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20 July 2026
Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Delivers Successful Prosecution of Armed Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Deontae Watkins, 44, of Perry, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute various controlled substances including more than 500 grams of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; and another count of possession with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The Homeland Security Task Force was launched as a whole-of-government effort to combat the plague of addiction and criminal violence in our country caused by armed drug traffickers, and this successful prosecution demonstrates the impact we are having to improve the safety of our communities. This armed trafficker flooded our streets with deadly drugs, enriching himself on the pain and devastation caused by the narcotics he peddled, but those days are over for him. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute drug traffickers like him to deliver the safe, drug-free streets the citizens of the Northern District of Florida deserve.”
Court documents reflect that law enforcement became aware of the defendant selling ounces of methamphetamine in late-2025. On February 10, 2026, during the execution of a search warrant at the defendant’s house, officers located multiple pounds of methamphetamine, more than half a pound of cocaine, various other drugs, and five pistols. As a previously convicted felon, the defendant was legally prohibited from possessing firearms. The defendant was arrested, but later bonded out of jail. On February 26, 2026, the defendant’s vehicle was stopped by law enforcement and approximately two pounds of methamphetamine was located in the vehicle.
The defendant faces at least 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum potential sentence of life imprisonment for his current charges.
The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Perry Police Department, and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the North Star Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force, the Suwanee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 21, 2026, at 2:00 pm, in the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Harvey Man Guilty of Mail TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MICHAEL O’NELL CARPENTER, age 42, a resident of Harvey, Louisiana, pled guilty on July 15, 2026, to mail theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1708, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. His sentencing is set for October 28, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk.
According to the Superseding Bill of Information, at the time of the offense, MICHAEL O’NELL CARPENTER was employed as a contract delivery driver transporting U.S. mail from the New Orleans Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) to the Ponchatoula Post Office. On or about July 10, 2024, he stole a package from the container of mail matter he was entrusted to transport from the P&DC and deliver to the Ponchatoula Post Office.
MICHAEL O’NELL CARPENTER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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Gloversville Drug Dealer Sentenced for Distribution of Methamphetamine and Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Defendant, Ernest McMikle, age 39 of Gloversville, New York, was sentenced on June 24, 2026, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino to 120 months in Federal Prison to be followed by a term of five years of supervised release.
The sentence stems from his conviction of distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine base. McMikle previously admitted to selling methamphetamine and cocaine base on three occasions between February 13 and March 27, 2025. A search warrant conducted on defendant’s residence on April 9, 2025, revealed 144.3 grams of cocaine and 97.8 grams of crack cocaine. In total, defendant was responsible for distributing and intending to distribute 166.5 grams of methamphetamine, 152.2 grams of cocaine base, and 144.3 grams of cocaine.
The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Albany, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Gloversville Police Department, and Johnstown Police Department.
“I want to commend our law enforcement partners for their efforts in removing these deadly narcotics from our streets, and bringing this defendant to justice,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “These deadly drugs are a drain on our society, and too often prove fatal, with this defendant behind bars, we have taken a meaningful step in safeguarding our communities.”
“Mr. McMikle’s decision to distribute dangerous drugs on our streets just landed him a decade behind bars. FBI Albany will continue to work tirelessly with our partners at every level of law enforcement to swiftly identify, investigate, and bring to justice anyone looking to harm our communities through the sale of illicit narcotics,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli FBI Albany.Assistant United States Attorney Paul DerOhannesian handled the sentencing.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Stealing $1.7 Million Through Business Email SchemeRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Georgia man has been sentenced to prison for participating in a scheme to defraud victim entities by illegally accessing their email accounts to identify their true vendors and then posing as those vendors in emails requesting payments.
Chinedu Opute, 43, of LaGrange, Georgia, was sentenced to 72 months (6 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan after pleading guilty in January to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, and Aggravated Identity Theft. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment, pay a $15,000 fine, and pay over $1.4 million in restitution.
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, in 2023, Opute and his co-conspirators engaged in a widespread campaign to compromise business email accounts and steal victim funds. They gained unauthorized access to victims’ email accounts and then posed as legitimate third-party creditors or vendors to whom the victim business owed money. The conspirators then sent a fraudulent email with payment instructions directing the victims to send funds to bank accounts that the conspirators, in fact, controlled.
Opute was responsible for setting up the bank accounts that were used to receive, and subsequently disburse, the stolen funds. Specifically, in early 2023, Opute established a fake company, Overseas Dry Food Supplier LLC (ODFS), as well as a fake identity, Angel Adames, that he used to open a bank account in the name of ODFS. In June 2023, the ODFS bank account received more than $1 million in stolen funds from three victims, including a local government entity in the Northern District of Ohio. Opute immediately disbursed the stolen funds by loading them onto prepaid credit cards in the names of real people that were disguised to look like payments to gig employees. Opute then withdrew those funds from the prepaid cards at ATMs in the Atlanta area.
Opute kept approximately 30-40% of the stolen funds and used the money to fund his lavish lifestyle. He used the funds to make a $200,000 down payment on an Atlanta-area condo and to buy a $100,000 Range Rover and luxury jewelry.
In total, eight victims lost a combined $1.7 million because of Opute’s scheme. Investigators also discovered that he, and his coconspirators, had targeted other victims in attempts to obtain another $5.1 million through fraud.
This investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Megan R. Miller for the Northern District of Ohio led the prosecution.
Former Veterans Affairs Employee Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Multiple Covid-19 BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton woman, who was employed as a Medical Technician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pleaded guilty on July 16, 2026 in federal court in Boston to wire fraud.
Denise Baez, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Oct 27, 2026. Baez was charged in April 2026.
Baez submitted two applications seeking Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans. In those applications, Baez made false claims regarding gross income purportedly earned from a sole proprietorship. To support these false claims, Baez attached fraudulent tax documents as part of the applications. The PPP loan applications were approved and Baez received $41,666. Baez used that money on personal expenses. However, in September 2021, Baez submitted loan forgiveness applications that falsely claimed the entire $41,666 was spent on payroll. Based on the misrepresentation the loans were forgiven.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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 Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for child sex trafficking has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Monday.
Donald Eugene Fields II, 62, provided sexual access to a child in exchange for cash and other items of value from a friend and co-defendant, Theodore “Ted” John Sartori Sr., beginning when the victim was 14 years old. From the winter of 2013 through the summer of 2016, Sartori engaged in illegal sexual activity with the minor and provided Fields cash, a car, a motorcycle, Christmas presents and vacations. In the summer of 2016, Sartori financed a vacation to Florida and drove the victim there with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with her. Fields told the minor to engage in sexual activity with Satori.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp told Fields during Thursday’s sentencing hearing that his crimes “warranted extreme punishment.”
Fields was indicted on federal charges on Dec. 7, 2022, after he failed to appear in Franklin County Circuit Court on pending charges there. He was arrested on Jan. 26, 2025, after a traffic stop by police in Lady Lake, Florida, when officers learned that he was on the Most Wanted list. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in April to one count of child sex trafficking.
"Donald Fields II believed he could outrun justice by fleeing to Florida after committing reprehensible crimes against a child in Missouri. He was wrong," said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Today's sentence holds Fields accountable for the lifelong trauma he inflicted on his young victim. I commend the remarkable courage of the victim, whose willingness to come forward made justice possible, and the unwavering dedication of FBI investigators and our law enforcement partners — especially the Lady Lake Police Department."
Sartori, now 65, is serving a 10-year prison term. He pleaded guilty in August of 2024 to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The case was investigated jointly by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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 the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Ellsworth Resident Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A former Ellsworth resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of firearms.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Karissa Beam, 36, to three years in jail to be followed by three years of supervised release. Beam pleaded guilty on January 8, 2026.
According to court records, Beam was encountered by a Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy in an area of Trenton, Maine, known to have a high incidence of drug related activities. Beam, who was on state probation for a prior robbery conviction, was searched by police and found in possession of a Taurus handgun and a Glock handgun.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
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Florida Laboratory Agrees to Pay $9.8M to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Relating to Self-Disclosure of Compensation ArrangementsRead the Press Release
NeoGenomics Laboratories Inc. (NeoGenomics), located in Florida, has agreed to pay $9,813,260 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by providing below fair market value consulting services to certain health care providers that referred beneficiaries to NeoGenomics for laboratory testing services and by paying variable referral-based compensation to independent consultants to identify health care providers that could refer patients to NeoGenomics. In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that NeoGenomics took significant steps entitling it to credit for cooperating with the government’s investigation.
“Federal law prohibits paying remuneration to induce referrals of federal health care services, including by offering services at below fair market value,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We encourage companies to self-disclose improper remuneration and cooperate with our investigations in order to mitigate the consequences of prior conduct.”
“Providing services below fair market value to drive referrals — as alleged here — undermines independent medical judgment,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of HHS‑OIG. “The Self‑Disclosure Protocol remains an important tool for bringing potential violations to light and ensuring they are addressed appropriately.”
The United States alleged that, as part of NeoGenomics’ Laboratory Clinical Initiative (LCI) program, NeoGenomics provided laboratory consulting services to 28 health care providers seeking to establish in-house flow cytometry and Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) laboratory diagnostic capabilities. The United States contended that NeoGenomics provided certain services for less than fair market value to induce the referral of clinical laboratory tests to NeoGenomics in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and that the financial relationship and resulting submission of claims violated the Stark Law. The United States further alleged that NeoGenomics entered into agreements with independent consultants that involved payments to those consultants in exchange for identifying potential health care provider customers for NeoGenomics’ laboratory services. The United States contends that the payments to the independent consultants to identify potential customers varied in part on the volume or value of referrals to NeoGenomics from those customers.
NeoGenomics self-disclosed this conduct to the United States. In addition, NeoGenomics cooperated with the government’s investigation and took remedial measures, including ending the consulting agreements at issue, terminating responsible employees, and providing the United States with a thorough self-disclosure and other supplemental information to assist the United States in its investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Sarah Arni of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Federal Jury Convicts Two Local Men of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
After a three-day trial before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick, a federal jury unanimously convicted Calvin Kemp, age 60, of Gonzales, Louisiana, and Chevez Tywan Robillard, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud along with multiple counts of aggravated identify theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall.
