title: German national stationed in Northern Virginia sentenced for receiving child sexual abuse material from the BitTorrent file-sharing network

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A German national, who worked in an IT position for the German military’s U.S. outpost in Northern Virginia, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison for downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Peter Markus Kuttke, 49, a German national residing in Reston, pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to receiving CSAM. According to court documents, law enforcement learned that CSAM files were available for download on Bit-Torrent, a file-sharing network, from a user with an IP address associated with Kuttke’s residence. On Dec. 1, 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Kuttke’s home and recovered electronic devices that contained evidence of Kuttke’s offenses, including a device with numerous CSAM videos and images. Forensic analysis further confirmed that Kuttke had downloaded CSAM from BitTorrent, including videos depicting adults sexually assaulting prepubescent children. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement. HSI investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadia Prinz, a Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-245.


title: Polk County Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years for Child Pornography

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Polk County, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing and distributing child pornography, and for being a registered sex offender at the time that crime was committed. Merle Glenn Daniels, Jr., 46, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 20 years for his conviction for receipt and distribution of child pornography, and 10 years for his conviction for being a registered sex offender at the time he committed the offense. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively for a total sentence of 30 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Daniels to 15 years of supervised release following incarceration. Daniels has prior Greene County, Mo., convictions for statutory rape and statutory sodomy involving a 14-year-old victim, which require him to register as a sex offender. On May 9, 2024, Daniels pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography and to being a registered sex offender at the time the crime was committed. Daniels admitted that he was a registered sex offender and used text messages to impersonate a minor so he could exchange sexually explicit texts, images, and videos with the minor victim in November and December of 2022. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo. Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Polk County, Mo. Sheriff’s Office, the Springfield, Mo. Police Department, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Dog Fighting

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, with the final three months to be served in community confinement, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing animals for use in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. John D. Murphy, of Hanson, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. He was indicted by a federal grand jury last year after being identified on recorded calls discussing dog fighting and subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts which revealed a long involvement in dog fighting. Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Murphy’s Hanson residence in June 2023 and seized numerous items — like various breeding and training devices and literature and medical and veterinary supplies — associated with dog fighting. USDA-OIG Photos of dogs running on treadmills found in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. USDA-OIG Photo of dog fighting paraphernalia, including break sticks, seized in Murphy’s basement; from sentencing memo in United States v. John Murphy, 24-cr-10074 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. “Dog fighting is a brutal and inhumane form of entertainment and is associated with other organized criminal activity, including illegal gambling,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to holding violators accountable. We commend the collaboration between federal and multiple state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting this case.” “Dogfighting is a blood sport rooted in cruelty and greed. For years, Mr. Murphy brutalized defenseless animals for profit and sport – training them to fight, suffer and die for his own financial gain. His actions were not only illegal but deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “This sentencing marks a historic moment in the first federal dogfighting conviction in Massachusetts and serves as a stark warning: those who engage in this barbaric practice will be exposed, prosecuted and punished. We will not tolerate animal cruelty in our communities.” “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General. To report animal fighting crimes, please contact your local law enforcement or the USDA’s Office of Inspector General complaint hotline at: https://usdaoig.oversight.gov/hotline or 1-800-424-9121. The USDA’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; USMS; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the police departments of Hanson, Boston and Acton. Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danial E. Bennett and Kaitlin J. Brown for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.


title: Two Time Federal Felon Sentenced to 151 Months in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A male who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl pills after previously being convicted of a federal firearms crime was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison. Ian Michael Bonnette, age 45, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 30, 2024 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Evidence at the sentencing hearing demonstrated that in addition to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, defendant had many woman over to his home and provided them free methamphetamine in exchange for sex. Many of these women were homeless and with limited resources and defendant took advantage of them due to his financial position. The evidence also showed that defendant threatened a female with a knife over drugs he believes were stolen from him. Bonnette was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Bonnette was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Bonnette 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 Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-01012. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Coon Rapids Felon Indicted on Drug Trafficking, Firearm Charges

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Otis Burks of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, has been indicted for multiple drug trafficking and firearms offenses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on March 12, 2025, Otis Dair Burks, 43, was found in possession of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base, and a Smith & Wesson 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Because Burks has prior felony convictions, including for aggravated robbery and kidnapping, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. “Narcotics poison our communities and firearms continue to plague our streets with unfortunate—often deadly—consequences for all involved,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Burks has a history of violent crime, and we are thankful for our law enforcement partners for bringing him to justice. Minnesota is safer with Burks off the streets.” “Today’s indictment is the first step toward removing a violent, drug trafficking criminal from our community,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “No good can come from a combination of fentanyl, cocaine and firearms. Too often, weapons are used to further drug trafficking which in turn, robs people of their money, and also potentially, their lives. We’re grateful to our law enforcement partners for their assistance in removing this threat from our Minnesota streets.” The indictment charges Burks with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl, one count of illegal possession of a firearm as a felon, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty on April 10, 2025. This case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two Jamestown women charged in separate complaints with narcotics conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Sabrina Flores a/k/a Notorious Marie, 24, and Sandra Pavlock a/k/a Sondra L. Pavlock, 45, both of Jamestown, NY, were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, Flores and Pavlock have been identified by law enforcement as associates of Zaid Mendoza, who, along with others, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of narcotics conspiracy and sex trafficking. Search warrants executed on Facebook accounts recovered multiple conversations between Flores and Zaid, Pavlock and Zaid, and others, discussing drug trafficking and sex trafficking activities. Flores and Pavlock conversed with Zaid and others regarding the sale and use of narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl, in the Jamestown area. The complaints are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Large Check Fraud Scheme Leader Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Tianna Cosby, aka “Mendoza,” 24, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, to 114 months in federal prison. In October 2024, Cosby pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentencing with Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) – Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Woodson, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG) – Mid Atlantic Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department. According to the guilty plea, beginning in March 2021, and continuing through at least August 2021, Cosby conspired with Marche Sisco, 26, of Suitland, Maryland; Tommi Cosby, 21, of District Heights, Maryland; Biniah Carter, 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; and Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 22, of Bowie, Maryland, in a wide-ranging fraud conspiracy. Co-conspirators defrauded financial institutions by stealing checkds from the mail, altering and falsifying those checks, and then depositing the altered checks with financial institutions. The conspiracy victimized more than 900 individuals, stealing more than 700 checks, totaling a face value of more than $5 million. Tianna Cosby, the leader of the conspiracy, acquired checks by stealing them from USPS collection boxes or receiving them from Sisco, who stole checks from the Washington Network Distribution Center (NDC), located in Capitol Heights, Maryland. The NDC was a USPS facility responsible for sorting and distributing mail from across the United States. After the checks were procured, Tianna Cosby, Tommi Cosby, Sisco, Carter, and Adeduwon recruited and caused the recruitment of account mules; collected banking information and the account mules’ identification; transferred and exchanged the banking information and the account mules’ identification; and used, transferred, and possessed the identity theft victims’ identification. The co-conspirators also altered personal and business checks to reflect payments to account mules; deposited altered and fraudulent checks into bank accounts belonging to account mules; and obtained proceeds from altered and fraudulent checks by engaging in various monetary transactions to withdraw the proceeds, including through ATM cash withdrawals and peer-to-peer financial transfers. Tianna Cosby then laundered the fraud proceeds by having them sent to intermediary bank accounts that the co-conspirators controlled, allowing her to conceal the nature, source, and destination of the fraud proceeds. The lead conspirator then had the money transferred to business accounts she controlled, including a Bank of America account in the name of “Santos Detailing,” and a Bank of America account in the name of “Spectrum Dynamics.” Both Santos Detailing and Spectrum Dynamics were shell companies that Tianna Cosby opened for the purpose of laundering fraud proceeds. On January 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Tianna Cosby’s residence in Woodbridge, Virginia. Inside the residence, authorities recovered 27 designer handbags and 14 pieces of jewelry, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and a wristwatch. The jewelry and the designer handbags were purchased with proceeds from the fraud scheme. The jewelry and designer handbags were subsequently professionally appraised and had a combined fair-market value of approximately $137,555, consisting of approximately $113,065 in designer handbags and approximately $24,490 in jewelry. Additionally, law enforcement located a BMW i8, which Tianna Cosby had purchased for $114,296.02. Inside the BMW i8, law enforcement recovered a Louis Vuitton bag containing 151 checks stolen from the mail, totaling approximately $610,788.08. The checks belonged to victims from across the country. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the USPIS, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Prince George’s Police Department Strategic Investigations Division – Financial Crimes Unit for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bijon A. Mostoufi, Ranganath Manthripragada, Elizabeth G. Wright, and John D’Amico, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber, who supported the case. If you have questions about this case, contact the Mega Victim Case Assistance Program (MCAP) toll free 1-(844) 527-5299 (Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern), or send an email to USAEO.MCAP@usdoj.gov . For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud .


title: Junction City Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Repeatedly Possessing and Distributing Child Pornography

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.—A Junction City, Oregon man with two prior child pornography convictions was sentenced to federal prison today for repeatedly possessing and distributing child pornography online. Christopher Lyn Sparks, 59, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. According to court documents, in 2006 and 2013, Sparks was convicted of federal child pornography charges and violating the terms of his supervised release. In November 2023, following his second release from prison, Sparks was required to serve a lifetime term of supervised release. In May 2024, officers with the Portland Police Bureau alerted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents to a series of CyberTipline reports related to child sex abuse material from several online social media and messaging platforms including Google, X (formerly Twitter), Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok. Investigators traced multiple accounts from those CyberTips to Sparks and learned he had resumed distributing child sexual abuse material online through these platforms while still under federal supervision. An HSI agent, posing as a person interested in these materials, contacted Sparks through his Telegram account. Sparks exchanged messages with the agent and discussed sexually exploiting children. The agent discovered that Sparks was openly offering to trade and advertising child pornography using his Telegram account. On June 11, 2024, Sparks was arrested after agents executed a federal search warrant and seized his phone, which contained child pornography. On July 9, 2024, Sparks was charged by criminal information with possessing and distributing child pornography. On December 11, 2024, he pleaded guilty to both charges. This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the FBI and the Portland Police Bureau. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org . Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Mexican man pleads guilty to illegal re-entry

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Abraham Ulises Jimenez-Licona, 38, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to reentry of removed alien. Jimenez-Licona was then sentenced to serve six months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Henning and Sasha Mascarenhas, who handled the case, stated that in May 2012, Jimenez-Licona was ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge in Batavia, NY. In addition to the May 2012, removal, he was also ordered removed and was subsequently removed in 2021 following a violent assault. On February 6, 2025, Jimenez-Licona was found in the Town of Amherst, NY. The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy. # # # #


title: ISIS Supporter Sentenced to Over 19 Years in Prison for Recruiting for ISIS, Obstruction, and Attempting to Flee Justice

