10 years imprisonment as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each of the charges. He also faces an additional two years in prison for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.
SSA-Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen M. Lansden is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ivone Monforte Leal, aka Yvonne Monforte, aka Ivonne Monforte Stefany, age 34, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office.
The Indictment alleged that on March 26, 2025, Leal, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed twice without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Leal will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.
Hiawatha Man Who Assaulted Officers with a Car and a Loaded Firearm Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who used his car to hit a Deputy United States Marshal’s car and then grabbed a loaded firearm was sentenced on May 22, 2025, to fourteen years in federal prison.
Nathan Isadore Jiles, age 25, from Hiawatha, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 15, 2024 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon and a December 5, 2024 guilty plea to assault of a federal officer involving physical contact with the victim.
Information from the sentencing showed that, on May 17, 2024, there was a warrant for Jiles’s arrest. Members of the United States Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force initiated a vehicle pin maneuver to arrest Jiles near the intersection of Interstate 380 and Blairs Ferry Road in Cedar Rapids. Law enforcement vehicles were positioned on all four sides of Jiles’s car. Law enforcement officers instructed Jiles to turn his car off and throw the keys out of the window. Instead, Jiles reversed his car into a car occupied by a Deputy United States Marshal, causing the car door and dash to hit the deputy. Jiles’s actions caused the deputy’s car to strike a Sixth Judicial District High Risk Unit Officer who was stationed behind the car in the chest. Another officer approached Jiles’s car and tased him. Jiles rolled up his window to disrupt the taser, and the officer broke the car window. The officer saw Jiles holding a firearm with an extended magazine. Jiles was either trying to work the slide of the firearm or pull the firearm from a holster. The officer alerted the other members of the task force that Jiles was in possession of a firearm. Jiles dropped the firearm but continued to resist arrest by pulling his hands back into the car where the loaded firearm was. Officers had to tase Jiles several more times and then wrestle him out of his car and away from the firearm. Jiles has prior convictions for sexual abuse in the third degree and felon in possession of a firearm.
Jiles was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Jiles was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Jiles is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force. The Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is comprised of officers from the United States Marshals Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Marion Police Department, Independence Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Corrections
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-0039.
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Hawaii Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
A Hawaii woman pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding her mortgage lender and conspiring to defraud the IRS by fraudulently obtaining a tax refund and then thwarting the IRS’ efforts to recoup it.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Hannah Heart, of Honolulu, conspired with others to file a false 2014 individual income tax return in her name. As part of the conspiracy, Heart’s co-conspirators created a fake tax form purportedly issued by a mortgage lender to Heart, which she attached to her return. The form falsely reported that Heart had received income from a financial institution of more than $2.4 million, from which over $1.2 million in taxes had been withheld. As a result, Heart filed a tax return that falsely claimed she was entitled to a $464,904 refund, which the IRS paid.
When the IRS began trying to collect the fraudulent refund from Heart, she took several steps to thwart the IRS. For example, Heart deposited the refund check into a trust bank account and immediately transferred most of the balance to a separate bank account, both of which she controlled. She also sent numerous false, fraudulent, and frivolous letters to the IRS in response to IRS communications.
In addition, Heart helped another co-conspirator defraud the IRS using the same scheme. Heart and her co-conspirator deposited a second fraudulently obtained $1 million refund check from the IRS, payable to the co-conspirator.
In total, Heart caused a tax loss to the IRS of $1,618,985.54.
Heart also defrauded her mortgage lender, conspiring with others to do so. Heart took out a mortgage for her home in 2006 and stopped making payments in 2010 toward her mortgage. The mortgage lender initiated foreclosure proceedings in 2022 against Heart. In response, a co-conspirator sent the lender a fictitious document purporting to be a check for the full amount due for Heart’s mortgage. The lender initially accepted the check but later rejected it as fraudulent. Afterwards, Heart sent mail to the lender demanding that it accept the fraudulent check as full payment of her remaining balance.
In total, Heart intended to defraud the mortgage lender of $2,066,522.22.
Heart will be sentenced at a later date. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the charge of mail fraud and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the charge of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and FBI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sarah Kiewlicz and Megan Jones of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Paris Yates for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.
Hartford Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax ChargeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that CLYDE GIBSON, JR., 43, of Hartford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to a tax fraud offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2015 and continuing into 2024, Gibson operated as a tax return preparer under the name Build Understand Destroys LLC, and charged clients a fee for the preparation of tax returns. Gibson prepared thousands of federal tax returns, many of which claimed false deductions. For example, in some returns Gibson prepared and filed for his clients, he included false Schedules C, which reported that his clients had operated sole proprietorship businesses and had incurred certain expenses and losses when, in fact, they had not operated such businesses and had not incurred the claimed expenses. In some returns, Gibson included false Schedules D, which reported that his clients had incurred capital losses, including carryover losses, or bad debts when, in fact, they had not incurred such capital losses and bad debts in the claimed amounts.
During the investigation, Gibson met with an undercover federal agent posing as a customer. The agent provided Gibson with a W-2 form for the 2021 tax year and offered no information about valid deductions for business losses, capital losses, and bad debt. Gibson initially prepared an appropriate return, on which the undercover agent would have owed taxes. Gibson then voluntarily opted to edit the return to reflect false and fraudulent information on the Schedules C and D.
During the 2016 through 2022 tax years, Gibson prepared at least 135 tax returns containing fraudulent information, causing a loss to the IRS of at least $125,197.
Gibson pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. He is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.
Gibson has agreed to pay restitution of $125,197.
This investigation has been conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena L. Coronado.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara has sentenced Jose Antonio Cax-Mach (47, Guatemala) to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a convicted felon. Cax-Mach pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025.
According to court records, Cax-Mach is a native and citizen of Guatemala. He was initially removed from the United States on February 19, 2020. Prior to his removal, Cax-Mach had three separate convictions for aggravated driving under the influence on July 15, 2019, March 5, 2019, and November 15, 2010.
This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in New Bedford pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose De Leon Ventura, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien before U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2025. De Leon Ventura was arrested on April 23, 2025 and has remained in custody since.
De Leon Ventura was previously removed from the United States in December 2019, after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, Ariz. Sometime after his removal, De Leon Ventura unlawfully reentered the United States. Federal authorities became aware of De Leon Ventura’s presence in the United States following his arrest in August 2023 by state authorities for operating under the influence of liquor and operating after a suspended license.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentenced imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Lyons is prosecuting the case.
Guatemalan Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 14 YearsRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Arnoldo Oswaldo Vargas-Samayoa, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced in federal court today to 14 years in prison for managing a cocaine trafficking organization that smuggled more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala.
Following his surrender to U.S. authorities in June 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, Vargas-Samayoa pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import cocaine that were filed in January 2020.
In imposing sentence, U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo noted that Vargas-Samayoa was a “manager of a very extensive international drug ring” and money laundering effort who did not make a “mistake” but rather “chose a lifestyle.”
Vargas admitted he sourced the cocaine from two different Guatemalan suppliers and coordinated delivery to a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Vargas and the Mexico-based trafficker arranged for the drugs to be hidden in vehicles and smuggled into the United States through ports of entry in Southern California and Southern Texas.
Vargas, whose communications were being intercepted by law enforcement, messaged with the trafficker while cocaine loads were being moved into the United States to confirm the drugs were successfully smuggled. Once in the United States, some of that cocaine was moved to the Chicago area for further distribution. Vargas received a commission of $1,000 U.S. dollars for each kilogram of cocaine he delivered to the Mexico-based trafficker.
“Cocaine continues to be a dangerous and highly addictive drug with devastating consequences for individuals and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “We remain committed to dismantling the entire supply chain—from powerful cartel leaders to street-level dealers—and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
“This sentencing sends the message that those who traffic dangerous drugs into our country will be held accountable,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work and strong domestic and international law enforcement partnerships, we were able to disrupt a key supply line of a major drug trafficking network. We remain committed to targeting high-level drug trafficking organizations and keeping deadly narcotics, like cocaine, out of our communities.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office has previously convicted, and the court has sentenced, multiple couriers attempting to smuggle narcotics for the same drug trafficking organization as well as individuals engaged in related money laundering efforts (see list below). Through the related investigation of this matter, law enforcement has seized more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, more than $2 million in bulk currency, and firearms.
Vargas’ father, Arnoldo Vargas Estrada, is the former mayor of Zacapa, Guatemala who was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of New York in Case No. 90cr00855-SJF of five counts related to the importation of narcotics. He was sentenced to 365-months in custody. Vargas Estrada was one of the first Guatemalan drug traffickers to be extradited to the United States in the early 1990’s. He was released in 2017, returned to Guatemala, and then reelected as mayor of Zacapa holding that position until 2024.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Casper.