As the evidence at trial demonstrated, Kemp and Robillard created a scheme to defraud insurance companies. Over several months, they obtained the personal identifiers of three victims without their knowledge and then applied for multiple life and accidental death insurance policies with eight separate insurance providers. In furtherance of this scheme, Kemp and Robillard established companies with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, but the companies never did any business. They also opened a bank account identifying themselves as officers of one of the companies. During the application process, Kemp and Robillard impersonated the victims and fraudulently obtained nine insurance policies worth $4.325 million. Kemp made seven calls to insurance companies and used the stolen identifiers of all three victims while also falsely identifying the victims as musicians and the CEOs of music production companies. Robillard made two calls using the stolen identifiers of two victims and was named as the sole beneficiary in all policies obtained. He submitted claims for insurance benefits on four policies fraudulently issued in the name of one of the victims, who was murdered in Baton Rouge in December 2022.
As a result of their convictions, Kemp faces a sentence in federal prison of up to 26 years, and Robillard faces a sentence of up to 24 years. In addition to the possible terms of imprisonment, both are subject to significant fines and supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys M. Patricia Jones and Paul L. Pugliese led the prosecution.
Ex-L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Submitting False Affidavit to Obtain Cell Phone Info for Private ClientRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy was sentenced today to 12 months in federal prison for submitting a false search warrant application to a state court judge, lying that he needed GPS tracking information for a robbery suspect’s cell phone when in fact it was for a private client’s estranged husband during the client’s contentious divorce proceedings.
David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights. He left LASD in October 2025.
According to court documents, while serving as an active-duty law enforcement officer, Rodriguez received cash payments for his work as a private security guard for a wealthy Los Angeles-based client who had hired a private security company owned by a then-LASD colleague, Eric Chase Saavedra, 43, of Chino. In August 2021, Rodriguez began working for Saavedra, whose company provided private security services for clients and often employed active LASD deputies and law enforcement officers.
One of those clients was Adam Iza, 25, who resided in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, was a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman, and who has been in federal custody since September 2024. Iza has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges –conspiracy against rights, wire fraud, tax evasion, and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery – in California and Connecticut and awaits sentencing.
As part of his employment for Saavedra’s company, Rodriguez began working as a security guard for Iza and another wealthy Los Angeles-based individual – identified in court documents as “Person 1” – who had an ongoing dispute with her husband, the victim. Rodriguez worked for Person 1 at least twice a month and developed a personal relationship with her. He received cash payments in exchange for the shifts he worked as a security guard for Person 1.
While employed as Person 1’s private security guard, Rodriguez learned that Person 1 was concerned for her own safety and believed that her husband possessed valuable goods that she said belonged to her. Rodriguez also learned that Person 1 could not locate the victim and had engaged in multiple attempts to find him.
In July 2022, Rodriguez obtained a search warrant for the victim by lying in an affidavit to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. In the affidavit, Rodriguez falsely stated that a detective had contacted him and asked for assistance from LASD’s Gang Surveillance Team in connection with a robbery that occurred three days earlier in Cudahy.
The affidavit further falsely stated that Rodriguez was able to positively identify a suspect involved in the robbery case, and that the suspect used two cell phones. Rodriguez falsely indicated in the affidavit that the victim’s cell phone number was associated with the robbery suspect. The search warrant application sought, among other things, GPS precision location information associated with the cell phone. Rodriguez knew that the victim’s cell phone number had no relationship with the robbery investigation.
Rodriguez also falsely swore in the affidavit that he believed the search warrant would allow the detective to locate the suspect through GPS coordinates and help the detective arrest the suspect for the charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
After serving the search warrant on the telephone provider, Rodriguez obtained GPS location pings associated with the victim’s cell phone, later tracking the victim in Utah and sharing that information with Saavedra. Rodriguez admitted in his plea agreement that he knew Saavedra and other LASD deputies working with Saavedra had unlawfully obtained information and used it to threaten, intimidate, or oppress other people.
Rodriguez later learned that – at co-conspirators’ request – LASD deputies later towed the victim’s vehicle while the victim stayed in Los Angeles, that co-conspirators had placed a tracking device on the victim’s vehicle in Utah, and co-conspirators had sent a threatening text message to the victim.
“This was not impulsive conduct or a momentary lapse in judgment,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “It was a calculated abuse of authority carried out with full awareness of its significance.”
Saavedra pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights and one count of making and subscribing to a false tax return. He is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. LASD provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the National Security Division prosecuted this case.
El Paso Customs and Border Protection Officer Indicted, Arrested for Deprivation of Rights and Providing False StatementsRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer made his initial appearance in federal court after he was indicted and subsequently arrested for charges related to his alleged false reporting of details involving excessive use of force, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, while acting under color of law as a federal law enforcement officer on August 22, 2021, Jesus Espinosa, 52, of El Paso, is alleged to have used unreasonable force, including a chokehold, to detain an individual, resulting in bodily injury. Additionally, an indictment alleges Espinosa knowingly and willfully made materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations in his answers to his supervisor’s questions regarding the incident. Allegedly, Espinosa claimed that the individual he detained was aggressive and non-compliant, which initially caused an erroneous official report of assault on a federal officer rather than a true report detailing excessive use of force.
Espinosa was indicted July 15 and arrested July 17. He is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of false statement to a U.S. government agency. The defendant made his initial court appearance on July 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert F. Castaneda of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for the deprivation of rights charge and up to five years in prison for the false statement. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, and Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Wisniewski is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Eight Defendants, Including Current and Former New York City Correction Officers, a Texas Parole Officer, and a New York City Transit Authority Employee, Charged in Check Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Bianca Vieux was arraigned on a superseding indictment charging Vieux and seven other defendants in a fraud scheme relating to deposits of falsified checks and the production of fraudulent Social Security cards. Vieux was arrested on July 7, 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Steven Boyce, Daija-Nek Johnson, Michelle Wilson, and Valeria Waldron were arrested on June 18, 2026 and previously arraigned. Christopher Walker and Destiny Mendez were previously charged in the original indictment and their cases are pending. One additional defendant remains at large. In addition, in May 2026, two defendants charged in the original indictment, Aaron Warren and Tara Dildy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and are awaiting sentencing.
Several of the defendants are current or former government employees. Walker is a New York City Correction Officer and made at least one fraudulent deposit while wearing his Department of Correction uniform. Waldron is a former New York City Correction Officer and was more recently employed as a parole officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Boyce is a track worker with the New York City Transit Authority. Warren and Dildy are also former New York City Correction Officers.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI); and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the arrests and charges in the superseding indictment.
“As alleged, the defendants conspired to create and deposit fake checks at various banks to line their own pockets at the expense of financial institutions,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “It is particularly egregious when individuals who took an oath to uphold the law and serve the public, choose to commit serious federal crimes to serve themselves.”
“Public employees who exploit their positions for fraud don’t just break the law—they break the public’s trust. These defendants allegedly turned their access into a multi‑million‑dollar scheme built on fake checks, fraudulent documents, and deception. IRS‑CI and our law enforcement partners will follow the money, cut through the lies, and hold anyone who abuses their authority fully accountable,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Chavis.
“As alleged in the superseding indictment, Vieux, Johnson, Mendez, Walker, Waldron, and Wilson each participated in a scheme to deposit into bank accounts falsified checks made out to themselves from various entities. Vieux orchestrated the scheme, advertising her services on an encrypted messaging platform, and solicited recruits to provide their debit cards and bank account information. As Vieux herself said in a text message: “lol I scam the government not human beings[.] I don’t steal from people I still [sic] from banks[.]” Once Vieux received an accountholder’s banking information, she or another co-conspirator would deposit a falsified check into their account. If it cleared, the accountholder would travel to Queens to make large cash withdrawals in person at various bank branches, stated DOI Commissioner Shihata.
Johnson, Mendez, Walker, Waldron, and Wilson were each recruited to receive deposits of falsified checks into their bank accounts and, if the funds cleared, make large cash withdrawals from their accounts. Walker took the scheme further, hiring other fraudsters to create fake checks and documents for him. Boyce created fake Social Security cards for Walker in exchange for a fee and explicitly acknowledged in a text message that he was in the business of “fraudulent federal documents.”
In total, the defendants created and/or deposited over $3 million worth of fictitious checks and obtained over $500,000 in fraudulent proceeds. The defendants spent their stolen cash on luxury handbags, plastic surgery, and tropical vacations, among other personal expenses.
The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Russell Noble is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Daniel Arakawa.
The Defendants:
BIANCA VIEUX
Age: 33
Fort Lauderdale, FloridaSTEVEN BOYCE
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkDAIJA-NEK JOHNSON
Age: 21
Queens, New YorkDESTINY MENDEZ
Age: 29
Brooklyn, New YorkCHRISTOPHER WALKER
Age: 34
Queens, New YorkVALERIA WALDRON
Age: 37
Pflugerville, TexasMICHELLE WILSON
Age: 54
Fort Worth, TexasDefendants Who Previously Pled Guilty:
AARON WARREN
Age: 36
Queens, New YorkTARA DILDY
Age: 36
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-271 (S-1) (NCM)
bianca_vieux_et_al._indictment.pdfDulce Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man was sentenced to 24 months in prison after admitting he repeatedly assaulted a woman, causing substantial injuries, while subject to a tribal court order prohibiting contact with the victim.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on July 23, 2025, Shelton Atole, 35, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, physically attacked the victim, hitting her repeatedly in the face and head. The victim attempted to flee and Atole chased her, but the victim was eventually able to get away and called a friend who picked her up.
At the time of the assault, Atole was under a tribal court order prohibiting him from contact the victim following a separate incident of assault in June 2025.
Atole pleaded guilty to assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to an intimate or dating partner.Upon his release from prison, Atole will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.
Danville Man Pleads Guilty to Enticement of Multiple Minors, Extortive ThreatsRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Danville man, who sexually exploited minor females using social media, and in some cases threatened the minors with the distribution of their nude images to their friends, family, and churches, pled guilty to federal child exploitation and threat charges.
Jesus Diaz, 25, pled guilty to one count of making extortive threats to injure the reputation of another and four counts of enticement of a minor.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia will aggressively target and prosecute online predators who coerce and exploit our children,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said. “I commend DHS Homeland Security Investigations, the City of Danville Police Department, U.S Postal Inspection Service, Customs and Border Patrol, the Idaho Office of Attorney General, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their assistance bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Diaz repeatedly exploited and extorted children he met online, using fear to force them into producing explicit material. This heartbreaking cycle has become increasingly common as children spend more time online. Following today’s guilty plea, Diaz faces substantial federal prison time for his crimes,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf. “This case was made possible by the courage of the victims who came forward and shared their experiences, providing the evidence needed to hold Diaz accountable. We want parents and children to know that if they have been victimized by someone like Diaz, they are not alone and help is available.”
