title: Eleven Accused of Large-Scale Cocaine Conspiracy

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A California man, three St. Louis area residents and seven others have been indicted and accused of involvement in a large-scale cocaine conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Thursday. Jimmy Abraham Majeau, 43, of Chino Hills, made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in St. Louis Thursday and pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Majeau and ten others were originally indicted on May 28, 2025. The indictment was unsealed on July 9, when the initial arrests began. Three of the defendants are from the St. Louis area: Michael Hunter, 63, Sonja Anne Orlando, 48, and Aaron Lamont Russell, 42. A motion seeking to have Majeau held in jail until trial said he traveled frequently to Mexico to obtain cocaine, which he then transported throughout the U.S. using a commercial shipping company. Also indicted were Earl Banks, 33, of Detroit, Eric James Hernandez, 42, Marvell Brian Lloyd, 43, Juan Jose Mendoza, 55, Alexxis Marie Ramirez, 36, Jonathon Javon Ward, 44, and Andrew Watson, 65. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of assets alleged to be linked to the crimes, including Majeau’s home, a 2021 Lamborghini Urus, $235,000 cash and 18 pieces of diamond and gold jewelry, including watches, rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.


title: Undocumented Immigrant Admits Targeting Retailers Nationwide with Sleight-of-Hand Fraud

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A Romanian national who has repeatedly entered the United States illegally on Thursday admitted costing big box stores across the country at least $161,000 with a sleight-of-hand fraud. Adrian Stoica, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of wire fraud and one count of illegal entry into the United States. He admitted conducting at least 170 transactions at stores in 20 states between November 2021 and March 2025. After cashiers scanned merchandise, prepaid gift cards, and electronic money transfers for Stoica, he counted out cash into piles to trick cashiers into believing that he would be paying the full price. He collected the piles and then slipped bills from the bottom of the stack into his pocket, short-changing the stores by hundreds of dollars or more in each transaction. Stoica would then move on to a store in a different area. Stoica’s plea agreement mentions three transactions in Missouri. On Feb. 17, 2023, he shortchanged the cashier of a Chesterfield store by approximately $860. On Sept. 7, 2023, his scheme cost a store in O’Fallon, Missouri about $690. The next day, he cost a Fenton store about $660. Stoica is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The illegal entry charge carries a prison term of up to two years and the same fine. Stoica will also be ordered to repay the money and will be deported. Stoica illegally entered the country in 2016 via Arizona, around October 2018 via Texas and sometime before November 2021 via an unknown location. He was ordered removed from the country in May of 2018 and deported in February of 2020. Stoica has used the names Boeri Kvec, Borri Kvec, Boeri Stoica and Adrian Anghel, his plea agreement says. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations handled the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.


title: Thirteen Charged In Multi-Million Dollar Nationwide Scheme To Defraud Staffing Companies

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Crispian Atkins (51, Valrico, FL), Henry Bell (61, Tampa, FL), Grace Almonte (44, Miami, FL), Christopher Williamson (39, Daytona Beach, FL), Willie Beard (68, Tampa, FL), Franklin Revels (54, Tampa, FL), Valeria Walker (57, Monroe, GA), Tremayne Eddings (47, Miami, FL), Katrina Osborne (52, Tampa, FL), Natasha Martin (49, Pinellas Park, FL), Cameron Atkins (42, St. Louis, MO), Derrick Stephenson (38, Tampa, FL), and Virgil Thomas (45, Houston, TX) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Crispian Atkins was also charged with aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 284 years in federal prison for his cumulative offenses. The remaining defendants each face a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit $2,462,992.81, which is alleged to represent proceeds obtained from the offense. According to the indictment, between May 2021 and March 2024, Crispian Atkins and his co-defendants defrauded eight victim-companies, located throughout the United States, that provide employment and payroll services, as well as financial funding. Atkins falsely represented to the victim-companies that he had business contracts with other companies to perform IT-related work, and that he needed the victim-companies’ services to fulfill those contracts. The victim companies agreed to provide financial funding or hire Atkins and his co-defendants as “temporary employees” to complete the purported work. Atkins submitted fraudulent timesheets to the victim-companies that reflected work performed by the “temporary employees,” and the victim-companies paid Atkins and his associates, via wire transfers, according to those timesheets. Atkins and his co-defendants then transferred the fraudulently obtained proceeds to other accounts, withdrew proceeds in cash to conceal their source, and shared in the fraudulently obtained proceeds. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Las Vegas Division, Reno Resident Agency and Tampa Division, with assistance from the Norwood Police Department (MA) and Polk County Sheriff’s Office (FL). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.


title: Three Miami Men Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses in Connection with Narcotics Distribution Operation from Local Storefronts

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Three Miami men have been charged with federal drug trafficking and firearms offenses in connection with the distribution of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and other controlled substances. The nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury charges Antwan Bailey, 45; Eddie Gene Worthy Jr., 52; and Willie Weatherspoon, 52, all of Miami, with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance. Worthy is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and Bailey is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to allegations in the court record, including a previously filed criminal complaint, Weatherspoon, Bailey, and Worthy conducted drug trafficking activities through a restaurant and neighboring businesses located in a Miami retail plaza. These establishments served as distribution points, with the shared parking lot used to facilitate quick meetings and deliveries. The indictment charges Weatherspoon, Bailey, and Worthy with distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl, 30 grams of heroin, and marijuana. If convicted, Weatherspoon, Bailey, and Worthy face up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami, Field Office announced the charges. FBI Miami is investigating the case. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and City of Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Jingh Chang of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-20375. ###


title: Former CEO Of Public Telecommunications Company Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Accounting Fraud

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that MICHAEL PALLESCHI, the former chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FTE Networks, Inc. (“FTE”), was sentenced today to 12 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon for leading a years-long scheme to inflate FTE’s revenue, conceal liabilities and expenses, and embezzle company funds. PALLESCHI previously pled guilty in August 2023 to conspiring to commit securities and wire fraud, making false statements in SEC filings and improperly influencing the conduct of audits, securities fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. “FTE’s financial statements were fraudulent, harming FTE’s investors and undermining confidence in our markets,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Our Office is committed to personal accountability in white-collar crime and Michael Palleschi’s sentence reflects that commitment.” As alleged in the Superseding Indictment and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings: FTE was a telecommunications company based in Naples, Florida, and Manhattan. As of December 2017, its stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange. From 2014 to 2019, PALLESCHI was the chairman of FTE’s Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer. From 2016 to early 2019, PALLESCHI and others at FTE caused FTE to issue approximately 70 convertible notes with a total principal balance of more than $22 million to private lenders. The lenders could convert the notes to FTE’s common stock, either upon demand or upon default. Issuers of such convertible notes must recognize on their financial statements liabilities and expenses that arise from the notes’ conversion features. PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize only the principal amounts and resulting interest expense on the company’s books, but not the substantial liabilities and expenses arising from the notes’ conversion features. He and others also took steps to conceal the notes’ conversion features, including by providing FTE’s accountants with fake notes, creating fake board resolutions with forged directors’ signatures that purportedly authorized the issuance of the convertible notes, forging the signature of FTE’s transfer agent on letters provided to lenders and repeatedly lying to FTE’s auditors by falsely denying that the company had issued convertible debt. As a result of this fraud with respect to convertible notes, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to understate its debt derivative liabilities and warrant derivative liabilities and to fail to recognize losses on conversion derivative liabilities and losses on issuance of notes in 2017 and 2018. As part of a second fraudulent scheme, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize more than $13 million in fraudulent revenue. This fraudulent revenue included more than $10 million in “unbilled” revenue that the conspirators represented FTE had earned from services it had supposedly provided to a large customer that had not yet accepted bills for those services. FTE never provided any such services. In addition, PALLESCHI and others caused FTE to recognize approximately $2.6 million as an account receivable for which there was no support. When FTE’s auditors said that the account receivable should be written off, PALLESCHI and others created a fake email from a representative of the customer saying that the customer would “expedite payments” for more than $1.5 million for projects completed by FTE in 2016 and 2017. The conspirators caused this fake email to be sent to FTE’s auditors so that FTE could continue to recognize the receivable. As a result of this fraudulent recognition of revenue, FTE’s financial statements overstated the company’s accounts receivable by between 18% and 120% for each of the quarters in 2017 and 2018 and by approximately 477% for 2016. PALLESCHI also embezzled corporate funds by taking personal trips on the company’s private jet and unauthorized stock issuances. At the sentencing, Judge McMahon said “this was a fraudulently run operation from the beginning.” * * * In addition to the prison term, PALLESCHI, 50, of Naples, Florida, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,541,707 in restitution and $546,846.75 in forfeiture. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Securities & Exchange Commission for their assistance with the case. This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Davis and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Christopher Reese Sentenced To 16.5 Years For Unlicensed Legal Services Scheme