DEFENDANT Case Number 20CR00240-CAB
Arnoldo Oswaldo Vargas-Samayoa, aka “Lalo”, aka “Pedrito” Age: 50 Zacapa, Guatemala
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 960 and 963
Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison
RELATED SENTENCES
Case No. 17cr648-GPC
Defendant/Conviction Charge/Custodial Sentence
Walter Rovidio Ipina
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)
50 months
Zachary Vasquez
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)
66 months
Juan Angel Mexicano
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)
135 months
Luis Fernandez Oliva-Campos (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1956(h))
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments
31 months
David Castaneda-Solis
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1956(h)) 70 months
Jacob Castillo-Lopez
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846) 33 months
Case No. 18cr4414-GPC
Melchor Cardenas
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine
60 months
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Customs and Border Protection
Grand Jury for the District of NebraskaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 16 unsealed Indictments charging 22 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Kenneth M. Johnston, Jr., age 46, of Big Springs, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Johnston with distribution of 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about July 10, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Johnston with distribution of 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about July 14, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Johnston with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about January 22, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Alejandro Robles Rodriguez, age 35, and Jose Garcia Jimenez, age 34, both of Grand Island, Nebraska, are charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine beginning on or about June 1, 2024, and continuing to on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 4 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 4 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Robert Crable, Jr., age 59, of Bayard, Nebraska, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Crable with conspiracy to produce child pornography beginning on or about November 27, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 20, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Crable with attempted production of child pornography beginning on or about November 27, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 20, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Crable with receipt of child pornography beginning at least on or about February 9, 2022, and continuing to on or about March 13, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Crable with possession of child pornography on or about March 13, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment
Bryon Greco, age 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Greco with attempted production of child pornography beginning at least June 25, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 30, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 25 years’ and up to 50 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Greco with being a registered sex offender while committing a predicate sex offense beginning at least June 24, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 30, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years an up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Kody Dickes, age 34, of Ashland, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Dickes with distribution of child pornography beginning at least July 6, 2024, and continuing to on or about July 13, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Dickes with possession of child pornography on or about July 15, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years an up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Dylan Michael Joseph Hoffman, age 33, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with escape from custody on or about May 4, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Yoinber Alfonso Morey Morey, age 27, is charged in a seven-count Indictment. Count I charges Morey Morey with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary from on or about April 4, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 5, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Morey Morey with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Morey Morey with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about April 4, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 5, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VII charges Morey Morey with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Jose David Alvarez-Jimenez, age 28, Yohalex Garcia-Valladares, age 30, Alexander Jose Mayora-Blanco, age 24, and Johan Rodriguez-Hernandez, age 32, are charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about January 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 11, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted bank burglary from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted bank burglary from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about January 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Ivan Jose Angulo Flores, age 23, and Jose Antonio Aliendres Garcia, age 38, are charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted bank burglary on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted bank burglary on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with conspiracy to access a protected computer on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera, age 26, and Alfredo Pinto-Mendoza, age 23, are charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with attempted bank burglary on or about April 27, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about March 1, 2025, continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 27, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Fredy Roberto Ventura Maldonado, age 30
Jesus Felipe Abarca Delgado, age 27
Carlos Ernesto Avendano Arias, age 29
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Efren Tiburcio-Garcia, age 47
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Leopoldo Gonzalez-Castaneda, age 57
Abel Isai Aleman Avalos, age 39
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Contact Amy Donato at 402-661-3700 for further information.
Georgian National Extradited from Moldova to Face Charges for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass Casualty Attack in New York CityRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as “Mishka,” “Michael,” “Commander Butcher,” and “Butcher,” was extradited to the United States from Moldova on May 22, 2025 and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn this morning before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo. Chkhikvishvili was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova in July 2024 in connection with a four-count indictment returned in the Eastern District of New York charging him with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City. Chkhikvishvili is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, also known as “Maniacs Murder Cult,” “Maniacs: Cult of Killing,” “MKY,” “MMC,” and “MKU,” an international racially motivated violent extremist group. As alleged in the indictment, Chkhikvishvili recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of MKY’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City.
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi; Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the extradition.
“This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology,” stated Attorney General Bondi. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate hate-fueled violence, and we will pursue those who threaten innocent lives wherever they may be.”
“As alleged, the defendant, a white supremacist, recruited others to participate in a violent campaign of hatred against racial minorities and the Jewish community and to engage in the mass killing of children and others in these communities using poison, suicide bombs, firearms, arson fires, and vehicle explosions. Today’s extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Protecting our homeland, city, district, and country from violent extremists will always be one of the top priorities of the Justice Department and my Office.”
Mr. Nocella praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Nocella also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the government of Moldova for their crucial assistance in securing Chkhikvishvili’s arrest and extradition.
“Michail Chkhikvishvili allegedly attempted to recruit people to commit mass casualty attacks here in New York City —specifically targeting the Jewish community—in the name of his heinous and depraved ideology,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “This extradition is a clear sign the FBI, our Joint Terrorism Task Force, and law enforcement partners are committed to protecting our nation and city and will bring any individual desiring to enact racially motivated violence to justice—no matter where in the world they are located.”
“This defendant allegedly planned to poison Jewish children and carry out mass murder in New York City,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “He incited bombings, arsons, and violence against racial and religious minorities – driven by a hateful Neo-Nazi ideology. These weren’t idle threats. They were detailed plans. This extradition demonstrates the reach and the determination of American law enforcement agencies to track down the most dangerous and depraved of criminals. Thanks to the exceptional work of the NYPD, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we have sent a clear message: hate has no place in our city and justice will be served.”
Chkhikvishvili’s MKY adheres to a Neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups it deems “undesirables.” MKY members share a common goal of challenging social order and governments via terrorism and violent acts that promote fear and chaos. MKY has members in the United States and abroad.
Since approximately September 2021, Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to MKY members and others. The Hater’s Handbook encourages people to commit acts of mass violence. In the Hater’s Handbook, Chkhikvishvili states that he has “murdered for the white race” and encourages others to commit acts of mass violence and “ethnic cleansing.” For example, the Hater’s Handbook encourages its readers to commit school shootings and to use children to perpetrate suicide bombings and other mass killings targeting racial minorities. It also describes methods and strategies for committing mass “terror attacks,” including, for example, using vehicles to target “large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations, “parades,” and “pedestrian congested streets.” The Hater’s Handbook specifically encourages committing attacks within the United States.
In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn. As alleged, as early as July 2022, Chkhikvishvili repeatedly encouraged others, primarily via encrypted mobile messaging platforms, to commit violent hate crimes and other acts of violence on behalf of MKY. This included conspiring to solicit violent acts with the leader of a separate violent extremist Neo-Nazi group. It also included soliciting acts of mass violence in New York from an individual who claimed to be a prospective MKY recruit, but who, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, was actually an undercover FBI employee (the UC).
In a September 2023 conversation, the UC messaged Chkhikvishvili asking whether there was an application process to join MKY. The defendant responded, “we ask people for brutal beating, arson/explosion, or murder vids on camera.” Chkhikvishvili further stated that “[p]oisoning and arson are best options for murder,” and suggested also considering a larger “mass murder […]” within the United States. Chkhikvishvili advised the UC that the victims of these acts should be “low race targets.”
Beginning in approximately November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited the UC to commit violent crimes, such as bombings and arsons, for the purpose of harming racial minorities, Jewish individuals, and others. Chkhikvishvili provided detailed plans and materials such as bomb-making instructions and guidance on making Molotov cocktails to facilitate carrying out these crimes. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a mass casualty attack in New York City to take place on New Year’s Eve. The scheme involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the UC to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison. Chkhikvishvili drafted step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme and shared detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases with the UC. He also instructed the UC on methods of making ricin-based poisons in powder and liquid form, including by extracting ricin from castor beans. Chkhikvishvili distributed materials linked to radical Islamist jihadist groups and designated foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
Chkhikvishvili wanted the planned attack to be a “bigger action than Breivik,” referring to Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian Neo‑Nazi who killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting in Norway in 2011. Meanwhile, Chkhikvishvili told others of his plan and claimed to have previously committed other hate crimes while living in Brooklyn in 2022. Chkhikvishvili boasted to others that he was “glad I have murdered,” and that he would “murder more” but “make others murder first.”Chkhikvishvili’s solicitations of violence have resulted in multiple attacks and killings around the world. In August 2024, an individual livestreamed himself stabbing approximately five people outside of a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey, wearing a tactical vest adorned in Nazi symbols. A manifesto attributed to the attacker included explicit references to Chkhikvishvili and to violent statements made by him. Before the attack, the attacker also distributed a link to the Hater’s Handbook, authored by Chkhikvishvili, and other violent propaganda.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for solicitation of violent felonies (including hate crime acts and transporting an explosive with intent to kill or injure), five years’ imprisonment for conspiring to solicit violent felonies, 20 years’ imprisonment for distributing information pertaining to the making and use of explosive devices and ricin poison, and five years’ imprisonment for transmitting threatening communications.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialists Wayne Colon and Rebecca Roth. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also provided assistance.
