title: Leader of Lane County Drug Trafficking Cell Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute the Largest Seizure of Methamphetamine in Oregon State History

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.— The leader of a Lane County, Oregon, drug trafficking cell was sentenced to federal prison today for possessing 384 pounds of methamphetamine, the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Oregon State history and valued at over a million dollars. Martin Manzo Negrete, 51, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Lane County, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. According to court documents, in October 2020, law enforcement began investigating the Manzo-Mares cell for its role in trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Oregon for distribution and sale in and around Lane County. The drug trafficking organization transported methamphetamine from Southern California to Oregon where it was stored, divided, and distributed into the community. Investigators learned that Manzo Negrete, who has a long history of drug trafficking and previously served 14 years in federal prison, sold several pounds of methamphetamine to street-level dealers on a weekly basis. Manzo Negrete was identified as the cell’s leader, and was responsible for coordinating the receipt, storage, and distribution of methamphetamine in and around Lane County. On September 13, 2021, Manzo Negrete and five associates were charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. On September 15, 2021, as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation, law enforcement executed federal search warrants at multiple locations in Lane County, including a storage unit containing 384 pounds of methamphetamine. In addition to methamphetamine, law enforcement seized 14 firearms—some of which were stolen—and more than $76,000 in cash. Manzo Negrete and four associates were arrested, and the fifth associate was arrested later. On March 4, 2025, Manzo Negrete pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In addition to Manzo Negrete, all five co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the conspiracy. This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Springfield Police Department, the Eugene Police Department, and the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement (LINE) Team. It was prosecuted by Nicholas D. Meyers and William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Hawaii Man Sentenced to 41 Years in Federal Prison for Traveling to Oregon to Sexually Abuse Two Children

body_text: EUGENE, Ore.—A Captain Cook, Hawaii man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison today for sexually abusing two Oregon children and sharing videos of the abuse online. Benjamin Victor Houghton, 29, was sentenced to 495 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. The sum of restitution he must pay to the victims will be determined at a later date. “Preying on children is unforgivable. Today’s lengthy sentence illustrates the heinous nature of Houghton’s conduct and sends a strong message to child predators that they will be held accountable,” said Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Chief of the Eugene and Medford Branches of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the FBI and HSI for working with us to bring this defendant to justice.” “Investigations into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material remains a very high priority for the FBI,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “Houghton's sentence for these heinous crimes will keep him from perpetrating more harm to children in our communities. We remain committed to pursuing these criminals, no matter where they may be.” “This 41-year sentence underscores our untiring commitment in protecting children and ensuring justice for victims of these horrific crimes,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “This outcome was made possible through the dedicated efforts of our agents and close collaboration with our federal partners. Together, we will continue to pursue and hold accountable those who exploit and harm the most vulnerable among us.” According to court documents, in late 2022, FBI agents received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a video depicting child sexual abuse. While the FBI worked to identify the children and abuser, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent discovered another video which showed an adult male, later identified as Houghton, sexually abusing one of the children. Investigators learned Houghton recorded the video in August 2021, when Houghton first traveled to Oregon to sexually abuse the children, and shared the video online in December 2021. During the investigation, agents learned that Houghton conducted weekly piano lessons with the children virtually from his residence in Hawaii. On several occasions, Houghton used the virtual piano lessons to persuade the children to perform sexual acts, which he recorded. Additionally, between 2021 and 2022, Houghton traveled from Hawaii to Oregon twice to sexually abuse the children and record the abuse. On February 24, 2023, FBI agents arrested Houghton and executed a search warrant on his residence. Investigators seized Houghton’s electronic devices and located approximately 1,285 images and 135 videos of child sexual abuse material, including a video recorded in November 2022, which showed Houghton sexually abusing one of the children. On March 7, 2023, a federal grand jury in Eugene, Oregon, returned a five-count indictment charging Houghton with using a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and aggravated sexual abuse. Houghton pleaded guilty today to one-count of using a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and one-count of aggravated sexual abuse. This case was investigated by the FBI Portland and Honolulu Field Offices and HSI. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov . The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation. Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Owner of Santee Trucking Company Charged in  $2 Million Credit Card Scheme

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Hasan Korkmaz, the owner and operator of San Diego Logistics Group Inc., a Santee trucking company, was arraigned in federal court today on an 18-count indictment charging him with bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. According to the indictment, in 2022 and 2023, Korkmaz executed a credit card “bust-out” scheme - where fraudsters establish seemingly legitimate credit card accounts and then “bust out” by maxing out the credit line with no intention of paying the balance. The indictment alleges that Korkmaz obtained names, dates of birth, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information corresponding with real individuals. Korkmaz then applied for numerous credit card accounts with that information. After opening the fraudulent credit cards accounts, Korkmaz allegedly used the credit cards to incur charges at various businesses, including Korkmaz’s San Diego Logitistics Group Inc. The charges were in the thousands of dollars each, including some charges as high as $18,500 in a single transaction. To perpetuate the scheme, Korkmaz also made fraudulent payments, with checks drawn on accounts with insufficient funds or drawn on non-existent accounts, to the credit card accounts, thereby temporarily restoring the available credit limits, the indictment said. Korkmaz would then incur additional charges on the credit card accounts at or near the maximum credit limits for the accounts. As alleged in the indictment, Korkmaz laundered the bank fraud proceeds, including by transferring proceeds from the fraud scheme to a Turkish bank account controlled by Korkmaz. In total, Korkmaz caused over $2,103,000 in losses to two banks. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mokhtari and Christopher Alexander. DEFENDANT Case Number 25-cr-1405-JES Hasan Korkmaz Age: 44 Las Vegas, NV SUMMARY OF CHARGES Counts 1-12 - Bank Fraud - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2) Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison; a maximum $1 million fine Counts 13-14 - Money Laundering – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957 Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison; a maximum $500,000 fine or twice the amount of monetary instruments involved in the offense, whichever is greatest Counts 15-18 - Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 1028A Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, to run consecutively to the specified felony INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation


title: Gary Man Sentenced to 68 Months in Prison

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

body_text: HAMMOND- Antawan Smith, 35 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Smith was sentenced to 68 months in prison followed by 12 months of supervised release. According to documents in the case, on February 26, 2024, law enforcement responded to a complaint of an armed man near a house. Upon their arrival, officers encountered Smith and recovered a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine from him. He attempted to flee but was apprehended. Smith’s criminal history revealed that he has 5 prior felony convictions, and as such, is prohibited from possessing the firearm. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force and the Gary Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth. 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: Defendants with former cocaine convictions plead guilty to illegally reentering United States