According to court documents, between July 2019 and November 2021, Diaz used social media platforms to entice Minor 1 (M1) to send him nude and sexually explicit photos and videos of herself. At the time, M1 was approximately 13 to 14 years old.
After years of having no contact with M1, Diaz contacted her on February 28, 2024, via social media. Diaz sent M1 nude and sexually explicit images and videos, along with other non-nude images, that M1 had sent to Diaz years before and demanded that M1 add him as a friend on another social media platform “or else I start sending these out.” Diaz then started a countdown: “25” “20” “15.” M1 added Diaz on the social media platform as demanded.
From February 2024 through April 2024, Diaz repeatedly contacted M1. Diaz told M1 he was in love with her, despite having never met her. He threatened to expose M1 to her high school, her family, her ex-boyfriend, and her church. Diaz accused M1 of “playing with [his] strings” and blamed her for “hurting [him] like this.” He also sought more nude and sexually explicit images.
For weeks, Diaz created new accounts and continued to contact M1, despite her blocking him on social media. Diaz sent her multiple friend requests, direct messages threatening to send her nude images to her ex-boyfriend or her best friend and left a comment on a social media post she made.
M1 reported the threats to state authorities in Idaho, who quickly worked to identify Diaz as a suspect. Subsequent investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations, revealed a pattern of similar behavior.
Between August 2022 and April 2024, Diaz used social media platforms to entice Minor 2 (M2) to take nude and sexually explicit photos and to record nude and sexually explicit videos of herself. Diaz also called M2 using FaceTime and recorded M2. M2 periodically felt uncomfortable and blocked Diaz on social media. In order to contact M2, Diaz created different social media accounts using names M2 did not recognize.
In 2024, following an extended period of no contact, Diaz messaged M2 from a social media account she did not recognize and sent M2 a video of herself showering and threatened to send it to her high school if she didn’t answer him. Diaz demanded a new shower video every day for the next six months. M2 pleaded with Diaz to not publish her images. Ultimately, she agreed to send Diaz one final video, which she sent in April 2024. M2 then blocked Diaz and cut off contact with him. During the relevant period, M2 was between 15 and 17 years old.
Between May 2024 and October 2024, Diaz used social media platforms to entice Minor 3 (M3) to take nude and sexually explicit photos and to record nude and sexually explicit videos of herself. Diaz also called M3 using FaceTime and recorded M3. At the time, M3 was 15 years old.
Between August 2024 and November 2024, Diaz used social media platforms to entice Minor 4 (M4) to take nude and sexually explicit photos and to record nude and sexually explicit videos of herself. When M4 expressed discomfort, Diaz threatened to leak M4’s pictures. Ultimately, M4 blocked Diaz when she believed it was safe to do so. At the time, M4 was 16 and 17 years old.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. is investigating the case, with assistance from the Homeland Security Investigations Albuquerque, NM office, which played a key role in the apprehension of Diaz. Valuable investigative support was also provided by the Idaho Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Division; the City of Danville Police Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/ .
Columbia County Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Columbia County Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Registered sex offender Donald Heald, 43, of Columbia County, pled guilty to distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography following a previous conviction for attempted sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Heald was previously arrested and detained on a complaint charging him with distribution of child pornography filed on July 3, 2025. In his plea, Heald admitted to knowingly possessing at least 126 videos containing child sex abuse material, including numerous videos that he knowingly distributed to others. Some of the videos depicted the sexual abuse of infants. In 2016, Heald was convicted in Columbia County Court of the New York State felony offense of attempted sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 13. He has been required to register as a sex offender ever since.
“This repeat offender has once again been caught by law enforcement for his illicit behavior,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Our partners at the FBI and Project Safe Childhood are relentlessly pursuing those who seek to exploit children, and my office will ensure we bring them to justice.”
FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “Mr. Heald, already a registered sex offender, admitted to perpetuating the abuse of children by both possessing and distributing child pornography. This sick behavior will send him to federal prison for at least 15 years. The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force is steadfast in our mission to work with our law enforcement partners at every level to ensure these dangerous predators are held accountable for their demented actions.”
Heald is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2026, before the Hon. Anne M. Nardacci. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. Heald will also be required to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes and will have to continue his sex offender registration requirements upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Co-Founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia Sentenced to Life in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $15 Billion in Drug Trafficking ProfitsRead the Press Release
Ismael Zambada Garcia also known as El Mayo, 76, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in forfeiture for his role as the principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise - the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world - and for his involvement in racketeering.
"Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "El Mayo's conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department's commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison.""Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. "He will spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement, who refused to let El Mayo's years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today's sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel's narcotics trafficking and violence."
"Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. "Today's life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished."
"The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations," said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today's sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it."
"Today's sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you," said Administrator Terrance C. "Terry" Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "For decades, Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel - now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization - fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people."
"Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time - the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael `El Mayo' Zambada Garcia," said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa's victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world's most dangerous criminals off the map permanently."
“From its inception, the Sinaloa Cartel has proven to be one of the most significant drug trafficking organizations in the world. The cartel plagued communities across our country with corruption, the influx of narcotics, violence, and terror,” said Acting Assistant Director John R. Dozier Jr of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “We are proud of our contributions and thank our partners for their efforts which led to today’s sentencing, which will force one of the Cartel’s co-founders to spend the rest of their life behind bars. We will continue to leverage everything at our disposal to protect the American people and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations causing them harm.”
"El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades," said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office. "It's also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel - bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice."
Today's sentencing is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF). Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California. The EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York with the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment. Zambada Garcia then pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.
Zambada Garcia's rise to power began with the Cartel's inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics - including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl - into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Cartel's operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
The Cartel's distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel's operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia's leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia's criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
The DEA, HSI, and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, along with the Eastern District of New York's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY's Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and the Southern District of Florida's International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. The U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.
MNF's mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF's NDDU investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Co-Founder of Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, Sentenced to Life in Prison for Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Other Drug-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
“El Mayo” Spent Nearly Four Decades Leading the Sinaloa Cartel’s Trafficking of Tons of Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Other Deadly Drugs into the United States, and Ordered Ruthless Acts of Violence to Protect His Enterprise
MIAMI – Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as El Mayo, 77, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced today to life in prison and ordered to pay $15 billion in forfeiture for his role as the principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel (the Cartel), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — and for his involvement in racketeering.
“Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “El Mayo’s capture and conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison.”
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Today’s life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished.”
“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “He will spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless work of law enforcement across two countries who refused to let El Mayo’s years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics trafficking and violence.”
“The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today’s sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: No matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you,” said Administrator Terrance C. “Terry” Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “For decades, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel — now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization – fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people.”
“Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time — the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa’s victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world’s most dangerous criminals off the map permanently.”
“El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office. “It’s also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel — bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice.”
Today’s sentencing is the result of a joint prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF). Zambada Garcia was previously charged by indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York (the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment), the Western District of Texas (WDTX), the District of Columbia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of California, and the Central District of California. The EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise from January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with, among other things, RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, and violations of state law for murder and kidnapping for conduct between Jan. 1, 2000, and April 11, 2012.
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York with the EDNY/SDFL/MNF indictment. Zambada Garcia then pleaded guilty to being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge.
Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
The Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
The DEA, HSI, and FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit (NDDU) are leading the prosecution for the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, along with the Eastern District of New York’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section as part of the work of EDNY’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force and SDFL’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Goldbarg and Monique Botero are leading the prosecution for the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, Lauren A. Bowman, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers are leading the prosecution for the Western District of Texas.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s NDDU investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations, and related transnational criminal organizations.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of New York at www.nyed.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.nyed.uscourts.gov, under case number 09-cr-466.
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Co-Founder of Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, Sentenced to Life in Prison for Engaging in a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Other Drug-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY - Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia was sentenced today by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan in federal court in Brooklyn to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role as a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise — the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world — and for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) violations.
Zambada Garcia pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025, admitting to being a principal leader of the continuing criminal enterprise and to the RICO charge. As part of his plea agreement, the Court entered a $15 billion forfeiture money judgment against him at today’s sentencing.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Terry Cole, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Frank Tarentino, Associate Chief of Operations (DEA), North East Region; John A. Condon, Acting Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Jeffrey L. Tyler, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office (FBI); Jason A. Reding Quiñones, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Justin R. Simmons, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas announced the sentence.
“Ismael Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades poisoning American communities to make billions of dollars in profit and ordering the murders of anyone who stood in his way. Today, that chapter closes for good,” stated United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr. “He will spend the rest of his life in a United States prison, exactly where he belongs. This sentence was made possible by the tireless bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement who refused to let El Mayo’s years of evading justice become a permanent state of affairs. We hope that today’s sentence brings some measure of justice to the countless victims of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narcotics trafficking and violence.”
“Today, narco-trafficker El Mayo was sentenced to life in prison, marking the end of his reign over the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and deadly drug cartels in history. He will never again inflict carnage, corrupt public officials, or traffic deadly drugs into our communities that ruin Americans and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “El Mayo’s conviction is historic, and it reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations that threaten American lives. To those who remain: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you, too, will face substantial time in prison.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message to every cartel, every foreign terrorist leader: no matter how powerful you become or how long you evade justice, DEA will not stop pursuing you. For decades, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García helped lead the Sinaloa Cartel – now designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization – fueling violence, corrupting public institutions, and trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where it has become a weapon of mass destruction that has claimed countless American lives. This outcome reflects the unwavering determination of DEA and our law enforcement partners, who never stopped pursuing this case. Justice does not have an expiration date, and neither does our resolve. We will continue targeting the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and every criminal organization that threatens the American people,” stated DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole.
“Today, the United States closes the book on one of the most violent and destructive criminal figures of our time — the most prolific drug trafficker in modern history: Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia,” stated HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “For nearly two decades, HSI special agents and investigators interviewed countless witnesses, dissected every shred of evidence, and devoted themselves, through sleepless nights and early mornings, to making certain that 'El Mayo' and his co-conspirators would face justice on behalf of Sinaloa’s victims. Through the Homeland Security Task Force framework, HSI fused its global investigative reach, financial expertise, and border authorities with the invaluable capabilities of the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, and our Department of Justice counterparts. With this sentencing, HSI, together with our invaluable HSTF partners, has taken one of the world’s most dangerous criminals off the map permanently.”
