title: Rosler Metal Finishing USA LLC To Pay Over $2.2 Million To Resolve Allegations It Received Paycheck Protection Program Loan In Violation Of Employee Size Rules

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Birge today announced that Battle Creek manufacturer Rosler Metal Finishing USA LLC, also known as Roesler Metal Finishing USA LLC (Rosler USA), has agreed to pay $2,289,505.40 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely obtaining a second-draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was ineligible. “The Paycheck Protection Program was intended only for those who met the eligibility criteria,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. “My office will continue to pursue recipients who falsely obtained PPP loans.” In January of 2021, Rosler USA applied for and received a second-draw PPP loan of $1,265,035, which SBA subsequently forgave. The United States alleges that Rosler USA was ineligible for this loan because the company and its affiliates had over 300 employees. The United States also alleges that Rosler USA falsely certified in its PPP loan application that it had fewer than 300 employees (including affiliates) and omitted that it had shared ownership with other businesses. The PPP was an emergency loan program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March of 2020 and expanded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could obtain loans to cover payroll costs or other specified business expenses. PPP loans were guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and subject to forgiveness if spent on eligible expenses. However, PPP loans were only available to a subset of businesses that met the eligibility criteria. As one condition to second-draw loan eligibility, the applicant company and its affiliates must have had no more than 300 employees collectively. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications, including regarding their size, number of employees, and affiliate entities. Wendell Davis, General Counsel at the U.S. Small Business Administration said, “The settlement in this matter reflects SBA’s commitment to identifying and pursuing those who perpetrated fraud on the Paycheck Protection Program. Such fraud unconscionably undermines critical pandemic relief, and SBA continues its enhanced efforts to uncover such misconduct and recover those damages.” The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against Rosler USA. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement or judgment. Here, the United States elected to take over the case, investigated it, and negotiated the settlement. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. GNGH2 Inc. v. Rosler Metal Finishing USA LLC a/k/a Roesler Metal Finishing USA LLC, No. 1:24-cv-373 (W.D. Mich.). The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan and the SBA. Assistant United States Attorney Whitney M. Schnurr investigated this case. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. # # #


title: TALLAHASSEE REALTOR SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR WILLFULLY FAILING TO FILE INCOME TAX RETURNS

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Sedita Charles Cayson, 59, of Panacea, Florida, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison after being found guilty of five counts of willfully failing to file his income tax returns for tax years 2017-2021, at the conclusion of a prior day-and-a-half bench trial. The sentence imposed was announced by Michelle Spaven, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “The United States relies on the honest payment of taxes to defend our country and maintain its operations,” stated Acting United States Attorney Spaven. “We will investigate and prosecute those who falsely misrepresent their income. On behalf of the hard-working American taxpayers, we will continue to partner with the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation to ensure those who steal are held accountable.” Trial testimony and evidence demonstrated that Cayson—a Florida real estate agent known as the “Land Man”— had been a serial non-filer of his personal income taxes for multiple years. Evidence showed that Cayson had a history of tax delinquencies with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and that he was assessed liens for his federal income tax delinquencies for years 2004-2007 and 2011-2013. Despite earning real estate sales commissions averaging over $150,000 per year, Cayson willfully failed to file his income tax returns for tax years 2017-2021. Further evidence indicated that beginning in 2017, Cayson instructed his real estate broker to split his commission checks into amounts that were less than $10,000, the majority of which Cayson cashed at the bank immediately upon receiving them. Between 2017-2021, Cayson accrued $158,840 in income taxes due and owing to the United States. “This sentencing sends a clear message that evading your tax obligations will not be tolerated, particularly by individuals who repeatedly and willfully game the system. The “Land Man” case demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that all citizens are held accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker, of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Tampa Field Office. “We will continue to work diligently to enforce the law and pursue justice for American taxpayers." In addition to a 14-month prison sentence, Cayson was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $158,840 to the IRS and cost of prosecution in the amount of $34,755. Cayson’s prison sentence will be followed by one year of supervised release. This conviction was the result of an investigation by the United States Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Harley Ferguson and Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Pikeville Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Pikeville, Ky. man, Christopher Springfield, 43, was sentenced on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves to 172 months, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 28 grams of cocaine. According to his plea agreement, in April and May of 2024, law enforcement used a confidential informant to make two controlled purchases of fentanyl from Springfield. On May 24, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence Springfield occupied, and located over 400 grams of methamphetamine, over 200 grams of fentanyl, over 100 grams of cocaine, a firearm, and $18,537 in cash. Springfield admitted to possessing these substances and intended to distribute them. In 2011, Springfield had previously been sentenced to 92 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. Under federal law, Springfield must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years. Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; and Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. — END —


title: New York Man Admits Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten States