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to illegally reentering the United States. Juan Carlos Garcia-Vazquez, 45, was convicted in Franklin County in 2024 for cocaine trafficking. The defendant was previously removed from the United States in 2004 and 2013. Previous convictions for Lino Mendiola-Vanegas, 45, include cocaine trafficking and forgery in Franklin County. He admitted to illegally reentering the United States after being ordered removed in 2010. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Robert Lynch, Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office announced the guilty pleas entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth F. Affeldt is representing the United States in both cases. Illegally reentering the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison. If the offender has a prior felony conviction (or multiple prior misdemeanor convictions of certain types), the penalty is increased to 10 years in prison, and if the offender has been previously convicted of an aggravated felony, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. Transporting illegal aliens is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Possessing a firearm as an illegal alien is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences and sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Southern District of Ohio Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America . HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). # # #


title: Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Controlled Substances to High School Students

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—Jack E. Wagner, 22, pleaded guilty today to the unlawfully distributing controlled substances to two local high school students, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. According to court documents, Wagner, a Milwaukie, Oregon resident, knowingly distributed psilocybin, a Schedule I controlled substance, to two West Linn High School students in West Linn, Oregon. Wagner later admitted to also possessing a firearm in connection with the offense. Wagner faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and 8 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on August 26, 2025, before a U.S. District Judge. This case was investigated by the West Linn Police Department with assistance from the FBI and Clackamas County Interagency Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Three Orange County Men Plead Guilty To Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Bradley D. Burch (34, Apopka), Ronald E. Hubbard Jr. (37, Apopka), and Douglas E. Arnett Jr. (33, Orlando) have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, a fentanyl analog, and methamphetamine. Burch also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Hubbard and Arnett each face a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and Burch faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. According to plea agreements and court documents, throughout 2023, undercover agents conducted multiple controlled purchases of powder fentanyl, counterfeit fentanyl pills, and methamphetamine from Burch. For at least some of those deals, Hubbard, Arnett, or both supplied the drugs to Burch to sell to the undercover agents. Over the course of the conspiracy, they distributed nearly 2 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 350 grams of fentanyl or fentanyl analog mixtures. Additionally, during some of these transactions, Burch had a firearm nearby or in his waistband. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Apopka Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Centre County Man Sentenced To 30 Years In prison For Production Of Child Pornography And Online Enticement

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Louis Bradley Wetzel, age 41, of Howard, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann to 360 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release on charges related to the production of child pornography and online enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Chief Judge Brann also ordered Wetzel to pay $50,000 in restitution to the victims. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, pursuant to an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in Williamsport, Wetzel was found to be in possession of a trove of child sexual exploitation material during a search warrant conducted at his home in December of 2023. A forensic review of his digital devices revealed conversation between Wetzel and a 12-year-old minor in which he coerced the child to produce and distribute, to him, child pornography. Wetzel also purported, during chats, to have the ability to offer up children for sale to other adults to engage in sexual acts for money. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. # # #


title: ELLISON C. TRAVIS APPOINTED ACTING UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

component: USAO - Louisiana, Middle

body_text: Ellison C. Travis has been appointed by President Trump as the Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana. Mr. Travis replaces April M. Leon, who has held the position since February 2025. Mr. Travis stated, “I am honored that President Trump has appointed me Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana. Our office will work every day with our federal, state, and local partners to execute Operation Take Back America , reduce violent crime, and enforce federal law in our district.” Mr. Travis served as Executive Assistant United States Attorney since July 2023. He previously served as Acting United States Attorney in 2021, as well as First Assistant United States Attorney from 2018-2023. Previously, he was with the Louisiana Department of Justice for over twenty years. During his tenure with the Louisiana Department of Justice, Mr. Travis served as the Director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Criminal Division (2017-2018), as an Assistant Attorney General in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (2002–2017), and as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division (1997–2002). Mr. Travis also served as an Assistant District Attorney (1990–1996). During his thirty-five years in public service, he prosecuted all manner of criminal matters, including violent crimes, financial crimes, and public corruption. Mr. Travis helped author and pass legislation to penalize those who commit electronic abuse of persons with infirmities and those who commit public program fraud. He also represented the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the state Legislative Task Force on Medicaid Fraud Prevention. Mr. Travis received his J.D. from Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and his B.A. in Economics from Louisiana State University.


title: Second Defendant Pleads Guilty For Fraudulently Obtaining Millions In Public Benefits And Laundering Proceeds To China

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carlos A. Grijalva, age 59, of Simi Valley, California, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in the amount of approximately $46.4 million. Grijalva is the second defendant to plead guilty in connection with this case, following the guilty plea of Bruce Jin in January 2025. In April 2025, Grijalva, along with a third defendant, Brian R. Cleland, was charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and other offenses, after charges were originally filed against all three defendants in August 2023. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Grijalva admitted that, from 2021 to early 2022, he, Cleland, and Jin, along with other unnamed coconspirators, agreed to launder state unemployment compensation funds that they knew had been obtained through fraud. Grijalva also admitted that he and the others entered into a series of agreements that made it appear as if they were operating legitimate businesses selling masks and other COVID19 personal protective equipment while knowing that the funds obtained and laundered through their companies were derived from fraudulently obtained state unemployment compensation (“UC”) benefits. Grijalva also admitted to knowing that bank accounts of identity theft victims were unlawfully accessed across the United States and that fraudulent UC claims were generated and paid to these accounts. Grijalva understood that this fraudulent activity was being conducted by fraudsters located in China. Through this pattern of financial activity, tens of millions of dollars of fraudulent UC payments were issued to accounts by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and other state treasuries around the United States. Grijalva also admitted that he and Cleland then provided the bank account information of these identity theft victims to payment processing companies to generate ACH payments to accounts controlled by him and Cleland. The bank account information being provided to him and Cleland, including account numbers and routing numbers, was likewise from an individual in China, known in the superseding indictment as “COCONSPIRATOR 2.” As a result of this fraudulent activity, Grijalva and Cleland obtained over $46 million in fraudulently obtained funds. Grijalva admitted that he and Cleland discussed, on a number of occasions, that the supposed sale of COVID-19-related PPE would be their cover story for this financial activity. After that, Cleland and Grijalva, using a number of different bank accounts, transferred over $30 million to companies controlled by Bruce Jin, as well as transferring additional funds to an individual known as “COCONSPIRATOR 1” in the superseding indictment. Grijalva admitted that he and Cleland made transfers to Jin knowing that Jin would, in turn, transfer at least a portion of these funds to parties located in China. Grijalva also admitted that he and Cleland each made an estimated $2.2 million dollars in personal profit from the scheme. Grijalva agreed to certain property forfeitures as part of his plea agreement, including approximately $46.4 million in US currency, as well as the contents of several bank accounts and real properties located in Hawaii and California that were purchased using funds traceable to the charged offenses. One of these properties, located in California, was purchased in the name of one of Grijalva’s family members. Jin has been detained since his arrest in August 2023 and is awaiting sentencing. Cleland has pleaded not guilty to the charged offenses and is awaiting trial. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and K. Wesley Mishoe and Trial Attorney Patrick B. Gushue of the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering & Asset Recovery Section, Bank Integrity Unit, are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney General previously 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. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Jay Clayton Announces Selection Of Sean Buckley As Deputy U.S. Attorney