“El Mayo's sentencing is a testament to the dedication of dozens of law enforcement officers and attorneys who labored over this case for decades," stated Jeffrey Tyler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office'. “It’s also a victory for every American family who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and every Mexican community that has lived in fear of cartel violence. In the wake of this sentencing, the FBI and our partners vow to continue to pour our collective resources into dismantling the cartel — bringing every faction leader, plaza boss, and assassin to justice.”
“Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia spent nearly four decades leading a cartel that poisoned American communities, corrupted public officials, and used murder and terror to protect its power. Today’s life sentence ensures that his reign of violence is over for good. This result reflects years of determined work by prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, who helped build and carry this case alongside our partners in Brooklyn, Texas, the Criminal Division, and federal law enforcement. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice, and the Southern District of Florida will stay in the fight until the job is finished,” stated Jason A. Reding Quiñones, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
“The sentencing of Zambada Garcia to life in federal prison is a landmark moment in the fight against transnational criminal organizations,” stated Justin R. Simmons, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. “This Administration has made the total elimination of cartels a national priority because Mexican drug cartels are a multifaceted threat to the American way of life. Today’s sentencing is yet another example of our commitment to accomplishing that goal. The Western District of Texas is literally on the front lines of that fight, and our AUSAs and support staff will continue to wake up every day and do the next right thing on behalf of the American people just as they did in this case and so many cases like it.”
Zambada Garcia had faced indictments in six federal jurisdictions: the Eastern District of New York, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 09-CR-466 (EDNY) (the “EDNY Indictment”); the Western District of Texas, United States v. Zambada Garcia, et al., 12-CR-849 (WDTX) (the “WDTX Indictment”); the District of Columbia (03-CR-34; 03-CR-331 (DDC)); the Northern District of Illinois (09-CR-383 (NDIL)); the Southern District of California (14-CR-658 (SDCA)); and the Central District of California (15-CR-566 (CDCA)).
Pursuant to a plea agreement, Zambada Garcia agreed to the transfer of the WDTX Indictment for plea and sentencing in the Eastern District of New York. Zambada Garcia was thus held accountable in the Eastern District of New York for the criminal conduct encompassing both indictments. The remaining indictments will be dismissed in the coming days.
The EDNY Indictment charged Zambada Garcia with being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise for conduct spanning January 1989 through January 2024. The WDTX Indictment charged him with RICO conspiracy for his participation in money laundering, murder, and drug conspiracies, as well as violations of state law for murder and kidnapping, for conduct between January 1, 2000 and April 11, 2012.
Zambada Garcia’s rise to power began with the Sinaloa Cartel’s inception and ended with his arrest in July 2024. Previously known as the Mexican Federation, the Sinaloa Cartel is a drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, that since approximately the late 1980s has imported lethal quantities of narcotics — including, among others, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl — into the United States and laundered billions of dollars in drug proceeds back to Mexico.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s operations initially focused on cocaine distribution based on cooperative arrangements and close coordination with South American sources of supply and distribution networks. This changed in the 2000s when the Colombians, seeing increased law enforcement activity, started to abandon their U.S. distribution businesses in favor of permitting Mexican traffickers to invest in cocaine shipments at wholesale prices, which those Mexican traffickers would then distribute in the United States. As a result, Mexican traffickers and the Sinaloa Cartel began to take a more integral role in moving cocaine from Colombia into and throughout the United States. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel also recently branched out into the production and trafficking of fentanyl, including by purchasing fentanyl precursor chemicals from Chinese companies and producing many thousands of kilograms of fentanyl in laboratories both in rural areas and major cities in Mexico for distribution in the United States.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s distribution networks also have supported money laundering efforts that have delivered billions of dollars in illegal profits generated from drug sales in the United States back to the Sinaloa Cartel. Increased profits allowed the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations to grow a large-scale narcotics transportation network involving the use of land, air, and sea transportation assets, which eventually led to the Sinaloa Cartel shipping multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, through Central America and Mexico, and finally into the United States.
Zambada Garcia has devoted his efforts over decades to growing, increasing, and enhancing the power of the Cartel, and to growing his individual power and position in the Cartel after his partner El Chapo was captured in 2016. Under Zambada Garcia’s leadership, the Cartel regularly used brutal violence, intimidation, and murder to silence potential witnesses and dissuade law enforcement from performing its duties. Zambada Garcia has operated with impunity at the highest levels of the Mexican drug trafficking world while being assured of his continued success and safety from arrest through his payment of bribes to Mexican government officials and law enforcement officers. He controlled those corrupt officials and officers who protected his workers and drug shipments as his drugs were transported across Mexico and into the United States. Numerous witnesses have testified, including at the trials of El Chapo and corrupt former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García Luna, that corruption at all levels was necessary to allow the Zambada Garcia’s criminal enterprise to function so effectively at such a large scale: from local police officers who escorted the drugs through Mexico, to corrupt officials who informed the Cartel of military actions, thwarted capture operations, and consulted with the Cartel about proceedings and investigations against it.
HSI, the FBI, and the DEA investigated the case.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Francisco J. Navarro, Robert M. Pollack, Adam Amir, and Rebecca M. Urquiola are leading the prosecution for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant United States Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters. Assistant United States Attorneys Monique Botero and Andrea Goldbarg of the Southern District of Florida and Assistant United States Attorneys Antonio Franco and Kyle Myers of the Western District of Texas are leading the prosecution for their respective offices. Trial Attorneys Jayce Born and Kirk Handrich are leading the prosecution for the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Illinois, Central District of California, and Southern District of California provided substantial assistance.
This prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The Defendant:
ISMAEL ZAMBADA GARCIA (also known as “El Mayo”)
Age: 76
MexicoE.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 09-CR-466 (BMC) (S-5), 25-CR-262 (BMC)
Chicago Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
A man who distributed controlled substances and who unlawfully possessed a gun was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.
Delmargo Dushawn Bruce, age 35, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a February 5, 2026, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of domestic violence.
In a plea agreement, Bruce admitted he distributed controlled substances. On July 1, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bruce sold approximately 5.93 grams of a mixture or substance containing heroin. On July 19, 2024, Bruce sold approximately 9.76 grams of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl. On August 1, 2024, officers searched Bruce’s home in Cedar Rapids. During the search, officers found a loaded handgun. Bruce was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior conviction for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from 2015 in the Iowa District Court for Johnson County.
Bruce was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Bruce was sentenced to 24 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.
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.
Bruce 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 Adam J. Vander Stoep and 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 25-CR-63.
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Buffalo man pleads guilty to burning down the old PinkRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John W. Burns, 42, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to arson of a building used in interstate commerce before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In the early morning hours of June 17, 2024, the Buffalo Fire Department (BFD) responded to the scene of a fire at 223 Allen Street, a restaurant/bar known as The Old Pink. The building was engulfed in flames and was ultimately destroyed. Subsequent investigation by the Buffalo Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire had been set deliberately. Investigators recovered a blue propane plumbers torch from the rear of the building. Video evidence showed an individual in the rear of the building near the origin of the fire. The individual couldn’t be identified but appeared to be wearing a dark colored jacket with some sort of emblem on the left arm and green and white sneakers. The video evidence also shows that prior to the start of the fire, the individual brought two white garbage bags to the back of the building and was looking through the garbage totes. The individual is then seen walking away from the area of origin and a short time later, a visible fire can be seen.
Subsequent investigation determined that Burns was at the Old Pink earlier in the evening and had a confrontation with an individual formerly contracted to work security for The Old Pink. The former security officer told law enforcement that he had confronted Burns after a female patron complained that Burns had touched her inappropriately. Burns was asked to leave but refused. A fight ensued and Burns stated: “I’ll be back (expletive), I’ll burn that (expletive) down, ain’t nobody going to have a job.”
Investigators reviewed the security footage of the fight at The Old Pink with the owner of the Essex St. Pub, a restaurant located at 530 Rhode Island Street in Buffalo. The owner identified Burns as the individual who had the confrontation with the former security guard. The owner recognized Burns because he previously employed him at the Essex St. Pub.
Investigators also reviewed the security footage with two associates of Burns, both of whom identified him as the individual walking away from The Old Pink shortly after the fire began. Law enforcement interviewed one of the associates, who provided text messages that he received from Burns in the early morning hours of June 17, 2024. After describing what appeared to be the fight at The Old Pink, Burns stated, “Guerrilla mode on” and “Guerrilla BuffL9 is a go.” The conversation continued:
Burns: Bail me out if I don’t call you at noon. Therz a fund.
Time Stamp Mon, June 17 at 5:57 a.m.
Associate: You’re killing me bro trying to sleep
Associate: What is going on
Burns: Nothing. Made my bed. Gonna defend it to the death at this point
Associate: See that is the problem and I have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t give me any details you just say things. what are you talking about? What bed what are you doing? What happened?
Burns: Call or signal. Text bad
Burns: Whatever they probably a footage
Burns: Really though I can’t just say all the things that will later be investigated here
Burns: I’m going to the er….
In the early morning hours of August 13, 2024, at 6:03 a.m., Burns was observed on video setting a fire in the parking lot of the Essex St. Pub, which was quickly extinguished by fire department members. Buffalo Fire Marshals determined that the origin of the fire was a pile of books that had been placed near the owner’s personal vehicle. The owner told fire investigators that he received a text message the previous night indicating that Burns had been denied entry to the pub due to disruptive behavior. The owner identified Burns on video as the person carrying a pile of books in his arms towards the rear parking lot, lighting the books on fire, and then leaving the area.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard P. Antoine. The plea is the culmination of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent-in-Charge; Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Michael J. Keane; Buffalo Fire Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel J. Pizarro; and Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Erika Shields.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2026, before Judge Arcara.
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Brooklyn, New York Man Sentenced for Maintaining a Drug Involved PremisesRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Brooklyn, New York man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for maintaining a drug involved premises.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Xisen Guo, 68, to time served and one year of supervised release. Guo pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025.