The Defendant:
MICHAIL CHKHIKVISHVILI (also known as “Mishka,” “Michael,” “Commander Butcher,” and “Butcher”)
Age: 21
Tbilisi, GeorgiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-286 (CBA)
chkhikvishvili_indictment.pdfGeorgian National Extradited from Moldova to Face Charges for Soliciting Hate Crimes and Planning Mass Casualty Attack in New York CityRead the Press Release
Defendant Allegedly Planned Scheme to Distribute Poisoned Candy on New Year’s Eve
Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, of Tbilisi, was extradited to the United States from Moldova on May 22, and will be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn today. Chkhikvishvili was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova, in July 2024 in connection with a four-count indictment returned in the Eastern District of New York charging him with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence in New York City.
According to court documents, Chkhikvishvili is a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, also known as Maniacs Murder Cult, Maniacs: Cult of Killing, MKY, MMC and MKU, an international racially-motivated violent extremist group. As alleged in the indictment, Chkhikvishvili recruited people to commit violent acts in furtherance of MKY’s ideologies, including planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack in New York City.
“This case is a stark reminder of the kind of terrorism we face today: online networks plotting unspeakable acts of violence against children, families, and the Jewish community in pursuit of a depraved, extremist ideology,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate hate-fueled violence, and we will pursue those who threaten innocent lives wherever they may be.”
“The defendant is accused of recruiting others to kill Jewish people, kill racial minorities, and of providing instructions on how to commit other lethal attacks — even targeting children around the holidays by poisoning candy,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These allegations are despicable, and thanks to the work and partnership of the FBI and the authorities in Moldova, Michail Chkhikvishvili has been brought to the United States to face charges in our justice system.”
“As alleged, the defendant, a white supremacist, recruited others to participate in a violent campaign of hatred against racial minorities and the Jewish community and to engage in the mass killing of children and others in these communities using poison, suicide bombs, firearms, arson fires, and vehicle explosions. Today’s extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Protecting our homeland, city, district, and country from violent extremists will always be one of the top priorities of the Justice Department and my office.”
Chkhikvishvili’s MKY adheres to a neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems “undesirables.” MKY members share a common goal of challenging social order and governments via terrorism and violent acts that promote fear and chaos. MKY has members in the United States and abroad.
Since approximately September 2021, Chkhikvishvili has distributed a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook” to MKY members and others. The Hater’s Handbook encourages people to commit acts of mass violence. In the Hater’s Handbook, Chkhikvishvili states that he has “murdered for the white race” and encourages and instructs others to commit acts of mass violence and “ethnic cleansing.” For example, the Hater’s Handbook encourages its readers to commit school shootings and to use children to perpetrate suicide bombings and other mass killings targeting racial minorities. The Hater’s Handbook describes methods and strategies for committing mass “terror attacks,” including, for example, using vehicles to target “large outdoor festivals, conventions, celebrations and parades” and “pedestrian congested streets.” The Hater’s Handbook specifically encourages committing attacks within the United States.
In June 2022, Chkhikvishvili traveled to Brooklyn. As alleged, beginning at least as early as July 2022, Chkhikvishvili repeatedly encouraged others, primarily via the encryption-enabled mobile messaging platform Telegram, to commit violent hate crimes and other acts of violence on behalf of MKY. This included conspiring to solicit violent acts with the leader of a separate violent extremist neo-Nazi group, and soliciting acts of mass violence in New York from an individual who claimed to be a prospective MKY recruit, but who, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, was actually an undercover FBI employee (the UC).
In a September 2023 conversation, the UC messaged Chkhikvishvili asking whether there was an application process to join MKY. The defendant responded, “we ask people for brutal beating, arson/explosion or murder vids on camera.” Chkhikvishvili further stated that “[p]oisoning and arson are best options for murder,” and suggested also considering a larger “mass murder[]” within the United States. Chkhikvishvili advised the UC that the victims of these acts should be “low race targets.”
Beginning in approximately November 2023, Chkhikvishvili solicited the UC to commit violent crimes, such as bombings and arsons, for the purpose of harming racial minorities, Jewish individuals and others. Chkhikvishvili provided detailed plans and materials such as bomb-making instructions and guidance on making Molotov cocktails to facilitate carrying out these crimes. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili began planning a mass casualty attack in New York City to take place on New Year’s Eve. The scheme involved an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities.
In January, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the UC to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn with poison. Chkhikvishvili drafted step-by-step instructions to carry out the scheme and shared detailed manuals about creating and mixing lethal poisons and gases with the UC. He also instructed the UC on methods of making ricin-based poisons in powder and liquid form, including by extracting ricin from castor beans. Chkhikvishvili sent materials linked to radical Islamist jihadist groups and designated foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
Chkhikvishvili wanted the planned attack to be a “bigger action than Breivik,” referring to Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian neo‑Nazi who killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting in Norway in 2011. Meanwhile, Chkhikvishvili told others of his plan and claimed to have previously committed other hate crimes while living in Brooklyn in 2022. Chkhikvishvili boasted to others that he was “glad I have murdered,” and that he would “murder more” but “make others murder first.”Chkhikvishvili’s solicitations of violence have resulted in multiple attacks and killings around the world. In August 2024, an individual livestreamed himself stabbing approximately five people outside of a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey, wearing a tactical vest adorned in Nazi symbols. A manifesto attributed to the attacker included explicit references to Chkhikvishvili and to violent statements made by him. Before the attack, the attacker also distributed a link to the Hater’s Handbook, authored by Chkhikvishvili, and other violent propaganda.
If convicted, Chkhikvishvili faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for solicitation of violent felonies (including hate crime acts and transporting an explosive with intent to kill or injure); five years in prison for conspiring to solicit violent felonies; 20 years in prison for distributing information pertaining to the making and use of explosive devices and ricin poison; and five years in prison for transmitting threatening communications.
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Chkhikvishvili from Moldova.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen H. Sise and Andrew D. Reich for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Paralegal Specialists Wayne Colon and Rebecca Roth. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has also provided assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Four Individuals Charged in $63 Million Mail Theft Conspiracy, Including Two Postal EmployeesRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Four individuals were charged in an Information for their involvement in a $63 million scheme that involved stealing checks from the mail and selling them online, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced today.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by U.S. Postal Service Inspector General Tammy Hull; Acting Inspector in Charge Sean McStravick, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division; Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Detroit Field Office, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and Megan Howell, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills, Dequan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe, Vanessa Hargrove, 39, of Detroit, and Crystal Jenkins, 31, of Detroit, were charged with conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud. Hargrove and Jenkins were United States Postal Service employees who diverted and ultimately stole checks and other negotiable instruments from the mail, including a high volume of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury. Williams and Foreman were the administrators of the online marketplaces used to sell the checks.
According to the Information, postal employees Hargrove and Jenkins would provide the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman in exchange for payments. Williams and Foreman would take those checks and market them for sale via Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based, cross-platform instant messaging application. Prices varied based on the face-value of the checks. One of the Telegram channels, named “Whole Foods Slipsss,” was used to advertise high-dollar checks, while another channel, named “Uber Eats Slips,” was used to advertise lower-dollar checks. “Slips” is a term commonly used in these schemes to refer to stolen checks. Transactions were completed off-platform using a variety of electronic payment systems. Purchasers of these checks would then attempt to fraudulently cash them using a variety of methods.
If convicted of conspiracy, the defendants face up to 30 years in prison. Williams also faces charges for money laundering for activities dating back to October 2022, and for millions of dollars of fraudulent pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims submitted between August and December 2020.
U.S. Attorney Gorgon stated, “When public employees break the public trust, they enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and undermine the institution itself. We will find and prosecute those who exploit their position for personal gain. We are committed to disrupting these shadowy schemes.”