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Bronx, NY, man admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island today that he participated in a conspiracy that intended to defraud banks in at least ten states of approximately $143,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He will be sentenced on May 27, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. According to court documents, Keenan, working alongside other members of a conspiracy, to facilitate their scheme, recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). Keenan and his co-conspirators used the information to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits. Keenan and others then obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information. Keenan and others used the collected information to create fraudulent IDs and checks. They then traveled with recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and at least eight other states to cash the checks. Through the scheme, Keenan and others attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Sandra Hebert. The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department. ###


title: Seasonal Postal Employee Sentenced for Stealing Mail

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A U.S Postal Service seasonal employee on the job for one month during the 2023 holiday season has been sentenced to federal probation for his role in a scheme to steal the contents of U.S. mail, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Willie Estrella, 32, of Providence, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to three years of federal probation. Estrella pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy to steal mail and theft of mail by a postal employee. According to court documents and information presented to the court, Estrella and others sorted through the mail at the Providence distribution facility and placed aside brightly colored envelopes of interest. They concealed the stolen mail in their backpacks that they carried from the postal facility. Estrella and co-conspirators met at a pre-determined location after work to open the stolen mail and remove cash, gift cards, and checks. They divided the proceeds among themselves. This conduct occurred multiple times per week. During December 2023, when Estrella participated in the conspiracy, $95,000 in cash, gift cards, and checks were illegally removed from the U.S. mail stream and stolen by Estrella and others. Charges are pending in U.S. District court against five other former postal employees. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie M. White. The matter was investigated by the U.S Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Providence Police Department, and Smithfield Police Department. The public can report mail theft by contacting the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-888-USPS-OIG (1-888-877-7644; online at www.uspsoig.gov/hotline; via email at Hotline@uspsoig.gov; or by mail at USPS OIG, Attn: OIG Hotline, 1735 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209-2020. ### willie_estrella_sentencing_memo.pdf


title: Rhode Island Man Admits to Setting Multiple Fires Around the Exterior of a Church; Assaulting Federal Officers

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island man admitted to a federal judge today that he intentionally set multiple fires around the exterior of a predominantly black church in North Providence, RI, and that, while detained at a federal detention center following his arrest in this matter, he assaulted two federal correctional officers by dousing them with human waste. Kevin Colantonio, 36, pleaded guilty to one count each of malicious damage by means of fire and obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs and two counts of assault on a federal officer. Colantonio admitted that on February 11, 2024, he used gasoline and a lighter he purchased minutes earlier at a gas station within walking distance of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, a predominantly black church with both an in-person and online following, to ignite several fires around the exterior of the church. The fires were quickly extinguished by North Providence officers who arrived at the church moments after the fires were lit, but not before the church sustained damage. Due to the damage, church congregants were prevented from enjoying their free exercise of religious beliefs as church services were cancelled until the church could be reopened. Several hours prior to the fires being discovered, the pastor of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries reported to police that he witnessed an individual on the church’s Ring camera doorbell attempting to break into the church. The pastor reported that he spoke to the male subject through the Ring camera, telling him, among other things, that the building was a church. The man continued trying to break in the door, and then broke the Ring camera off the side of the building. The pastor later identified Colantonio as the person he saw on the Ring camera. During a February 15, 2024 court-authorized search of Colantonio’s residence, an accelerant detection canine indicated a positive reaction on several items of seized clothing. These items matched the clothing Colantonio was wearing on the night of the arson, based upon surveillance footage. During the search of Colantonio’s residence, authorities also seized notebooks with writings, including one entry in which Colantonio wrote, “The age of false churches target side operation. Eliminate Rich Snob global Elite Pastors, burn churches down to ground, when congregants move to next church, do the same… .” In a separate entry, Colantonio wrote, “hunt them down gun everyone down that isn’t white, if one is white spread the gospel. Always give our bloodline a chance.” On February 12, 2024, Colantonio privately messaged a family member that no one in the community cared about the arson; Colantonio called the church “Athiest God mockers,” adding that, “They’re busy dancing around collecting money.” In addition to admitting to setting fires around the exterior of the church, Colantonio admitted to assaulting two federal correctional officers while he was detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in this matter. Colantonio admitted that he struck two federal officers with human bodily waste and fluid that were contained inside a mug he tossed at the officers. Colantonio is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made today’s announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan for the District of Rhode Island and Taylor Payne of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case. The fires set at the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with members of the North Providence, RI, Police Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office. The assault of the federal officers was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. ###