According to court records, Guo operated a marijuana grow at a residence on Main Road in Passadumkeag. Members of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department, together with members of Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a state search warrant at the location in February 2024. Investigators seized approximately 40 pounds of processed marijuana, $4,710 in U.S. Currency, and evidence of marijuana cultivation. During a post-arrest interview at the location, Guo admitted that, for a time, he had rented the property to a person who grew marijuana and that he had eventually taken over the growing activity himself. Further investigation revealed that Guo had acquired the property through a limited liability company and then used and maintained the residence for the purpose of growing and distributing marijuana between July 2020 and February 2024. The defendant paid the electrical utilities and property taxes on the property. The defendant also purchased equipment and materials used to grow marijuana at the property.
The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI investigated the case.
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Brooklyn Adult Daycare Owner Sentenced to 57 Months for Medicaid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Brooklyn man surrendered to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons today to begin serving 57 months in prison in connection with his leadership of a $3.2 million Medicaid fraud and illegal kickback scheme at his social adult daycare (SADC) center. The defendant was also ordered to pay almost $3.2 million in restitution and to forfeit $1.5 million in fraud proceeds.
According to court documents, Eric Zhu, 29, of Brooklyn, New York, owned Prime Life Adult Day Care LLC (Prime Life). From approximately 2020 through 2025, Medicaid recipients were paid illegal cash kickbacks and bribes in exchange for enrolling with Prime Life. Between 2020 and 2025, Prime Life fraudulently billed Medicaid approximately $3.2 million for SADC services that these Medicaid recipients never received. Medicaid paid approximately $3.2 million based on these false and fraudulent claims. Zhu used multiple business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes to the Medicaid recipients, some of which was recovered during a search of Prime Life, as shown below.
“Eric Zhu exploited vulnerable Medicaid recipients by paying them illegal cash bribes to enroll in his adult day care program, then fraudulently billed Medicaid $3.2 million for services that were never actually provided,” said Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “This scheme stole millions from American taxpayers and undermined a program meant to help those in need. Today’s surrender to federal authorities shows we are holding Zhu and other fraudsters like him accountable. The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute individuals who defraud public health programs.”
Cash kickbacks paid in exchange for SADC services not provided.Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York; and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), made the announcement.
HHS-OIG, HSI New York, and NYPD investigated the case.
Acting Assistant Chief Patrick J. Campbell and Trial Attorney Leonid Sandlar of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Belizean Man Sentenced to 14 Months for Lying About Immigration Status While Attempting to Purchase FirearmRead the Press Release
RUTLAND – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on July 14, 2026, Reginald Adam Velasquez, age 34, a citizen of Belize, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 14 months’ imprisonment. Velasquez previously pleaded guilty to lying in connection with the attempted purchase of a firearm.
According to court records, Velasquez illegally entered the United States in 2022. After his illegal entry, Velasquez was paroled into the United States, but in early 2025, Velasquez failed to comply with the terms of his parole and his immigration proceedings were terminated. Approximately nine months later, in late 2025, Velasquez attempted to purchase a firearm from a federal firearms licensee in Vermont. During the attempted purchase, Velasquez filled out an ATF Form 4473 on which he knowingly lied about his immigration status. After Velasquez was arrested, additional investigation revealed that, during the Summer and Fall of 2025, Velasquez was engaged in drug dealing in Vermont, including trading a firearm for drugs.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn. Velasquez was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon.
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.
Augusta man sentenced to federal prison for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, Georgia: An Augusta man has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison in federal court after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Martin Lindner, 52, of Augusta, was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography. Lindner was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $66,500.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Court documents and testimony show that in February 2025, Lindner received child pornography, including videos and images, depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Using his home computer, Lindner would receive the material via a peer-to-peer file sharing software.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of crimes that exploit and victimize children,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Protecting children from predators is one of our highest priorities and we will work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who engage in these reprehensible offenses.”
“The receipt of child pornography not only harms the young victims portrayed in those images, but it also fuels a heinous market,” said Matthew Ploskunak, Supervisory Senior Special Agent for the Augusta office of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute individuals who commit heinous crimes against minors.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons.
Armed Honduran National Who Sold Drugs in East Oakland and the Tenderloin Sentenced to Sixteen Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Maxfer Palma was sentenced Friday to 192 months in federal prison for one count each of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on premises where children were present or resided, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar handed down the sentence.
Palma, 30, a national of Honduras, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 20, 2023. On March 2, 2026, a jury found Palma guilty of the drug trafficking and firearms offenses for which he was sentenced. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Palma possessed more than 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 200 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, other various controlled substances, a firearm, and ammunition. These items were found on April 11, 2023, when Oakland police searched Palma’s residence, where multiple children including two minors who appeared to be under the age of 10, were present.
Oakland Police Department officers searched Palma’s residence on April 11, 2023, after he was identified as a suspect in a violent home invasion in which multiple masked individuals forced their way into an Oakland residence and pistol-whipped two victims. A search of Palma’s cell phone and social media account uncovered evidence implicating Palma in the pistol-whipping. That evidence also showed Palma had been dealing drugs in Oakland and the Tenderloin of San Francisco for at least seven months prior to his arrest by federal law enforcement.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris made the announcement.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Tigar also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Buszin and Emily Dahlke prosecuted the case with the assistance of Kevin Costello. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, the Oakland Police Department, and the San Francisco Police Department.
Alien Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the CountryRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Heri Abelardo de Leon Garcia, 32, of Mexico, pled guilty on Tuesday, July 7, to one count of illegal reentry into the United States. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone made the announcement.
De Leon Garcia was arrested in 2012 for entering the country illegally and was subsequently deported. He was found in the country following a traffic stop in February 2026 and was arrested in May 2026.
“The previous administration’s failed border policies and weak approach to crime allowed countless illegal aliens to cross into our country,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “The American dream is alive and well—so much so that this defendant broke our laws twice to come here. We are a nation of immigrants, but those seeking to enter must follow the legal pathways. This defendant chose not to and will now serve a term of imprisonment before facing deportation.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony Patrone said, “After previously being removed from the United States, this individual chose to disregard our nation’s immigration laws by illegally reentering the country. HSI remains steadfast in working with our federal, state, and local partners to investigate, prosecute, and remove those who violate our laws in order to protect the public and uphold the integrity of our immigration system.”
Senior District Judge Frederick J. Scullin sentenced de Leon Garcia to two months’ imprisonment. Following his sentence, de Leon Garcia is subject to be deportation following his sentence.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Walter prosecuted the case.
Albany Man Sentenced to Five Years for ArsonRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Marcasey Ventour, age 28, of Albany, New York, was sentenced July 17, 2026, to five years in prison for starting a fire at the Samuel S. Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office made the announcement.
“Thanks to our partners at the Department of Veterans Affairs, this defendant will now spend the next five years in federal prison,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Mr. Ventour showed reckless disregard for both staff and the veterans receiving care when he started this fire, and now will be held accountable.”
“This case underscores the VA OIG’s commitment to protecting veterans, VA employees, and federal property,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “We will continue to pursue those who threaten the safety and integrity of VA facilities.”As part of his guilty plea, Ventour admitted to having started a fire in a restricted storage area that caused $77,490 in damage to the facility. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Ventour is also required to pay restitution and must serve a two-year term of post-release supervision.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Air Force Captain Convicted for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, man was convicted by a jury on July 17, 2026, for offenses arising from his illicit communications and conduct with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, United States Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Gabriel Perez, 31, of Eastampton, New Jersey, was convicted of attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene materials to a minor following a five-day jury trial that began on July 13, 2026 before United States District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court. Sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2026.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
In mid-August 2024, Perez, then a 29-year-old captain in the United States Air Force, communicated on an online social media platform with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. Within approximately 24 hours of learning the purported girl’s age, Perez expressed his interest in meeting her for sex. On August 28, 2024, Perez sent an obscene photograph of himself to the purported girl and arranged to meet her the next day to engage in unlawful sexual activity. On August 29, 2024, Perez drove to the pre‑arranged meeting location with condoms in his pocket and was arrested by law enforcement.
Perez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for his conviction for attempted enticement and coercion of a minor. He also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his conviction for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Each offense carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
United States Attorney Frazer credited law enforcement members with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ryan Gribble, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Eastampton Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Matt Belgiovine and Richard Shephard of the Criminal Division in Trenton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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perez.supersedingindictment.pdfDefense counsel: Ray Mateo, Esq.
17 July 2026
Ypsilanti man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child sexually abusive materialRead the Press Release
DETROIT – James Andrew Tallon, 42, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
From at least September 2023, until his arrest in February 2025, Tallon distributed thousands of images and videos containing child sexually abusive material to other subjects, including material that depicted infants and toddlers. The FBI’s investigation eventually showed that Tallon distributed child pornography to other subjects on every continent except for Antarctica.
Receipt and distribution of child pornography each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for first time offenders.
“If you sexually exploit children, expect to lose your freedom. This predator will spend the next 10 years in federal prison paying the price for his horrific crimes,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “This defendant distributed thousands of horrific images and videos depicting the abuse of infants and toddlers, perpetuating unimaginable harm to innocent children around the world. I am grateful for the relentless work of our Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force, whose dedication stopped this offender and protected children from further victimization. The FBI will continue using every available resource to identify, investigate, and bring to justice anyone who exploits our children.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Zurek and Sean King
Wethersfield Woman Charged with Sexually Coercing Minor She Met OnlineRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, announced that AMILY COLON, 31, of Wethersfield, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging her offenses related to her alleged sexual coercion of a minor she met online.
As alleged in court documents, Colon, who identified herself as “Alice,” initiated an online relationship with a 13-year-old boy in New York (the “minor victim”). Communicating primarily through the Discord app, the conversations became sexually explicit, and Colon coerced the minor victim to send her a sexually explicit video of himself. In turn, Colon sent sexually explicit images and videos of herself to the minor victim. On June 26, 2026, Colon traveled to Long Island, picked up the minor victim, brought him to her residence in Wethersfield, and attempted to engage in sexual activity. Colon drove the minor victim back to Long Island the next day, dropping him off a few blocks away from his home.
The criminal complaint charges Colon with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and with transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Each offense carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum of life.
Colon appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Haven Child Exploitation Task Force, the FBI’s Long Island Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Suffolk County (N.Y.) Police Department, with the assistance of the Wethersfield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis L. Beyerlein and Nancy V. Gifford.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for its assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Watertown Pharmaceutical Company to Pay Nearly $4.7 Million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – EyePoint, Inc., formerly EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (EyePoint), has agreed to pay $4,678,981 to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) to induce the ASCs to purchase its drug, DEXYCU. This scheme, the government alleges, violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
The government contends that EyePoint’s unlawful scheme took two forms between January 2019 and March 2023: illegal payments from EyePoint to ASCs through an “Assurance Program;” and illegal payments from EyePoint to ASCs via the provision of free DEXYCU samples.