“This investigation represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG special agents, working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other federal agencies, to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Tammy Hull, Inspector General U.S. Postal Service. “The OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
“The charges against these four individuals underscore the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to securing the nation’s mail system from those who seek to exploit it for personal and financial gain,” said Sean McStravick, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division. “Postal Inspectors utilize every tool at their disposal, including crucial partnerships, to uncover, investigate, and prosecute these schemes to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our investigative partners for working tirelessly with us to bring charges in such an impactful mail theft investigation and maintain the integrity and respectability of the U.S. Postal Service.”
The stealing of checks is not a victimless crime. The stolen checks belonged to citizens, to help them make payments for vital services or help through a tough time,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Detroit Field Office, IRS-CI. “The violations alleged in these charges carry extra weight as some of these individuals were trusted as public servants. We are committed, along with our law enforcement partners, to using our unique expertise to track intricate financial systems, find criminals, and hold them accountable for the crimes committed.”
“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) aggressively investigates individuals who attempt to exploit U.S Treasury refund checks meant for hard working 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.”
“An important part of the mission of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is to assist our law enforcement partners when investigative matters affect the integrity of Department of Labor programs or operations. We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of matters, particularly when they adversely affect American workers,” said Megan Howell, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The public is reminded that an Information is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This multi-agency investigation was lead by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG), with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Darrin Crawford.
Founder of Haitian Orphanage Sentenced to 210 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Boys in his CareRead the Press Release
A Colorado man was sentenced today to 210 years in prison for sexually abusing numerous children at the orphanage he founded and directed in Haiti.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Michael Karl Geilenfeld, 73, most recently of Littleton, founded St. Joseph’s Home for Boys — a home for orphaned, impoverished, and otherwise vulnerable children in Haiti — in 1985 and operated it for more than two decades. During this time, Geilenfeld repeatedly traveled from the United States to Haiti, where he sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care. He also physically and emotionally abused the children in the home, including through physical assault and other forms of punishment.
In February 2025, a federal jury convicted Geilenfeld of one count of traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct and six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place between 2005 and 2010. Each of the six counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct relates to a separate victim who was a child at the time of the offense.
At trial, these six victims testified about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Geilenfeld and the devastating impact it had on them, as did other victims — now adults — who were not the subject of the charged offenses. Victims and witnesses also described the physical abuse Geilenfeld inflicted on his victims and the manipulation that he employed to keep his operation running and financially supported by others.
“The defendant’s sustained sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of some of the most vulnerable children in the world is intolerable,” said Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution demonstrates the Department’s commitment to securing justice for children harmed by criminals who travel abroad from the United States to commit their crimes. We thank our partners for working with us to ensure that the defendant can never harm another child.”
“This sentencing marks the end of a case built on the courage of survivors and the dedication of investigators,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “For decades, Geilenfeld used his position of trust and access to exploit vulnerable children under the guise of humanitarian work. We are grateful to those victims who came forward to report their abuse. The FBI is committed to pursuing those who commit crimes against children no matter where they occur or how long ago they were committed.”
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jessica L. Urban and Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lacee Monk for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former police officer admits to sexual relations with minor femaleRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old resident of Corpus Christi has pleaded guilty to enticing a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
On Jan. 8, authorities discovered Daniel Verduzco was having a relationship with a 15-year-old minor female dating back to May 2024. The two had exchanged more than 3,700 messages which included sexually suggestive images and detailed different times they had engaged in sexual relations and intentions for future sexual acts.
The conversations further revealed Verduzco and the minor victim had met in person on multiple occasions.
U.S. District Judge David Morales will impose sentencing Aug. 21. At the time, Verduzco faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Former Tahlequah Teacher Sentenced for Attempting to Receive Explicit PhotosRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anthony James Deason, age 29, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for one count of Attempted Receipt of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
On December 11, 2024, Deason pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between October 26 and October 30, 2023, Deason, then a teacher and coach with Tahlequah Public Schools, used social media to contact two students he knew to be minors and requested they send him explicit images. Deason offered money and gift cards as an inducement. Deason also sent an unsolicited explicit image of himself to one of the victims. Both minors refused his requests.
The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“This case serves as a stark reminder for kids and parents that the internet is often used by persons with evil intentions to exploit and victimize,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Fortunately, the defendant’s sordid requests and offers of gifts were refused. I am grateful for the alert students and concerned families who reached out to law enforcement, and for the efforts of investigators and prosecutors who successfully stopped an online predator. Because of them, Deason will be held accountable for his vile crimes.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.
The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Deason will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara McAmis represented the United States.
Former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company SentencedRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm based in New York, N.Y., that agreed in 2024 to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, L.P., was sentenced yesterday to six months in federal prison for obstructing justice related to his work on Purdue matters. In addition, Elling was ordered to serve two years of supervised release following his incarceration, which includes a requirement that he perform 1,000 hours of community service. The court also imposed a $40,000 fine.
Martin Elling, 60, a U.S. citizen most recently residing in Bangkok, Thailand, pled guilty in January 2025 to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly destroying records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice.
“Martin Elling willfully destroyed records in order to obstruct a Department of Justice investigation related to the actions of McKinsey & Company, Purdue Pharma and the opioid crisis that has devastated communities in this region. He will now have six months to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “This sentence should be an example to all individuals considering similar actions - if you destroy records, if you impeded a Department of Justice investigation, you will go to jail.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a resounding message: those who attempt to obstruct justice and conceal the truth – no matter how senior, sophisticated, or well-connected – will be held accountable,” said Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “Mr. Elling’s efforts to erase evidence tied to McKinsey’s work with Purdue Pharma were not just a breach of corporate integrity – they were a calculated effort to hinder a federal investigation into one of the most devastating public health crises in our nation’s history. Justice requires the truth, and our office will continue to pursue it wherever the facts lead.”
“Knowingly destroying records and documents to impede a government investigation into the unlawful prescribing of opioids impairs the ability of law enforcement to do its job and endangers the public health,” said Special Agent in Charge George A. Scavdis of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who attempt to thwart these important investigations and whose actions put profits over patient safety.”
“The opioid epidemic has left a trail of heartbreak across Virginia and the nation,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “I commend both the US Department of Justice and my office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their exemplary efforts and partnership to ensure justice is served.”
According to court documents, in May 2013, Purdue engaged McKinsey to recover lost OxyContin sales. Purdue retained McKinsey to conduct a rapid assessment of the underlying drivers of OxyContin performance, identify key opportunities to increase near-term OxyContin revenue and develop plans to capture priority opportunities. This 2013 effort was called Evolve to Excellence, or “E2E,” and included McKinsey advising Purdue on how to “turbocharge” the sales pipeline for OxyContin by, among other strategies, intensifying marketing to High Value Prescribers.
Elling served as the director of the client services team for approximately 30 of McKinsey’s engagements with Purdue. He had a senior, relationship-focused role with respect to the E2E engagement and was involved in securing the engagement for McKinsey.
On July 4, 2018, Elling emailed another senior partner: “Just saw in the FT that [Purdue board member] is being sued by states attorneys general for her role on the [Purdue] Board. It probably makes sense to have a quick conversation with the risk committee to see if we should be doing anything other [than] eliminating all our documents and emails. Suspect not but as things get tougher there someone might turn to us.”
According to court documents, forensic analysis of Elling’s McKinsey-issued laptop found that Elling in fact deleted materials related to McKinsey’s work for Purdue from the laptop, as well as a Purdue-related folder from his Outlook email account. On August 22, 2018, Elling emailed himself an apparent to-do list, with the subject line, “When home.” The items listed included: “delete old pur [Purdue Pharma] documents from laptop[.]” Forensic analysis of Elling’s laptop by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section determined that between approximately April 2018 and September 2018, Elling removed a folder titled “Purdue” (which included a subfolder entitled “Strategy”) from his Windows operating system that contained more than 100 items for whom the filenames indicate they were from as far back as 2004 and included the name of the Purdue Pharma CEO at the time of the origination of the Purdue Pharma engagements with McKinsey. The CEO was among the former Purdue Pharma executives who, in 2007, pled guilty and was convicted of misbranding in United States District Court in Abingdon.
On August 25, 2018, Elling emailed himself the following, “Remove Pur[due] folder from garbage[.]” Elling was aware of the investigations into Purdue Pharma’s conduct and knowingly deleted folders, documents, and emails from his McKinsey-issued laptop knowing these documents would be pertinent to those investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia; Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda P. Masselam Strachan and William B. Brady of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts; Senior Trial Counsel Kristen M. Echemendia of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section); Trial Attorneys Jessica Harvey and Steven R. Scott of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch; and Special Assistant United States Attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General Kristin Gray and Kimberly Bolton of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The matter was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Personnel Management, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.