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that CHRISTOPHER REESE, a/k/a “Christopher Eugene Thomas,” was sentenced today to 16.5 years in prison for crimes related to running a bogus legal services business, which defrauded numerous inmates and their family members. REESE, a nine-time convicted felon who is not a lawyer, deceived his victims into paying him to perform unlicensed legal services for them, including drafting and filing motions in federal courts. Despite REESE’s repeated promises to get inmates out of prison in exchange for money, courts overwhelmingly denied his motions, while REESE kept the money. REESE was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with his criminal convictions at trial in March of this year, and an additional 18 months for violating the terms of his supervised release in connection with a prior case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni. “Christopher Reese conned vulnerable people by promising them outcomes in legal cases that he could not deliver and tried to manipulate the federal courts to further his scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s substantial sentence is a clear reminder: the fraudulent and unauthorized practice of law is a crime. The public should be on guard against so-called ‘independent paralegals’ or ‘legal assistants’ selling services that only licensed lawyers can provide, without supervision by a licensed lawyer. Unlicensed practitioners may seem like a bargain, but often leave their clients in far worse circumstances.” According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial: For years, REESE ran a scam targeting federal inmates, their family members, and friends. To carry out his fraud scheme, REESE promised favorable results in criminal cases that he could not actually obtain, rendering legal services he was not authorized to provide in exchange for hefty fees. REESE styled himself as a “legal assistant” or “paralegal,” but worked without the supervision of a licensed lawyer and offered services that only a lawyer is authorized to provide, including drafting and submitting legal filings in federal courts. REESE induced prisoners and their family members to pay him by promising beneficial outcomes that he could not guarantee, while knowing—but failing to disclose—that his unlicensed legal practice was illegal. REESE promised, for example, that defendants would be “immediately released” based on motions he would file in exchange for fees in the thousands of dollars. Sometimes REESE also offered to provide a refund if his motions were unsuccessful; but when they failed, REESE kept the money. When his fraud succeeded, and inmates or their family members paid REESE his fees, REESE engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, by making a business of drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including cases heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan, a federal enclave where New York State’s prohibition on the unauthorized practice of law applies via the Assimilative Crimes Act. To hide his involvement from the courts, REESE wrote the inmate’s name in the signature block of each filing and falsely labeled it as “ pro se ,” i.e., written by the inmate. REESE earned over a million dollars from this scheme, and REESE committed additional crimes in connection with these fraud proceeds. First, REESE was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case in this District during most of the scheme. In connection with his supervision, and in order to avoid paying criminal restitution that he owed, REESE made false statements to the U.S. Probation Office. Second, REESE laundered the proceeds of his scheme by using a co-conspirator to engage in financial transactions designed to conceal the source and movement of the fees REESE collected from his victims. * * * In addition to the prison term, REESE, 57, of East Meadow, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. The district court also imposed a forfeiture judgment of $1 million. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The case was prosecuted through the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz, Kingdar Prussien, and James McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Honduran National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into The United States

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that OLGER RENE MALDONADO-SANTOS (“MALDONADO-SANTOS”), age 29, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced on September 9, 2025, for illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Sections1326. According to court records, MALDONADO-SANTOS reentered the United States sometime prior to May 17, 2025, after having been previously removed on or about February 14, 2018. MALDONADO-SANTOS was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter after receiving credit for time served, and one year of supervised release. At the completion of his term of imprisonment, MALDONADO-SANTOS shall be surrendered to the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Bureau of Customs and Border Protection investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Mississippi Duo Charged With Using Counterfeit Currency To Scam Pineville Jewelry Store Appear In Court

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two men from Mississippi are facing federal charges for using counterfeit U.S. currency to purchase high-end watches and other jewelry from a retail store in Pineville, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Robert Lewis Elliott III, 36, and Devin Alonzo Elliott, 30, of Okolona, Mississippi, are each charged with conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations and passing counterfeit obligations. The criminal indictment was filed in August 2025 and was unsealed today following the defendants’ court appearance. Steven Gutierrez, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and Chief Michael Hudgins of the Pineville Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to allegations in the indictment, in June 2025, R. Elliott and D. Elliott traveled to Pineville, N.C., to carry out a scheme to defraud a jewelry store. The indictment alleges that, on June 26, 2025, the defendants and another individual entered the store and told a store employee they wanted to purchase approximately $300,000 in luxury watches and jewelry. The defendants allegedly provided a $1,000 cash deposit and agreed to return the following day to finalize the transaction. The indictment further alleges that on June 27, 2025, the men returned to the store to complete the purchase. R. Elliott provided a $10,000 stack of genuine $100 bills to the store employee to be counted. After the employee verified the money using an electronic counter and a counterfeit detection pen, R. Elliott allegedly used a sleight-of-hand technique, to swap the authentic bills with a stack of counterfeit notes, before placing the counterfeit bills into the store’s safe. He then recycled the same stack of genuine bills, repeating the process until all the counterfeit currency had been placed in the safe. The indictment alleges that after the store employee finished counting the money, he requested for R. Elliott’s identification to complete the sale. R. Elliott said he wanted to buy more jewelry and needed to go to his car to get more cash and his identification. The defendants then exited the store and fled, taking the watches and jewelry: a Patek Phillipe diamond watch ($90,000); an Audemars Piguet watch ($48,000); a Cartier watch ($25,000); four Rolex watches ($76,300); a rose Cuban link chain ($32,000); a gold bracelet ($17,500); a bangle bracelet ($8,200); diamond earrings ($1,000); and 24k pointer earrings ($2,000). U.S. v. Elliott et al. – Counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes allegedly used by the defendants to execute the scheme The defendants were released on bond. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison for conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations, and 20 years in prison for passing counterfeit obligations. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The charges against the defendants are merely allegations and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the U.S. Secret Service and the Pineville Police Department for their work on the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.