The company, headquartered in Watertown, Mass., has admitted and accepted responsibility for the following facts. First, through its “Assurance Program,” EyePoint covered ASCs’ costs when federal insurance programs denied coverage of the drug, either by paying the ASCs cash or by providing them with free replacement DEXYCU. Second, EyePoint gave thousands of free samples to ASCs and the ASCs used the no-cost DEXYCU on patients whose commercial health insurance would not pay for the drug. The government alleges that EyePoint’s provision of no-cost samples induced ASCs to purchase and dispense DEXYCU reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE by eliminating the ASCs’ potential financial losses from commercial health insurers denying payment for DEXYCU.
“As we have for years, our Office will continue to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers accountable for paying illegal kickbacks,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Through these efforts, we protect patients by removing providers’ financial incentives to prescribe or dispense products that may not be medically necessary for the patient and protect the public from fraud, waste and abuse.”
“Kickbacks by pharmaceutical companies increase the cost of drugs used by patients and paid for by federal health care programs,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Civil Division will hold accountable anyone who pays unlawful kickbacks.”
“Pharmaceutical companies that attempt to boost profits through unlawful kickbacks undermine the integrity of federal health care programs and betray the patients who rely on them,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). We will aggressively pursue any entity that seeks to corrupt medical decision making and will not hesitate to hold them accountable.”
“As alleged, EyePoint’s unlawful scheme compromised safeguards meant to ensure that treatment decisions are made in the best interests of patients, not corporate profits,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “This settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting the integrity of taxpayer-funded health care programs, and we will use every enforcement tool available to address conduct that seeks to undermine those protections.”
In connection with the settlement, EyePoint entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Through separate agreements, Eyepoint will pay an additional $25,478 to certain participating states.
The claims against EyePoint were brought under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the FCA, private parties may sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The relator will receive $791,768.74 from the proceeds of the settlement. The lawsuit is captioned United States, et al. ex rel. AFCE, LLC v. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc., No 21-cv-120171.
U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Shumate, Acting Deputy IG Lampert and HHS-OIG SAC Coviello made the announcement today. This case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit and Trial Attorney Margaret F. Thomas of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section.
Venezuelan National Charged with Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Edixon Briceno Montilla was charged in a criminal complaint with the sexual exploitation of a minor. Montilla was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho and was ordered detained pending trial.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the arrest.
“As alleged, Montilla preyed on minors who he had access to, abused them for his own sexual gratification, and filmed their victimization,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Prosecuting those who victimize children is a priority for the Department of Justice, this Office, and our law enforcement partners.”
“Edixon Briceno Montilla’s alleged conduct represents a level of depravity that is difficult to put into words. As charged, he targeted innocent children entrusted to his proximity, sexually abused them for his own gratification, recorded that abuse, and did so while brazenly remaining in this country unlawfully — demonstrating a callous disregard for his young victims and the safety of our entire community. HSI New York is unwavering in our commitment to protecting vulnerable members of our communities from those who would exploit them, and we will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who targets children, wherever they may try to hide," stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.
As set forth in court filings and statements, Montilla was identified by law enforcement as the male adult who sexually abused a minor victim in a video depicting child sexual abuse that had circulated on the dark web. Law enforcement executed a judicially-authorized search warrant at Montilla’s residence in Brooklyn, New York, and recovered Montilla’s cellular telephone, which had additional videos that he had filmed and that depict his sexual abuse of another minor victim.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charge, the defendant faces a mandatary minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.
If you believe you were victimized by the defendant, or know someone who was, please contact the Homeland Security Investigations Tipline at 1-800-843-5678 or HSI Know2Protect: 1-833-591-5669.
This prosecution is 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Sussman is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
EDIXON BRICENO MONTILLA
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-142 (JRC)
montilla_complaint.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 111 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 111 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On July 11, Saul Castro Valenzuela was arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Castro Valenzuela was the captain of a white sport fishing vessel that was transporting 21 undocumented aliens. The vessel was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as it entered Mission Bay. Sixteen of the passengers had previously been ordered removed from the United States and were arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation.
- On July 12, Salvador Lopez Chee, a United States citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 131 pounds of cocaine in the walls of his Ford F-150 truck when he applied for entry into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On July 15, Hector Bejerano-Bejerano (aka Bejarano-Bejarano), a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents encountered the defendant 2.5 miles north of the border and 5 miles west of the Tecate Port of Entry. Bejerano-Bejerano has three prior felony immigration convictions.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, 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), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Adds 234 New Immigration Cases in Western District of Texas This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 234 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 10 through July 16, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, two illegal aliens were arrested as the result of a stash house disruption in El Paso on July 13. A criminal complaint alleges U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ysleta Border Patrol Station observed Jorge Lucero-Banda, an illegal alien from Mexico, and Diogenes Silva-Orozco, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, depart and later return to an apartment that had been under investigation for alien smuggling activities. A search of Silva-Orozco’s cell phone allegedly revealed numerous videos and photos depicting illegal aliens inside a separate residence where agents later encountered 14 illegal aliens. The complaint alleges Lucero-Banda served as a caretaker at the stash house as was paid $1,000 per week. Lucero-Banda and Silva-Orozco are charged with bringing in and harboring aliens.
Jorge Camacho-Olivas, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been previously deported eight times, allegedly attempted to enter the U.S. on Tuesday by eluding inspection from U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that the day after his most recent removal, CBP officers observed Camacho-Olivas moving on foot alongside a truck that was driving up to an inspection booth. He was then detained. Camacho-Olivas has a 15-year history of multiple illegal re-entry convictions and one conviction for alien smuggling.
Antonio Gomez-Raygoza, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested after he allegedly presented a copy of his Mexican Voters Registration Card to a CBP officer at the Paso Del Norte POE and claimed to be a U.S. citizen. A system query on his name revealed Gomez-Raygoza has been removed from the U.S. six times and has been convicted for illegal re-entry, auto theft and first-degree burglary.
An Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding and discovered the driver, Lester Josue Hernandez Flores, was an illegal alien from Honduras who has been previously removed from the U.S. six times. Hernandez was arrested and turned over to ICE custody. During an inventory search of Hernandez’s vehicle prior to impoundment, ACSO allegedly discovered a .45 caliber handgun with a magazine containing one round. Hernandez is now charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm and, if convicted, faces up to 10 years in federal prison with a maximum $250,000 fine.
Alfonso Landin Garcia, an illegal alien from Mexico, was transferred into ICE custody from the Bexar County Jail where he had been booked for evading arrest. Landin has three DUI convictions on his record and is now charged with illegal re-entry.
Also an illegal alien from Mexico, Efrain Dominguez Arenas aka Juan Hernandez Ramirez was transferred into ICE custody from the Bastrop County Jail. Dominguez has been removed from the U.S. six times and has three DWI convictions.
German Alejandro Contreras-Enamorado, an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Contreras-Enamorado has been deported three times and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in November 2020.
Illegal alien from Cuba, Yorman Reyes-Marin aka Mikel Rodriguez Masaguer, was arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Reyes-Marin was deported for the first time in October 2025 yet has a lengthy criminal record that includes multiple assault convictions, including one aggravated assault conviction, along with disorderly conduct and trespassing.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
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.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Two Essex County Men Charged in Fentanyl and Cocaine SeizureRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Essex County men were charged on Tuesday with trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine and firearm offenses in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Ramon Suero, 45, and Franklin Mambru, 39, both of Newark, New Jersey, were charged in a criminal complaint before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cari Fais in Newark federal court with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Suero is also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Suero and Mambru trafficked multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics out of a residential building in Newark, New Jersey. Following an investigation, on July 14, 2026, Suero and Mambru were arrested after law enforcement executed a search on the building. Narcotics were found throughout the building. Law enforcement recovered approximately 16 kilograms of fentanyl and 900 grams of cocaine during the search, some of which were in a hidden trap compartment that was operated remotely by key fobs. Law enforcement also recovered a firearm equipped with a large capacity magazine containing approximately 51 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition.
The counts charging Suero and Mambru with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine each carry a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million. The count charging Suero and Mambru with maintaining a drug-involved premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $500,000. The count charging Suero with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. Finally, the count charging Suero with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, which must be served consecutively to any sentence imposed, and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Botwinick of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel for Ramon Suero: Tatiana Nnaji, Esq.
Defense counsel for Franklin Mambru: Frederick R. Dunne, III, Esq.
sueroetal.complaint.pdfTwo Colombian Nationals Extradited from Colombia to West Michigan to Face Cocaine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that two Colombian nationals made their initial appearance in a federal court in Grand Rapids on Friday after they were extradited to the United States on Thursday.
According to the indictment, from November 2024 through June 24, 2025, Carlos Andres Rueda Ipia, also known as “Indio,” and Manuel Augusto Munoz Orozco, also known as “Gordo,” conspired with each other and other individuals to distribute and import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States from Colombia, and on March 13, 2025, distributed five kilograms or more of cocaine in Colombia, having reasonable cause to believe that the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
“We worked with our international law enforcement partners to extradite these two men to face justice here because we want to send this message: if you send drugs into our community, we will come for you no matter where you are,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey. “I look forward to proving the guilt of these two defendants before a West Michigan jury.”
If convicted, Rueda Ipia and Munoz Orozco face a mandatory minimum of ten years and up to life in prison.
“Let this be a warning, if you choose to traffic cocaine into the United States, you should expect to be hunted down, arrested, and brought into an American courtroom—no matter where you try to hide,” said DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon. “The DEA will relentlessly pursue transnational drug traffickers, dismantle their criminal enterprises, and ensure they face the full weight of the American justice system.”
“Drug trafficking on this scale crosses jurisdictions and international borders, and working with our federal and international partners is necessary to hold those responsible accountable,” said Kent County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Bryan Muir. “Having a KCSO detective assigned to the DEA Task Force gives us a direct role in these investigations, improves information sharing, and helps keep dangerous drugs out of West Michigan.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case, with domestic assistance from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Grand Rapids Police Department, and the Michigan State Police, as well as international assistance from DEA’s Offices in Bogota (Colombia) and Vienna (Austria), the Colombian National Police, the Austrian Bundeskriminalamt, and the Austrian Landeskriminalamt. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá and Office of International Affairs worked with the government of Colombia to secure the arrest and extradition of the defendants from Colombia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan McGraw is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historical interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.