Former President of Asphalt Paving Company Sentenced to Prison for Bid RiggingRead the Press Release
Note, the press release headline has been updated and a quote has been included from the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General.
A former senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison and a $500,000 fine for his role in a multiyear conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan.
Daniel L. Israel, former president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiring with Al’s Asphalt Paving Company Inc. (Al’s Asphalt), and employees from those companies, to rig bids in each other’s favor. Israel is one of seven individuals that have been charged as part of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry. Three companies also have been charged as part of the investigation, which to date has resulted in over $8.2 million in criminal fines.
“Economic crime — like bid rigging — is no less harmful than violent crime,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Both inflict deep, lasting harm on our communities and disenfranchise those who believe in the American dream. As the defendant admitted, he conspired to eliminate competition to further enrich himself and his accomplices. The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to ensure that individuals who cheat and deprive the public of the benefits of competition are incarcerated.”
“This sentencing marks an important milestone in holding accountable those responsible for this flagrant bid rigging scheme,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Licari of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Midwestern Region. “We remain committed to working closely with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to investigate and prosecute individuals who undermine fair competition and violate federal antitrust laws.”
“The Postal Service maintains thousands of competitively bid contracts with private vendors to support its massive operation,” said Tammy Hull, U.S. Postal Service Inspector General. “Criminal activities such as bid rigging are a serious offense that undermine the principles of fair competition and harm our communities. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. We will aggressively investigate and bring to justice any vendor that attempts to defraud the Postal Service.”
According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. Israel participated in the conspiracy from March 2013 through November 2018.
Israel’s former employer, ASI, and another former ASI executive also pleaded guilty in January 2024 for their participation in the conspiracy with Al’s Asphalt. Al’s Asphalt and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in January and October 2024 for their participation in the conspiracy. ASI was sentenced in August 2024 to pay a fine of $6,500,000.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office, DOT-OIG, and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Former Gun Store Employee Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Firearms to CanadaRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Larry Anthony Brame, II (44, Lakeland) has pleaded guilty to firearms trafficking. Brame faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, between June and August 2023, Brame obtained a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol and a DPMS Panther Arms AR-15 rifle which he later sold, knowing the purchaser had planned to smuggle the firearms into Canada. Brame purchased the Glock 23 from a firearms store in Clearwater and lied on the ATF Form 4473 in connection with that sale. Brame stated on the form that he was the actual transferee when he had obtained the firearm to transfer to another individual who planned to smuggle the firearm to Canada.
Further, Brame knew that the purchaser had planned to obliterate the firearms’ serial numbers and smuggle the firearms into Canada illegally. During the sale, Brame suggested ways to smuggle the firearms across the border to avoid law enforcement detection.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David W.A. Chee and Adam W. McCall.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Former Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery, Drug SchemeRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Angela Crosland, 51, of Elgin, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for bribery, money laundering, distribution of methamphetamine and suboxone, and filing false tax returns. A federal jury previously returned a guilty verdict following two days of trial.
Evidence presented to the jury showed that Crosland worked as a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution Williamsburg in Salters. While employed as a correctional officer, Crosland smuggled contraband into FCI Williamsburg in exchange for money. The contraband included suboxone, methamphetamine, K-2-soaked paper, marijuana, food, and other items. Evidence presented to the jury also included Crosland’s Cash App account records which reflected payments to her account totaling $56,791 from family and associates of inmates housed at FCI Williamsburg. In addition, Crosland failed to report this substantial income on her federal tax returns.
"The integrity of our federal correctional system hinges on the ethical conduct of those sworn to uphold it," said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. "When a correctional officer like Crosland chooses to betray that trust by smuggling contraband, it threatens the safety of both inmates and staff. We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our federal prisons safe.”
“Contraband items, like drugs, are often used as a form of currency inside federal prisons, which puts the safety and security of both staff and inmates at risk,” said Eric Fehlman, special agent in charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Southeast Region. “Today’s sentencing shows that correctional officers who smuggle contraband into federal prisons in exchange for bribes will face serious consequences for their corrupt actions.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to provide financial expertise while investigating individuals who engage in corruption, money laundering, and tax fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “Our special agents are dedicated to unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where individuals attempt to conceal the true source of funds.”
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III, sentenced Crosland to 136 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Crosland was also ordered to pay $18,649.00 to the Internal Revenue Service for filing false tax returns.
This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Marosek and Bill Watkins are prosecuting the case.
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Five Individuals Indicted in Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment yesterday for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.
According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.
“The defendants were charged yesterday for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”
“Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.
“This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”
In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.
Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.
Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.
Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.
Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Convicts Orlando Man in Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Nijah Jahni Mitchell (23, Orlando) guilty of Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Mitchell faces a minimum penalty of 28 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2025. Mitchell was indicted in April 2024, along with co-defendant Dany Telfort (20, Orlando). Telfort previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, between March 23 and April 1, 2023, Mitchell and Telfort committed a string of nine armed robberies of convenience stores throughout Central Florida. The robberies occurred over three sprees on three separate evenings: the first spree included four stores, the second spree included three stores, and the third spree included two stores. During each of the robberies, Mitchell or Telfort entered the store, pointed a firearm at the clerks, and demanded money from the cash registers.
After the second spree, a witness obtained a partial license plate for the vehicle used by Mitchell and Telfort. The following evening, during the third spree, law enforcement observed the vehicle after the ninth robbery and gave chase. Mitchell and Telfort bailed from the moving vehicle and fled on foot. Telfort got away but Mitchell was apprehended that night. At the time of his arrest, Mitchell was wearing the same clothing and mask that he had worn during the third robbery spree, as depicted below. Mitchell also had a loaded Glock pistol on him when he was arrested. Telfort left behind a loaded Taurus pistol in the vehicle, which was later found to contain DNA linked to both Telfort and Mitchell.
Surveillance video of Mitchell during the eighth robbery on April 1, 2023
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Orlando Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Clermont Police Department, the Ocoee Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oakland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman, Rachel S. Lyons, and Megan Testerman.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Federal Charge Filed Against Convicted Felon for Illegal Firearm Possession in ShiprockRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A previously convicted felon, already under investigation for multiple crimes, has been federally charged after being found with a stolen firearm in Shiprock.
According to court documents, on the morning of May 15, 2025, the Navajo Nation Police Department received reports of a male firing a gun near a Marathon gas station on U.S. Highway 64 in Shiprock. Responding officers located and detained Jay Kelly, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Officers discovered a stolen revolver and approximately 100 rounds of ammunition inside Kelly’s backpack.
Witnesses confirmed Kelly fired the handgun multiple times in the air, but did not report anyone being threatened or injured. A background check revealed Kelly to be a convicted felon, making it illegal under federal law for him to possess firearms or ammunition. Kelly was implicated in two other criminal investigations earlier this year, including arson and illegal firearm possession.
Kelly is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which will occur next week. If convicted of this charge, Kelly faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge 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 Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal Complaint (Kelly).pdfA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District of Arizona Charges 314 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 17, 2025, through May 23, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 176 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 21 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa: On May 17, 2025, a Bureau of Land Management Ranger initiated a vehicle stop on Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa. Ojeda-Figueroa initially failed to stop, but when the vehicle entered a neighborhood, Ojeda-Figueroa pulled over and all four occupants exited and tried to flee. Ojeda-Figueroa and the three passengers were apprehended and determined to be citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ojeda-Figueroa was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-5992]
United States v. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez: On May 19, 2025, Tomas Ortiz-Lopez, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez was previously removed from the United States in 2000 after being convicted of a felony drug conviction, in the United States District Court, District of New Mexico. [Case Number: MJ-25-0543]
United States v. Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz: On May 20, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to initiate a vehicle stop on Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz, who failed to yield. Agents deployed a Vehicle Immobilization Device, and four subjects absconded from the vehicle. After a search, agents located and apprehended Jimenez-Diaz and three passengers from the vehicle. Agents determined that all four individuals were citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Jimenez-Diaz was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6199]
United States v. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya: On May 20, 2025, Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Theft of Means of Transportation, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. [Case Number: MJ-25-05251]
United States v. Luis Fernando Ibarra, Jr.: On May 21, 2025, Border Patrol Agents received a report of two subjects hiding in the backyard of a residence near the border in Nogales, Arizona. Luis Fernando Ibarra Jr. drove to the residence, stopped, and two subjects ran toward his vehicle. Before they reached the vehicle, one subject was apprehended by the Nogales Police Department and the other successfully fled the area. Later in the day, Agents observed the same vehicle return to the area and a subject got into the vehicle. Agents tried to initiate a vehicle stop, but Ibarra Jr. ran a red light and fled at a high rate of speed, maneuvering recklessly and driving on the wrong side of the road. Ibarra Jr. then sped through several parking lots before driving into the Santa Cruz River where his vehicle became stuck in the sand. At that point, officers apprehended Ibarra Jr. and the passenger, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ibarra Jr. was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6247]
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-083_May 23 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Defendant Convicted in Armed Assault Gets 18 Year Prison TermRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Aaron Brown, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to 18 years in prison for assault with intent to kill (while armed) stemming from the killing of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes in March of 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Brown also pleaded guilty to the assault with intent to kill charge on December 20, 2024, before Judge Rainey Brandt. Brown’s charge stemmed from his participation in a shooting after Lukes’s homicide. Previously, a jury found three of Brown’s co-defendants, Stephon Nelson, Tyiion Freeman and Koran Jackson—guilty of first-degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy to commit various firearms offenses and other firearms-related charges. Freeman received 108 years; Jackson was sentenced to 164 years in prison while Nelson received 108 ½ years of incarceration.