title: Serial Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Samuel Eric Snell, 46, was sentenced today to 240 months imprisonment followed by 10 years’ supervised release for Production of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “There is nothing more despicable than repeatedly abusing children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “We are seeing too many cases like this in Minnesota and every single one of them is unacceptable. Children in Minnesota deserve our protection and those who exploit them will face severe federal consequences.” Snell for years was a user of gaming platform Discord. On this platform, Snell repeatedly solicited and received more than 400 images of nude photos of minor girls. Snell—at the time a 43-year-old man—posed as a man in his early 20s. He used this fake identity to approach a multitude of children as young as 12 years old. Snell victimized at least ten children using his lies, coercing and manipulating the victims to produce graphic child pornography. Snell also met with minors in person on multiple occasions. As the government argued at sentencing, Snell selected his victims for their vulnerabilities. He took advantage of their youth, naivete, and difficult life circumstances to feed his own craven and twisted sexual desires. This was not a single mistake, nor was it a simple offense. It involved years of manipulation, thousands and thousands of messages, and affected over ten different children across multiple states. Snell abused and manipulated child after child and would still be doing so had he not been caught. Snell was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim. In handing down the sentence Judge Tunheim noted, “This is a long sentence, but it is justified” primarily because Snell’s many victims would suffer traumatic effects of his crimes “probably for the rest of their lives.” “Samuel Snell is a classic child predator, and today he received an appropriately harsh sentence,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Snell targeted vulnerable children, including those who had existing mental health concerns. He callously groomed and manipulated at least 10 children with total disregard for their wellbeing. The FBI will work tirelessly to identify and arrest anyone who preys on innocent children.” This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Inver Grove Heights Police and Woodbury Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian C. Weir prosecuted the case.


title: Pharmacy Owner and Pharmacists Sentenced for Pill Mill Scheme Involving Hundreds of Thousands of Opioid Pills

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: A Texas pharmacy owner and three Texas pharmacists were sentenced today in Houston for unlawfully distributing more than half a million opioid pills and other commonly abused prescription drugs, including to individuals paid to pose as patients by black market drug traffickers. “While I served as the Attorney General of Florida, addressing the opioid crisis was one of my top priorities and remains a top priority at the Department of Justice today,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The opioid crisis has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed countless American families. Our enforcement efforts aren’t limited to cartels and gangs: anyone in the medical profession who abuses their position of trust to deal deadly drugs will face severe consequences.” “Billings and his co-conspirators brazenly operated a pill mill for years, selling dangerous narcotics to dealers through straw patients and fueling the opioid epidemic,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants ignored their obligations as pharmacists to care for their patients and instead profited from the illicit sale of highly addictive drugs. The Criminal Division is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting the gatekeepers in the health care industry who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.” “Pharmacies exist to heal the sick, not to fuel addiction and line the pockets of drug traffickers,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “These defendants betrayed their communities by turning a pharmacy into a pill mill, flooding our streets with over half a million opioid pills, and leaving a trail of addiction, abuse, and tragedy. DEA remains steadfast in its commitment to bring to justice those responsible for the country’s opioid crisis.” Arthur Billings, 61, of Missouri City, a pharmacy owner and pharmacist, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and a $2.6 million forfeiture order. On Aug. 26, 2022, Billings pleaded guilty to a four-year conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone and making false statements in an application for disability benefits. According to court documents, Billings was the owner, operator, and pharmacist-in-charge of Health Fit Pharmacy (Health Fit), a cash-only pill-mill pharmacy. In exchange for hundreds of dollars per prescription, Health Fit dispensed controlled substances to individuals sent by drug traffickers to pose as patients. The drug traffickers provided the funding for the pills then sold the drugs on the black market. The prescriptions used to obtain the drugs from Health Fit were often fraudulent, issued in the names of physicians whose identities were stolen. The pharmacy continued its illegal operation despite repeated warnings from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Three of Billings’ co-conspirators, all of whom were Health Fit pharmacists in Houston, were also sentenced today. Deanna Winfield-Gates, 56, was sentenced to six years in prison and a $60,000 forfeiture order. On Sept. 13, 2023, Winfield-Gates was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Winfield-Gates was a relief pharmacist at Health Fit who dispensed over a half million pills of addictive and dangerous drugs, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, among others, often in combination, knowing these controlled substances were likely to be diverted or abused. Jeremy Branch, 38, was sentenced today to 22 months in prison and a $68,931.44 forfeiture order. On Aug. 29, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Branch was the pharmacist-in-charge at Health Fit for much of 2017. Frank Cooper, 55, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a $5,000 forfeiture order. On Aug. 22, 2022, Cooper pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Cooper was a relief pharmacist at Health Fit during the conspiracy. The DEA investigated the case. Trial Attorney Drew Pennebaker of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Meghan Malinowski. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.


title: Nashville Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offenses

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: NASHVILLE – Ladonta Glenn, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to travel in interstate to engage in unlawful sexual activity, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We will do what it takes to protect children in our community from sexual predators who prowl social media looking for victims,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “I want to commend the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their excellent work on this case. I also want to encourage all parents in our community to be aware of what your children are doing on social media, to know who they are talking to online, and to be aware that danger is lurking in every app.” On August 1, 2024, officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department (“MNPD”) responded to a house in Nashville, after receiving a tip that a 16-year-old minor female runaway was there. When officers arrived at the house, they were let in by the Defendant’s mother. When the officers first asked the Defendant about the minor victim, he denied knowing her; however, his mother told the officers that she was upstairs. After initially claiming he didn’t know the minor victim, Glenn stated he got her phone number from a friend through Instagram. He said the minor victim called him and said she needed a ride, then that he thought someone had given her a ride to his house. Glenn claimed he was going to let the minor victim stay at his house until her mother could come get her because he was “being a friend.” He claimed that she told him that her boyfriend stayed in Tennessee, but her boyfriend kicked her out. As officers continued speaking with Glenn, he said he met the minor victim through Instagram as she was “going out” with his friend, Brandon. He claimed someone dropped the minor victim off in Tennessee. After the minor victim got into a fight with her boyfriend, Glenn said he texted her and told her if she didn’t have any place to go, she could come to his house. Glenn admitted he knew she was 16 years old, but claimed he did not know she was a runaway. After telling several different stories to the officers, Glenn was transported to MNPD Headquarters where he was interviewed by a Youth Services detective. Before being interviewed, Glenn was advised of his Miranda rights, which he agreed to waive and speak with the detective. He continued to tell different stories about how he knew the victim and how she got to his house. He initially denied being the minor victim’s boyfriend, but when she referred to him as her boyfriend, he said it was nothing serious. When he was asked if the minor victim sent him any nude images, he said she may have sent some through Instagram, but then said he didn’t do anything with them because “you could go to jail for exposing a little girl like that.” He claimed if he received nudes from the minor victim, he looked at the nudes and then deleted them. When asked if the nudes would still be on his phone, he indicated they would be in his “your eyes only” folder. When asked about sexual contact with the minor victim, Glenn said he knew the law, and that because the minor victim was 16, she could not consent. He was then asked if he wanted to have sex with the minor victim, which he denied, but he then said if he did have sex with her, it was consensual. When asked about sexting with the minor victim, he denied sexting with the minor victim, but he admitted they engaged in sexual communications over text. On August 1, 2024, when MNPD officers located the minor victim, they observed what appeared to be “hickies” on her neck while they were speaking with her. She stated that Glenn was her boyfriend, they had been dating for about a month, and that she believed he was 15 years old. During a forensic interview of the minor victim, she said she met Glenn on Instagram, they exchanged phone numbers and then began communicating on a regular basis. When she learned that he was 31 years old, she was shocked. She said they had phone sex, which she described as recording herself while she was masturbating, and she sent the recordings to Glenn using her cell phone. She said she sent a lot of videos to Glenn, which she recorded using her iPhone. She told the officers she took a Greyhound bus from her home in Ohio to Nashville, which Glenn paid for. Once she arrived at the Glenn’s house, he immediately asked her to perform fellatio on him in the bathroom, which she did, and after that they engaged in vaginal intercourse. On August 27, 2024, the FBI performed a forensic extraction of the Defendant’s cell phone after obtaining a federal search warrant. The hidden folder on Glenn’s phone contained multiple photos and videos, including sexually explicit videos, of the minor victim. The FBI located a conversation between the Defendant and the minor victim starting on June 29 and ending on July 10. During the conversation, Glenn asked the minor victim to be his girlfriend, and the two began discussing sex. When he is sentenced on February 2, 2026, Glenn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison is prosecuting the case. # # # # #