title: Federal Grand Jury in Louisville Returns 6 Indictments Charging 13 Defendants

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – On February 19, 2025, a federal grand jury in Louisville charged 13 Kentucky residents in six indictments involving methamphetamine and firearms offenses. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement. According to the first indictment, Johnathan Hankins , 34, and Tremell Smith , 33, both of Louisville, are each charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine between March 11, 2024, and May 22, 2024. According to the second indictment, Shawn Beason , 35, of Louisville, and Justin Cummins , 28, and William Willis , 54, both of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on April 5, 2024. According to the third indictment, Ejai Shanklin , 22, of Louisville, is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime between April 6, 2024, and June 6, 2024. Daryl Horton , 22, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on May 20, 2024. According to the fourth indictment, Jeffrey Bradley , 33, Britney Calloway , 39, and Curtis Wright , 66, all of Louisville, and Jeffrey Holder , 49, of Ferguson, Kentucky, are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Beginning as early as June 26, 2024, and continuing through August 7, 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Bradley is also charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Calloway and Wright are also each charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Holder is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On June 26, 2024, Holder possessed an Inter Ordnance, Hellcat, .38 caliber handgun, an Imperial Metal Products, Model IMP .22 caliber revolver, and a Remington Arms Company, Model 1100, 12-gauge shotgun. Holder was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had been convicted of the following felony offenses. On March 19, 2008, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport. On March 19, 2008, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree. On September 8, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of theft by unlawful taking. On September 8, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of theft by unlawful taking. On December 17, 2014, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (two counts). On May 20, 2016, in Powell Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport. On March 29, 2017, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of flagrant nonsupport and bail jumping in the first degree. On November 27, 2019, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of fleeing or evading police in the first degree, wanton endangerment in the first degree, trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, and possession of a controlled substance in the first degree. On January 7, 2021, in Pulaski Circuit Court, Holder was convicted of fleeing or evading police in the first degree (two counts) and wanton endangerment in the first degree. According to the fifth indictment, Honesty Davis , 35, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on August 26, 2024. According to the sixth indictment, Jaquan Tooley , 28, of Louisville, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on September 13, 2024. Eight of the 13 defendants have been arrested and made their initial court appearances this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. One defendant will make his initial appearance on March 3, 2024. Ejai Shanklin , Daryl Horton , Jeffrey Holder , and William Willis are in state custody and will make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at a later date. If convicted, the defendants each face minimum sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years, and all face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. The cases are being investigated by the ATF, DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, KSP, and the Louisville Metro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts is prosecuting the cases. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Minneapolis Non-Profit Executive and Business Consultant Pleads Guilty in $6 Million Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis non-profit executive and business consultant pleaded guilty to leading a scheme to defraud a number of federal, state, local, private programs and other sources of funding, resulting in a loss of over $6 million, and also to illegally possessing a firearm after a felony, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents , from 2020 until 2024, Tezzaree El-Amin Champion, 28, engaged in a fraud scheme through two Minneapolis-based entities he founded and controlled: a marketing company he owned, Futuristic Management LLC, and a non-profit organization he led, Encouraging Leaders. Encouraging Leaders, under Champion’s direction, submitted at least 42 grant and public-contract applications with related follow-up correspondence containing material false misrepresentations, in order to obtain funding. Fraudulent applications were submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Center for Disease Control Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Otto Bremer Trust, the Greater Twin Cities United Way, and others. False statements included false rosters of Encouraging Leaders’ board of directions; false assertions that Encouraging Leaders had been independently audited; false claims that certain local governments, companies, and community organizations had agreed to partner with Encouraging Leaders; requests for payment based on overstated hours of work; and false claims that Encouraging Leaders administered events that either never occurred or were organized by others. Champion misused significant portions of the funds that Encouraging Leaders received in response to the applications, for example by transferring funds to himself and using organizational funds for personal matters. Based on the fraudulent applications, Encouraging Leaders sought more than $3.8 million in funding through 42 grants and was awarded 27 grants for more than $2.7 million in funding. Encouraging Leaders actually received approximately $1.5 million in funding as part of the scheme. Through Futuristic Management, Champion recruited and assisted clients in submitting fraudulent applications to Hennepin County’s Small Business Relief grant program as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. The applications dramatically overstated applicant incomes and expenses, and were supported by fake tax records and fake lease documents that Champion obtained. Champion also submitted nine fraudulent applications on his own behalf. Simultaneously, Champion defrauded Hennepin County, for whom his company was serving as a business advisor under the County’s Elevate Business program. As part of the program, Champion agreed to provide free marketing services to local small businesses. But rather than provide free services, Champion billed and received payments from the County for services for which he had already been paid by his clients. Many of these clients were the same businesses and individuals Champion had assisted with false PPP, EIDL, and SBR applications. Champion also used his company to fraudulently obtain loans marketed by PayPal Business Loan and issued by WebBank. In the PayPal applications, Champion overstated his company’s gross sales and attached fake Wells Fargo bank statements inflating his bank balances and deposits. In total, the part of the scheme relating to Futuristic Management resulted in a loss of more than $2.1 million. During the investigation of Champion’s offenses, law enforcement searched Champion’s home. Officers found Futuristic Management financial records, a safe containing $127,000 in U.S. currency, and a Ruger LCR .357 revolver with Champion’s DNA on it. Due to a 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, Champion is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Champion pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court yesterday before Judge Katherine M. Menendez to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Champion agreed to pay restitution of at least $3,479,575 to the victims of his offenses. Earlier this month, Champion’s co-defendant Marcus A. Hamilton pleaded guilty to participating in the Futuristic Management part of the scheme. Sentencing hearings for both defendants will be scheduled at a later date. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis Police Department’s Special Crimes Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Forbes and Joseph H. Thompson are prosecuting the case. plea_agreement_24-cr-112.pdf indictment_24-cr-112.pdf search_warrant_application_23-mj-358.pdf