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the selection of Sean Buckley as Deputy U.S. Attorney. Mr. Buckley joins the Office from Kobre & Kim, where he has served since 2018 and handled a wide variety of securities and other criminal and regulatory matters for companies and individuals. Mr. Buckley previously served as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice for nearly a decade, where he was most recently the Co-Chief of the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. In that role, he oversaw complex international investigations involving terrorism financing, economic espionage, sanctions violations, and anti-money laundering matters across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. From 2009 to 2018, Mr. Buckley served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, handling a wide range of national security and international criminal matters. Prior to joining the government, Mr. Buckley practiced at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP from 2003 to 2009. Mr. Buckley received his A.B. from Princeton University, an M.A. from the University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He has been recognized with several honors, including the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award and the Assistant Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award. “We are excited to welcome Sean Buckley back to the Office as the Deputy United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Sean demonstrated exceptional leadership and case-making skills during his prior service in the Office. He is deeply respected by the New York Bar and embodies the commitment to professionalism and the safety of the people of New York that runs through our Office. We are fortunate to once again benefit from Sean’s tremendous intellect and strategic thinking. With the combination of Sean, Amanda Houle, and Jeff Oestricher, I am confident that the Office could not have a more formidable and effective leadership team.”


title: Clewiston Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Federal Prison For Drug And Firearm Offenses

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Antowan Jabaar Cain (45, Clewiston) to 12 years in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Cain to forfeit the firearm used during the offense. Cain pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025. According to court documents, on December 12, 2024, Cain sold a firearm and methamphetamine in Hendry County. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan. 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: Controller Of Law Enforcement Union Pleads Guilty To Filing False Tax Return

body_text: Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (“IRS-CI”), announced today that DENNIS OSTERMANN, a former Sergeant with the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), pled guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent U.S. income tax return. OSTERMANN pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate District Judge Ona T. Wang. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield. “At the direction of a senior union official, Ostermann reported payments as 'legal fees' when they were not,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “We all share the responsibility for reporting income and expenses accurately on our tax returns, and no rank or position exempts any person or organization from these obligations.” IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr. said: “Ostermann misrepresented the movement of funds, lied on his taxes and betrayed the confidence of union members. He violated the trust of his position as controller for a law enforcement union and as a return preparer. With today’s guilty plea, Ostermann is now taking responsibility for his criminal acts, and he will now face the consequences.” According to the allegations contained in the Information and statements made in public filings and in public court proceedings: OSTERMANN served as Controller of a union that represents all current and former sergeants of the NYPD (the “Union”). OSTERMANN also served as a partner of HB Consultants Inc. (“HBC”). In 2018 and 2019, OSTERMANN paid $150,000 from HBC’s bank account to a third party on behalf of the former President of the Union. OSTERMANN then prepared HBC’s U.S. income tax returns, and falsely reported that the $150,000 payment was for legal fees. This false information not only disguised that OSTERMANN had used HBC-funds to make payments on behalf of the former President of the Union, but also fraudulently reduced the tax liability of HBC and its partners, including OSTERMANN. * * * OSTERMANN, 68, of East Rockaway, New York, pled guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent U.S. income tax return, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. OSTERMANN is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Schofield on August 29, 2025. The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the IRS-CI and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Rothman is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Justin R. Simmons Appointed as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Justin R. Simmons as Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment took effect on May 30, 2025. “I want to thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for placing their trust in me to lead the incredible AUSAs and support staff we have working here in the Western District,” said Simmons. “I am humbled and honored to serve in this role.” Simmons joined the Western District of Texas as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in December 2020 and has prosecuted a wide variety of cases, including cases involving trans-national criminal organizations, human trafficking, gun crimes, white-collar crimes, and immigration offenses. Simmons also served as the SAR Coordinator for the district, a role in which he was tasked with leading a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agents and officers in reviewing and evaluating SARs filed by various financial institutions. Simmons also served as the Elder Justice Coordinator, giving presentations to various groups in the San Antonio area regarding the many criminal schemes perpetrated on the elderly. Additionally, he served on the leadership team for the South Texas Officers and Prosecutors Human Trafficking Task Force, giving various presentations to law enforcement personnel regarding financial investigations in the human trafficking context. “The Western District of Texas has for many years been on the front lines of the fight against the narco-terrorists that have enriched themselves to the detriment of the United States,” said Simmons. “In keeping with the President’s priorities, we will continue to push back against their efforts by aggressively enforcing the laws of the United States. We will also continue to root out and bring to light those who would enrich themselves by perpetrating fraud on the government or individual citizens. Additionally, our civil litigators will continue with their important work representing the interests of the United States in our federal courts. Hand in hand with our law enforcement partners, we will do our part to make the Western District a place where the American people cannot just survive but thrive. I look forward to leading in this effort.” Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Simmons was a commercial litigator at the law firm of Scheef & Stone in Frisco, Texas, and, before that, he was an Assistant District Attorney in Collin County, Texas. Simmons received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Samford University in 2004, and his Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M in 2016. ###


title: Texas Man and his Romantic Partner Plead Guilty to their Roles in Harming Elderly Victims Through a Romance Fraud Scam