title: Brothers Charged in $8 Million Armed Crypto-Kidnapping Heist

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were charged federally by complaint with Kidnapping for engaging in a kidnapping and cryptocurrency heist where they held a family at gunpoint for nine hours and stole $8 million in crypto currency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. The crime forced Mahtomedi Public Schools to cancel its homecoming football game for the safety of its community. “A violent kidnapping that stole $8 million and silenced a homecoming game is not just a crime. It is a blow to the sense of safety of everyone in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “This is not normal. Minnesotans should not accept wild violence and thievery as normal. Every Minnesotan deserves to live in peace and a life unaffected by rampant crime.” On September 19, 2025, at 4:45 pm, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an adult male who reported that he and his family had been victims of an armed robbery and kidnapping by two adult male suspects and had been held hostage at gunpoint within their residence in Grant, Minnesota. The two kidnappers were the Garcia brothers. The 911 caller reported that he, his father (Victim 1), and his mother had been held hostage. At 7:45 am that morning, Victim 1 was taking out a garbage can to the street when the Garcia brothers suddenly appeared and pointed an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun at Victim 1. The Garcia brothers took Victim 1 into the garage where they bound his hands with zip ties. They then brought Victim 1 into the house. The Garcia brothers woke up Victim 1’s wife and adult son at gunpoint. They also zip tied their hands and forced them to lie on the floor. Defendant Raymond Garcia held the wife and son in their home for nine hours. Raymond Garcia was armed with the AR-15-style rifle for the duration of the kidnapping. About 15 minutes before the son called 911, Raymond Garcia left the home out the back door with the AR-15-style rifle, heading towards the tree line. Raymond Garcia returned to the home shortly thereafter, without the rifle. Meanwhile, while Raymond Garcia held the wife and son hostage, defendant Isiah Garcia forced Victim 1 at gunpoint to log into his cryptocurrency accounts. Isiah Garcia demanded that Victim 1 transfer large amounts of cryptocurrency into a cryptocurrency wallet that Isiah Garcia provided. During the robbery, Victim 1 saw both Garcia brothers frequently making phone calls to an unknown third party, who appeared to be providing the information related to the cryptocurrency accounts and transfers. Through this third party, the Garcia brothers became aware that Victim 1 had additional cryptocurrency funds. They demanded the money. Victim 1 explained that the remaining funds were on a hard drive-style cryptocurrency wallet that was stored at a family cabin approximately three hours away. Isiah Garcia, armed with the shotgun, then forced Victim 1 into Victim 1’s truck. Isiah Garcia drove the truck and Victim 1 to the family’s cabin to retrieve the hard drive. All the while, Raymond Garcia held Victim 1’s wife and son hostage with the AR-15-style rifle. At the cabin, Victim 1 transferred the remaining funds to the cryptocurrency wallet provided by Isiah Garcia. Isiah Garcia then drove Victim 1 back towards Victim 1’s home. In total, the Garcia brothers forced Victim 1 to transfer $8 million worth of cryptocurrency to their wallets. As Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 were returning to the home, Victim 1’s son used the moments that Raymond Garcia left the home to call 911. Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene following the 911 call and found the wife and son zip tied in the house. As they arrived, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a man, later identified as Raymond Garcia, running out the back door. When law enforcement searched the area around the home, they located a suitcase in the tree line. In the suitcase, they found a disassembled AR-15-style rifle, AR-15 ammunition, as well as clothing items and beverages. Multiple squads responded to the 911 call, some of whom unknowingly passed Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 as they pulled over to allow the emergency vehicles to pass. Isiah Garcia turned the truck around, parked it nearby, and walked towards a nearby middle school parking lot. Isiah Garcia ditched the shotgun in a nearby field. To protect the safety of the community, Mahtomedi Public Schools was forced to cancel its homecoming football game in response to the ongoing law enforcement activity near the campus. Using a Wendy’s receipt located in the suitcase recovered behind Victim 1’s house, law enforcement was able to determine that Isiah Garcia had rented a white Chevrolet three days prior to the kidnapping, near Houston, Texas. Law enforcement also located video surveillance showing that Raymond Garcia rented a Motel 6 room in Roseville, Minnesota, shortly before the kidnapping. Law enforcement saw that, shortly after law enforcement responded to the scene of the kidnapping, the white Malibu returned to the Motel 6. The next day, law enforcement spotted the car on cameras in Oklahoma. On September 21, 2025, law enforcement tracked the car back to the home of the Garcia brothers in Waller, Texas. After returning to Texas, Raymond Garcia reported that his AR-15-style firearm that he used in the kidnapping and robbery had been stolen. On September 22, 2025, law enforcement arrested the Garcia brothers in Texas. Once in custody, Isiah Garcia confessed. He admitted that he and his brother Raymond Garcia had driven to Minnesota, held Victim 1 and his family at gunpoint, tied them up using zip ties, and driven Victim 1 to the family cabin. On September 23, 2025, the Garcia brothers were charged by complaint in Washington County, Minnesota with three counts of kidnapping with a firearm, one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, and three counts of first-degree burglary. On September 24, 2025, the Garcia brothers were both charged in a federal complaint with kidnapping. Both defendants will make their initial appearances in federal court today and the government will request their detention pending trial. “As alleged in the complaint, the Garcia brothers terrorized a Minnesota family in their own home, kidnapping one family member while holding the rest of the family hostage in order to conduct a brazen cryptocurrency theft,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. “This office, together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Minnesota and in Texas, will work tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific crime.” These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound sympathies to the victims and lauds them for their bravery and quick action in calling 911. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful for its partnership with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County Attorney’s Office. The quick and excellent federal-state cooperation in this case was essential to the filing of federal charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline is prosecuting the case. A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Oklahoma City Man Who Ran Nonprofit Indicted for  Two Counts of Bank Fraud

component: Office of the Inspector General

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – An unsealed indictment shows that Victor Kensington Colbert, Jr., 60, owned and operated the nonprofit, Oklahoma Heartland Heroes Foundation (Heartland Heroes), in Bixby. The indictment alleges that Colbert submitted at least five applications on behalf of Heartland Heroes seeking CARES Act funds. The CARES Act was signed into law in March 2020 and included the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). These programs were established to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Of those applications, Colbert successfully obtained at least two PPP loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance, on behalf of Heartland Heroes, totaling approximately $217,000. Colbert allegedly submitted false documentation showing that he has several employees with monthly payroll expenses exceeding $55,000. He further claimed that any funds he received would be used to retain workers and maintain payroll, pay mortgage interest or lease payments, utility payments, and other covered expenses. The Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Reserve System is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division's prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud .


title: New Orleans Man Guilty of Firearm Possession to Further Drug Trafficking

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced on September 16, 2025, that TYREE RUDOLPH (“RUDOLPH”) , age 22, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to one of three counts of an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). U.S. District Judge Daryl J. Papillon will sentence RUDOLPH on December 16, 2025. RUDOLPH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) imprisonment up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. RUDOLPH also faces a period of supervised release of up to five (5) years, a fine up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. According to court documents, in October 2023, the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated RUDOLPH due to his affiliation with known members of a New Orleans criminal organization known as “M3RE,” operating out of the Magnolia Housing Projects. During their investigation, detectives observed that RUDOLPH posted an advertisement for the sale of a Draco assault rifle for $800.00, referred to as a “drac” on social media. On October 19, 2023, a search warrant was obtained for RUDOLPH ’s residence. The following items were found inside of the residence: (1) one plastic bag containing 54.37 grams of fentanyl; (2) one plastic bag containing 21.20 grams of fentanyl; (3) $724.00 in U.S. currency; (4) thirty-four (34) counterfeit $100 bills; (5) a Glock Model 23 Gen4, .40 caliber handgun, with sixteen (16) live rounds of ammunition; (6) a Glock Model 19 Gen5, nine- millimeter caliber handgun, with twenty-five (25) live rounds of ammunition; (7) a Romarm/Cugir Draco, 7.62x39 caliber pistol, with twenty-nine (29) live rounds of ammunition; (8) a Glock switch machinegun conversion device; (9) various rounds of ammunition; and (10) various gun parts/accessories. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit/Strike Force Unit.


title: Ski Coach Sentenced to 78 Months Imprisonment

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – John David Degelau, age 28, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for Possession of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Degelau, a then-youth ski coach, created child pornography by imposing the faces of children he coached onto the bodies of child pornography victims. “A ski coach who used photos of children he coached to create child pornography is now headed to federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Today alone, three child predators were sentenced in federal court for absolutely abhorrent conduct. This epidemic of abuse we are seeing in Minnesota is vile, it is devastating, and it must end.” According to court documents, John Degelau was caught with over 18,000 files of child pornography. Law enforcement discovered Degelau was a local ski coach working with children. In reviewing Degelau’s devices, law enforcement found that he had created child pornography by using Adobe Photoshop. Degelau used that application by morphing/photoshopping pictures of the children’s faces he coached onto sexually explicit images, to make it appear as though Degelau was performing sex acts on the children. The investigation uncovered that Degelau’s devices also contained images of children swimming at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from a concealed position behind bushes or trees. Degelau was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell. Judge Blackwell sentenced Degelau to 78 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Blackwell ordered Degelau to pay a special assessment of more than $10,000 that will go to programs supporting victims of child pornography offenses and ordered Degelau to pay restitution to the victims of this crime. “John Degelau will spend the next several years behind bars, a sentence that demonstrates the serious consequences for adults who abuse their position of trust,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification. Children in our community should be safe in every location, including at the beach and on the ski hill, but especially in the company of a trusted adult. The FBI appreciates our partnership with the Duluth Police on this important investigation.” This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green prosecuted the case.


title: Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Using Company Funds for Personal Use

body_text: TOLEDO, Ohio – A Wood County man has been sentenced to prison for defrauding a computer technology support company of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Blake Underwood, 45, of Perrysburg, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary after pleading guilty in May to wire fraud. Underwood was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Underwood was employed by Nemsys, LLC, a Toledo-based information technology company. After the Nemsys business owners relocated to Florida to focus their efforts on a second company, Underwood became the CEO and ran the business on behalf of the owners. Court documents show that Underwood devised a scheme to defraud the company from December 2019 until April 2023. Even though he was not permitted to do so, Underwood used Nemsys funds intended for the revitalization of a historic Toledo property to purchase building supplies for his personal home. In 2023, the owners examined why Nemsys was underperforming financially and discovered that Underwood was using company funds to pay his personal credit cards, purchase personal vehicles, golf club memberships, jewelry, and more. This investigation was conducted by the FBI Toledo Field Office prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Melching for the Northern District of Ohio.


title: St. Charles Parish Woman  Charged with Wire Fraud

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ASHLEY HYMEL (“ HYMEL”) age 42, a resident of Ama, Louisiana, was charged on September 18, 2025, by bill of information, with wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. According to the bill of information, HYMEL used a company credit card to embezzle funds from her employer, Company 1, where she was an executive assistant. In total, HYMEL embezzled at least $130,663.92. HYMEL faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, followed by up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Acting U. S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator and member of the Financial Crimes Unit, is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: D.C. Man Arrested for Felony Murder

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Richard Holmes, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with a homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of August 26, 2025, in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Holmes made his initial appearance on September 24, 2025, before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann who found probable cause that Holmes committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) and ordered that he be held without bond pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 8, 2025. According to court documents, Holmes, shot and killed the victim, 31-year-old Franck Foute Mohdjiom, during an attempted robbery before fleeing the scene. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fugitive Unit assumed custody of Holmes while he was held at the D.C. Jail on an unrelated matter on September 23, 2025. Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Carson. These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: The Department of Justice Creates New Civil Division Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch

component: Civil Division

body_text: The Department of Justice has announced the creation of a new office within the Civil Division — the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch — dedicated to safeguarding public health and safety through proactive enforcement and high-impact affirmative litigation. “By consolidating the Civil Division’s affirmative litigation work into a highly specialized branch, the Department will strengthen its ability to hold powerful actors accountable, protect public health and safety, and enforce critical national policies,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This restructuring reflects the Department’s commitment to aggressively protecting consumers and advancing the interests of the United States.” The new Branch will consist of two sections. The Enforcement Section will draw on the Department’s extensive experience bringing landmark cases under statutes such as the Controlled Substances Act, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Consumer Product Safety Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, to protect consumers — whether it be from unfair and deceptive trade practices of the largest technology companies in the world, defective consumer goods imported from China, or false and misleading claims about drugs and dietary supplements manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. The Affirmative Litigation Section will represent the United States by filing lawsuits against states, municipalities, and private entities that interfere with or obstruct federal policies, ensuring nationwide compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The new Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch will strengthen the Civil Division’s ability to advance the Department’s enforcement priorities, including protecting women and children from pharmaceutical companies, health care providers, and medical associations profiting off of false and misleading claims related to so-called gender transition, and ending sanctuary jurisdiction laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement and make Americans less safe in their communities.


title: Mexican Citizen Sentenced for Illegal Reentry into U.S.

