title: Former Employee Of Real Estate Investment Firm Indicted For Investment Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – The former Vice President of Project Management for National Realty Investment Advisors (“NRIA”) has been indicted for his role in an investment fraud scheme and for misappropriating approximately $2.3 million from victim investors, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced today. Ivel Turner, 51, of Newark, Delaware, was indicted by a federal grand jury with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King in Camden federal court and was released on a $100,000 unsecured appearance bond and other conditions. His arraignment is scheduled for February 4, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Turner was previously employed as Vice President of Project Management for NRIA, which held itself out as a real estate investment management fund with over $1.25 billion in assets under management. NRIA promised investors guaranteed returns of at least 12 percent per year for a period of five years, a full return of their investments, and monthly distributions of between six and ten percent of their original investments. Turner had access to NRIA’s PPM, which made many such representations pertaining to NRIA’s purported returns on investment and distributions. In April 2020, while still employed at NRIA, Turner incorporated Oasis Realty Investment Group (“ORIG”). Turner, through ORIG, solicited real estate investors to purchase, finance, and co-develop residential units in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Turner used NRIA as a model for ORIG. To induce investors to invest and continue to invest in ORIG, Turner made material misrepresentations and omissions related to, among other things: (a) ORIG’s financial position; (b) the manner in which Turner used investor money; and (c) Turner’s role at ORIG. Turner also falsely represented to the victim investors that substantially all of ORIG’s proceeds would be used for real estate investment purposes, but instead, Turner misused hundreds of thousands of dollars of investor money on personal expenses, including luxury retail purchases, several vehicles, international travel, and a down payment on his residence. The wire fraud charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The securities fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $5,000,000. Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the indictment. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### Defense counsel: Rubin M. Sinins, Esq., Springfield, New Jersey turner.indictment.pdf


title: United States Attorney Announces Appointment of First Assistant U.S. Attorney

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley has announced that Katherine Ferguson has been appointed to serve as First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Ms. Ferguson, a career prosecutor, has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for more than a decade. “Ms. Ferguson’s leadership, dedication, and prosecutorial excellence have earned her widespread respect within our office and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Foley. “Her deep understanding of federal law enforcement and her commitment to upholding the rule of law make her an invaluable asset. I am confident that she will bring the same integrity and vision to her new role as First Assistant U.S. Attorney as she has throughout her career.” Ms. Ferguson has served as Deputy Chief of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2017 and Lead Task Force Attorney for the District’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force since 2021. As Deputy Chief of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, Ms. Ferguson was responsible for overseeing federal narcotics and money laundering investigations and prosecutions. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 15 years, she has extensive experience working collaboratively with other federal, state and local partners to dismantle multi-jurisdictional and international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Ferguson served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. There, she handled over 600 cases in Boston Municipal Court from arraignment to disposition and oversaw the prosecution of child abuse and narcotics offenses in Superior Court. From 2006-2007, Ms. Ferguson served as a law clerk for the Honorable Sandra L. Lynch with the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Ferguson graduated from Princeton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics with Highest Honors, Phi Beta Kappa. While at Princeton, Ms. Ferguson earned Certificates in Political Economy and French Language & Culture. She also received a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she was an Executive Editor for the Harvard Law Review .


title: Spokane Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – On January 22, 2025, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Johnathan Freeman Hunt, 56, of Spokane, Washington, to 12 years in federal prison for Receipt of Child Pornography. Judge Dimke also imposed 10 years of supervised release. According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Hunt came to the attention of law enforcement agents in July 2022, when Hunt distributed several child pornography files to another person via the internet. On November 30, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at Hunt’s Spokane residence and seized several electronic devices. Forensic analysis of these devices revealed 11,149 files of child sexual abuse material involving children younger than 12 years old. In an interview with law enforcement, Hunt admitted to downloading child sexual abuse material and making that material available to others using peer-to-peer software. Hunt was previously convicted of Third-Degree Child Molestation in 2017. “Protecting children from harm remains a priority in my office and is critical to building a safe and strong Eastern Washington community,” stated U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “I am deeply grateful for the prosecutors and investigators who take on these difficult cases and hold individuals accountable who use technology to exploit our children.” “The sentence handed down today reflects the severity of the crime and underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting children from exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “The defendant's actions of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material are not only illegal, but they also perpetuate the suffering of innocent victims. Our commitment to protecting children remains steadfast, and we will continue to work relentlessly to ensure those responsible face the full weight of the law." This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ann T. Wick. Case 2:23-cr-00096-MKD


title: Lincoln Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Felon in Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jovan Travis, age 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska was sentenced on January 23, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln for one count of felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Travis to a total of 92 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Travis’ release from prison, he will begin a 2-year term of supervised release. On January 12, 2023, an Omaha Police Department (“OPD”) officer was contacted by a Confidential Informant (“CI”) regarding illegal narcotics sales. The officer had the CI arrange a controlled purchase of pills from Travis. On that same day, the CI and Travis met for the transaction. However, at the time of the buy, Travis advised the CI that he did not have the pills yet. Instead, he offered the CI a handgun for $300, which the CI purchased using the task force money. The handgun was reported stolen out of Illinois. Travis was previously convicted of multiple crimes that were punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.


title: Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Amassing Another Cache of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Joseph Gallo, 80, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Juan R. Sanchez to 10 years in prison, five years of supervised release, $12,750 in restitution, and $10,000 in additional special assessments, for possessing thousands of images and videos of child pornography. In March of last year, the defendant was charged by information with possession of child pornography as a second-time child sex offender. He pleaded guilty in July, admitting that, over a period of more than three years, he had amassed a collection of more than 18,000 images depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. At the time Gallo committed these crimes, he was already a registered sex offender under Megan’s Law, attending court-ordered sex offender treatment, and serving a sentence of supervised county probation, following his 2015 prosecution in Bucks County for similar offenses. “Gallo learned nothing from his first conviction and again started seeking out those abhorrent images,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Consumers of child pornography like him perpetuate the exploitation and trauma of innocent victims, which my office, HSI, and our partners simply won’t abide. We’ll continue to hold accountable collectors of child sexual abuse material, because protecting kids everywhere is paramount.” This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the 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 projectsafechildhood.gov . The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.