The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Topeka sex offender sentenced for possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A convicted sex offender was sentenced to 151 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Joshua Craig Abel was also sentenced to five years in prison for a violation of supervised release. A federal judge ordered the sentences to run consecutive to one another.
According to court documents, a federal jury convicted Abel, 44, of Topeka of one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – possession of child pornography.
In April 2023, a person in the woods on private land found several storage containers covered with camouflage netting. Among the items in the containers were cellphones, computers, external hard drives, and mail addressed to Joshua Abel. Soon after the discovery, the contents were turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Forensic experts found over 28,000 images and 850 videos of CSAM.
Abel stood trial in December 2025, and a jury found him guilty.
Abel was previously convicted of distribution of child pornography in February of 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He was found to have distributed approximately 3,900 CSAM images in that case.
“After previously being prosecuted for distributing CSAM, Mr. Able tried to hide his stash of perverse material in the woods not caring that it could be stumbled upon by anyone,” said U.S Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Thankfully, a responsible person did the right thing by reporting the discovery to the proper authorities so this illegal activity could be brought to justice. If you see something, please say something to law enforcement.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.###
Three Nashua Residents Arrested for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, in New Hampshire Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
Three Nashua Residents Arrested for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, in New Hampshire Homeland Security Task Force Investigation
CONCORD – Three individuals from Nashua have been charged with trafficking controlled substances, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Rony Guzman-Encarnacion, 31, and Sabrina Cespedes, 27, both of Nashua, were arrested on a complaint yesterday and charged with distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, as well as conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Bryan Guzman, 24, also of Nashua, was arrested yesterday and charged with distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
According to charging documents and statements, Guzman-Encarnacion and Cespedes sold methamphetamine to law enforcement in a controlled drug purchase. Guzman is alleged to have sold fentanyl pills to law enforcement in a controlled drug purchase.
The details in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charging statute provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. 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.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Major Offender Task Force is leading the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hudson Police Department, Nashua Police Department, and New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasir Sadat is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.
Tennessee Woman Charged with Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Memphis woman with preparing false tax returns for others and willfully failing to file her own tax returns.
According to the indictment, between 2021 and 2024, Lynette Hogue prepared and filed with the IRS false and fraudulent income tax returns for clients of the tax preparation business where she worked. These tax returns allegedly contained false and fraudulent items, which generated refunds the clients were not entitled to receive.
According to the indictment, Hogue willfully failed to file her own tax returns for these same years, even though she earned substantial income from her tax return preparation business and was required to file by law.
Hogue is charged with 29 counts of willfully aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of false tax returns and four counts of willfully failing to file a tax return. If convicted, she faces up to three years in prison for each false return count and one year in prison for each count of failing to file a tax return.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.
Trial Attorneys Isaiah Boyd III and Matthew C. Hicks of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section 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.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Tennessee Woman Charged with Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Memphis woman with preparing false tax returns for others and willfully failing to file her own tax returns.
According to the indictment, between 2021 and 2024, Lynette Hogue prepared and filed with the IRS false and fraudulent income tax returns for clients of the tax preparation business where she worked. These tax returns allegedly contained false and fraudulent items, which generated refunds the clients were not entitled to receive.
According to the indictment, Hogue willfully failed to file her own tax returns for these same years, even though she earned substantial income from her tax return preparation business and was required to file by law.
Hogue is charged with 29 counts of willfully aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of false tax returns and four counts of willfully failing to file a tax return. If convicted, she faces up to three years in prison for each false return count and one year in prison for each count of failing to file a tax return.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.
Trial Attorneys Isaiah Boyd III and Matthew C. Hicks of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section 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.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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CRM
26-806
If you have questions, please use the contacts in the message or call the Office of Public Affairs at 202-514-2007.
Tallahassee Man Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal Prison for Communicating Threats to Injure ChildrenRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Demetrius Alpha Omega Murray, 33, has been sentenced to 64 months in federal prison as a result of his guilty plea to six-counts of interstate communication of threats to injure children. The threats caused the lockdown of three Tallahassee-area public schools, and the closing of the campuses on several other area public and private schools. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the quick investigative work by our local law enforcement partners, this dangerous individual was caught before he could act on the dangerous criminal threats he made, and this successful prosecution by my office ensures he will be kept behind bars where he belongs for several years. Anyone who makes violent criminal threats, especially directed toward innocent children, will face aggressive prosecution by my office.”
Court records show that on November 14, 2025, the defendant made contact with representatives of a California law firm that was attempting to collect the defendant’s defaulted business loan. During the contact, which included multiple telephone calls and emails, the defendant threatened to commit a school shooting if the firm continued its collection efforts, directing his threats at students at Kate Sullivan Elementary School. The threats were accompanied by a video that the defendant recorded as he sat in a parked vehicle beside the school playground, during which he directed his threats towards children playing nearby and brandished a 9-millimeter handgun to illustrate his threats were serious.
The threats to commit violence were quickly relayed to law enforcement in the Tallahassee area, including the Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff’s Office, resulting in the lockdown of Kate Sullivan Elementary School, as well as Cobb Middle School and Leon High School, both of which are located in close proximity. Investigators were quickly able to locate the defendant in Gadsden County, where he was taken into custody by the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office. Murray admitted to investigators he had made the telephonic and email threats and directed officers to the location of the handgun he had been pictured with earlier. Investigators recovered the handgun, which matched the weapon pictured during the video he had recorded while parked beside the Kate Sullivan playground.
“When someone threatens violence against our schools, we respond immediately and with every available resource,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. “These cases create real fear for students, parents, and educators, and we will continue working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. I am incredibly grateful for the collaborative efforts that led to this sentence.”
As part of the sentence, upon release Murray will be required to serve three years on supervised release and undergo mental health evaluation and treatment.
The case was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K Mountin.
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.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Two Civil Complaints Filed in the Southern District of Mississippi as Part of National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi announces the filing of two civil enforcement actions against four defendants seeking civil and monetary penalties for their violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention Control Action of 1970 (“Controlled Substances Act” or “CSA”). The two civil complaints filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“These cases demonstrate that we will hold accountable those who exploit the rules implemented to protect against the diversion of opioids,” said U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger. “Our office is committed to working with state and federal law enforcement partners to prosecute those who contribute to prescription drug abuse and health care fraud.”
The charges announced by U.S. Attorney Kruger are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. The Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: charges in 56 federal districts and involving 45 U.S. states and territories, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a $1.2 billion telemedicine scheme. Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; seize over $182 million in cash, houses, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and provide full spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
The Southern District of Mississippi, in particular, worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate and pursue these cases filed during the Takedown:
According to the filed civil complaint, defendant Clint’s Pharmacy, formerly owned and operated by defendant Clint Bane, located in Brookhaven, Mississippi, could not account for 11,853 controlled substance pills following on-site regulatory inspections. Each unaccounted pill constitutes a CSA recordkeeping violation. The United States alleges two claims: (1) refusal to comply with CSA record-keeping requirements, which carries a penalty of up to $19,246 for each violation and (2) unlawful dispensing of a controlled substance, which carries a penalty of up to $82,950 for each violation. This case is being handled by James E. Graves, III of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
The United States alleges in a second complaint, that defendant Rommel Asagwara, age 42, of Kansas City, Missouri, and owner of Lemmor Holdings, LLC d/b/a Dream Weight Clinic, negligently dispensed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice. As alleged in the complaint, Asagwara, while operating Dream Weight Clinic, failed to keep controlled substances at the registered location and failed to maintain adequate records and inventory of over 433,000 controlled substances. The United States is seeking over $8 billion for each of the 433,000 unaccounted for pills and other CSA violations. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha Middleton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown are available on the Department’s website here.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Third Georgia Man Sentenced for Pharmacy Burglary and Possesion of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – On July 16, 2026, a Riverdale, Georgia man was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment for his role in a pharmacy burglary and possession of stolen firearms.
According to documents and information presented to the court, Brian Garland, 35, and his two co-defendants, Glenn McDowell and Octavious Franklin, traveled from Georgia to Biloxi, Mississippi, where two of them broke into a pharmacy and stole multiple types of controlled substances, while the third acted as the getaway driver. In addition, they stole several firearms from the pharmacy before traveling back to Georgia.
Garland and his co-defendants were ultimately identified by law enforcement because in addition to the controlled substances and firearms, the defendants stole an old wallet belonging to the pharmacy owner. While on their way back to Georgia, Garland and his co-defendants attempted to use the pharmacy owner’s bank/credit cards to purchase gas at a gas station in Alabama. But, the cards did not work. Instead, they used one of Garland’s debit cards and then discarded the pharmacy owner’s wallet.
A good Samaritan found the pharmacy owner’s wallet, contacted the pharmacy owner, and made sure the wallet was returned to him. Within the wallet, the pharmacy owner found Garland’s debit card. Surveillance footage from the gas station allowed law enforcement to identify Garland and his co-defendants. The footage also tied them to the pharmacy burglary based on their clothing. Finally, law enforcement officers were able to obtain electronic evidence from multiple cell phones that tied all of the defendants to the offenses.
McDowell was previously sentenced to 169 months imprisonment. Franklin was also sentenced to 169 months imprisonment. All the Defendants were also ordered to pay over $80,000.00 in restitution to the victims of the offense.
U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge, John Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Biloxi Police Department, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.
Stash house operator convicted in smuggling for ransom schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Bacliff resident has been convicted of kidnapping and hostage taking as well as harboring an illegal alien and conspiracy to do so.
The federal jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict against Cameron Jake Tucker following a three-day trial.
The investigation began May 14, 2025, after authorities responded to reports of an illegal alien who had escaped a Houston stash house, without shoes, money, a cellphone, and identification, alleging he had been held against his will.
At trial, the jury heard how Tucker assaulted the illegal alien with a revolver after his family could not pay additional smuggling fees, then confined him in a bedroom closet. The victim later escaped through a second-story window and led authorities to the stash house.
Tucker attempted to flee by running out the back door and climbing over a fence, but authorities soon apprehended him. A search of the residence revealed four firearms, including the revolver.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that the victim fabricated the events in an attempt to obtain immigration benefits, despite the fact that the victim did not receive any immigration benefits and was removed to Mexico. The jury did not believe these claims and found Tucker guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner presided over trial and set sentencing for Oct. 15. At that time, Tucker faces up to life imprisonment in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Tucker has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Hostetter and Jay Hileman are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Smithfield man pleads guilty to illegally selling the firearm used in the campus shooting at Old Dominion UniversityRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, pled guilty today to dealing in firearms without a license in connection with the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU), and with three counts of making false statements during purchases of firearms.