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Mexico pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of illegal reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to 10 months of imprisonment on his conviction, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Daniel Alejandro Benzor-Mora, 31. According to information presented to the Court, on March 19, 2025, Benzor-Mora was arrested by the Shenango Township Police Department for failing to stop at a stop sign, driving without a license and evading arrest on foot. Following this encounter, immigration officials determined that Benzor-Mora was illegally present in the United States and arrested him, on March 29, 2025, related to this charge. Benzor-Mora was previously removed from the United States on January 3, 2024, after incurring a lengthy criminal history, including 14 prior arrests and 6 prior convictions in Florida, and had not received permission to be in the United States, as required. As a part of his sentence, Benzor-Mora agreed to his removal from the United States. Benzor-Mora has been in custody since his March arrest and will be returned to immigration authorities for his removal following the conclusion of his federal sentence. In imposing sentence, Judge Stickman expressed his intent that the sentence imposed would “impose respect for the law, impose a deterrent consideration and also to demonstrate that these crimes associated with being [in the United States] illegally are taken seriously.” After all, “the exercise of sovereignty requires that a nation guard its borders and that there be consequences for those who, in violation of the country’s law, violate its sovereignty.” Moreover, “this is not a defendant whose only offense against the United States and the people of the several states has been his illegal entry and reentry into the United States.” Rather, the defendant, “while not a legal resident of this nation, has a history of engaging in criminal acts in violation of the laws of the United States, the laws of the State of Florida and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Benzor-Mora. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: St. Louis Area Siblings Sentenced to Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Fraud

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced two siblings to prison for aggravated identity theft and fraud. Judge Clark sentenced Alexandria Collins, 34, of Shiloh, Ill., to 146 months in prison and Wayne M. Collins, 31, to 141 months in prison. Alexandria Collins also has to pay restitution of $449,984. Wayne Collins was ordered to pay $134,519. In 2023, Wayne Collins was on supervised release for a 2018 case after having been sentenced to 42 months in prison for aiding and abetting the stealing of a firearm from a licensed gun dealer. The U.S. Probation Office conducted a search of his residence and discovered a phone that had been owned by his sister. The phone contained evidence of identity theft and wire fraud, including a counterfeit driver’s license with Wayne Collins’ picture and the name, Social Security number and birthdate of someone else. That victim’s identity had been used to open a $6,300 credit account on June 21, 2023. The phone also contained evidence of Wayne Collins’ possession and use of bank checks that had been stolen from the mail. It also showed that Alexandria Collins had produced counterfeit ID and paystubs for multiple people, executed a wire fraud scheme to fraudulently obtain vehicle loans, used stolen identities to open credit accounts with retailers and cellphone companies, attempted to sell fraudulently-obtained vehicles through an auction company, facilitated the shipment of LSD through the U.S. Postal Service and produced counterfeit financial documents for someone to use in court proceedings. In 2020, Alexandria Collins was sentenced to 33 months in prison for a fraud case and ordered to pay restitution of $131,710. After her release from federal prison and placement on house arrest on Sept. 13, 2021, she began living in a house in St. Charles County that had been rented by her boyfriend, a convicted felon, using a stolen identity and fake wage verification records. Alexandria Collins told her probation officer that the house had been rented by her sister. The couple and their children would later be evicted, owing the landlord $36,699 for rent, utilities and damage to the home. Collins then moved into a home in Shiloh, Ill. that she rented by using the stolen identity of Oneasha Stevenson and bogus tax records and bank statements. Collins again lied to her probation officer and said the home had been rented by her sister. She paid more than $9,000 in rent by funneling money through her boyfriend’s son’s student checking account. On April 8, 2022, Collins opened an account at a credit union, falsely claiming that she was employed at a day care center. Over the next five months, Collins deposited or transferred a total of $40,065, proceeds of a fraudulent loan scheme involving a stolen 2014 Porsche Panamera. Collins was then involved with the sale of a 2011 Rolls Royce that netted $80,000. She did not tell her probation officer about her receipt of money via her involvement with auto sales. Instead, she falsely claimed to be working for a trucking company. After Collins’ boyfriend was arrested on Oct. 26, 2022, the mother of one of his children tried to regain custody with the help of the Shiloh Police Department. Collins concealed his arrest from police and thwarted the mother by contacting her boyfriend’s brother on Facetime and having him impersonate her boyfriend. Collins then struck a deal with Stevenson in which Stevenson used a stolen identity to purchase and attempt to purchase a vehicle, electronics and other merchandise with the help of both Collins siblings. Wayne Collins pleaded guilty in May to aggravated identity theft in a case filed in 2024 and access device fraud in the 2022 case he shares with his sister and Stevenson. His sentence includes 129 months in prison for the current cases, and 12 months for violating his supervised release in the prior case. Alexandria Collins pleaded guilty in May to one count of access device fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of making a false statement to the U.S. Probation Office. Her sentence includes 132 months in prison for her current case plus 14 months for violating her supervised release from the 2018 case. Oneasha Stevenson, 35, of Berkeley, Missouri, was sentenced in July of 2024 to five years of probation and ordered to repay $3,584 to victims. Ultimately, she was ordered to serve 15 months in prison after repeatedly violating the terms of her probation, including the condition that she pay restitution. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Compliance and Investigation Bureau and the U.S. Probation Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.


title: Two Mexican men plead guilty to illegal re-entry

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to re-entry of a removed alien. Ariel Benjamin Gregorio Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty and was then sentenced to serve four months in prison. Zeferino Marceliano Leon, 35, pleaded guilty, was sentenced to time served, and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that on July 24, 2025, Border Patrol agents encountered Ariel Benjamin Gregorio Santiago and Zeferino Marceliano Leon. When questioned by agents, the two men confirmed that that they are citizens of Mexico, and not a national of the United States. Further investigation determined that Gregorio Santiago was previously removed from the United States in 2011 and twice in 2019, and Marceliano Leon was previously removed in 2011. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The pleas and sentencings are the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks. # # # #


title: Former Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Interstate Theft Conspiracy

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Trevor Christopher Fountain, 38, formerly of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to transport stolen property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Fountain worked with co-conspirators Stephan James Evanovich, 46, of Sacramento; Jonathan Matthew Curl, 36, of Sacramento; and Andrea Carter, 35, formerly of Sacramento, to illegally enter communications towers and steal rectifiers and other communications equipment. Rectifiers are a power source necessary to maintain power at communications towers. Fountain was responsible for stealing equipment and transferring it to Evanovich, who then paid him for the stolen equipment. Evanovich sold the stolen property to legitimate third-party vendors in California, Illinois, Colorado, and Texas. The conspirators stole, sold, and shipped more than 485 stolen rectifiers across state lines. The total value of the stolen rectifiers is no less than $260,000. As part of the scheme, Fountain created false invoices in the name of a false business. These invoices were used to make it appear as though Evanovich had obtained the stolen rectifiers from legitimate businesses. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is prosecuting the case. Carter pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 5, 2025, to 29 months in prison. Evanovich and Curl are awaiting trial, which is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2026. The charges are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Fountain is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Feb. 19, 2026. Fountain faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.