title: India- And New Jersey-Based Jeweler Sentenced To 30 Months Incarceration For Multimillion Dollar International Trade Fraud Scheme And Unlicensed Money Transmitting

body_text: NEWARK, NJ. – An India- and New Jersey-based man who operated jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District was sentenced to 30 months incarceration for spearheading a scheme to illegally evade customs duties for more than $13.5 million of jewelry imports into the United States and for illegally processing more than $10.3 million through an unlicensed money transmitting business, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah, a/k/a “Monish Doshi Shah” (Shah), 40, of Mumbai, India and Jersey City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business. Judge Salas imposed the sentence in Newark federal court and remanded Shah to begin serving his sentence. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From in or around December 2019 through in or around April 2022, Shah engaged in a scheme to evade duties for shipments of jewelry from Turkey and India to the United States. Shah would ship and/or instruct his co-conspirators to ship goods from Turkey or India—which would have been subject to an approximately 5.5% duty if shipped directly to the United States—to one of Shah’s companies in South Korea. Shah’s co-conspirators in South Korea would change the labels on the jewelry to state that they were from South Korea instead of Turkey or India, and then ship them to Shah or his customers in the United States, thereby unlawfully evading the duty. Shah would also make and instruct his customers to make fake invoices and packing lists to make it look like Shah’s South Korean companies were actually ordering jewelry from Turkey or India. Shah also instructed a third-party shipping company to provide false information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) concerning the origin of the jewelry. During the scheme, Shah shipped approximately $13.5 million of jewelry from South Korea to the United States without paying the appropriate duty. In addition, from in or around July 2020 through in or around November 2021, Shah owned and/or operated numerous jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District, including MKore LLC, MKore USA Inc, and Vruman Corp. Shah used these entities to conduct more than $10.3 million in illegal financial transactions for customers—including converting cash to checks or wire transfers. Shah would also collect cash from customers and use other individuals’ jewelry companies to convert the cash into wires or checks. At times, Shah and other members of the money transmitting business moved hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. In exchange for their services, certain members of the money transmitting business charged a fee. None of Shah’s or his associates’ companies were registered as money transmitting businesses with New York, New Jersey, or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas ordered restitution in the amount of $742,500 for the wire fraud scheme and forfeiture in the amount of $11,126,982.33 for the wire fraud and unlicensed money transmitting schemes. In addition, the Court imposed a two-year term of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents and task force officers of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan in Newark; special agents with Homeland Security Investigations New York, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; special agents with Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas; and special agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of New York/Newark, under the direction of Acting Port Director Jeffrey R. Greene, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. He also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York; Homeland Security Investigations in Seoul, South Korea; the Korea Customs Service in South Korea; the Seoul Customs Special Investigation Office in South Korea; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Paterson; the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department; the Morristown Police Department; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General; and the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) for their assistance in the investigation. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olta Bejleri of the Economic Crimes Unit and Marko Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark. ### Defense Attorney: Rahul Agarwal, Esq.


title: Wichita man pleads guilty to child pornography distribution

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse materials over the internet. According to court documents, Sebastian Grattan, 28, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. Grattan admits to creating an account on a messaging app and using it to distribute child sex abuse materials in November 2023. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 10, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), Wichita Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gordon is prosecuting the case. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Amtrak Employee Admits Participating In  $11 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – An Amtrak employee admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Rodolfo Rivera, 41, of Clayton, Delaware, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The Indictment also charges nine other co-conspirators in connection with the scheme: Kevin Frink, 53, of Willingboro, New Jersey; Quinton Johnson, 53, of Irvington, New Jersey; David McBrien, 36, of Levittown, Pennsylvania; Gregory Richardson, 35, of Roosevelt, New York; Michael Toal, 35, of Hazlet, New Jersey; Damany Walker, 41, of Irvington, New Jersey; Timothy Bogen, 59, of Hamden, Connecticut; Dion Jacob, 50, of Brooklyn, New York; and David Lonergan, 64, of Rockaway Park, New York. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From January 2019 through June 2022, Rivera and his co-conspirators—who were also Amtrak employees—engaged in a scheme to obtain cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for their agreement to allow their health insurance plan to be billed for services that were never provided and were not medically necessary. As a result of the fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of Rivera, his dependent, and other Amtrak employees that he recruited into the scheme, the Amtrak health care plan paid over $2 million in reimbursements. In total, as a result of the conspiracy, the Amtrak health care plan paid over $11 million in fraudulent claims associated with providers connected to the scheme. Rivera received thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for his participation in the scheme, including from Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist, and Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist. Figueroa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced on September 24, 2024 to 34 months in prison. DeNicola previously pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, among other offenses. His sentencing remains pending. The health care fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Rivera’s sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters, the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Samuel Dotson, and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III in New York, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Ecker and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit, and Senior Trial Counsel Barbara Ward of the Bank Integrity, Recovery, and Money Laundering Unit, in Newark. The charge and allegations contained in the Indictment against Frink, Johnson, McBrien, Richardson, Toal, Walker, Bogen, Jacob, and Lonergan, are merely accusations, and they are each presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### Defense counsel: Dennis S. Cleary, Esq. rivera.indictment.pdf


title: San Joaquin County Man Pleads Guilty for his Role in Murder-for-Hire Plot

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jagninder Singh Boparai, 48, of Manteca, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, Boparai conspired with Ramesh Kumar Birla Jr., 45, of Dublin, and Shaminderjit Singh Sandhu, 51, of Tracy, to murder Victim 2. In February 2023, Boparai met with a person he believed to be a hitman at a Starbucks in Manteca. Unbeknownst to Boparai and his co-defendants throughout their interactions, the hitman was a confidential informant working for the FBI. Boparai told the supposed hitman that the first job involved the assault of Victim 1, and once he proved his trustworthiness, he would be given another job. The following day, Boparai met the confidential informant again and offered to pay $6,000 for the assault of Victim 1. In March 2023, in the presence of Birla and another individual, Boparai met with the confidential informant, and Boparai gave the confidential informant $1,000 as a down payment for the assault. According to court documents, after more time had passed, the confidential informant showed Boparai a staged photo of Victim 1 lying on the ground covered in bruises, dirt, and blood to indicate the assault had occurred. Boparai said he liked the photo and told the confidential informant that he had two other “jobs,” one of which involved robbing a business, and the other involved making a person “disappear.” According to court documents, in March 2023, Boparai met with the confidential informant to pay the confidential informant $10,000 as a down payment for the murder of Victim 2. Sandhu provided Victim 2’s address, and Boparai instructed the confidential informant that Victim 2 must disappear without any evidence remaining. Boparai then made two calls to Birla asking for Victim 2’s Facebook profile. Boparai subsequently received a Facebook profile picture of Victim 2, which he showed to the confidential informant. On March 24, 2023, Sandhu and Birla met with the confidential informant in a parking lot in Manteca. Sandhu and Birla claimed that Boparai was out of town, but Boparai was observed by surveillance remaining in a car in the same parking lot. Sandhu and Birla instructed the confidential informant to kill Victim 2 and take Victim 2’s remains to Mexico in a suitcase. All three defendants were arrested on March 31, 2023, and are currently in federal custody. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Highway Patrol, the Ceres Police Department, the Dublin Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lathrop Police Department, the Modesto Police Department, the San Joaquin County Probation Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the Tracy Police Department, the Turlock Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case. Boparai is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The remaining two defendants are scheduled for a further status conference on April 10, 2025. If convicted, they each face the same penalties as Boparai. As to these two co-defendants, the charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Three Kodiak residents indicted for drug trafficking related to 2022 fatal fentanyl overdose