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A Texas man admitted his role in a romance fraud scam in which he received money from elderly victims, including from New Jersey, and then transferred the money abroad, primarily to Ghana. His romantic partner admitted that she had served as an unlicensed money transmitter in accepting and transmitting some of the funds for profit, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Felix Clark, a/k/a “Joseph Moore,” a/k/a “Stanley Smith,” 36, of Keller, Texas, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2025, before the Hon. Renée Marie Bumb, Chief, U.S. District Judge, Camden, to a two-count information, charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in connection with the romance fraud scam. Clark’s sentencing is scheduled for September 10, 2025. Clark’s romantic partner, Esther Amppiaw, 33, of Keller, Texas, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2025, before the Hon. Renée Marie Bumb, Chief, U.S. District Judge, Camden, to a one-count information charging her with operating an unlicensed money transmitter business. Amppiaw’s sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2025. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From June 2022 through September 2022, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida, Clark conspired and agreed to receive the proceeds of fraud perpetrated by a co-conspirator in Ghana and then to transfer those proceeds overseas. Over the course of the conspiracy, one or more of Clark’s co-conspirators went onto online dating sites and, using fake names, pretended to be romantically interested in mostly elderly victims, including stating that they wanted to marry the victims. Many of the victims, including Victim-1 (an elderly New Jersey-based victim) had recently lost their spouses. The co-conspirators used electronic means to tell the victims a variety of lies to induce the victims to send money—for instance, claiming that there was a large amount of gold in Ghana, but in order to gain access, the victim needed to pay taxes, fees, or other sums. The co-conspirators directed the victims to send funds to Clark and others acting at his direction, including Amppiaw. Clark used fake names, including “Joseph Moore” and “Stanley Smith”—as well as financial accounts in those fake names—to commit and transfer the proceeds of fraud. During his guilty plea hearing, Clark admitted that he was responsible for $501,071 in victim losses. He also admitted that he had attempted to obstruct justice by causing a falsified death certificate and funeral notice purporting to show the death and funeral of a family member to be submitted to the United States, for the purpose of obtaining his passport, which had been lawfully seized and to which he was not legally entitled. Amppiaw admitted that she operated an unlicensed money transmitting business from January 2022 through June 2023, while a resident of Delray Beach, Florida. Amppiaw also admitted that she knowingly received checks, money orders, and electronic payments totaling $317,290 from individuals she did not know, and that she knowingly transmitted most of the funds to other individuals, including at least one recipient in New Jersey and also to recipients overseas, including Ghana. Amppiaw admitted that she now knows that the funds she transferred included the proceeds of unlawful activity—that is, fraud. The counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud to which Clark pled guilty are each punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. The sentences on each count may run consecutively. The count of operating an unlicensed money transmitter business to which Amppiaw pled guilty is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Each offense also carries a potential fine of the greater of $250,000,or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, and the defendants may be sentenced to a term of supervised release after any term of imprisonment imposed. U.S. Attorney Habba credited agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden. ### Defense Counsel: Felix Clark: Jeremy McLymont, Esq., Miami, Florida Esther Amppiaw: James Maguire, Esq., AFPD, Camden, New Jersey clark.information.pdf amppiaw.information.pdf


title: Oconee County Man Indicted for Failing to Report $1M Income on Taxes

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: GREENVILLE, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Greenville returned a four-count indictment against Marion Keith Sheriff, 60, of Seneca, for filing false tax returns. According to court documents and statements made in court, Sheriff operated a landscaping business in the Upstate and allegedly failed to report cashed business checks as income to the IRS from 2019 to 2022. Sheriff failed to report approximately $1,006,633.00 in income. Sheriff faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison, a $100,000 fine and one year of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Jacquelyn D Austin will preside over the case. The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Watkins is prosecuting the case. All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: JOHN P. HEEKIN SWORN IN AS U. S. ATTORNEY  FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – John P. “Jack” Heekin took the oath of office this morning from Chief District Judge Mark E. Walker to become the 42 nd U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Mr. Heekin was appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi as the interim United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida on May 6, 2025, and was nominated to that office by President Donald Trump that same day. Mr. Heekin succeeds Michelle Spaven, who was named Acting U.S. Attorney in early February of 2025. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I am deeply honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, and look forward to working alongside our outstanding prosecutors, support staff, and law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe. Together, we will fulfill the commitment to public safety advanced by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and we will make the Northern District of Florida the safest place in America to live, work, and raise a family.” As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Heekin is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Northern District of Florida, which includes Florida’s 23 panhandle counties, from Escambia in the west to Alachua in the east. The district has offices in Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Gainesville. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, human trafficking, financial fraud, health care fraud, firearms, and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States. U.S. Attorney Heekin recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel to U.S. Senator Rick Scott (FL) in Washington, D.C., covering a legislative policy portfolio related to the federal judiciary, immigration, law enforcement & criminal justice, and constitutional issues, and advising the Senator on judicial and executive nominations. Prior to that, USA Heekin served in the administration of Governor Rick Scott as his Chief Deputy General Counsel, and later as Deputy Chief of Staff, overseeing the Governor’s criminal justice agencies, including the Florida Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the Commission on Offender Review. He also served as the Governor’s Executive Clemency Advisor and oversaw the execution of death warrants for Florida’s death row inmates. He acted as Chief Counsel to the Governor’s Financial Emergency Board for Opa-locka and served as the General Counsel to the Governor and Florida Cabinet sitting as the Administration Commission and the Florida Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission. He began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting criminal offenses for the 15 th Judicial Circuit of Florida in Palm Beach County. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University, and his Juris Doctor with a certificate in Comparative and International Law from the Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America, where he graduated cum laude . While in law school, he authored two published works: “Leashing the Internet Watchdog: Legislative Restraints on Electronic Surveillance in the U.S. and U.K.,” published in The American Intelligence Journal (Vol. 28, No. 1 (Fall 2010)), and “ADHD and the New Americans with Disabilities Act: Expanded Legal Recognition for Cognitive Disorders,” published in The William & Mary Policy Review (Vol. II, No. 1 (Fall 2010)). He is a member of the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, the Federalist Society, and the Republican National Lawyers Association. U.S. Attorney Heekin recognized Ms. Spaven for her exemplary service to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida and North Florida communities. Ms. Spaven will continue her career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. His primary office will be in Tallahassee. The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: South Florida Jury Convicts Murder-For-Hire Conspirators, Face Life in Prison