title: Obstruction of Justice Scheme Results in Nine Years in Prison

body_text: WASHINGTON – Dawayne Joseph Spriggs, 35, of Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County, Maryland, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for obstruction of justice and subornation of perjury, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Spriggs pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, to obstruction of justice in Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judge Jason Park also ordered that Spriggs serve a five-year term of supervised release after released from prison. On September 13, 2023, a District of Columbia Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Spriggs in a 2014 cold case sexual assault. On October 11, 2023, the Grand Jury returned a superseding indictment, adding the charge of obstructing justice. “Neither time nor pressure nor obstruction will prevent this office from identifying and convicting the guilty,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “This defendant pressured many witnesses to give false testimony and lie to cover up his violent crimes, which corrupts the principles of truth-seeking upon which our system of justice is based—it didn’t work.” On May 18, 2023, the defendant was arrested for sexually assaulting a stranger on July 6, 2014. In 2016, a database reported a match between the DNA profile obtained from the victim’s rape kit and another sexual assault offense that had been reported in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in 2013, but the assailant’s remained unknown. In 2023, detectives with MPD’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit obtained a lead as to the assailant’s identity that led them to lawfully collect DNA samples from defendant Spriggs. These DNA samples were tested by both law enforcement entities and resulted in a match to both rape kits. The defendant was arrested on the D.C. sexual assault charges in May 2023 and indicted in September of 2023. While awaiting trial in the District of Columbia, the defendant engaged in a months-long scheme to obstruct justice and evade responsibility for the underlying assault. Over hundreds of recorded phone calls and texts from the D.C. Jail, he pressured his then-girlfriend to tamper with evidence and urged associates to lie for him. The defendant bullied his girlfriend into obtaining photographs of the victim from her Instagram and other social media and provided them to his associates so they could falsely identify her. Over numerous months, the defendant solicited others to provide invented witness statements to his investigator, the grand jury, and the Court regarding events they did not witness. The defendant’s plan was for his investigator to bring these false statements to the government, causing the government to dismiss the case. The defendant attempted to cover up his corrupt actions and instructed his associates to clear their phones of his incriminating texts and emails. He pressured a close family member to commit perjury in the grand jury to undermine the government’s case. For her role in the scheme, the defendant’s then-girlfriend also pleaded guilty to attempted obstruction of justice and has been sentenced. This case was brought as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative and investigated by MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. In February 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia created the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to collaborate with law enforcement partners to reinvestigate, solve and bring charges in previously unsolved cases of sexual assault against adults and juveniles. The Cold Case Initiative works with the MPD, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and state and local law enforcement agencies in the DMV area. Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the efforts of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky, who prosecuted the case.


title: Two of Three New Bedford, Massachusetts Men Charged for February 2024 Saco Shooting Plead Guilty

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: Two New Bedford, Massachusetts men pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to a three-count superseding indictment that included charges for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, perpetrating a drive-by shooting, and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Joshua Estrada (aka “Mac”), 20, and Yancarlos Abrante (aka “Glizzy”), 22, pleaded guilty to the superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on March 19, 2025. According to court records, on February 9, 2024, Estrada and Abrante fired at least five rounds from a 9mm handgun into another vehicle in a drug trade dispute. Shortly after they fired on their drug rivals and fled the scene, they drove their vehicle against traffic and through a red light, crashing into another passenger vehicle and a school bus. Video footage captured by another driver who witnessed the accident showed them exiting their vehicle and fleeing the scene on foot. Court records reflect that Estrada, Abrante and others had been trafficking cocaine in and around Saco and Biddeford since at least January 2024. A third defendant, Jason Johnson-Rivera (aka “Ouda”), 20, is expected to go to trial later this year. “Today’s guilty pleas by Joshua Estrada and Yancarlos Abrante are the result of a tireless and cooperative investigation by local, state and federal law enforcement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and its partners are united in bringing to justice those who distribute drugs and commit acts of violence in this state.” “These two violent, dangerous men committed a brazen, drive-by shooting in Saco in broad daylight following a dispute over the cocaine they were trafficking,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Their unabashed criminal behavior put innocent lives at risk, all so they could maintain their hold on their drug territory and keep the cash rolling in. This case underscores how the FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force and our law enforcement partners are working together to target and dismantle the violent drug gangs wreaking so much havoc in our communities, just to make money and a name for themselves on the street.” Estrada and Abrante face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years with a maximum of life, a fine of up to $10 million, and not less than five years of supervised release. Both defendants will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Saco Police Department, FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the New Bedford (Mass.) Police Department. Project Safe Neighborhoods: 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 Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn . ###


title: Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man admitted to engaging in sexual acts with a victim using threats and intimidation. According to court documents, in August of 2021, Fernando Yatsatie, Jr. , 47, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, unlawfully engaged in in a sexual act with a victim, placing them in fear. Yatsatie pleaded guilty to sexual abuse. At sentencing, Yatsatie is subject to a sentence of up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Yatsatie will be subject to no less than five years and up to life of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.


title: Pigeon Springs Man Receives Probationary Sentence in Fatal DUI Crash

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Pigeon Springs man was sentenced to 3 years’ probation for his role in a fatal drunk driving crash that claimed the life of a passenger. According to court documents, on September 22, 2024, Irvin Virgil Wauneka, Jr. , 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after consuming alcohol and falling asleep at the wheel. Jane Doe was a passenger in the vehicle. Wauneka ’s impaired driving resulted in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Jane Doe suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The passengers in the other vehicle survived with injuries and will receive restitution. U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting this case.