body_text: A Brooklyn woman, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, 30, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced today to serve 230 months in prison for three separately charged crimes: conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization; obstructing justice while released on bail pending sentencing; and failing to appear for court as required when she attempted to flee the United States. Ceasar pleaded guilty to the material support charge in February 2017, to the obstruction of justice charge in March 2019 , and to the failure to appear charge in October 2022. “Today’s re-sentencing marks the end of a righteous journey that began a decade ago,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Terrorist organizations like ISIS rely on recruiters like Ceasar to attract, indoctrinate, and enlist new followers. The Department is committed to holding accountable those who seek to follow a similar path. Today was made possible by our prosecutors, staff, and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. We are grateful for their tireless pursuit of justice in this case.” “With today’s sentence, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, an unrepentant ISIS recruiter, will be incarcerated for a significant period of time to protect Americans here and abroad from her violent extremism,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York. “Even after pleading guilty to providing material support to ISIS, the defendant continued to support terrorists, obstructed justice and fled from prosecution. This office, together with the FBI, the NYPD, and all the members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, works tirelessly to pursue and hold accountable all those who support terrorism.” “Ceasar pleaded guilty to helping ISIS, yet she continued on the same path by communicating with other ISIS supporters, “said Assistant Director David J. Scott of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Her actions demonstrate a failure to truly accept responsibility for her actions, and she ultimately cut off her electronic monitoring device and went on the run. Ceasar’s efforts failed and with today’s sentencing she is being held accountable for her criminal actions.” Between January 2016 and November 2016, Ceasar used numerous social media accounts to praise, promote, and support ISIS and violent jihad and to disseminate ISIS propaganda. Ceasar posted under a variety of names, including her nom de guerre, or war name, “Umm Nutella,” which translates to “Mother of Nutella.” Ceasar developed contacts with ISIS members overseas, recruited individuals in the United States to travel overseas to join and fight for ISIS, and used her contacts with ISIS facilitators to attempt to help at least five people from the United States join ISIS abroad. Ceasar also expressed her own desire to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to join the group and die as a martyr. In November 2016, Ceasar was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as she prepared to board an international flight, which was to be the first leg of her journey to join ISIS. Ceasar pleaded guilty in February 2017 to conspiring to provide material support and resources to ISIS and agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigations of ISIS members and supporters. In April 2018, Ceasar was released on bail, subject to court-ordered conditions of release. However, she violated those conditions, and her cooperation agreement with the government, by reconnecting with individuals she had identified to the government as supporters of ISIS. Ceasar attempted to conceal these communications from the government and the court, attempted to delete more than 1,000 electronic communications, and lied to the government about her conduct. The court revoked Ceasar’s bail in July 2018. Ceasar pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding in March 2019. In June 2019, the late U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein sentenced Ceasar to 48 months in prison for the material support and obstruction offenses, and the government appealed. In August 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the sentence imposed by Judge Weinstein, calling it “shockingly low, and unsupportable as a matter of law,” and sent the case back to the district court for resentencing. While the appeal was pending, however, Ceasar completed serving this 48-month sentence in July 2020, and began serving an eight-year term of supervised release. Almost immediately after her release, Ceasar began to repeatedly violate the conditions of her supervision by downloading and using phone apps that she failed to report to the Probation Department, recontacting and communicating with ISIS supporters, soliciting funds from ISIS supporters, communicating with convicted felons, using extremist language, and deleting the evidence of her violations of these conditions of supervision. In August 2021, after the Second Circuit issued its decision remanding her case for resentencing, Ceasar fled. On the day she was scheduled to appear before the Court, Ceasar removed her ankle bracelet location monitoring device, and fled New York City on a cross-country bus trip to New Mexico, setting off a nationwide fugitive investigation that led to her arrest in New Mexico two days later. The evidence established that Ceasar intended to escape the United States and travel to Russia, and that, while fleeing, she used an internet-based messaging application to contact an individual in Afghanistan to seek assistance to travel there. She sought assistance from the individual in Afghanistan in the hours after ISIS Khorasan carried out a bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that killed hundreds, including 13 members of the U.S. Armed Forces. In connection with her flight from prosecution, Ceasar ultimately pleaded guilty to her third separate felony offense, a charge of failing to appear before the court as required, in October 2022. After being returned to custody at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to await sentencing, Ceasar routinely violated Bureau of Prisons institutional rules, circumvented telephone and email monitoring and use restrictions, and continued to communicate and associate with other ISIS supporters. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian C. Richardson, currently of the National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew D. Reich of the Eastern District of New York’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.


title: German National Stationed in Northern Virginia Sentenced for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material from the BitTorrent File-Sharing Network

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A German national, who worked in an IT position for the German military’s United States outpost in northern Virginia, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison for downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Peter Markus Kuttke, 49, a German national residing in Reston, pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to receiving CSAM. According to court documents, law enforcement learned that CSAM files were available for download on Bit-Torrent, a file-sharing network, from a user with an IP address associated with Kuttke’s residence. On Dec. 1, 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Kuttke’s home and recovered electronic devices that contained evidence of Kuttke’s offenses, including a device with numerous CSAM videos and images. Forensic analysis further confirmed that Kuttke had downloaded CSAM from BitTorrent, including videos depicting adults sexually assaulting prepubescent children. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C made the announcement. HSI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Buffalo man pleads guilty to conspiracy to steal mail

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Eric Michael Robinson, 33, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to commit mail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that in October 2024, Robinson conspired with co-defendants Lamor Runell Bolden and Antonio Jones, Jr. to steal mail from mail receptacles in Cheektowaga, NY. In addition, the defendants also possessed a key used to open authorized mail receptacles. Robinson drove Bolden and Jones to a mail facility in Cheektowaga at approximately 1:00 a.m. on the morning of October 2, 2024. Robinson parked behind a row of blue collection mailboxes outside the postal facility. Bolden and Jones got out of the car, while Robinson remained in the driver’s seat and kept watch. Jones opened the mailboxes with the stolen key and stole mail from the mailboxes. Bolden and Jones got back into the car and Robinson drove away from the mail facility. A short time later, their car was stopped by law enforcement. At the time the car was stopped, various opened and unopened pieces of mail were found inside. Robinson admits that he and his co-conspirators used the stolen key to open mailboxes at other locations around the Western District of New York. Charges remain pending against Lamor Runell Bolden and Antonio Jones, Jr. The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons. Sentencing is scheduled for August 7, 2025, before Judge Sinatra. # # # #


title: Orange County man sentenced to federal prison for kidnapping attorney

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – An Orange, Texas, man has been sentenced to federal prison for violations related to a kidnapping in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Putnam Darwin Richardson, 79, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and brandishing a firearm and was sentenced to 294 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on April 9, 2025. “Thanks to the quick and outstanding work of the FBI, in concert with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange Police Department, an innocent victim was rescued from the clutches of a gun-wielding kidnapper and returned safely home to his family, and a now-twice convicted armed kidnapper is returned home to prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. “This case serves as a reminder that violent predators come in all shapes, sizes and age-ranges, and to always stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings.” “Putnam Richardson clearly failed to learn from his previous imprisonment for kidnapping, and he definitely underestimated FBI Houston’s capacity to mobilize critical resources when a life is at risk," said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “We are in the business of saving lives, and cases like this are why we exist. I’m especially grateful to the FBI Beaumont investigators, crisis negotiators, and special surveillance teams who swiftly deployed and worked tirelessly for days to rescue and reunite the victim with his family.” According to information presented in court, on July 15, 2024, a kidnapping for ransom was reported to the FBI. The victim, a local attorney, was kidnapped at gunpoint that morning after arriving at his law office in Beaumont. The victim’s wife received a call from the victim’s cell phone, during which the kidnapper indicated the victim was being held hostage in exchange for $1 million ransom. The kidnapper also indicated he would kill the victim if the ransom was not met. Richardson, a former client of the victim, was identified as a suspect during the investigation. Richardson had previously been convicted of kidnapping in 1984 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. On July 17, 2024, Richardson was arrested at a gas station and the victim was rescued by law enforcement authorities. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. This case was investigated by the FBI, the Beaumont Police Department, the Orange Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin. ###


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over Four Years for Theft of Firearms