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment this week charging three Kodiak residents with drug trafficking crimes in Alaska, including distributing fentanyl which resulted in a fatal overdose. According to court documents, between February 2022 and July 2023, Ashley Katelnikoff, 37 and Gerry Pugal, 37, allegedly conspired together to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and over 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Court documents further allege that on or about Aug. 25-26, 2022, Katelnikoff distributed fentanyl as part of the conspiracy, which resulted in the death of a victim. The indictment also alleges that between Nov. 21-29, 2022, Pugal and Kalani Coyle, 32, attempted to possess with intent to distribute over 400 grams of a fentanyl mixture and over 50 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. Katelnikoff is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. Pugal is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count attempted possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Coyle is charged with one count of attempted possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The defendants will make their initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, Katelnikoff and Pugal face between 20 years to life in prison, and Coyle faces 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. U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge David Reames of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Division Office made the announcement. The DEA Seattle Division Office and Anchorage District Office, with significant assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile, IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office, Alaska State Troopers and the Kodiak Police Department, are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alana Weber, Chris Schroeder and Stephan Collins are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Colorado Springs Man Sentenced To 13 Years For Being A Felon In Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Lemich Riddle, 27, Colorado Springs, was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison after being found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the facts established at trial, on November 1, 2022, officers in Colorado Springs located Riddle, who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Colorado Springs Police Department SWAT team officers took him into custody as he was driving back to his apartment. In his car, officers found six firearms. Riddle has a prior felony conviction that prohibits him from possessing firearms. “We will always prosecute dangerous felons who possess weapons,” said United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s continued violation of the law. "CSPD strives for excellence in every investigation, and those around the illegal possession of firearms are no different,” said Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. “This case highlights how the quality work of our investigators can be amplified by our partnership with federal authorities, resulting in significant sentencing that holds individuals accountable in meaningful ways that also make our community safer.” United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez presided over the sentencing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Colorado Springs Police Department handled the investigation. The Violent Crime and Immigration Section of the United States Attorney’s Office handled the prosecution. 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. Case Number: 23-cr-00051-RMR


title: Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Leader Extradited from Mexico, Appears in Court

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Alleged Sinaloa Cartel cell leader Octavio Leal-Hernandez, aka Chapito Leal, who is believed responsible for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the United States from Mexico, appeared in federal court today following his extradition from Mexico yesterday. Leal-Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in May 2020 for International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances. At today’s hearing, Leal-Hernandez was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major. The judge granted the government’s request that the defendant be held without bond pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 10, 2025, for a motion hearing/trial setting in front of U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks. The government filed a memorandum today in support of its request for detention that describes Leal-Hernandez as a cell leader who rose through the ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel. The memo said Leal-Hernandez was aligned with the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, aka Chapo Isidro. Meza Flores is the co-leader of the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as a Foreign Narcotics Kingpin. Between January 2012 and April 2012, law enforcement authorities lawfully intercepted wire and electronic communications between Leal-Hernandez and several of his drug trafficking associates. The wiretap intercepts confirmed that Leal-Hernandez was a leader/organizer of the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana, Mexico and was responsible for supplying drug distributors in Southern California and other destinations within the United States. The wiretap intercepts also confirmed that Leal-Hernandez has committed acts of violence to facilitate his drug trafficking activities. Further investigation after 2012 until his arrest in 2020 confirmed that Leal-Hernandez remained one of the organization’s leaders, responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing the organization’s drug trafficking in Tijuana. According to the government’s detention memorandum, Leal-Hernandez oversaw the collection and preparation of large shipments of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Tijuana, Mexico into the United States. He then directed organization members to coordinate the logistics of storing the drugs in the organization’s stash houses and transporting them to the organization’s distributors and customers throughout California and elsewhere in the United States. “This appearance in an American court is the result of our unwavering pursuit of those who perpetuate violence and push narcotics into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We will hold traffickers accountable, no matter how long it takes.” “The arrest and extradition of Leal-Hernandez marks a significant victory in our relentless fight against the deadly scourge of narcotics trafficking. This joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation was made possible due to the dedication, expertise, and extensive investigative work of our special agents and our invaluable federal law enforcement partners,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “We extend our deepest gratitude to all involved for their unwavering hard work, commitment, and collaboration.” “Drug traffickers are predators that must be held accountable for the harm they cause,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “The capture and extradition of Leal-Hernandez is a reminder to any cartel member that there is nowhere to hide; we will use every tool at our disposal to hold you accountable because no one is beyond the grasp of the DEA and our law enforcement partners.” “International drug cartels cause immeasurable harm to the American public by importing lethal narcotics and committing acts of violence which terrorize our community,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The serious and sustained actions of international drug traffickers will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to keep our communities safe.” This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Mellor. The U.S. Marshals Service completed the removal of Leal-Hernandez from Mexico to the Southern District of California. DEFENDANTS Case Number 20cr1224 Octavio Leal-Hernandez Age: 44 Tijuana SUMMARY OF CHARGES International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959, 960, and 963 Maximum Penalty: Life, Mandatory Minimum: Ten years Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846. Maximum penalty: Life, Mandatory Minimum: Ten years INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Homeland Security Investigations Drug Enforcement Administration Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Coast Guard The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Leal-Hernandez. *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.


title: Defense Contractor Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme Involving $100 Million in Government Contracts