Between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, the defendants, along with one other defendant (whose case was severed pre-trial and will be tried in August 2025), participated in a conspiracy to illegally possess, carry, and transfer firearms for the purpose of using those firearms in the commission of dangerous and violent crimes. Jackson, Freeman, Nelson along with Brown and the severed defendant, are members and associates of neighborhood crews. Between 2019-2020, the defendants’ neighborhood crews were feuding with other crews and the feud escalated when Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, was killed in September 2019.
On March 1, 2020, Brown along with his co-defendants (Jackson, Freeman and the severed co-defendant) participated in two shootings in two separate neighborhoods over the span of 10 minutes. At 2:08 p.m., the defendants, who were traveling in a stolen Kia Soul, followed 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, along with his three friends, into the Ninth Street area of the 600 block of S Street, N.W., where two defendants exited the Kia Soul and opened fire on them. Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death. Brown remained in the car while the shooting took place. The defendants then traveled to another neighborhood where members of the rival crew were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. No injuries were reported in that shooting spree. Brown was one of the shooters.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Jensen, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the MPD and ATF along with the Arlington County Police Department. They also thanked the Arlington County Sheriff Department; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Capitol Police; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences; DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Montgomery County Police Department; D.C. Department of Corrections; and the Internal Revenue Service—Atlanta Branch.
They also commended the efforts of those who provided assistance with the case including Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman, Supervisory Paralegal Tasha Harris, Paralegals April Urbanowski and Alyssa Schroeder, former Superior Court Operations Manager Linda McDonald, and Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb, and Nebiyu Feleke, who prosecuted the case.
Corporate Insider and Two Associates Plead Guilty to Million-Dollar Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JONATHAN WHITESIDES, DANIEL MCCORMICK, and BRENT CRANMER pled guilty to committing securities fraud in connection with a scheme to trade in securities of Kaman, Corporation (“Kaman”) using inside information. WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett. CRANMER pled guilty before Judge Garnett on May 12, 2025.
“The three defendants engaged in a classic insider trading scheme—buying call options on the stock of a company where insiders know the trading price is about to increase substantially, but the market does not know yet. Investors expect, and our law requires, that insiders will not misuse confidential information for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office is committed to prosecuting securities fraud and maintaining a level playing field for all investors. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to detect, investigate, and bring to justice those who act to undermine the integrity of our financial markets.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “The defendants admitted to using material nonpublic information for their benefit—more than one million dollars in illicit gains. Insider trading is insidious, damaging the integrity of our financial institutions. The FBI will hold accountable those who attempt to illegally profit from securities fraud schemes in the criminal justice system.”
According to the allegations contained in the Information and Superseding Information and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings:
WHITESIDES, MCCORMICK, and CRANMER engaged in a scheme to reap illegal profits by misappropriating and trading on material nonpublic information concerning the planned acquisition of Kaman, a publicly-traded company, in violation of duties of trust and confidence owed to the company and its shareholders.
Beginning December 18, 2023, CRANMER, who was an executive at a Kaman subsidiary, learned that Kaman was negotiating an all-cash acquisition at a premium price. CRANMER promptly shared this confidential information with his friend, WHITESIDES, intending for it to be used to purchase Kaman securities before the public announcement of the acquisition. Acting on this information, WHITESIDES acquired Kaman call options in both his own account and in an account in the name of a family member. WHITESIDES subsequently shared the confidential information with his friend, MCCORMICK, who then purchased Kaman stock and call options. Both WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK knew they were trading on confidential information obtained through a breach of a duty owed to Kaman.
Dissatisfied with his anticipated compensation from the acquisition, CRANMER expressed interest in purchasing Kaman securities through an intermediary before the public announcement of the acquisition, acknowledging he was restricted from trading directly. WHITESIDES attempted to arrange a nominee trader for CRANMER, asking MCCORMICK if he would be “comfortable trading on behalf of others” and “using others[’] money.” CRANMER provided WHITESIDES with $10,000 to fund purchases of Kaman options through MCCORMICK. However, no trades were executed on CRANMER’s behalf before the acquisition announcement.
When Kaman publicly announced on January 19, 2024, that it had agreed to be acquired by a private equity firm in a premium, all-cash transaction, Kaman’s share price rose considerably. WHITESIDES and MCCORMICK sold their Kaman securities that same day, collectively generating more than $1 million in illegal profits. Afterwards, WHITESIDES attempted to conceal evidence by deleting incriminating text messages.
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JONATHAN WHITESIDES, 46, of Mission Viejo, California, DANIEL MCCORMICK, 61, of Coto de Caza, California, and BRENT CRANMER, 52, of Mission Viejo, California, were each charged with securities fraud, in violation of 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) and 78ff, 17 C.F.R. §§ 240.10b-5, and 18 U.S.C. § 2, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. WHITESIDES is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on October 3, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. MCCORMICK is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on September 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. CRANMER is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on November 10, 2025.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The case is being overseen by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam S. Hobson and Justin V. Rodriguez are in charge of the prosecution.
court_ex._2_executed_whitesides_plea_agreement.pdf court_ex._2_executed_cranmer_plea_agreement.pdf court_ex._2_executed_mccormick_plea_agreement.pdfConvicted Sex Offender Indicted for Child Pornography DistributionRead the Press Release
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 13, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Randy Smith (age: 46) of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on two counts of distribution of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A).
The indictment alleges that on November 13, 2023, and again between approximately August 1, 2024, and August 5, 2024, Smith knowingly distributed child pornography using a means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, and which contained material that have been shipped and transported by a means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, including by computer. Court records indicate that at the time of his offenses, Smith was a previously convicted sex offender.
If convicted of either of the distribution charges, Smith faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment on each count. He also faces up to a $250,000 fine on each of the counts.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Kenosha Police Department, the Racine Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Milwaukee. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan J. Paulson.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov
414-297-1700
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Colombian National Pleads Guilty to $66 Million Ponzi Scheme, Funded Chateau Wedding and Lavish Vacations with InvestmentsRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Efrain Betancourt, Jr., 36, a dual citizen of Colombia and the United States, pleaded guilty on May 21 to operating a $66 million Ponzi scheme through his payday loan company, Sky Group USA, LLC (Sky Group).
According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Betancourt was the Chief Executive Officer and sole owner of Sky Group. Betancourt managed Sky Group and sold promissory notes to investors to raise funds. Betancourt and his co-conspirators claimed that Sky Group was in the business of funding small-dollar, short-term loans to consumer borrowers. To purportedly generate these short-term loans, Betancourt and his co-conspirators raised approximately $66 million from over 600 investors from January 2016 to March 2020.
Betancourt made materially false statements to investors regarding the use of their funds, including that investor funds would be used for the sole purpose of making consumer loans and associated business costs. In truth, Betancourt operated a Ponzi scheme, generating revenue primarily through new investor money and using the newly raised money to make scheduled payments to previous investors. Sky Group only made about $12.2 million off consumer loans, and Betancourt and his co-conspirators used millions of dollars to pay undisclosed sales agent commissions. Betancourt misappropriated over $6.5 million for his own personal use, including a luxurious wedding at a chateau in France and other lavish group vacations with friends and family.
Betancourt’s sentencing hearing is set for August 14 before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles. Betancourt faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami; and Russell C. Weigel, III, Commissioner, Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) made the announcement.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had a parallel proceeding against Betancourt, relating to the same investment fraud scheme alleged in the indictment. The SEC’s proceeding was resolved in July 2022.