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Theft of a Firearm. The sentencing took place on April 7, 2025. Zachary Coats, age 28, was sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison on each count to be served concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $10,277.67 in restitution. Coats was indicted on three counts of Theft of a Firearm and one count of Possession of a Stolen Firearm in February 2024. He pleaded guilty to two counts of Theft of a Firearm on January 29, 2025. In August 2023, at Rapid City, Zachary Coats broke into several local federally licensed firearms dealerships and stole multiple firearms, including a Beretta 12-gauge shotgun, a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun, a USA Military Surplus .30 caliber rifle, and a Stoeger 12-gauge shotgun. When law enforcement identified Zachary Coats as the suspect in the thefts, Coats directed his spouse, Danielle Coats, to remove the firearms from their residence to another family member’s home to prevent law enforcement from finding them in their home. Subsequently, Danielle Coats directed others to again move or dispose of the firearms to prevent law enforcement from recovering them. Danielle Coats pleaded guilty to Possession of a Stolen Firearm and was sentenced in July 2024 to two years and six months in federal prison. 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. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case. Zachary Coats was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: ISIS Supporter Sentenced to 230 Months’ Imprisonment for Recruiting for ISIS, Obstruction, and Attempting to Flee Justice

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced to a total term of 230 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto for three separately charged crimes: conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization; obstructing justice while released on bail pending sentencing; and failing to appear before the court as required when she attempted to flee the United States. Ceasar pleaded guilty to the material support charge in February 2017, to the obstruction charge in March 2019, and to the failure to appear charge in October 2022. John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the sentence. “With today’s sentence, Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, an unrepentant ISIS recruiter, will be incarcerated for a significant period of time to protect Americans here and abroad from her violent extremism,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “Even after pleading guilty to providing material support to ISIS, the defendant continued to support terrorists, obstructed justice and fled from prosecution. This Office, together with the FBI, the NYPD, and all the members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, work tirelessly to pursue and hold accountable all those who support terrorism.” “Today’s re-sentencing marks the end of a righteous journey that began a decade ago,” stated Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Terrorist organizations like ISIS rely on recruiters like Ceasar to attract, indoctrinate, and enlist new followers. The Department is committed to holding accountable those who seek to follow a similar path. Today was made possible by our prosecutors, staff, and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. We are grateful for their tireless pursuit of justice in this case.” “Sinmyah Amera Ceasar flagrantly ignored conditions of her prior arrest by rekindling former relationships with ISIS members and implementing a plan to personally abscond the country to join their cause,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Her actions demonstrate little remorse for radicalizing other United States citizens and promoting ISIS's heinous ideologies. May today's sentencing reflect the FBI JTTF's relentless pursuit of any individual conspiring to participate in terrorist organizations.” “This sentence is a fitting and meaningful outcome for a woman who assisted ISIS in recruiting, squandered the chance for redemption by exposing herself as cooperating with the U.S. government, and persisted in promoting extremist ideologies to potential new recruits online,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “I commend our diligent NYPD investigators and all members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force for their unwavering commitment to public safety. The level of teamwork they demonstrate each day is crucial in ensuring the security of New York City and our nation.” Between January 2016 and November 2016, Ceasar used numerous social media accounts to praise, promote, and support ISIS and violent jihad and to disseminate ISIS propaganda. Ceasar posted under a variety of names, including her nom de guerre , or war name , “Umm Nutella,” which translates to “Mother of Nutella.” Ceasar developed contacts with ISIS members overseas, recruited individuals in the United States to travel overseas to join and fight for ISIS, and used her contacts with ISIS facilitators to attempt to help at least five people from the United States join ISIS abroad. Ceasar also expressed her own desire to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to join the group and die as a martyr. In November 2016, Ceasar was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as she prepared to board an international flight, which was to be the first leg of her journey to join ISIS. Ceasar pleaded guilty in February 2017 to conspiring to provide material support and resources to ISIS, and agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigations of ISIS members and supporters. In April 2018, Ceasar was released on bail, subject to court-ordered conditions of release. However, she violated those conditions, and her cooperation agreement with the government, by reconnecting with individuals she had identified to the government as supporters of ISIS. Ceasar attempted to conceal these communications from the government and from the court, attempted to delete more than 1,000 of her electronic communications, and lied to the government about her conduct. The court revoked Ceasar’s bail in July 2018. Ceasar pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding in March 2019. In June 2019, the late United States District Judge Jack B. Weinstein sentenced Ceasar to 48 months’ imprisonment for the material support and obstruction offenses, and the government appealed. In August 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the sentence imposed by Judge Weinstein, calling it “shockingly low, and unsupportable as a matter of law,” and sent the case back to the district court for resentencing. While the appeal was pending, however, Ceasar completed serving the 48-month sentence in July 2020, and began serving an eight-year term of supervised release. Almost immediately after her release, Ceasar began to repeatedly violate the conditions of her supervision by downloading and using phone apps that she failed to report to the Probation Department, recontacting and communicating with ISIS supporters, soliciting funds from ISIS supporters, communicating with convicted felons, using extremist language, and deleting the evidence of her violations of these conditions of supervision. In August 2021, after the Second Circuit issued its decision remanding her case for resentencing, Ceasar fled. On the day she was scheduled to appear before the Court, Ceasar removed her ankle bracelet location monitoring device, and fled New York City on a cross-country bus trip to New Mexico, setting off a nationwide fugitive investigation that led to her arrest in New Mexico two days later. The evidence established that Ceasar intended to escape the United States and travel to Russia, and that while fleeing, she used an Internet-based messaging application to contact an individual in Afghanistan to seek assistance to travel there. She sought assistance from the individual in Afghanistan in the hours after ISIS Khorasan carried out a bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that killed hundreds, including 13 members of the U.S. Armed Forces. In connection with her flight from prosecution, Ceasar ultimately pleaded guilty to her third separate felony offense, a charge of failing to appear before the Court as required, in October 2022. After being returned to custody at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to await sentencing, Ceasar routinely violated Bureau of Prisons institutional rules, circumvented telephone and email monitoring and use restrictions, and continued to communicate and associate with other ISIS supporters. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Special Assistant United States Attorney Ian C. Richardson and Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Reich are in charge of the prosecution. The Defendant : SINMYAH AMERA CEASAR (also known as “Rita Daoudii,” “Qeuz,” “Umm Nutella,” “Amera Dawah Shakir,” “Bint Dawah Muslimah,” and “Qulli Allahu Akbar”) Age: 30 Brooklyn, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 17-CR-48 (KAM), 19-CR-117 (KAM), and 22-CR-459 (KAM)


title: New Jersey Co-Conspirators Plead Guilty in Connection With Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Loans from Small Business Administration