title: More Than Two Million Illicit Vaping Products Seized in Nationwide Sweep

body_text: The Justice Department, together with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced today that recent actions targeting unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes, or vapes, resulted in the seizure of more than 2.1 million illicit vaping products taken from five distributors and six retailers across seven different states. In seizure complaints and accompanying court papers filed in U.S. District Court, the government alleged that the distributors and retailers where the electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products were seized received previous warnings from the FDA that their ENDS products required premarket authorization before they could legally be sold. According to the seizure complaints, recent FDA inspections and undercover purchases by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) showed that the firms continued to sell or distribute unauthorized ENDS products. The seizures were carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service, ATF agents, and other law enforcement partners, with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and FDA. “These dangerous and unauthorized vapes are often smuggled in from China to be sold near schools and military bases, putting our kids and service members directly at risk,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This is a national security issue, and this month’s raids are just the beginning. Working with our partners at HHS, we will prosecute anyone participating in the illegal sale of these products.” “Along with our partners, the U.S. Marshals seized and removed from the marketplace more than 2 million non-FDA approved products from five warehouse distribution centers and six retail locations across the country,” said Director Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service. “This operation is a great example of the U.S. Marshals Service and its partners joining forces to protect our youth and to Make America Healthy Again.” “The vaping products seized by the United States Marshals Service threatened the health and safety of our communities and undermined the integrity of statutory and regulatory safeguards designed to protect consumers, including our nation’s youth,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, where one of the largest seizures took place. “Americans expect and deserve that prohibited products never make their way on consumer shelves, and that other products are lawfully marketed and comply with all federal laws and regulations. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure illegal products never enter into the stream of commerce and pursue all possible civil and criminal remedies against those who violate federal laws and regulations.” The Department of Justice also filed civil injunctive actions against the distributors and retailers where the products were seized to prevent future violations. Those complaints allege that the defendants continued to market adulterated and misbranded tobacco products despite receiving warnings from FDA that they were violating the law. The injunction actions were filed against the same entities where the seizures took place along with related individuals, including: Tampa Vapor, a Tampa, Florida company, and its owner, Michael R. Synychak, filed in the Middle District of Florida; Progressive Retail Inc., doing business as Rainbow Food Mart, a Tampa, Florida company, and its president, Varun Chawla, filed in the Middle District of Florida; Bouslimi Holdings, Inc., doing business as Marathon/Food Center, a Tampa, Florida company, and its president, Imed Bouslimi, filed in the Middle District of Florida; A Joint Effort, Inc. doing business as Blvd Smoke Shop, a Miami, Florida, company, and its officer and director, Husam Bahhur, filed in the Southern District of Florida; Calle 8 Petroleum LLC, doing business as UGAS/Circle K, a company based in Miami, Florida, and its owner, Rashid A. Saeed, filed in the Southern District of Florida; Smoke House Sunset, a company based in Los Angeles, California, and its owner, Ali Masoud, filed in the Central District of California; D&A Distribution, LLC, doing business as Strictly E-Cig, a corporation based in Savannah, Georgia, and owner Robert S. Ali, filed in the Southern District of Georgia; PSM101, LLC doing business as Center Point Distributors, a corporation based in South Plainfield, New Jersey, and its owner Niravkumar G. Vora, filed in the District of New Jersey; B&G Trading LLC doing business as Vaportech Wholesale, a corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona, and its co-owners Ataman Bilgin and Hasmet Girgin, filed in the District of Arizona; Midwest Goods Inc. doing business as Midwest Distribution and Midwest Distribution Illinois, a corporation based in Bensenville, Illinois, and its owner and CEO, Kamran Yasin, filed in the Northern District of Illinois; and Dream Distro LLC, a company based in Garner, North Carolina, and its owner, Faisal A. Alhadrami, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina. An additional injunctive action was filed against Gorilla Vapes LLC, a New Jersey company, and its co-owners Nick Jurczyk and Russell Jurczyk, in the District of New Jersey. Under the law, ENDS manufacturers generally must obtain premarket review of new tobacco products and obtain FDA’s marketing authorization before they can be legally sold through interstate commerce. In each of the seizure actions, the court issued a warrant authorizing the seizure of specified unapproved vapes that lacked marketing authorization. Trial Attorneys Coleen Schoch, James T. Nelson, Roger Gural, Zachary L. Cowan, and Pauline A. Stamatelos of the Justice Department’s Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are handling the cases under the leadership of Sarmad Khojasteh, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott D. Heffron for the Northern District of Illinois, Carlos Raurell for the Southern District of Florida, Joseph Bozdech for the District of Arizona, and other AUSAs from districts across the country provided critical support, along with attorneys at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel and FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel. Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. The claims announced today are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.


title: Peoria Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine

component: Department of Justice

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Matthew T. Miller, 40, was sentenced on September 24, 2025, to 200 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release, for possessing with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the court considered evidence that between June and September 2024, Miller sold methamphetamine on three occasions, totaling 86.14 grams. During a traffic stop in September 2024, Miller, a passenger in the vehicle, refused to comply when officers ordered him to step out of the car. Officers saw Miller moving around in the car, attempting to destroy a large amount of apparent methamphetamine by dumping it out of the baggies. Miller was taken into custody by law enforcement officers who then located approximately 55.72 grams of methamphetamine (actual) and marijuana in and around the vehicle and on Miller’s person. Ultimately, Miller was accountable for 257.22 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, 55.72 grams of methamphetamine (actual), and 20.35 grams of marijuana. Also at the hearing, Judge Mihm found Miller to be a career offender based upon his previous drug offenses. Miller was arrested in September 2024 and indicted in October 2024. He entered a guilty plea in January 2025 and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest. The statutory penalties for distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine (actual) are ten years to life imprisonment, followed by at least five years of supervised release. A fine of up to $10 million can also be imposed. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield Resident Office, and Peoria Metropolitan Enforcement Group (PMEG) investigated the case, with assistance from the Peoria Police Department and Bartonville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Miller 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: Orleans Parish Woman Indicted For Federal Bank Robbery

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on September 19, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted JENTONIA WILLIAMS, (“WILLIAMS”) , age 39, of New Orleans, for bank robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a). According to court documents, on September 2, 2025, WILLIAMS robbed the Capital One Bank located in the 4100 block of Canal Street, in New Orleans, of United States currency. The deposits of the Capital One Bank branch are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). WILLIAMS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment cost. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Violent Crime Task Force in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Duane A. Evans of the General Crimes Unit is prosecuting the matter. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). * * *


title: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Failing to Register as a Sex Offender and Being Illegally Present in United States

body_text: URBANA, Ill. – A Guatemalan national, Roberto Nicolas-Simon, 24, pleaded guilty on September 24, 2025, to being illegally present in the United States after a prior removal and failing to update his registration as a convicted sex offender. Acceptance of the plea is pending before U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce. Sentencing for Nicolas-Simon has been scheduled for February 2, 2026, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois. In court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Nicolas-Simon admitted to illegally reentering the country and failing to update his sex offender registration. The government noted during the hearing, that Nicolas-Simon had previously been removed from the United States following his conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor in Champaign County, Illinois, in 2020. Due to that conviction, he was required to register his residential address under the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act. This year, an investigation revealed that Nicolas-Simon had illegally returned to the United States and was living in Champaign without registering his residence as required by law. Nicolas-Simon remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Nicolas-Simon faces statutory penalties of up to ten years of imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine for each offense. He could also receive up to three years of supervised release for being illegally present in the United States and at least a five-year term and a maximum life term of supervised release for failure to update his registration as a sex offender. The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, in collaboration with the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch is representing the government in the prosecution.


title: Illegal alien sentenced to over 7 years for taco truck robbery

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 49-year-old Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for robbing a local food establishment at gunpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Moises Arvizo Del Carmen pleaded guilty May 27. U.S. District Judge Ellison sentenced Del Carmen to serve 94 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceeding following his imprisonment. On Sept. 12, 2023, Del Carmen entered a taco truck through the customer window and demanded money from the register. He threatened and pointed a firearm at employees before exiting through the same window and fleeing. Surveillance video showed Del Carmen entering a Hummer decorated with purple flames. Witnesses provided a description of the robber and the distinctive vehicle. Approximately three weeks later, authorities executed a search warrant at Del Carmen’s residence and discovered clothing matching the description from the robbery as well as a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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: New Orleans Man Guilty of Cares Act Fraud and Money Laundering

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that IRVIN C. FRANCOIS, III (“FRANCOIS”) , age 54, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on September 23, 2025 before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to making false statements and money laundering related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of the primary sources of funding for small businesses was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). According to the charging documents, or about March 24, 2021, FRANCOIS , on behalf of a business that he owned, made false statements to an approved lender to obtain approximately $144,790 for a PPP loan. FRANCOIS then committed money laundering by using these ill-gotten funds to buy an automobile from a dealership in Kenner, Louisiana. Sentencing is to be held on January 6, 2026. At that time, FRANCOIS faces up to five years in prison for the false statement charge and up to ten years in prison for the money laundering charge. The sentence for each charge also includes up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 21 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. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 15 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General (a member of the PRAC) and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. * * *