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A federal jury convicted three South Florida men for their involvement in a murder-for-hire plot carried out in August 2019. On May 21, Rolando Ramirez, 52, of Doral, and Rasheed “Fresh” Ali, 39, of Miami, were found guilty of solicitation of a crime of violence (interstate stalking), interstate stalking, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm, discharging a firearm in furtherance of interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and murder for hire. Tamrat “Shifta” Mason, 41, of Miami, together with Ramirez and Ali, was also found guilty of tampering with the investigation that resulted in their arrest in August 2024. According to court records and evidence introduced during trial, Ramirez and the victim, a local businessman, had a contentious federal lawsuit involving various issues related to their business arrangement, including a non-competition clause. The victim won the right to continue to compete. During settlement negotiations, Ramirez told the victim, “In due time, I will kill you.” Ali and Mason had a marijuana distributor in New York, Jaime Serrano. Serrano had an outstanding debt to Ali and Mason, which Ali told Serrano he could clear by executing a hit for his friend. Serrano testified that Ali told him the target was a former business partner, who “snitched” on his friend in court. Ali added that Ramirez considered himself “Cuban Mafia.” On August 28, 2019, Serrano, together with Julian Jimenez, carried out the near-fatal shooting of the victim. During the investigation, it was revealed that Ramirez, Ali, and Mason tampered with the investigation to cover up their involvement or knowledge of the crime. As part of a separate case , Jimenez pled guilty to interstate stalking, conspiracy to use a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime. A federal jury found Serrano guilty of the same charges. Jimenez and Serrano were sentenced to 35 and 50 years in prison, respectively. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 5, before U.S. District Court Judge Roy K. Altman. Ramirez and Ali face a sentence of up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement. FBI Miami investigated this case, with assistance from the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Michael Gilfarb of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The charges contained in an information are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond 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 24-cr-20341. ###


title: Justice Department Files Federal Charges Against Alleged Perpetrator of Anti-Semitic Terror Attack in Colorado

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department has filed federal charges against illegal alien Mohammed Sabry Soliman, the alleged perpetrator of yesterday’s anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Colorado. Attorney General Pamela Bondi released the following statement: "The Department of Justice has swiftly charged the illegal alien perpetrator of this heinous attack with a federal hate crime and will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and our Jewish community across the world. This vile anti-Semitic violence comes just weeks after the horrific murder of two young Jewish Americans in Washington DC. We will never tolerate this kind of hatred. We refuse to accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted for who they are and what they believe." Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon released the following statement: "No American should experience violence motivated by hatred based on their faith or national origin, and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice will act swiftly and decisively to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice. There can be zero tolerance for such acts in our great nation." Background: -Soliman is being charged with a federal hate crime in addition to facing state charges for attempted murder in Colorado. -Read the federal complaint HERE .


title: Justice Department Requires Keysight to Divest Assets to Proceed with Spirent Acquisition

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today that it will require Keysight Technologies Inc. (Keysight) to divest Spirent Communications plc.’s (Spirent) high-speed ethernet testing, network security testing, and RF channel emulation businesses to resolve antitrust concerns arising from their proposed $1.5 billion merger. The Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the Division filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the Division’s competitive concerns. “This structural solution preserves competition for key testing equipment used to ensure that data moves quickly and securely across the world. The proposed divestiture to Viavi, an established and innovative test and measurement company, ensures that American consumers and businesses will continue to benefit from competition that promotes innovation, and which allows American companies to maintain global leadership,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Antitrust Division. “This consent decree proceeding secures enforceable commitments from the merging parties, provides transparency into the Antitrust Division’s efforts to resolve merger investigations, and gives the public an opportunity to comment as provided by statute.” According to the complaint, Keysight and Spirent dominate the markets in the United States for high-speed ethernet testing, network security testing, and RF channel emulators. High-tech companies – including chipset manufacturers, cloud computing providers, mobile network operators, government labs, and large enterprises – rely on the Defendants’ products to validate that their networks and network equipment are functional, secure, and integrating the latest technology. The parties together account for 85% of the market for high-speed ethernet testing, more than 60% of the market for network security testing, and more than 50% of the market for RF channel emulators. Keysight and Spirent are each other’s closest competitors in these markets and compete head-to-head to develop and sell this crucial test equipment. Without the proposed divestiture, Keysight’s acquisition of Spirent would likely result in higher prices, lower quality, and reduced innovation to the detriment of customers and American consumers. The proposed settlement requires Keysight to divest Spirent’s high-speed ethernet testing, network security testing, and RF channel emulation businesses to Viavi, including all tangible and intangible assets necessary to produce and sell these products. Together, these three business lines account for about 40% of Spirent’s total revenues. Viavi is expected to hire certain key Spirent employees that today support the divested business lines. Keysight is an American company incorporated in Delaware with its principal office in Santa Rosa, California. Keysight offers design, emulation, and test solutions across a range of industries, including commercial communications; aerospace, defense, and government; and electronic industrial. In 2024, Keysight had global revenue of approximately $4.97 billion. Spirent is a global company incorporated in the United Kingdom with its principal office in Crawley, England. Spirent offers automated test and assurance solutions for networks, cybersecurity, and satellite positioning. In 2024, Spirent had global revenue of approximately $460.2 million. As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with the Department’s competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days of its publication to Jared Hughes, Assistant Chief, Media, Entertainment, and Communications Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 7000, Washington, D.C. 20530 or via email at ATR.MEC.Information@usdoj.gov . At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment upon a finding that it serves the public interest.


title: Topeka farmer indicted for defrauding federal government

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with defrauding the federal government, by selling crops that he used as collateral for a federal government loan. According to court documents, Steven W. Porubsky, 48, of Topeka is charged with one count of conversion of mortgaged collateral. Porubsky is accused of intentionally defrauding the Farm Service Agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), by converting to his own use agricultural products that were mortgaged to the USDA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Debenham is prosecuting the case. OTHER INDICTMENTS Jesse J. Rivera, 43, of Topeka was indicted on one count of theft of government property. The Railroad Retirement Board is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Debenham is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Atlanta Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Crack Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Heroin