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Mehul Ramesh Khatiwala, aka “Mike Khatiwala,” 43, of Voorhees, New Jersey, Rajendra G. Parikh, 64, of Monroe, New Jersey, and Jennifer H. Watkins, 48, of Marlton, New Jersey, pled guilty in federal court for their roles in a multi-million-dollar bank fraud conspiracy. According to their plea agreements, Khatiwala, Parikh, Watkins, and their co-conspirators fraudulently obtained more than $35 million in Small Business Administration (SBA) loans from financial institutions that they used to purchase hotels. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty pleas with Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak, Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Region. Khatiwala, Parikh, and Watkins each pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to the factual stipulations in the guilty pleas, Khatiwala was the owner and managing member of Delaware Hotel Group LLC (DHG), and an operator of GMK Consulting LLC (GMK) and KPG Hotel Mgmt. LLC (KPG). These LLCs were hotel management and loan brokerage companies located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Watkins served as a project coordinator for DHG and managing member of Forza Consulting LLC (Forza), a hotel consulting and loan brokerage company located in Marlton, New Jersey. Parkih was an owner of KPG. Co-defendant Rebecca Marie Cohn a/k/a Rebecca Marie Stanton, 38, was a settlement and title processor for Residential Title & Escrow Company, a real estate title company located in Owings Mills, Maryland, that offered escrow and loan-settlement services. The guilty pleas outline how from August 2018 through February 2020, Khatiwala, Parikh, and Watkins conspired to obtain loan proceeds to buy and sell hotels in connection with a hotel flipping scheme. “Flipping” is a real estate investment strategy that involves purchasing property to hold for a short period before selling it to make a quick profit. During the SBA-loan application process, the co-conspirators made and caused others to make material misrepresentations and omissions to financial institutions regarding the sellers’ identity, familial relationships between parties, and the nature and amount of the equity injected by the borrowers. The defendants sought loans through the SBA’s Section 7(a) Program, which guaranteed and insured approximately 75-85 percent of these loans, and required that the small business owner/borrower invest a certain amount of their own money into the business to qualify for the loan. In their guilty pleas, Khatiwala and Parikh admitted that they acted as managers or supervisors in connection with the scheme. Additionally, Khatiwala, Parikh, and Watkins admitted that they created shell companies using co-conspirators as straw owners of the entities. These straw owners had no actual ownership interest in the entities as Khatiwala and Parikh were the true owners. The straw owners signed purchase contracts, operating agreements, and related documents to buy hotel properties in the name of the shell companies. Co-conspirators then created a second company to purchase the hotels from the shell companies at substantially higher prices. After the co-conspirators formed the companies to control both sides of the flip transaction, they solicited banks for small-business loans to finance the buying company’s purchase of the hotel from the straw companies. The co-conspirators helped the buying companies qualify for the loans by falsely representing investors’ equity injections to the banks, among other material false statements, misrepresentations, and omissions. The financial institutions extending the loans relied on the false statements and misrepresentations. Khatiwala, Parikh, and Watkins are each facing a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FHFA-OIG and FDIC-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Evelyn L. Cusson, and Ari D. Evans, who are prosecuting the federal case, and recognized Paralegal Specialists Joanna B.N. Huber and Zharde Todman. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Pekin Man Convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor

component: Department of Justice

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict today against Joseph Perkins, 32, of Pekin, Illinois, for attempted enticement of a minor. Sentencing for Perkins has been scheduled for August 13, 2025, at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria, Illinois. Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that from January 2023 to March 2024, Perkins communicated on an internet-based social media platform with an individual he believed to be a thirteen-year-old female, expressing multiple times that he wanted to engage in sex with her. In March 2024, Perkins drove to a location in Peoria to meet the girl for the purpose of having sexual relations. Federal law enforcement agents arrested him when he arrived at the location. The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum five-year to life term of supervised release. Perkins remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa P. Ortiz and Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government at trial. The case against Perkins was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov .


title: Fifth Defendant Pleads Guilty in Car Dealership Fraud Conspiracy

body_text: Jackson, Mississippi – A Louisiana woman pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to use the stolen identities of others to purchase expensive vehicles in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area. According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2023, Joshanique Elouise Bailey, 29, of New Orleans, Louisiana, and her coconspirators obtained the identity information of credit-worthy individuals, created false identity documents in the names of those individuals, and then posed as those individuals at automotive dealerships in order to apply for vehicle financing. Bailey and her coconspirators submitted credit applications and purchased or attempted to purchase vehicles from dealerships in the Jackson metro area. The defendants traveled from Louisiana to Mississippi in a vehicle rented by one of the coconspirators. Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Bailey is the fifth and final coconspirator to plead guilty as part of this scheme. All five of the defendants are awaiting sentencing. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement. The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.