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Russell Thurston, a former executive vice president at Cambridge International Systems, Inc., a defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he participated in a bribery scheme with other Cambridge employees and former Naval Information Warfare Center employee James Soriano. According to Thurston’s plea agreement, Cambridge – acting through Thurston and multiple other Cambridge employees – gave various things of value to Soriano, including expensive meals at restaurants in San Diego; a ticket to the 2018 Major League Baseball All Star Game held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; and a job at Cambridge for Soriano’s friend, Liberty Gutierrez. According to Gutierrez’s plea agreement, Gutierrez did minimal work at Cambridge and gave Soriano $2,000 a month from her Cambridge salary. In return, Soriano, acting in his position as a contracting officer’s representative at Naval Information Warfare Center, influenced the procurement process to ensure that Cambridge was awarded two large task orders. Soriano further ensured that Cambridge was able to capture a steady stream of government funds by influencing a series of projects on those task orders to be approved. According to Cambridge’s plea agreement, as a result of the conspiracy, the government obligated more than $32 million on one of the task orders and over $100 million on the other. Soriano also allowed Cambridge employees to draft various procurement documents for him, even when Cambridge was competing for contracts against other bidders. Thurston and Soriano also worked together to remove document properties so that other government employees would not know of Cambridge’s involvement in drafting the documents. According to Thurston’s plea agreement, Thurston received periodic pay bonuses from Cambridge – which totaled between $150,000 and $250,000 – based on the profits Cambridge received from the bribery conspiracy. Thurston is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on April 11, 2025. “The integrity of our nation’s procurement system relies upon the honest dealing of government contractors,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “This guilty plea shows a commitment to that principle by holding accountable a defendant who repeatedly bribed a government employee to benefit himself at the expense of others.” “This investigation clearly established Mr. Thurston’s guilt and his plea is a positive step toward accountability for his role in the crime,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. “DCIS remains committed to working jointly with the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to investigate and deter public corruption within the Department of Defense.” “Mr. Thurston’s actions directly undermined the Department of Defense contracting process that ensures our warfighters get the best gear for their missions while ensuring our taxpayer dollars are responsibly allocated,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “Our men and women in uniform volunteer to put their lives on the line in defense of the United States and they deserve better than to be put at unnecessary risk. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to partnering with fellow law enforcement agencies to protect our servicemembers from this sort of corruption.” “Using a position of public trust as a means to inequitably grant access to federal programs for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge, Weston King. “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of those who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.” Cambridge was separately charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 24-cr-00759-TWR. Cambridge was ordered to forfeit the $1,672,102.23 in profits it obtained from the bribery conspiracy and pay a $2.25 million fine. Soriano was charged as a co-defendant and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and fraud and false statement in filing a tax return in 24-cr-0341-TWR. Soriano was also separately charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 23-cr-2282-TWR. Soriano is next scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson for sentencing on May 9, 2025. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Swan, Katherine E.A. McGrath, and Carling E. Donovan. DEFENDANT Case Number 24-cr-0341-TWR-2 Russell Thurston Age: 52 Mt. Pleasant, SC SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Commit Bribery - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; maximum $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Defense Criminal Investigative Service Naval Criminal Investigative Service Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098.


title: Former Owner of San Diego Surrogacy Consulting Businesses Admits to Stealing Client Funds

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Lillian Arielle Markowitz, former owner of three San Diego-based surrogacy consulting businesses, pleaded guilty in federal court today to fraud charges, admitting that she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in client funds from escrow accounts set up to pay for surrogacy-related services. According to her plea agreement, Markowitz admitted that she owned three businesses — My Donor Cycle, Surrogacy Beyond Borders, and Expecting Surrogacy — through which she marketed herself as a surrogacy consultant to those seeking to realize their dreams of becoming surrogate parents. Beginning around 2018, when Markowitz and her businesses began to experience financial distress, she devised a scheme to steal money from her surrogacy clients by, among other things, submitting fraudulent requests to the escrow company where her clients’ funds were maintained. Markowitz admitted to submitting four fraudulent escrow disbursement requests from the escrow accounts of two couples. One included what Markowitz knew to be a forged client signature, and each one resulted in her obtaining a check from the escrow company without the knowledge or consent of her clients. In addition, Markowitz admitted that beginning in January 2019 and continuing through May 2021, she defrauded nine additional clients by falsely promising their funds would be deposited into an escrow account and that they would be accessed only to pay for expenses related to their respective surrogacy journey. In fact, Markowitz deposited these clients’ funds into a business checking account and immediately accessed those funds to cover general business expenses, expenses related to other clients’ surrogacy journeys, and her personal expenses. As a condition of her plea, Markowitz has agreed to make restitution of at least $389,142.00 to her former clients. “The path to parenthood through surrogacy can be fraught with emotional and financial challenges,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This defendant selfishly exploited vulnerable clients who were striving to fulfill their dream of becoming parents.” “Instead of aiding her hopeful clients on their path to parenthood, the defendant took advantage of their vulnerability, betrayed their trust, and stole their money,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “FBI will continue to investigate these unique fraud schemes to protect the public against those who employ empty promises and prey upon vulnerable individuals.” Markowitz is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., by District Judge Todd W. Robinson. If you believe that you may be a victim in this case, please contact the FBI San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark W. Pletcher. DEFENDANT Case Number 24-CR-0904-TWR Lillian Arielle Markowitz (aka Lillian Frost) Age: 40 Portland, OR SUMMARY OF CHARGES Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343 Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation


title: Florida Woman Sentenced for Using Kennebunk Business’s Bank Account for Personal Gain

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Florida woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for committing wire fraud. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Alexis Hodges , 39, to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay the victim $73,291.33 in restitution. Hodges pleaded guilty on June 28, 2024. According to court records, from at least November 2019 through October 2021, Hodges fraudulently used the bank account of a Kennebunk business to pay expenses for herself, her family members, and her business. Hodges provided the bank account information to multiple vendors, causing or attempting to cause more than $90,000 to be electronically paid out of the account to pay her rent, insurance policies, and credit card bills, among others, without the victim’s consent or knowledge. In September 2021, the victim discovered that unauthorized payments were occurring and reported it to the Kennebunk Police Department, which referred the case to the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force for investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not identify crime victims and is limiting identifying information, including the name and type of business, to protect the victim’s privacy. In 2011, Hodges was convicted of identity theft, defrauding a financial institution, and scheming to defraud for unlawfully accessing the customer accounts of her then-employer. The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Kennebunk Police Department. ###


title: Columbus man arrested on dog fighting, firearms, drug distribution charges