On March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, committed a terrorist shooting at ODU in Norfolk during an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) class, killing one victim and wounding two more.
According to court documents, a review of Jalloh’s cellphone revealed that one of the phone numbers most frequently contacted in the week prior to the shooting was Chapman’s, with the most recent call occurring minutes before the shooting. Law enforcement searched Chapman’s residence on March 13 and located ammunition consistent with ammunition used in the firearm recovered from the ODU shooting. The serial number of the firearm was partially altered or obliterated. Chapman stole the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News a year before the ODU shooting and sold it to Jalloh the night before the shooting.
USAO EDVA USAO EDVAJalloh was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. As a previously convicted felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition, according to court documents, in 2021, Chapman purchased three firearms that were recovered from crime scenes shortly afterward. Two were recovered from the scene of a homicide and another was recovered from a public intoxication arrest.
Chapman is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18 and faces up to 35 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Gantt and Luke Bresnahan are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-34.
Significant federal prison sentences handed down for drug- and firearm-related chargesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: Three Savannah men have been sentenced to prison following firearm- and drug-related plea agreements.
The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. They include:
- Lafayette Wright Jr., 38, of Savannah, was sentenced to 190 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin. Court documents and testimony show that in June 2024, Wright attempted to mail a package through the U.S. Postal Service which contained 1,988 grams of heroin. U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted the package in transit from Phoenix to Port Wentworth, Georgia. During the investigation, fingerprints were discovered within the package and still-photo images identified Wright as the individual who mailed the package.
- Aquille Omar Johnson, 32, of Savannah, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and a $1,200 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. In March 2024, Savannah Police attempted to execute a search warrant of Johnson’s residence along with an arrest warrant for Johnson when he fled and attempted to discard a Glock .40 caliber pistol. The search warrant resulted in the discovery of another firearm, a Bonito 12-gauge shotgun along with multiple rounds of ammunition, as well as 448 grams of cocaine in the defendant’s room at his residence.
- James Adkins, 28, of Savannah, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and a $1,200 fine followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In July 2025, Savannah Police responded to a shoplifting call at a Savannah-area Kroger supermarket and approached the defendant as the person matching the description provided by witnesses. Adkins attempted to flee and during the foot pursuit discarded a Ruger 9 mm pistol before surrendering to law enforcement officers.
There is no parole in the federal system. Under federal law, it is prohibited for previously convicted felons to possess firearms or ammunition.
“These sentences demonstrate the commitment this office and our law enforcement partners take to safeguard our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Drugs and guns are a threat to neighborhoods far and wide; and those who endanger the public will face significant consequences for their crimes.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Savannah Police Department assisted in the investigation of these cases. These cases were prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley R. Thompson, John P. Harper III, Ryan E. Bondura, L. Alexander Hamner, and Makeia R. Jonese.
Shooter Gets 22 Years in Prison for June 2020 Killing of Father of FourRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jamil Whitley, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in D.C. Superior Court for the shooting death of 32-year-old Kevin Redd on June 11, 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Whitley was found guilty by a jury on May 12, 2026, on one count of second-degree murder while armed, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of carrying a pistol without a license, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The Honorable Danya Dayson sentenced Whitley to 22 years and six months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. In its sentencing memorandum, the government asked the court for the top of the guidelines, which is 35 years and four months.
“Unfortunately, the sentence imposed today does not reflect the severe harm suffered by the four young children who will now grow up without their father,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “His actions caused extraordinary damage, and my office sought a substantially longer sentence because the brutality of this crime demanded it. The impact on Mr. Redd’s family—especially his children—will last a lifetime, underscoring that violent conduct of this magnitude deserves the strongest response our justice system can deliver. Whitley’s murder of Kevin Redd, a father of four, left a hole in our community that can never be repaired.”
According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of June 11, 2020, the victim, Kevin Redd, stopped at the Shell Gas Station located at 4321 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE. The gas station surveillance video captured Whitley arriving three minutes earlier as the passenger of a vehicle. The surveillance video captured both Whitley and Redd speaking to each other. Eventually, Whitley returned to the vehicle and was driven from the gas station while Redd remained.
Thirteen minutes later, Whitley returned to the gas station wearing a surgical mask. Whitley exited the vehicle and approached Redd, then returned to his car with the victim following behind him. Whitley entered the driver’s door and quickly pulled a small object from his pants. As the victim entered the passenger door the defendant sped off causing a vehicle to swerve to avoid hitting him and entered the alley leading to the rear of 4722 Jay Street, N.E. Seconds later, two gunshots rang out and Whitley was captured on surveillance video fleeing the area. Redd was found by responding officers, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
Whitley was arrested on August 25, 2021, and has been in custody since.
Joining the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro, Assistant Director Cox and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
They also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle D. Jackson and Negar Kordestani, who prosecuted the case.
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Seattle real estate investor sentenced to 20 months in prison for $4.7 million tax evasion schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 70-year-old Seattle real estate owner was sentenced late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20 months in prison for six counts of tax evasion and six counts of filing false tax returns, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Steven T. Loo was convicted following a nine-day jury trial in June and July 2025. The jury found that Loo failed to report income of more than $4.7 million. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Lauren King imposed a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release to follow the prison term.
“Mr. Loo made a sustained, willful decision to evade taxes. The only thing that explains that is greed,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “A man who amasses $43 million in wealth can afford to pay his taxes -- just like the 85% of us who pay our taxes fully and on time.”
“While many small business owners strive for financial security, Mr. Loo spent years deliberately evading taxes to increase his personal wealth,” said Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “This outcome ensures he is held accountable and required to meet his tax obligations.”
According to records in the case and testimony at trial, Loo had an ownership interest in, and operated, multiple commercial real estate properties, in western Washington and California. Loo hired property management companies to manage the properties. Loo had the property management companies send profits from the properties to two bank accounts in the name of shell companies he controlled. Loo spent this money for his benefit and that of his family and friends, and also re-invested funds in various businesses he controlled. However, Loo did not declare that income -- over $4.7 million -- on his tax returns. Loo used shell companies and repeated transfers of funds to conceal the income from the IRS.
At trial, the government presented evidence detailing the eight properties operated by Loo via various limited liability companies (LLCs). The income from the LLCs was funneled into bank accounts associated with two specific inactive entities that were established in Washington in 1999. Loo did not report this income to the IRS. Loo failed to inform his tax return preparer of these funds that were income from his properties.
In fact, when his tax returns over a twenty-year period are viewed in totality, Loo claimed he owed no tax at all and claimed a net refund from the IRS. Prosecutors asked for a 51-month sentence saying Loo’s motivation was simple: greed. “Loo is living the American dream yet believes he has no obligation to pay the taxes that support our nation. Loo was not content with merely failing to report his income. Instead, he contrived a plan to hide his wealth from the IRS using shell companies and money-routing schemes. When Loo’s luck ran out and an IRS criminal investigator knocked on his door, he continued his deception by trotting out a fairy tale about using imaginary losses to offset his income.”
In addition to the prison sentence and $250,000 fine, Judge King ordered Loo to pay prosecution expenses of about $5,300.
Loo has already paid back taxes to the IRS of $1,603,686.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mike Dion and Sean Waite for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Regina Jeon of the Department of Justice Criminal Division.
Santa Fe Woman Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Prison for Embezzling from Her EmployerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Santa Fe woman was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Santa Fe electrical company.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, from approximately May 2017 through April 2020, Charity Felch, 48, embezzled at least $385,930 from her employer, Rodeo Electrical Services, by fraudulently paying herself and her husband, using company funds for personal expenses, and concealing the theft through fraudulent financial transactions. Felch also engaged in bank fraud by tendering fraudulent checks and committed aggravated identity theft and access device fraud by using another person's identifying information and financial accounts without authorization.
Felch exploited a position of trust granted by the owner of Rodeo Electrical Services, who had provided her employment and housing. The scheme nearly drove the company into financial ruin, delayed the victim's retirement plans, and caused significant financial, emotional, and physical hardship.
After pleading guilty to five counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud, Felch continued to engage in deceptive conduct while on pretrial release. Court records show she repeatedly provided false information about her employment to Pretrial Services, the U.S. Probation Office, and the Court. A federal judge found her testimony regarding her employment history not credible and concluded that she had provided false information to supervising officers over an extended period.
Felch was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $385,930.19 in restitution to the victim. In imposing the 111-month sentence, which was at the top of the advisory guideline range, the Court cited the seriousness of Felch's conduct and the need to deter others from committing similar fraud offenses.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Office Fred J. Federici prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office brought a separate civil forfeiture action on April 15, 2022, seeking to forfeit assets seized in November 2021. Litigation in the civil proceedings is ongoing.
Registered Sex Offender Found Guilty of Attempting to Entice a Minor for SexRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – David A. Girard, 70, of Robertsdale, Alabama, was found guilty by a jury in federal court of attempted enticement of a minor, traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of illicit sexual conduct, and committing a felony involving a minor while being a registered sex offender. The conviction was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This repeat sex offender has clearly shown that the only way to ensure the safety of our kids from his sexual predations is to keep him locked behind bars. The threats our kids face online are growing, but our excellent law enforcement partners are up to the task to stay one step ahead of predators, like this defendant, who seek to sexually exploit and victimize children. For our part, my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to ensure these sick individuals are removed from our communities for as long as possible.”
Evidence at trial demonstrated that in October 2025, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with other law enforcement partners, conducted an undercover operation directed at identifying people who were soliciting minors online for sex. On October 17, 2025, the defendant began talking with someone he believed was a fourteen-year-old child. He told the purported child the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the child and arranged a meeting location in Pensacola, Florida. When the defendant traveled to meet the purported child at the agreed upon location, he was arrested by law enforcement. Electronic evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant confirmed the defendant had, in fact, talked to the person he believed was a child and traveled to meet him.
Girard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, on Count 1, and up to 30 years’ imprisonment on Count 2. Girard faces a mandatory 10-year term of imprisonment on Count 3 consecutive to any sentence imposed on Count 1.
This conviction was the result of an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Thomas S.P. Geeker.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.