title: Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than 26 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm in Connection With Drug Trafficking Fentanyl, Wire Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Today, Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, sentenced Ryan E. Dales, 36, of Baltimore, to 26 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Dales, a previously convicted felon, was charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “Mr. Dales’s criminal activity was callous, dangerous, and with complete disregard for his victims,” Hayes said. “Thanks to our federal, local, and state law-enforcement partners, we’re showing Mr. Dales and others that engaging in criminal activity comes with a price. We’re serious about holding those accountable who commit illegal acts and terrorize our community with fentanyl, firearms, and fraud. Fortunately, Mr. Dales will have plenty of time to think about his actions while in prison.” “This sentence of 26 years reflects the seriousness of Dales’ actions which include drug and weapon offenses as well as identity theft and fraud schemes. As a repeat offender, Dales knew the consequences of his wrongdoing yet chose to continue dealing drugs and committing crimes,” DelBagno said. “The FBI has no tolerance for repeat offenders who threaten the safety and security of our communities.” “Ryan Dales engaged in a multi-faceted pandemic-relief fraud scheme that included filing fraudulent UI claims with the Maryland Department of Labor. Dales stole benefits intended for unemployed American workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Springer said. “The significant prison sentence imposed today is the direct result of outstanding collaboration with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the FBI in ensuring the integrity of these critical benefit programs. This is particularly true when it involves firearms and drug trafficking as well as other violent crimes in our communities.” On December 9, 2024, a federal jury found Dales guilty of unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Additionally, Dales faced a second trial on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, but on January 10, 2025, Dales pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. According to the evidence presented at trial, on January 20, 2023, authorities arrested Dales pursuant to a federal arrest warrant, and law enforcement executed a federal search warrant the same day at Dales’s residence. Dales resided in a luxury apartment building in Locust Point. During the search, law enforcement located and seized, among other things, various items used in connection Dales’s illegal business selling drugs, including two loaded firearms, specifically, a stolen Smith & Wesson firearm, and one which was a privately made “ghost gun” Polymer80 9mm firearm with no serial number, and a box containing 28 rounds of 9mm ammunition, including hollow point ammunition. In addition, law enforcement seized numerous packages of controlled dangerous substances, including hundreds of grams of fentanyl packaged for street level distribution, multiple digital scales, sifters, a heat sealer, a bag containing 10,000 empty capsules meant to package drugs, other drug packing materials, various cutting agents, a respirator, and six cell phones. Later, Dales voluntarily waived his Miranda rights and admitted to living in his apartment alone and that the firearms seized in his apartment were his. He also told law enforcement that he was a “very resourceful person,” referring to his livelihood as a drug dealer. Dales’ DNA was later determined to be present on both firearms and their magazines. Law enforcement’s later review of Dales’s cell phones revealed the existence of numerous Telegram chats where he negotiated purchasing drugs and cutting agents from multiple people, including mass producers of fentanyl in China. Investigators further found evidence that about a month before the execution of the search warrant, Dales traveled to Boston with a firearm (identical in appearance to the ghost gun found in his apartment) and a bag full of cash to purchase drugs. Dales’s device search history included searches for where fentanyl is produced in China, how to dye powders, and how many bullets a Smith and Wesson M&P 9c firearm — the same type seized from his apartment — can hold. After his conviction at trial on the drug and firearms offenses, Dales pled guilty to a fraud scheme in which he used victims’ identities to obtain various high-end lawnmowers on credit and received fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. From December 2020 through September 2022 — while serving a federal sentence for bank-fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft — and living in a halfway house while on federal supervised release in the District of Maryland, Dales engaged in various fraudulent schemes. Dales attempted to defraud the State of Maryland, Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL), the Small Business Administration, and various businesses and financial institutions to obtain more than $25,000 in unlawful COVID-19 benefits funds though the submission of fraudulent claims for UI benefits; more than $95,000 worth of high-end riding lawn mowers on credit using the stolen personal identifiable information (PII) of seven victims information —such as names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and addresses of real persons — and attempting to fraudulently obtain an $8,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). During the execution of the residential search warrant, law enforcement seized various items used in connection with Dales’s fraud and identity theft schemes, including multiple computers, an embosser and ID card printer, laminate sheets with security holograms, gift cards in various denominations, a card printer and card reader, bulk packages of shrink-wrapped white PVC cards; and multiple fraudulent and fabricated South Carolina driver’s licenses made by Dales containing PII of various victims, but which displayed Dales’s photograph. Dales used the fabricated driver’s licenses in connection with the fraudulent purchases of riding mowers and other impermissible uses. He also obtained the identity theft victims’ PII on the dark web. The total amount obtained by Dales from the UI fraud scheme, as well as the fraudulent purchase of the lawnmowers on credit was $121,242.51. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and DOL-OIG for their work in connection with the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Reema Sood, who prosecuted the federal case. She also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach # # #


title: Pasadena Woman Pleads Guilty to Stalking Campaign Against Victims and Threatening to Bomb U.S. Consulate in Vietnam

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A San Gabriel Valley woman pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for stalking a victim then impersonating him and his wife to further stalk government employees at a United States consulate in Vietnam, which she threatened to bomb. Nathalie Nguyen, 39, of Pasadena, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking and one count of threat by interstate commerce to kill another person and to damage and destroy buildings by fire and explosives. Nguyen has been in federal custody since February 2024. According to her plea agreement, Nguyen stalked a victim – identified in court documents as “T.H.” – from April 2023 to February 2024, sending emails threatening to kill him and his wife. One of the emails contained screenshots of a text conversation about paying a hitman $15,000 to kill the victim’s wife. Nguyen also began stalking five employees at the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. At times, she impersonated T.H.’s wife, including in an August 2023 email in which she threatened to “bomb the [expletive] consular in Ho Chi Minh City.” In October 2023, Nguyen - impersonating T.H. and using T.H.’s email account without permission - sent an email to three government employees at the U.S. consulate stating, “i wil [sic] kill every [expletive] one of you who has been delaying issuing my wife visa.” In January 2024, Nguyen – impersonating T.H.’s wife – sent a message to U.S. officials through an online portal stating, “Device will be detonated at America consular in Saigon and in San Francisco. All of you will be exploded for causing my separation with my husband for this last year. Everything will be exploded around new year or after.” The following month, Nguyen impersonated T.H. and sent an inquiry to a U.S. Embassy online portal threatening to explode grenades around the time of the lunar new year at the consulate. Several minutes later, Nguyen, impersonating T.H., sent an email to the Vietnamese consulate stating, “i have a grenade set to be exploded this lunar new year at the consulate. my wife is ready.” United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a June 18 sentencing hearing, at which time Nguyen will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the stalking count and up to 10 years in federal prison for the threats count. The FBI investigated this matter with assistance from the Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant United States Attorney Diane Roldán of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Jury Convicts Two Men Of Damaging Rock Formations At National Recreation Area In Nevada

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A federal jury convicted two Henderson, Nev., men today of damaging ancient rock formations at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. According to evidence presented and statements made at trial, on April 7, 2024, Wyatt Clifford Fain and Payden David Guy Cosper pushed ancient rock formations over a cliff onto the ground below while on or near the Redstone Dunes Trail at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Following a two-day jury trial, Fain and Cosper were each found guilty of one count of injury and depredation of government property. United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2025. Fain and Cosper each face a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Lake Mead National Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Gauthier made the announcement. The National Park Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Skyler Pearson is prosecuting the case. If you see something suspicious or if you have information that could help an investigation, call the National Park Service Tip Line at 1-888-653-0009 or submit a tip online to nps_isb@nps.gov . ###