FBI Miami, the FBI’s South Florida Fraud Task Force, and OFR investigated the case. SEC’s Miami Regional Office provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20399.
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Claremore Man Convicted of Sexually Abusing a Minor and Abusive Sexual Contact of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury yesterday convicted Ryan Duke Haight, 45, of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
At trial, the jury heard the testimony of the two minor victims, who were 14 and 15 years old at the time of the offenses, as well as other individuals. According to evidence presented at trial, Haight began making sexual comments to the 14-year-old victim in the summer of 2023. Haight also began touching the minor victim on the buttocks, claiming it was an accident, and played with the seam of her panties. He even told the victim that he preferred “butts” over “boobs,” which was why he liked the victim. In the spring of 2024, Haight’s physical contact escalated. On multiple occasions, while driving the victim home, Haight rested his hand on the victim's leg and touched her underneath her clothing. Then in July 2024, Haight told the victim he wanted to give her a massage as his “prize” for winning a bet. While massaging the victim, Haight sexually abused her.
Also in July 2024, Haight sought out the second victim at a Fourth of July party at his home. The second victim was 15 years old. During the party, Haight reached under the victim's clothing to touch her bra strap and purposefully touched the minor’s buttocks. He later called her a "vagina" for being scared of a spider. When Haight testified, he admitted that he called the second victim a “gina,” and claimed that the term was a “buzz word the teens were saying,” that meant vagina, and he was trying to fit in with the teenagers. Haight also told the second victim that she “owed him” because he removed the spider for her.
While awaiting trial, Haight was allowed to remain on bond. After the guilty verdict was returned, Haight was taken into custody, where he will await sentencing, which will be scheduled for a later date.
The FBI and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Scaife and Kate Brandon prosecuted 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 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.
Update: In a post-trial order on June 2, 2025, the court acquitted Haight of one count of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country.
Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a FelonRead the Press Release
Robert Shawn Griffin, age 26, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on May 22, 2025, in federal court in Cedar Rapids after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.
In a plea agreement, Griffin admitted that he was previously convicted of multiple felony offenses. Information at the sentencing hearing showed that Griffin committed several firearm-related offenses in 2024. In February 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Griffin fired a firearm at a residential house. In March 2024, at a storage facility in Cedar Rapids, Griffin pointed a firearm at another individual and pulled the trigger though the firearm did not discharge. In April 2024, in rural Center Point, Iowa, Griffin possessed a firearm while trying to steal an ATV.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Griffin was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Griffin was sentenced to 64 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Griffin is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-56.
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Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl; Multiple Machineguns and Kilograms of Fentanyl Recovered During SearchesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty yesterday to selling fentanyl to a cooperating witness during multiple controlled purchases. At the time of the controlled purchases, the defendant was on probation for a 2019 fentanyl conviction and on pretrial release for a separate March 2024 drug arrest.
Joshua Tavares, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9, 2025. In December 2024, Tavares was indicted by a federal grand jury.
During today’s hearing, Tavares admitted to conducting six sales of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness from September to November of 2024. Over the course of the six transactions, Tavares sold approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness. All of the transactions were captured on video recording.
After the controlled purchases, an arrest warrant and search warrants were executed on Dec. 3, 2024 at multiple residences and stash houses in Brockton. During the searches, approximately four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, packaging materials for distribution of controlled substances and over $89,000 in cash were recovered. A .40 caliber Glock firearm and a 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device were also located in the residence where Tavares was located.
A 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device and a tactical laser sight was recovered from a stash location along with numerous rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded magazines, including a 50 round “drum” style magazine. Machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” are designed to convert firearms into fully automatic weapons.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. 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 Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Boston Woman Charged with Sex Trafficking a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A 29-year-old Boston woman has been charged with allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old minor who had previously been reported missing.
Shakera Pina, a/k/a “Stacks,” 29, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She is currently in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to court filings, on April 7, 2025, law enforcement encountered online postings advertising commercial sex with a 15-year-old minor female who had previously been reported as missing. On April 9, 2025, as part of a sting operation, law enforcement responded to the online advertisement in an undercover capacity posing as a purported sex buyer in an attempt to recover the minor. In subsequent correspondence, the responding individual who posted the advertisements agreed to meet the purported sex buyer at a hotel later that night for a commercial sex date with the minor victim.
There, law enforcement recovered a different 15-year-old victim. It is alleged that text messages on that minor victim’s phone showed Pina instructing the minor victim on how to interact with sex buyers and what to do with the proceeds from the commercial sex. Pina was allegedly located in the parking lot where the sting operation was occurring, waiting inside her vehicle.
It is alleged that when officers approached Pina with flashing emergency lights, Pina immediately put her car into drive and attempted to flee. Officers then approached the car on foot, identified themselves as law enforcement officers and demanded Pina open the door. It is alleged that Pina refused, and was observed manipulating her cell phone, allegedly in an apparent attempt to delete evidence. Officers then broke the driver’s side window of Pina’s vehicle and, as she was being placed on the ground, Pina allegedly threw the two cell phones that were in her possession. At the time of the alleged offense, Pina was on probation for stabbing a female victim multiple times in the abdomen and right thigh in December 2022.
Government filings allege that the minor victim originally depicted in the advertisement was subsequently recovered and disclosed that that Pina also trafficked her during the same time period, requiring her to engage in commercial sex and provide Pina with the proceeds.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking or child exploitation, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years 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; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit, is prosecuting the case.
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.Armed Robber Sentenced to 84 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a man who robbed a St. Louis County, Missouri store at gunpoint to 84 months in prison.
Daniel D. Martin entered a dollar store on Midland Boulevard on Aug. 29, 2021, and threw a package of Skittles on the counter. As the cashier rang up the candy, Martin displayed a handgun and demanded money. He fled the store with $267.34.
Martin, 22, of Ferguson, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of robbery and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.
Arkansas Drug Ring and Their California Suppliers Sentenced to a Combined 132 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – Fifteen members and associates of a South Arkansas drug trafficking organization, including two Los Angeles-area narcotics suppliers, have been sentenced to serve a combined 1,591 months in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place between August 7, 2024, and May 21, 2025, in the United States District Court at El Dorado, Arkansas. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, between August 2021 and August 2022, Christopher Walters, age 45, of Magnolia, operated a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing kilograms of methamphetamine in and around Columbia County, Arkansas. Walters sourced bulk methamphetamine from Michael Cummings, a 46-year-old Southern California business owner who doubled as an interstate narcotics supplier. Cummings employed Robert Leonne Morris, age 47, of Los Angeles, to deliver methamphetamine and other drugs to Walters in Arkansas, at times by rail. Walters then engaged numerous South Arkansas DTO members and associates in storing, transporting and distributing that methamphetamine, and attempting to do so, before sharing the substantial profits with Cummings.
On August 10, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its state and local partners executed search warrants at multiple Columbia County properties owned or controlled by DTO members and associates, including Walters. In so doing, investigators found and seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, more than 15 firearms, including tactical rifles, and thousands of dollars in cash.
Between September 2022 and March 2023, a federal grand jury sitting in the Western District of Arkansas returned indictments charging 15 members and associates of Walters’ DTO, including Cummings and Morris, with a total of fifty (50) felony counts. All 15 defendants pleaded guilty to one or more felony violations of the Controlled Substances Act, and have been sentenced as follows:
Defendant
Prison Term
Sentence Date
Christopher Walters, 45, of Magnolia, Arkansas222 months
December 6, 2024
Michael Cummings, 46, of Los Angeles, California162 months
March 21, 2025
Jvance Radford, 47, of Magnolia, Arkansas144 months
August 22, 2024
Joseph Lowe, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas140 months
August 12, 2024
Robert Leonne Morris, 47, of Los Angeles, California121 months
May 21, 2025
Lacadran D. Thomas, 37, of Magnolia, Arkansas120 months
August 22, 2024
Marcus S. Jordan, 42, of Waldo, Arkansas110 months
December 4, 2024
Hendrick Johnson, 27, of Magnolia, Arkansas108 months
September 11, 2024
Dawnisha D. Jordan, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas98 months
August 7, 2024
John L. Grissom, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas97 months
August 7, 2024
Jarrod D. Wilson, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas78 months
March 20, 2025
Nyterious L. Sharp, 32, of Waldo, Arkansas60 months
August 23, 2024
Antonio J. Johnson, 41, of Magnolia, Arkansas54 months
August 22, 2024
Malaysia D. Benjamin, 36, of Los Angeles, California41 months
December 5, 2024
Mario L. Meadows, 36, of Magnolia, Arkansas36 months
May 21, 2025
In addition to his 162-month prison sentence, a $100,000 money judgment was also entered against Cummings, representing his profits from the year-long conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Arkansas. That judgment is executable against Cummings’ assets in California and elsewhere.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Magnolia Police Department, the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Union County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office, the El Dorado Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.