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus man was arrested in conjunction with the unsealing of a grand jury indictment charging him with illegally possessing dogs for fighting purposes, possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm subsequent to a felony conviction. Joel Brown, 37, was arrested yesterday and appeared in federal court in Columbus. According to the 13-count indictment, Brown was keeping 11 pit bull-type dogs for fighting purposes in Franklin County. The dogs were rescued by Columbus Humane, which worked in conjunction with the Columbus Division of Police. Authorities also recovered tools and supplies commonly used in the training and keeping of dogs for fighting. The defendant also allegedly possessed a shotgun and various types of ammunition, as well as at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. The indictment was returned in December and unsealed following Brown’s arrest. If convicted, Brown faces a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in prison on the drug charge and a maximum of 15 years in prison on the firearms charge. He also faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison per count on each of the 11 animal fighting charges. Under federal law, it is illegal to possess, train, transport, deliver, receive, buy or sell animals intended for use in an animal fighting venture. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and Kevin W. Kelley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section are representing the United States in this case. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Columbus Humane are investigating the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: Previously convicted felon sentenced to federal prison for gun, drug crimes in Wedgewood Village Apartments

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Adrian McKinney, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and narcotics near a local school. According to court documents, in March 2024, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at McKinney’s apartment in the Wedgewood Village Apartment Complex, which is within 1,000 feet of Wedgewood Middle School. The Hilltop apartment complex has 700 units and is near multiple schools. This case was investigated by the Wedgewood Enforcement Team, which was developed by the Columbus Division of Police beginning in October 2023 and is dedicated to addressing the consistently high crime level at the apartment complex. While searching McKinney’s apartment, officers located a loaded multi-caliber firearm, fentanyl and cocaine. As a previously convicted felon, McKinney is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. McKinney has been convicted of various state narcotics crimes in the past and was under court supervision when he committed these latest offenses. McKinney pleaded guilty in August 2024 to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine near a school, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Two North Korean nationals and three facilitators indicted for multi-year fraudulent remote information technology worker scheme that generated revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: Action is latest disruption of U.S.-based “Laptop Farms” that deceive U.S. companies into hiring DPRK nationals Note : View the indictment here . MIAMI – The Justice Department today announced the indictment of North Korean nationals Jin Sung-Il (진성일) and Pak Jin-Song (박진성), Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso De Los Reyes, and U.S. nationals Erick Ntekereze Prince and Emanuel Ashtor for a fraudulent scheme to obtain remote information technology (IT) work with U.S. companies that generated revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). “This indictment reflects the Southern District of Florida’s commitment to disrupting North Korea’s attempts to generate revenue through intricate schemes that victimize U.S. companies and threaten our national security,” said Michael S. Davis, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “In the United States, we do not tolerate the targeting and defrauding of American companies in aid of sanctioned regimes.” “The DPRK continues its efforts to evade sanctions to fund the regime’s priorities,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. “The FBI and our partners at the Departments of State and Treasury, as well as the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida will continue to identify and disrupt these schemes and make every effort to thwart North Korea’s efforts to victimize U.S. companies and bring in fraudulent gains.” “The Department of Justice remains committed to disrupting North Korea’s cyber-enabled sanctions-evading schemes, which seek to trick U.S. companies into funding the North Korean regime’s priorities, including its weapons programs,” said Supervisory Official Devin DeBacker of the Justice Department's National Security Division. “Our commitment includes the vigorous pursuit of both the North Korean actors and those providing them with material support. It also includes standing side-by-side with U.S. companies to not only disrupt ongoing victimization, but also to help them independently detect and prevent such schemes in the future.” “FBI investigation has uncovered a years-long plot to install North Korean IT workers as remote employees to generate revenue for the DPRK regime and evade sanctions,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The indictments announced today should highlight to all American companies the risk posed by the North Korean government. As always, the FBI is available to assist victims of the DPRK. Please reach out to your local FBI field office should you have any questions or concerns.” According to the indictment, over the course of their scheme, from approximately April 2018 through August 2024, the defendants and their unindicted co-conspirators obtained work from at least sixty-four U.S. companies. Payments from ten of those companies generated at least $866,255 in revenue, most of which the defendants then laundered through a Chinese bank account. As part of this prosecution, the FBI arrested Ntekereze and Ashtor and executed a search of Ashtor’s residence in North Carolina, where he previously operated a “laptop farm” that hosted victim company-provided laptops to deceive companies into thinking they had hired U.S.-located workers. Alonso was arrested in the Netherlands on Jan. 10, pursuant to an arrest warrant from the United States. The DPRK has dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers to live abroad, primarily in China and Russia, with the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as freelance IT workers to generate revenue for the regime. DPRK IT worker schemes involve the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the United States and elsewhere. As described in a May 2022 tri-seal public service advisory released by the FBI, and State and Treasury Departments, such IT workers have been known individually earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction programs. According to the indictment, the defendants used forged and stolen identity documents, including U.S. passports containing the stolen personally identifiable information of a U.S. person, to conceal the true identities of Jin, Pak, and other North Korean co-conspirators, so that these North Korean nationals could circumvent sanctions and other laws to obtain employment with U.S. companies. Ntekereze and Ashtor received laptops from U.S. company employers at their residences, downloading and installing remote access software on them, without authorization, to facilitate IT worker access and to perpetuate the deception of U.S. companies. The defendants further conspired to launder payments for the remote IT work through a variety of accounts designed to promote the scheme and conceal its proceeds. All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transfer false identification documents. Jin and Pak are charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence of each defendant after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Under the Department-wide “DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative,” launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, Department prosecutors and agents are prioritizing the identification and shuttering of U.S.-based “laptop farms” – locations hosting laptops provided by victim U.S. companies to individuals they believed were legitimate U.S.-based freelance IT workers – and the investigation and prosecution of individuals hosting them. Today’s announcement follows successful actions taken by the Department in October 2023 , May 2024 , August 2024 , and December 2024 , which targeted similar and related conduct. The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Stratton and Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was also provided by Tracy Varghese and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators to watch for that are consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. Today, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20021. ###


title: Columbus Men Sentenced to Prison for Possessing  Machine-Gun Conversion Devices