title: High Volume Central Oregon Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.—A known, high-volume Central Oregon drug trafficker was sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison today following a multi-agency investigation led by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Ricky Fontaine, 32, of Bend, Oregon, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. “This case is the result of excellent collaboration among the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit, the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon,” said William M. Narus, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We thank the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office for partnering with us to prosecute this case in federal court.” According to court documents, on April 1, 2023, after obtaining information that Fontaine was actively selling drugs—including fentanyl—in Deschutes County, detectives from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Fontaine. Fontaine, who at the time of the stop had an unrelated active felony arrest warrant, attempted to walk away from the traffic stop on foot, but was quickly apprehended by the detectives. The detectives searched Fontaine’s vehicle and found more than 1,000 grams of fentanyl, a .22 caliber handgun, scales and drug packaging materials. The detectives also found several photographs of Fontaine posing with large quantities of packaged fentanyl pills. A few hours later, the detectives executed a second search warrant on Fontaine’s residence and found additional fentanyl pills, scales and packaging materials. On January 18, 2024, Fontaine was charged by superseding indictment with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On December 4, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. This case was investigated by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes Unit with assistance from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE) and Redmond Police Department. It was prosecuted by Andrew R. Doyle, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 3-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org . Live phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


title: Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher Gil, age 48, of Schenectady, pled guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance. The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division. Gil admitted to distributing hundreds of pills containing methamphetamine on three occasions in 2024 and coordinating with his methamphetamine supplier to distribute additional methamphetamine pills. At sentencing scheduled for August 7, 2025, Gil faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a maximum fine of $1 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. HSI and DEA investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda is prosecuting this case.


title: McCurtain County Resident Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearm Charge

component: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dale Warren Gribnitz, age 66, of Valliant, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.00. The Indictment charged Gribnitz with knowingly possessing a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun on October 20, 2024, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. The charge arose from an investigation by the Valliant Police Department, the Choctaw County Sheriff's Office, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Gribnitz will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Soverly represented the United States.


title: Okemah Resident Pleads Guilty To Federal Drug Crime

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jeffrey Gilbert Franklin, Jr., age 49, of Okemah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.00. The Indictment alleged that on April 25, 2024, Franklin knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, with intent to distribute. The charge arose from an investigation by the Okemah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Franklin will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.


title: Ecuadorian National Illegally Present in the Country Charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jorge Cazhco-Inamagua, an Ecuadorian man residing in Bloomington, Minnesota, has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on March 12, 2025, Jorge Mauricio Cazhco-Inamagua, 32, attempted to entice a minor under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Cazhco-Inamagua was illegally present in the United States at the time of his crime, despite a previous removal order. The indictment charges Cazhco-Inamagua with one count of enticement of a minor. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty and will remain in custody pending further court proceedings. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of sexual predators—particularly those who would prey on minors,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “I am grateful to the Bloomington Police Department, to Homeland Security Investigations, and to all law enforcement officers who use undercover operations to identify and arrest child sex predators to prevent them from abusing real children.” This case is the result of an investigation by the Bloomington Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Evans is prosecuting the case. A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Mexican National Illegally Present in the Country Charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – Alex Huerta-Sanchez, a Mexican national residing in Faribault, Minnesota, has been charged with attempted enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on March 14, 2025, Alex Misael Huerta-Sanchez, 31, attempted to entice a minor under the age of 18 years old to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Huerta-Sanchez was illegally present in the United States at the time of his crime. The indictment charges Huerta-Sanchez with one count of enticement of a minor. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty, who ordered that he remain in custody pending further court proceedings. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of sexual predators—particularly those who would prey on minors,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “I am grateful to the Bloomington Police Department, to Homeland Security Investigations, and to all law enforcement officers who use undercover operations to identify and arrest child sex predators to prevent them from abusing real children.” This case is the result of an investigation by the Bloomington Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Evans is prosecuting the case. A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Drug Dealer Receives 108 Months After Picking Up Package with 4 Pounds of Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Stephanie Cummings, 39, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 9, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Cummings to 108 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Cummings’ release from prison, she will begin a 4-year term of supervised release. On December 5, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package that contained nearly 4 pounds of methamphetamine in Nebraska. On December 6, 2023, law enforcement, in an undercover capacity, delivered the package to a residence in Omaha. Cummings and Mitchell Bostic picked up the package. Officers watched Cummings and Bostic as they drove away in Bostic’s vehicle. Believing law enforcement was following them, Bostic instructed Cummings to throw the package containing methamphetamine out of the car window. The officers located the package and subsequently conducted a traffic stop of Bostic’s vehicle. Bostic and Cummings were both arrested. Bostic was previously sentenced in federal court to 235 months’ imprisonment. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.


title: South Dakota Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Arvis Manvil Lewis, Jr., 39, of Sisseton, South Dakota, was sentenced on April 9, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for abusive sexual contact with a child under twelve (12) years of age. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Lewis to 77 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lewis’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. In December 2022, Lewis made sexual contact with a minor child (age 9) entrusted to his care as the child slept. The minor child disclosed Lewis’s conduct to a trusted adult, who reported the incident to appropriate authorities. A forensic interview was conducted with the minor child, confirming the offense occurred in the child’s home in Santee, Nebraska, on the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation. After initially denying the offense, Lewis ultimately confessed to law enforcement that he had perpetrated against the minor child. This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation in Nebraska. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.


title: Iowa Man Sentenced for Selling Shotgun and Methamphetamine in Omaha

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that William Lewis, Jr., 32, of Glenwood, Iowa, was sentenced on April 9, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for distribution of methamphetamine and felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Lewis to 135 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lewis’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release. On June 5, 2023, Lewis sold a 12-gauge shotgun to an individual cooperating with law enforcement in Omaha. Lewis was a convicted felon prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms. On June 8, 2023, Lewis sold the cooperator 91.4 grams of methamphetamine in Omaha. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department.


title: Former Alabama Department of Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Bribery

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – John Paul Ketteman, 28, of Huntsville, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke to receipt of a bribe by an agent or organization receiving federal funds. U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher DiMenna, and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis made the announcement. According to the plea agreement, Ketteman was employed as a corrections officer at the Alabama Department of Correction’s Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest, Alabama. Ketteman’s job duties included inspecting prison cells for contraband and supervising inmates. In the Fall of 2022, ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division began an investigation into contraband being smuggled into the Limestone Facility by corrections officers. As part of the investigation, Cash App records were obtained for Ketteman’s account. These records revealed that in less than three months in 2022, Ketteman was paid more than $10,000 to smuggle contraband into the Limestone Facility and to act as a lookout. Ketteman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2025. The maximum penalty for receipt of a bribe by an agent or organization receiving federal funds is 10 years in prison. The FBI and the United States Secret Service investigated the cases. ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division provided valuable assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid is prosecuting the case.