The case was investigated and prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.
Alburgh, Vermont Man Sentenced to 12 Years Imprisonment for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 21, 2025, Brian Bluto, 60, formerly of Alburgh, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 144 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. Bluto previously pleaded guilty to distribution of child sexual abuse material on October 21, 2024, and has been detained since his guilty plea.
According to court records, Bluto produced child sexual abuse material by hiding a camera to covertly record a child with whom he was living. Bluto began recording the minor victim when she was approximately 13 years old, and continued to do so until she was 16 years old. Bluto distributed still images and a video of the minor victim to a person on the internet, who unbeknownst to Bluto, was an Australian law enforcement officer. The Australian officer alerted Homeland Security Investigations, who obtained a search warrant for Bluto’s residence in Alburgh. The search warrant resulted in the seizures of numerous electronic devices, one of which was located in a backpack that was pointing toward the bathroom in the residence. The backpack had a homemade cut in the fabric where the lens of the camera on the electronic device could stick out without detection. A search of Bluto’s electronic devices revealed hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, including a depiction of a toddler being sexually abused by an adult.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Queensland, Australia, Police Service and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Bluto was represented by Assistant Federal Defenders Emily Kenyon and Steven Barth.
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.
60 More Illegal Aliens Plead Guilty to National Defense Area Violations in El Paso, 133 New NDA Cases Added to the DocketRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced that from May 20 through May 22, 60 illegal aliens pleaded guilty to charges that they had illegally entered the National Defense Area (NDA) that had been established along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock.
This three-day increase in guilty pleas adds to the 60 that the Acting U.S. Attorney announced earlier in the week, bringing the month’s total NDA violation convictions to 120 heading into Memorial Day weekend.
The Acting U.S. Attorney also announced that federal prosecutors in the district’s El Paso Division filed 133 new cases involving NDA violations this week. Among the defendants charged are Mexican nationals Gustavo Ramos-Solorzano and Enrique Arenas-Garcia.
Ramos-Solorzano was arrested May 14, two miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. He had just been removed from the U.S. through El Paso on May 10, following an illegal re-entry felony conviction. Ramos Solorzano was also convicted in February for an improper entry by an alien misdemeanor. His removal on May 10 was his fourth deportation.
Arenas-Garcia was arrested May 15 two miles west of the Ysleta Port of Entry. The defendant’s arrest comes just over one week after his most recent removal from the U.S. on May 7 through San Ysidro, California. Arenas-Garcia has been removed from the U.S. a total of three times in addition to two voluntary departures.
Title 50 United States Code (USC) 797 and Title 18 USC 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas. Title 50 USC 797 refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the Texas National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is illegal entry into the U.S.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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22 May 2025
‘Machine Gun-Trafficking’ Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than Fifteen Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Jose Marrero, 36, of Woonsocket, describe in court documents as a “violent, machine gun-trafficking, kilogram-level drug dealer” was sentenced today to more than fifteen years in federal prison, having pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Court documents illustrate that Jose Marrero, 36, previously convicted twice in Rhode Island state court on drug trafficking charges, freely displayed photographs and videos on social media of himself in possession of drugs and firearms, notably semi-automatic pistols, AR-15 style rifles, and semi-automatic pistols that have been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Marrero displayed himself and others in possession of the weapons in his apartment, while watching TV, playing video games, drinking alcohol, and driving around the streets of Rhode Island. He also made social media posts demonstrating himself and others actively firing the modified fully automatic weapons.
Additionally, court documents reveal videos of the defendant in possession of multiple kilos of cocaine and of numerous messages between Marrero and others that “not only convey his leadership but just how active, eager, and dangerous of a drug trafficker he is.” Text messages illustrate conversations between Marrero and a drug supplier, and how he, Marrero, organized people to move two kilograms of drugs per week. In some of his messages, Marrero discusses having drug runners, complaining about their behavior and demanding higher productivity from them, directing them to locations to provide certain quantities of drugs to customers, and discussing debts owed to him.
Marrero made it well known, to his drug trafficking counterparts and otherwise, that he possessed numerous firearms. He prominently displayed himself and others with an array of firearms on his social media account. Excerpts from Marrero’s text messages demonstrate that he enlisted his girlfriend and other acquaintances to purchase firearms for him, as he was unable to do so himself due to his past felony convictions; that he accepted firearms as payment for drug sales; and that he solicited an associate to obtain guns for him, notably “any glocks” that he could get his hands on.
Marrero was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to 181 months of incarceration to be followed by 5 years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell, Stacey A. Erickson, and Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by ATF, with the assistance of Massachusetts State Police, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, and West Warwick Police Department.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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sentencing_memo.pdfWoman Indicted in Federal Court After Shooting Man with a Handgun on Navajo NationRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Navajo Nation woman has been indicted in federal court after allegedly shooting a man with a handgun during an incident that left the victim with serious injuries.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2024, Beverleta Tayah, 53, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe with a handgun and that assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Doe.
Tayah stands charged with three felony crimes—assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm. She will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which will occur next week. If convicted of the current charges, Tayah faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge 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 Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Tayah)_0.pdfAn indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Woman Caught Dealing Drugs While on Supervised Release Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Gabriela Abundiz, age 45, was sentenced after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of 180 months to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in 2017 Abundiz was convicted of selling drugs in Montana and sentenced to 70 months in prison. Following her sentence, and during the period of her supervised release in that case, Abundiz was found to be selling drugs in the Eastern District of Washington. A warrant was issued for her arrest.
On April 2, 2024, officers and detectives with the Omak Police Department (OPD) saw Abundiz go into an apartment. OPD obtained a warrant to enter the apartment and arrest Abundiz. Inside the apartment OPD located two backpacks that contained methamphetamine, 2,649 fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, marijuana, a digital scale, and a pipe used for smoking drugs. Abundiz had two cellphones when she was arrested. One of the phones contained pictures of large sums of cash, fentanyl pills, and text conversations regarding illegal drugs.
“Ms. Abundiz returned to drug trafficking even while under federal supervision for a prior conviction,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “Her continued criminal conduct, especially involving fentanyl, posed a serious threat to the safety and health of Eastern Washington communities. Her sentence reflects the consequences of violating the Court’s trust and our office’s continuing commitment to combating drug trafficking in communities and neighborhoods throughout Eastern Washington.”
“DEA’s core mission is to protect Americans from drug traffickers like Ms. Abundiz and we will go to any legal length to ensure traffickers like her are accountable for their crimes,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Despite serving a lengthy prison term, Ms. Abundiz would not stop selling poison to her community and ultimately paid a heavy price for continuing her wicked ways.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omak Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Murphy.
2:24-cr-00071-SAB
Wolf Point man pleads guilty to sexual abuse chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man accused of sexually abusing two victims admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Jason Wise Spirit, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse. Wise Spirit faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 2, 2025. Wise Spirit was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on November 15, 2023, a victim referred to here as Jane Doe 1 started crying in class. She alleged Wise Spirit had sexually abused her older sister, referred to as Jane Doe 2. The FBI opened an investigation and both Jane Does 1 and 2 were interviewed on November 20, 2023. Jane Doe 1 said Wise Spirit sexually assaulted her more than 20 times on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation when she was between the ages of 6 and 9. She disclosed vaginal, anal, and oral sex while her mom was at work. Jane Doe 1 disclosed that Jane Doe 2 had also been abused.
Jane Doe 2 corroborated some of the information from Jane Doe 1’s interview but denied any abuse.
Jane Doe 2 was interviewed again on April 10, 2024, and disclosed she was afraid of Wise Spirit because he said he would kill her if she told anyone about the abuse. Jane Doe 2 described being forced to have anal and oral sex with Wise Spirit at their residence and in a car in a Walmart parking lot in Williston while their mom was at work.
Wise Spirit was interviewed and made partial admissions. He said both Jane Does 1 and 2 touched his penis at different times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.
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Wilburton Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charles Henry Lawrence, aka Charles Henry Lawrence, Jr., age 57, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Latimer County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On November 25, 2024, Lawrence pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on November 11, 2022, law enforcement officers serving a search warrant on Lawrence’s Wilburton, Oklahoma residence seized one rifle and one revolver. At the time of the search, Lawrence had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Lawrence will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.