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: FLORENCE, S.C. — Demetrius Stepp, 45, of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to three counts of distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine. Evidence presented to the court showed that on three occasions in April and May 2022, a confidential informant working with Myrtle Beach Police Department purchased narcotics from Stepp. On each occasion, Stepp claimed to sell the confidential informant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine. Lab testing later revealed that the substances sold by Stepp were not crack cocaine and heroin, but crack cocaine and fentanyl. Additional investigation showed that for years, Stepp had been involved in trafficking crack cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin throughout Horry County, often making multiple drug sales per day. United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Stepp to 70 months imprisonment, to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Flynn and Matthew Ellis are prosecuting the case. ###


title: Two Florida Men Plead Guilty to Crimes Related to a Scheme to Prepare False Tax Returns for Clients

component: Tax Division

body_text: Two Florida men pleaded guilty last week just before jury selection began for their June 2 trial. The two pled before Magistrate Judge David Baker to tax crimes related to a scheme to prepare false tax returns for clients. Specifically, Franklin Carter Jr., of Sanford, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and not filing tax returns, and Jonathan Carrillo, of St. Cloud pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. The plea must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge. According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2016 to 2020 Carter and Carrillo owned and operated Neighborhood Advance Tax (NAT), a return preparation business with a dozen offices throughout Florida. Carter, Carrillo and their co-conspirators fraudulently inflated client tax refunds by fabricating deductions on their returns. They also held periodic training sessions at which they taught other NAT employees how to prepare fraudulent tax returns. In 2021, Carter, Carrillo and the co-conspirators started another tax return preparation business. The new business, Taxmates, operated out of the same offices that NAT had previously used. As with NAT, Carter, Carrillo and the others used Taxmates to prepare false tax returns for clients. Many of those returns included false deductions. As before, Carter, Carrillo and their co-conspirators also taught franchise owners and employees how to prepare false returns for clients. In addition, Carter did not file personal tax returns for 2019 through 2021, despite being legally required to do so. In total, both men caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $12 million. Several of their co-conspirators have pleaded guilty. Diandre Mentor, Abryle de la Cruz and Emmanuel Almonor pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States as part of the same scheme. Adon Hemley pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and helping others file false returns. Isaiah Hayes pleaded guilty to helping others file false returns. Carter and Carrillo will be sentenced at a later date. Both face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Carter faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each failure to file a tax return charge and Carillo faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each charge of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Both men also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Michael L. Jones of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Testerman for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: President Donald J. Trump Appoints Joseph H. Thompson Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Joseph H. Thompson, who has served as a federal prosecutor for sixteen years, has been appointed by President Donald J. Trump to serve as the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota. “I am honored and humbled to be asked to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota,” said Mr. Thompson. “I look forward to continuing our office’s work combatting violent crime, the scourge of fentanyl and other deadly drugs, and the shocking and unacceptable levels of fraud in our state government programs.” Mr. Thompson has served as a federal prosecutor for more than sixteen years, first in the Northern District of Illinois and since 2014 in the District of Minnesota. In that time, Mr. Thompson has investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases, many of which involve matters of national and international significance. Most recently, Mr. Thompson has served as the Chief of the Fraud & Public Corruption section. In this role, Mr. Thompson has overseen an unprecedented effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute fraud against state and federal government programs, including as the lead prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future investigation, which has been recognized by the Department of Justice as the largest Covid-19 fraud in the United States. From 2023 to 2024, Mr. Thompson served on the Special Counsel team investigating the mishandling of classified documents found at the Penn-Biden Center in Washington, DC, and the personal residence of President Joseph R. Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. Mr. Thompson previously served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago from 2009 to 2014, where he prosecuted street gangs, drug cartels, corrupt politicians, and domestic terrorists. Mr. Thompson has tried more than twenty jury trials in every major area of federal prosecution. Mr. Thompson has briefed and argued more than a dozen cases before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Thompson has received numerous awards and accolades for his work as a federal prosecutor, including the 2024 Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work as the lead prosecutor on one of the largest elder fraud cases in the country. For more than a decade, Mr. Thompson taught law school, including an advanced criminal law course at the University of Minnesota Law school. Mr. Thompson has also taught trial advocacy to new AUSAs from around the country at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center in South Carolina. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Mr. Thompson worked in private practice in Chicago. He also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and for the Supreme Court of the Republic of Palau. Mr. Thompson was born and raised in Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Gustavus Adolphus College, and his law degree, with distinction, from Stanford Law School.


title: PCP Dealer Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison

body_text: WASHINGTON – Kenneth Dawson, 47, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in federal prison for repeatedly distributing large quantities of liquid PCP and fentanyl to confidential informants and undercover officers in broad daylight on a busy city street in the Anacostia neighborhood. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Dawson pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2025, to one count of distribution of fentanyl and one count of distribution of 100 grams or more of a liquid mixture containing PCP. According to court documents, on seven occasions between June 2024 and November 2024, Dawson distributed mixtures containing liquid PCP or fentanyl to confidential informants or an undercover officer near the intersection of 16th Street SE and Marion Barry Avenue SE. On June 27, 2024, Dawson sold 102 grams of liquid PCP in exchange for $800, and $100 worth of powdered fentanyl, to a confidential informant. Dawson made similar and larger sales to confidential informants and undercover officers on six other dates through November 2024, including the sale of 97 fentanyl pills. The transactions were recorded by law enforcement. On Dec.13, 2024, law enforcement arrested Dawson at his residence in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and executed a federal search warrant at the location. Inside Dawson’s bedroom, agents found additional liquid PCP and PCP paraphernalia, and a loaded large-capacity firearm magazine. Dawson is prohibited under federal law from owning ammunition. This case was jointly investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Strong and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren R. Randell. 24cr559


title: South Carolina Duo Plead Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Cyberstalking For Scheme That Resulted In A Victim's Death

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Trysten Anthony Cullon, 26, of South Carolina, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan C. Rodriguez and pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking for a scheme targeting a vulnerable victim and his immediate family members using extortive and threatening text messages, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Previously, on April 10, 2025, Jade Ashlynn Stone, 25, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to the indictment, filed plea documents, and the court hearings, from September 5 to September 8, 2024, the defendants conspired to engage in a cyberstalking conspiracy that targeted a victim identified in court documents as C.T. C.T. had an intellectual disability and was classified as Educable Mentally Disabled. Because of his disability, C.T. was extensively supported by his immediate family and did not live on his own. C.T. was also employed at a fast-food restaurant chain in Charlotte. As Cullon and Stone admitted in court, they used a stolen phone to send C.T.’s family members multiple harassing and intimidating text messages demanding money and threatened to provide derogatory and embarrassing information to C.T.’s employer unless they were paid, including salacious claims that C.T. was a pervert, that he harassed girls, and that he paid girls for sexual pictures. As a result of the substantial emotional distress caused by the extortive and threatening text messages sent by the defendants, C.T. died by suicide. Cullon and Stone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Cullon and Stone are both in custody. A sentencing date has not been set. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI for the investigation of this case and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for its substantial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.