title: Delco Man Who Committed Six Armed Robberies of Area Hotels Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Naim-Shahid Jumah Austin, 28, of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe on Monday to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release for a spate of armed robberies targeting local hotels in late 2022. In January 2023, Austin was charged by indictment with six counts of robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery), and firearms offenses. In December of last year, the defendant pleaded guilty to all the robberies, and to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, between September 2022 and December 2022, Austin targeted the hotels in the early morning hours, when one employee was usually working alone at the front desk. He terrorized his victims at gunpoint, demanding that they hand over cash from the registers. Austin was armed with a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and drove his mother’s car to all six robberies, which occurred at hotels in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties: September 16, 2022, 3:23 a.m. – Courtyard by Marriott, Tredyffrin Township, Pa. September 18, 2022, 4:02 a.m. – Holiday Inn & Suites, Drexel Hill, Pa. (also robbed hotel guest) October 10, 2022, 2:05 a.m. – Fairfield Inn & Suites, Broomall, Pa. (fled empty-handed) November 21, 2022, 3:35 a.m. – Home2 Suites by Hilton, Glen Mills, Pa. December 2, 2022, 4:04 a.m. – Marriott Philadelphia West, West Conshohocken, Pa. December 12, 2022, 4:41 a.m. – Holiday Inn Express & Suites, West Chester, Pa. West Goshen Township Police located and arrested Austin minutes after the December 12, 2022, hotel robbery. “Naim Austin was on a one-man crime spree, committing six armed robberies in less than three months,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “He threatened the hotel employees he victimized at gunpoint, to terrify them into compliance. This sentence keeps him off the street and holds him accountable for what he’s done. My office and our partners are committed to making our communities safer by bringing violent offenders like this to justice.” “Brazen violent criminals like Austin terrorize our communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, FBI Philadelphia's Special Agent in Charge. “This sentencing is a testament to the coordinated efforts between all of law enforcement. The FBI and our partners will never stop working to crush violent crime and ensure our citizens have a safe place to work and live in.” This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Newtown Square Resident Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police, with assistance from the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, Upper Darby Township Police Department, Marple Township Police Department, Newtown Township Police Department, West Conshohocken Police Department, Birmingham Township Police Department, West Goshen Township Police Department, and Chester County Detectives. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Urban.


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison  on a Child Pornography Charge

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A registered sex offender was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today, having previously pled guilty to a charge of possession with intent to view child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Prior to his arrest in April 2024 in this matter, David Hamlin, 43, of Cranston, was charged in Rhode Island state court in 2016 and 2018 on child pornography violations, and in 2018 pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography. According to information presented to the court in this matter, in March 2024, local FBI agents received information from their Tampa, FL, counterparts that a cellphone registered to Hamlin was being used to access an online platform on which child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was being transferred to an undercover FBI employee. In April 2024, pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, two cell phones were seized from Hamlin. Forensic analysis of the phones identified multiple images and videos containing CSAM. At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Hamlin to 120 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julianne Klein. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: San Antonio Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Smuggling

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: DEL RIO, Texas – A San Antonio man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 260 months in prison for conspiracy to import methamphetamine. According to court documents, Juan Antonio Lucha, 27, was part of a drug smuggling organization and was responsible for trafficking five kilograms of methamphetamine and 1,627 grams of fentanyl from Mexico into the United States. Lucha was arrested June 27, 2020 at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry. Lucha was charged in a four-count indictment in July 2020 with co-defendants Juan Sustaita Rodriguez and Natalie Andrea Vasquez. Lucha pleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine. Vasquez was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison on Feb. 12, 2024 for one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Rodriguez pleaded guilty Jan. 28, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 24, 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Garland is prosecuting the case. ###


title: North Attleboro Man Sentenced on Child Sexual Abuse and  Animal Abuse Video Charges

body_text: PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A North Attleboro, MA, man who court documents reflect had long-standing interests in collecting and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and animal crush videos (depicts serious harm to animal and is obscene) has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Minor Bloom. Samuel E. Maigret, 29, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024, to an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, access with intent to view child pornography, distribution of an animal crush video, and transfer of obscene material (animal crush video). No plea agreement was filed in this matter. In September 2021, a court-authorized search of Maigret’s then Pawtucket residence and personal digital devices led to the discovery of approximately 3,000 videos and images depicting CSAM, including videos of adult males involved in sexual acts with infants, and evidence that Maigret used online applications to distribute CSAM and a video that depicts an individual causing serious injury to and the apparent death of a dog. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. ###


title: Mexican National Pleads Guilty After Smuggling More Than 60 Pounds of Cocaine into the U.S.

body_text: DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. According to court documents, Genaro Ivan Hernandez-Sarabia, was referred to secondary inspection as he attempted to drive into the U.S. from Mexico at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, Sept. 22, 2024. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and a narcotics detection K-9 located a non-factory compartment inside Hernandez-Sarabia’s vehicle, which contained 32 packages of a white powdery substance which tested positive for 27.66 total kgs of cocaine. Hernandez-Sarabia stated he had been hired for $5,000 to transport the cocaine to Houston. Hernandez-Sarabia faces a penalty of 10 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and CBP investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Major Methamphetamine Supplier Sentenced to 140 Months

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A major supplier of methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia – and a pair of related dealers - were sentenced last week to lengthy federal prison terms, dealing a major blow to the drug market in Southwest Virginia. On Friday, Ashley Linden Beverly, Jr., 51, of Pound, Va., was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison. Beverly previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Also on Friday, two methamphetamine and fentanyl dealers, Cody Rose, 36, and Brandon Boggs, 35, were each sentenced. Boggs was sentenced to 108 months and Rose 49 months. According to court documents, Beverly served as a major supplier of methamphetamine in the Wise County, Virginia area, selling over five kilograms of methamphetamine from approximately May 2022 through November 2022. Beverly also combined drug distribution with the possession of firearms. Sources often described seeing handguns at Beverly’s Pound, Virginia residence, from where he sold a majority of his narcotics. In addition, Beverly routinely traded methamphetamine for firearms, some of which he knew were stolen. Beverly was known around Pound, Virginia as “the gun guy.” Beverly supplied Boggs with methamphetamine, who in turn supplied Rose with methamphetamine that he then distributed. In addition, Rose and Boggs were key parts of a second conspiracy that brought fentanyl into Southwest Virginia from North Carolina and Kentucky. Additional co-conspirators are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Southwest Drug Task Force, Wise County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.