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

body_text: Oxford, Mississippi – Two Columbus men will each serve time in prison for possessing a firearm with a machine gun conversion device. According to court documents, Da’Quavious Robertson, 21, and Demontrell Lowe, 26, previously pled guilty in federal court to possession of a machine gun. Robertson and Lowe had each been found in possession of a Glock 9mm with a machine gun conversion device attached at a convenience store in Columbus in April 2023. Under Federal law, a firearm with a machine gun conversion device, commonly called a “Glock switch,” which is designed to convert a semi-automatic firearm to fully automatic, is considered a machine gun. Robertson was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills to 37 months incarceration followed by three years of supervised release. Robertson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal following sentencing. Lowe was previously sentenced in Greenville, Mississippi, on July 17, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown to 30 months incarceration followed by three years of supervised release. Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner noted the importance of this prosecution and sentence in ongoing efforts to fight violent crime. “The illegal possession and use of machinegun conversion devices like the ones possessed in this case pose an ongoing safety concern,” said Joyner. “Glock switches increase the danger posed by semi-automatic weapons as they quickly and easily convert those firearms into much more lethal machine-guns. This office will continue to work alongside our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to see that those who unlawfully possess and use these devices are held accountable.” “The illegal possession of handgun conversion devices is a significant threat to our communities,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message to anyone who possesses a switch to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun will not be tolerated. We will continue to focus our efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess these devices, remove another violent criminal from our streets, and keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.” This case was investigated by the S.T.I.N.G. unit of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by AUSA Robert Mims. 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.


title: Pontotoc County Resident Pleads Guilty To Assault And Threatening Interstate Communications

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dekentrek Donneil McDowell, a/k/a Deketrek D. McDowell, a/k/a X Day Day, a/k/a X Deezy, a/k/a X Lil Beefy, age 19, of Ada, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Indictment of one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country and one count of Threatening Interstate Communications. The Indictment alleged that on June 4, 2024, McDowell assaulted an individual with a dangerous weapon, intending to do bodily harm, and that on July 27, 2024, McDowell knowingly and willfully transmitted by voicemail a threat to injure or kill a second individual and to kill that individual’s unborn child. The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The charges arose from an investigation by the Ada Police Department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. McDowell 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: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Gate Agent at DFW Airport

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: A Florida man who assaulted a gate agent at DFW Airport pleaded guilty to interfering with security personnel, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham. Keith Charles Owens, 53, was charged via criminal complaint in November 2024. He pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging interference with security screening personnel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey L. Cureton on Wednesday. In plea papers, Mr. Owens admitted that he assaulted an American Airlines gate agent at DFW Airport on Oct. 5, 2024. Security footage showed Mr. Owens repeatedly punched the gate agent in the head. According to court documents, around 4:42 p.m., Mr. Owens approached the gate agent at gate A36, explained he was late, and attempted to scan his boarding pass. When the gate agent informed him he was at the wrong gate, Mr. Owens cursed and walked away. The agent then radioed the correct gate, A35, to inform airline personnel that Mr. Owens was headed their way and appeared to be intoxicated. Mr. Owens then walked onto the A35 jet bridge without scanning his boarding pass. Airline personnel removed him from the jet bridge. A few moments later, at 4:48 p.m., Mr. Owens again approached gate A36. He began yelling at the gate agent, grabbed him by the shoulders, and punched him repeatedly in the face and neck. Eventually, airline personnel were able to restrain him. Both the gate agent and the personnel who assisted in restraining Mr. Owens sustained minor injuries. The flight departing from gate A36 was delayed. Mr. Owens now faces up to 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing has been set for May 2, 2025. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation with the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Beck is prosecuting the case.


title: Investment Professional Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Investment Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Craig Allen, executive officer of C.M. Allen Capital Management, Inc., has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for operating an investment scheme involving a private fund called “the Cheetah Fund,” which defrauded dozens of investors of more than $9 million. “Allen lied to investors when he sent them account documents that intentionally inflated the Cheetah Fund’s performance,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Allen abused the investors’ trust by failing to invest their money as promised and diverting these funds to maintain his lifestyle. For some victims, these stolen funds comprised their life savings.” “While it is easy to dismiss financial fraud cases as being almost benign because of their lack of violence, there is however, a very real victimization felt and lives are changed forever,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is hopeful that Allen’s sentencing will send a strong message to anyone who would try to take advantage of unsuspecting investors for their own personal greed.” According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: Allen, the sole shareholder and executive officer of C.M. Allen Capital Management, Inc., defrauded dozens of investors across the country out of millions of dollars through his management of the Cheetah Fund. In his roles with C.M. Allen Capital Management, Allen was responsible for managing Cheetah and its investment portfolio. Prospective investors received tear sheets that reported Cheetah achieved annual investment returns as high as 73%. Once invested in Cheetah, investors received fraudulent monthly account statements showing false investment gains, and fake tax documents reporting the false gains. In reality, Allen reported gains even as the Fund continuously lost money. In addition, Allen at times used investors’ money to write checks payable to himself to fund his lifestyle. Cheetah investors lost more than $9 million due to Allen’s investment fraud scheme. Craig Allen, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to seven years, two months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $9.2 million to the victims. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The SEC provided valuable assistance. The SEC’s separate civil case is SEC v. Craig Allen , Case Number 1:24-cv-01771-SDG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Cooper and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Huber prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: London Man Pleads Guilty to  Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving COVID Relief Loans

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: LONDON, Ky. – A London man, Joshua Pennington, 50, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hanley Ingram, to conspiracy to commit money laundering of fraudulently obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Payment Protection Loans. His co-defendant, Nicole Pennington, 48, was indicted in December 2024, on 16 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of money laundering. According to Joshua Pennington’s plea agreement, his co-defendant made materially false statements on applications for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Six of the loan applications were approved for a total of $1,090,398.35 in fraudulently obtained SBA loan proceeds. Between May 2020 and June 10, 2021, Joshua Pennington and his co-defendant knowingly laundered over $1,000,000 in criminally derived funds, via transactions over $10,000. They used the money to renovate their kitchen, pay for plastic surgery, purchase a Viking River Cruise trip, withdraw cash, purchase vehicles, and pay off loans and mortgages. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Kelly K. Moening, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Great Lakes Field Division; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, jointly announced the sentencing. The investigation was conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS-CI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. Joshua Pennington is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2025. He faces up to ten years in prison, plus any restitution or fines ordered by the Court. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please 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. — END —


title: Missouri Man Convicted of Recording Minor Victim in Bathroom

body_text: CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday found a southeastern Missouri man guilty of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor after a one-day bench trial. Rayford Evans, 52, used his cell phone on Nov. 17, 2022, to record a 15-year-old girl while she was bathing and using the bathroom by holding it up to a window above the bathroom door, evidence and testimony at trial showed. The victim saw the phone and told a friend, the friend’s father and then her own father, who contacted police. Evans, of Doniphan, in Ripley County, will be sentenced later this year. The charge carries a penalty of 15 to 30 years in prison. The FBI and the Doniphan City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Harvey Man Guilty of Possession of Intent to Distribute Tapentadol