title: Bluefield Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – April Elick, 43, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty today to theft of government money. Elick obtained $84,000 in COVID-19 loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and converted loan proceeds for her personal use. According to court documents and statements made in court, Elick obtained two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $14,520 in April 2021, after claiming the funds were for her home healthcare business to help cover payrolls and other qualifying expenses. Elick also received a $61,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) authorized by the CARES Act in January 2022 and successfully applied to increase that COVID-19 business relief loan by $8,700 in April 2022. As part of her guilty plea, Elick admitted that she knew she could use the loan proceeds only for purposes specifically allowed by those CARES Act programs. Elick further admitted that she used loan fund for personal expenses, including approximately $30,560 through cash withdrawals, approximately $16,350 in digital wallet transfers and $8,290.11 in purchases for goods and services in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to adversely impacted eligible businesses and sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals, and also authorized the SBA to provide EIDL program loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption. Elick is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Elick also owes $97,802.59 in restitution. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Tessman and J. Parker Bazzle II have prosecuted the case. Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-56. ###


title: Violent sexual offender sentenced to 15 years in prison for online exploitation of minors

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 72–year-old Skagit County man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison for receipt and possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Alan Lewis Meirhofer is a repeat violent sex offender, who was civilly committed to the McNeil Island sexual predator detention facility for seventeen years. He has been in custody since his arrest in 2021 when he was found to possess images of child sexual abuse. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said, “This case involves very serious, terrible, and heartbreaking crimes.” “Following his release from civil commitment, Mr. Meirhofer adapted his predatory behavior to modern technology,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “He exploited children via the internet. In just over two years there were 14 cyber tips to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) because of his sexual exploitation of minors via Google and Instagram.” According to records filed in the case, Meirhofer befriended teen boys in the Skagit County area by inviting them to hang out at his residence, where he provided them “gifts’ such as food, clothing, alcohol, cash, and marijuana. When one of the boys borrowed Meirhofer’s phone, he noticed that Meirhofer had sent members of a group chat, images of his friends. The teen also saw images of child sexual abuse on the phone. The teen’s mother alerted police and Meirhofer was arrested in March 2021 and his electronic devices were seized. An examination of the devices revealed that Meirhofer received and shared child sexual abuse material while he served as the administrator of a Telegram group singularly devoted to sharing child pornography and coordinating pedophilic relationships between adults and minors. Investigators also located deeply disturbing communications with minors Meirhofer was grooming and paying for sexually explicit photos… (The agent) located attempts by Meirhofer to “set up” the minors with Meirhofer’s registered sex offender friends. In 1988 Meirhofer was convicted of burglary, kidnapping, and rape. In all, Meirhofer broke into at least four different homes, cutting the phone lines and raping 13-year-old children at knife point. One victim was stalked and then kidnapped from his Bellingham home. In 1990, Meirhofer was convicted of Burglary in the First Degree While Armed with a Deadly Weapon and Assault in the Second Degree. In 2000, Meirhofer was civilly committed to the sexually violent predator Civil Commitment Center on McNeil Island. He was released in 2017 as a registered sex offender level 3, the level with the highest risk of reoffending. In asking for a 15-year prison sentence Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson wrote to the court, “Meirhofer comes before this Court for sentencing like no other defendant. His prior convictions and relevant conduct demonstrate he is the very worst thing that can happen to a child. Alan Meirhofer represents every parent’s worst nightmare and every child’s boogeyman. Decades of incarceration did not deter him from sexually exploiting children at the first opportunity provided. Meirhofer never engaged in sexual deviancy treatment while on McNeil Island because he never intended to stop feeding his deviancy. Meirhofer learned to utilize technology in order to ferret out new paths to abuse children despite his age, appearance, and poor physical condition.” 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 www.justice.gov/psc . The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, the Bellingham Police Department, and the Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.


title: Rio Grande Valley drug dealer admits to methamphetamine charges

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: McALLEN, Texas – A 34-year-old McAllen man has pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The investigation revealed Michael Luera was selling methamphetamine in the Rio Grande Valley area. On Dec. 12, 2024, authorities stopped him for a traffic violation shortly after he sold approximately 252 grams of the drug. A K-9 unit alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, leading authorities to find an additional approximately 1,000 grams of methamphetamine. Further investigation revealed multiple bags containing a large amount of U.S. currency and a loaded firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the plea and set sentencing for Aug. 14. At that time, Luera faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million fine. Luera has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case.


title: HONDURAN MAN ARRESTED AFTER CRASHING A BARRICADE AT NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Orly Moises Garcia Hernandez, 34, of the country of Honduras, has been charged in federal court with Illegally Entering a Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property, and Resisting or Impeding Arrest of a Federal Officer. The charges were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Court documents allege that, on May 25, 2025, Garcia Hernandez crashed into a barricade outside a checkpoint at the gate of Naval Air Station Pensacola and then ran from military forces onto NAS Pensacola to escape capture. Garcia Hernandez was ultimately caught at gunpoint after a foot pursuit. If convicted, Garcia Hernandez faces up to 18 months’ imprisonment and deportation from the United States. The case involved a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Navy. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Mexico Resident Sentenced to Three Years of Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Michoacán, Mexico, has been sentenced in federal court to 36 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics law, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Francisco Vazquez-Chavez, 38, on May 28, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, Vazquez-Chavez possessed with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Vazquez-Chavez. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Two Cousins Sentenced to Prison for the 2021 Mayfair Mansions Murder

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Deangelo Glover, 33, and Ronnie Wallace, 52, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced for the January 2021 shooting and murder of Tyrone Wright, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Superior Court Judge Jason Park sentenced Glover to 21 years in prison and Wallace to 45 years in prison, with five years of supervised release. The sentencings occurred on May 2, 2025. A jury found both men guilty on February 10, 2025. Wallace was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for Wright’s murder, plus one count of assault with intent to kill while armed for shooting a second victim, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. Glover was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. According to the government’s evidence, on January 19, 2021, in a parking lot in front of 3804 Hayes Street NE within the Mayfair Mansions Apartment complex Wallace shot the decedent, Tyrone Wright on belief that Mr. Wright was one of the persons responsible for the murder of his brother, Marcus. In the process, a bystander was shot a single time in the leg. Within moments of Wallace’s initial shots, his cousin and co-defendant Deangelo Glover ran out of an adjacent building and shot Mr. Wright repeatedly, killing him. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Covert and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Coronado, who prosecuted the case.


title: Former East Hartford Resident Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that NICHOLAS BURNHAM, 33, of East Hartford, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2016, Burnham was convicted in state court for possession of child pornography in the second degree. His probation for that offense was terminated in 2018 after he was convicted of possession of child pornography in the first degree. In 2023, Burnham began serving a term of special parole. On December 17, 2024, believing that Burnham was using an unauthorized electronic device, Burnham’s parole officers and the Connecticut State Police searched his residence and seized three cellphones. Preliminary forensic analysis of the phones revealed more than 2,000 images and videos depicting child sex abuse. Burnham used Telegram and other encrypted messaging applications to trade child sex abuse material with others, and also accessed numerous webpages to view and download child sex abuse material. Burnham has been detained in state custody since December 17, 2024. He made his initial appearance in Hartford federal court on May 30, 2025. The complaint charges Burnham with receipt and distribution of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and with possession of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The penalties in this matter are enhanced because of Burnham’s prior state convictions. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Correction’s Division of Parole and Community Services, and the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection’s Division of Scientific Services. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com .


component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, FL — Two Florida men pleaded guilty last week just before jury selection began for their June 2 trial. The two pled before Magistrate Judge David Baker to tax crimes related to a scheme to prepare false tax returns for clients. Specifically, Franklin Carter Jr., of Sanford, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and not filing tax returns, and Jonathan Carrillo, of St. Cloud pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. The plea must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge. According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2016 to 2020 Carter and Carrillo owned and operated Neighborhood Advance Tax (NAT), a return preparation business with a dozen offices throughout Florida. Carter, Carrillo and their co-conspirators fraudulently inflated client tax refunds by fabricating deductions on their returns. They also held periodic training sessions at which they taught other NAT employees how to prepare fraudulent tax returns. In 2021, Carter, Carrillo and the co-conspirators started another tax return preparation business. The new business, Taxmates, operated out of the same offices that NAT had previously used. As with NAT, Carter, Carrillo and the others used Taxmates to prepare false tax returns for clients. Many of those returns included false deductions. As before, Carter, Carrillo and their co-conspirators also taught franchise owners and employees how to prepare false returns for clients. In addition, Carter did not file personal tax returns for 2019 through 2021, despite being legally required to do so. In total, both men caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $12 million. Several of their co-conspirators have pleaded guilty. Diandre Mentor, Abryle de la Cruz and Emmanuel Almonor pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States as part of the same scheme. Adon Hemley pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and helping others file false returns. Isaiah Hayes pleaded guilty to helping others file false returns. Carter and Carrillo will be sentenced at a later date. Both face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Carter faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each failure to file a tax return charge and Carillo faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each charge of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Both men also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Michael L. Jones of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Testerman for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Romanian Citizen Pleads Guilty to ‘Swatting’ Numerous Members of Congress, Churches, and Former U.S. President

body_text: Thomasz Szabo, also known as Plank, Jonah, and Cypher, 26, of Romania, pleaded guilty today to being the leader of a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims across the United States with “swatting” and bomb threats. Szabo and his co-conspirators falsely reported ongoing violent emergencies at government buildings, houses of worship, and private residences, including the homes of senior government officials. “This defendant led a dangerous swatting criminal conspiracy, deliberately threatening dozens of government officials with violent hoaxes and targeting our nation’s security infrastructure from behind a screen overseas,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This case reflects our continued focus on protecting the American people and working with international partners to stop these threats at their source.” “Today, Szabo pleaded guilty to a years-long conspiracy that targeted victims with swatting and bomb threats, including to government buildings, houses of worship and homes of government officials,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Swatting endangers lives and will not be tolerated by the FBI. We are fully committed to working with our partners to bring to justice those criminals hiding behind keyboards and threatening violence.” “This defendant’s targeted and ruthless behavior put countless people in danger, including law enforcement, public officials, and ordinary citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Swatting attacks, that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there, drain precious resources and can result in major injury or even death. Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions.” According to court documents, Szabo was the founder and leader of an online community that, starting in late 2020, engaged in a pattern of bomb threats and “swatting” — that is, falsely reporting an ongoing threat of violence at a victims’ home address for the purpose of provoking a police response there. As leader of the group, Szabo made false reports to U.S. law enforcement including a threat in December 2020 to commit a mass-shooting at New York City synagogues, and a threat in January 2021 to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol and kill the President-elect. Szabo publicized his “swatting” activity to his followers and encouraged them to engage in similar behavior. Beginning on Dec. 24, 2023, and continuing through early January 2024, subordinate members of Szabo’s group perpetrated a spree of swatting and bomb threats that included, as its victims, at least 25 Members of Congress or family members of Members of Congress; at least six then-current or former senior U.S. Executive Branch officials, including multiple cabinet-level officials; at least 13 then-current or former senior federal law enforcement officials, including the heads of multiple federal law enforcement agencies; multiple members of the federal judiciary; at least 27 then-current or former state government officials or family members of such officials; at least four religious institutions; and multiple members of the media. During that time period, one of those subordinates bragged to Szabo: “I did 25+ swattings today,” and “creating massive havoc in [A]merica. $500,000+ in taxpayers wasted in just two days.” Szabo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of threats involving explosives, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024. The U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office and Criminal Investigative Division, the FBI’s Washington and Minneapolis Field Offices, and the U.S. Capitol Police are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Szabo’s arrest and extradition and assisted with securing evidence from abroad, including through mutual legal assistance requests. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service’s Bucharest Resident Office, Miami Field Office, Syracuse Resident Office, Springfield Resident Office; the FBI’s Legat Office in Bucharest; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, the District of South Dakota, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Illinois, and the Northern District of New York. The Romanian authorities’ assistance was critical to the successful investigation of the case and extradition of Szabo. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.