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on January 16, 2025, TYRAN ADAMS (“ADAMS”), age 34, of Harvey, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to possession, with intent to distribute, tapentadol. According to court documents, ADAMS , was arrested on June 18, 2024, for possession of 200 tablets of tapentadol. ADAMS faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. He is scheduled for sentencing on April 24, 2025. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - New Orleans Gang Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney James Ollinger and Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Colombian Woman Charged with Illegal Re-Entry into United States

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Colombia has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The one-count Indictment named Heyder Molina Prieto, 37, as the sole defendant. According to public records, Prieto was arrested on November 27, 2024, related to charges filed by the Monroeville Police Department and Upper St. Clair Police Department. According to the Indictment, in November 2024, Prieto was found in this District after having been removed from the United States on or about June 20, 2020, and March 4, 2022. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Hell’s Kitchen Aesthetician Arrested For Unlawfully Injecting Counterfeit Botox

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOEY GRANT LUTHER with wire fraud, smuggling, and other crimes related to misbranded and counterfeit drugs. As alleged in the Complaint, from in or about April 2023 through at least in or about July 2024, LUTHER shipped counterfeit drugs, including counterfeit Botox, from countries in Asia, including China, and injected them, without the required license, into his clients at his medical spa, JGL Aesthetics. None of the counterfeit Botox that LUTHER injected was approved for sale or dispensing in the U.S. by the FDA. LUTHER was arrested this morning and will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “As alleged, Joey Grant Luther, who does not possess the licensing required by New York State to perform injections of Botox, knowingly purchased counterfeit Botox from China, injected it into his clients, and represented that the counterfeit Botox that he was peddling was genuine. Luther continued to purchase and inject the counterfeit Botox even after he learned that clients had fallen ill or experienced strange symptoms after Luther injected them. Luther’s disregard for the health of his clients put all of his victims in harm’s way and, in some cases, caused life-threating injuries. Luther will now face criminal charges for this conduct.” As alleged in the Complaint: [1] From at least in or about January 2021 through at least in or about July 2024, LUTHER ran a medical spa called JGL Aesthetics in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. In or about September 2021, an individual (“Victim-1”) went to JGL Aesthetics to receive Botox treatments to treat excessive sweating as well as fine lines on her face. Victim-1 learned that LUTHER performed Botox injections from a friend. Between in or about September 2021 and in or about February 2024, LUTHER injected counterfeit drugs labeled as Botox® 150 Units manufactured by Allergan into Victim-1’s armpit, forehead, and face on approximately eight occasions. Victim-1 never provided LUTHER with a prescription to receive Botox injections. On or about February 27, 2024, LUTHER injected Counterfeit Botox into Victim-1’s armpits and eyebrow area at JGL Aesthetics. Approximately three days after Victim-1’s February 27, 2024, visit to JGL Aesthetics, Victim-1 began experiencing double vision, light headedness, difficulty swallowing and chewing, heart palpitations, and slurring of speech. Victim-1 also could not lift her arms and experienced weakness from the waist up. Victim-1 went to three hospitals to seek medical assistance for these symptoms. On or about March 20, 2024, Victim-1 was diagnosed with Botulism toxin. From between in or about April 2023 and in or about January 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (“CBP”) seized parcels intended for JGL Aesthetics, including one which lists a return address in Hong Kong. These parcels contained significant quantities of counterfeit drugs, including Counterfeit Botox. Below is a photo of the contents of the parcel—including the exterior of cartons of Counterfeit Botox. From at least in or about March 2024 through at least in or about April 2024, during which time LUTHER negotiated an additional purchase of Counterfeit Botox from one of his suppliers, multiple individuals who received injections of Counterfeit Botox from LUTHER messaged LUTHER about the negative side effects from the injections, including lazy eyes, double vision, and drooping eyelids. In response to these complaints, LUTHER typically assured his clients that the side effects were temporary, represented that he was unaware that counterfeit Botox had been found circulating in the U.S., and assured clients that the Counterfeit Botox was from Allergan, the veritable maker. As alleged, LUTHER was well aware that the Counterfeit Botox was, in fact, counterfeit. Neither CBP’s seizure of packages intended for LUTHER, the defendant, nor his clients informing LUTHER of injuries related to his injecting Counterfeit Botox stopped LUTHER from continuing to procure the Counterfeit Botox and injecting it into his clients. Between March 13, 2024—the date that Victim-1 contacted LUTHER about the injections of Counterfeit Botox—and October 2, 2024—after law enforcement officers and special agents executed a search warrant of JGL Aesthetics, JGL Aesthetics had at least approximately 700 appointments logged in its client and service management application that were coded with having provided Botox-related services. Data contained in the client and services management application also revealed that JGL Aesthetics provided Botox-related services as early as January 2021. * * * LUTHER, 54, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of dispensing of a misbranded drug while held for sale, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison; one count of holding counterfeit drugs for sale and for dispensing, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of receiving misbranded drugs in interstate commerce and delivery or proffered delivery thereof, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison; and one count of smuggling, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The minimum and maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the CBP – New York Field Office, and the Special Agents and Task Force Officers assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon C. Thompson is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.


title: Tilton Veterinarian Agrees to Pay $53,500 to Settle Allegations of Controlled Substances Act Violations

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – The Tilton Veterinarian Hospital in Tilton, and its owner Sara Laroux, D.V.M., agreed to pay the United States $53,500 to resolve allegations that they violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by failing to keep accurate records of controlled substances, including opioids, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces. The CSA deters the illegal distribution, possession, dispensing, and improper use of controlled substances. The CSA requires the accurate inventorying, tracking and recordkeeping of each controlled substances to prevent misuse. “Particularly amid an opioid crisis, compliance with the CSA’s prescription-writing and recordkeeping requirements is essential in ensuring that opioids and other addictive drugs are not diverted and abused,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. “With the help of our partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize enforcement of this vital statute using all available tools at our disposal.” “DEA registrants are responsible for handling controlled substances responsibly and ensuring that complete and accurate records are being properly kept and accounted for in compliance with the Controlled Substance Act,” said Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, New England Field Division. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure that these rules and regulations are followed.” Beginning in January 2024, the DEA conducted an investigation into allegations that Dr. Laroux’ controlled substance records at the hospital were incorrect and that controlled substances were missing. The investigation included an on-site inspection of records, and an accountability audit of controlled substance inventories and record-keeping processes at the hospital. The investigation revealed numerous violations of the CSA: including, Dr. Laroux’s failure to maintain complete and accurate records of the controlled substances she received, dispensed, or destroyed, her failure to conduct proper inventories of controlled substances on hand, received by the hospital, and that she had altered pages of her records and forged signatures. The investigation also revealed significant shortages of various controlled substances received by the hospital, as well as that Dr. Laroux failed to provide effective controls and procedures to guard against theft and diversion of controlled substances and was not present at the hospital for large periods of time while leaving controlled substances unmonitored and unsecured. The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation leading to the settlement agreement. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael Katz. ###


title: Jacksonville Repeat-Offender Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison For Possessing Machine Gun

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Markee Washington (34, Jacksonville) to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Washington entered a guilty plea on August 19, 2024. According to court documents, on February 11, 2023, at approximately 10:45 p.m., a trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop of a car that Washington was driving. The trooper was quickly joined at the scene by two officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Based on Washington’s statements that he had been smoking marijuana, as well as the smell of the drug emanating from him and the car, officers searched the car. Inside the gap between the car’s ceiling and roof (which was accessible by removing the overhead sunglasses compartment), an officer located a bundle of cash and a 9mm Glock pistol. The pistol was loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. It also was outfitted with a Glock-switch, a device installed on the pistol that converted it into a fully automatic machinegun. Washington surrendered to the officers a small bag of marijuana that he had hidden down his pants. He also had a stack of cash in his pants’ pocket. In total, $2,447 was seized. An investigator later obtained a search warrant authorizing law enforcement to obtain a DNA sample from Washington. Laboratory testing determined that his DNA was both on the exterior of the Glock pistol and on ammunition loaded inside the pistol’s magazine. On the day of the traffic stop, Washington had various prior felony convictions, including multiple drug-trafficking offenses. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited by law from possessing firearms and ammunition. This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Milliron and Michael J. Coolican. 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.


title: Man Indicted for Involuntary Manslaughter on Bois Forte Reservation

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: DULUTH, Minn. – A man has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter after the death of a woman on the Bois Forte Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on December 17, 2024, the St. Louis County 911 Center received several calls regarding an apparently intoxicated woman walking on Tibbets Trail near the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino. Officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered an unconscious woman lying in the snow. The victim was transported from the scene and pronounced dead. Vehicle debris at the scene included pieces from a dark blue vehicle and pieces of plastic that appeared to be headlights or turn signals. Given this information and the location of the accident, law enforcement contacted the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino for any surveillance footage that may show blue vehicles departing the casino around the time of the 911 calls. Casino staff was able to identify a dark blue Dodge Durango departing the casino. Eric Scott Peterson, 50, was determined to be the registered owner of the vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his residence, where a blue Dodge Durango was found in the driveway with damage consistent with the debris collected from the accident scene. Peterson was indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was arraigned yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Bois Forte Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter is prosecuting the case.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Federal Drug and Weapons Violations

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –GEOURVON SEARS (“SEARS”) , age 27, was sentenced on January 16, 2025 by Chief U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to 111 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $200 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, tapentadol, and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D), and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). According to court documents, on June 6, 2024, New Orleans Police Department officers executed a search warrant at SEARS’s residence. Officers recovered SEARS’s backpack, which contained methamphetamine, tapentadol, and marijuana that SEARS intended to sell. Officers also recovered two loaded firearms—a Romarm/Cugir Model Mini Draco semi-automatic pistol and a Norinco Model SKS rifle—that SEARS possessed, in furtherance of his possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Arizona Couple That Ran Medical Clinic Business Charged With Conspiracy, Fraud, and Violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Mary Blakley (aka “Marye Blakley,” “Mary Blakely,” “Mary Blakeley,” “Mary Davis,” “Mary Venable,” “Mary Cammer,” “Rosemary Cammer,” “Rosemary Davis,” “Yvonne Davis,” and “Mary Blaksley”) and Fred Blakley (aka “Fred Blakely” and “Floyd Blakely”) with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Mary Blakley and Fred Blakley are residents of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The indictment alleges that the two defendants were the principals of a medical clinic business that charged clients throughout the United States approximately $300 for conducting what the defendants described as “full body scans” by use of an ultrasound machine. The defendants falsely claimed that, through the deployment of a “smart chip technology” invented by defendant Mary Blakley and purportedly added to the ultrasound machines, their “full body scans” could diagnose a wide variety of human diseases and medical conditions, including blood cancers, such as leukemia, and candida in the bowel. The indictment further alleges that the defendants falsely and fraudulently claimed that the Blakley Clinics’ full body scans, using the purported “smart chip technology,” could perform many other medical procedures, including colonoscopies, non-invasive prostate exams, and electrocardiograms. Based on the results of these “full body scans,” the defendants falsely and fraudulently prescribed to their human clients various supplements, creams, and veterinary products as treatments for conditions purportedly discovered during the full body scans. According to the indictment, the defendants also claimed that Mary Blakley’s purported “smart chip technology” could treat and cure a wide range of human diseases, illnesses, and conditions, including by: (i) “driving” a substance known as Aetheion into the body to kill cancer; (ii) “cleaning” the lungs and brainstem; and (iii) removing kidney stones. In fact, neither the purported “smart chip technology” nor the substances prescribed by the defendants had been approved by the FDA to treat diseases in human beings. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 165 years in prison. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Office of Criminal Investigations of the Food and Drug Administration, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Paul G. Shapiro. An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

body_text: MIAMI – On Jan. 6, Juan Mendieta, of Miami-Dade County, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in October 2024 to one count of criminal conspiracy and four counts of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns. Beginning in 2019 and continuing through at least 2023, Mendieta conspired with others to prepare fraudulent tax returns for his clients by using false business losses and expenses. These false items resulted in inflated federal tax refunds. For multiple clients, Mendieta prepared two different sets of tax returns. One set directed certain refunds from the IRS to Mendieta’s clients. Mendieta provided this set to his clients and misrepresented to them that he would file these tax returns with the IRS. Instead, Mendieta filed a second set of tax returns, which directed even greater refunds to bank accounts that he and a co-conspirator controlled. The IRS has identified at least 29 tax filings that fraudulently inflated refunds, which Mendieta filed on behalf of at least 13 separate clients during the conspiracy period. As a result of Mendieta’s fraudulent conduct, the IRS is entitled to over $11 million in restitution. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. IRS-CI Miami Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Koffsky and Katherine Guthrie prosecuted this case. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20320. ###