title: Community Health Care Solutions, LLC and the Estate of Yolanda Burnom Agree to Pay $4.6 Million in Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit

component: USAO - Louisiana, Western

body_text: SHREVEPORT, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Shreveport counseling service, Community Health Care Solutions, LLC (“Community Health”) and the estate of its deceased owner/operator, Yolanda Burnom, have agreed to pay $4,600,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicaid for reimbursement for services that were not rendered. Through the investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, law enforcement agents determined that Community Health, through Burnom’s operations, created a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program by offering financial incentives to Medicaid recipients to share their patient information. Burnom and her employees would use that patient information to bill Medicaid for crisis intervention services that did not occur. Instead, counselors working for Community Health were instructed to create generic notes that could be cut and pasted onto patient files, in order to bill for crisis intervention, which carried the maximum reimbursement. In many instances, the counselors never met the patients or provided any services at all. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 28, 2022, charging Burnom with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, six counts of healthcare fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. Four months later, Burnom passed away unexpectedly, and civil litigation was the only remaining avenue for the United States to recover its money. “This type of fraud will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with our federal and state partners to root out corruption and recover money for the taxpayers,” said Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “Providers who take advantage of the Medicaid program deprive other citizens of needed medical services.” “The Medicaid program depends on the honesty and integrity of providers, particularly when they submit claims for essential behavioral health services,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement underscores HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our federal and state partners to safeguard taxpayer-funded benefit programs and investigate health care fraud.” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated, “People who commit Medicaid fraud will be caught, prosecuted, and demanded to pay restitution. We will continue to combat abuse of the system and bring justice for the hard working taxpayers of Louisiana. Great job by my office and all of our federal partners.” This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, HHS-OIG, and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Theriot handled the civil litigation, along with HHS-OIG Special Agent Steven Cooper. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Reeg handled the criminal investigation. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. # # #


title: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-entry Into the United States, Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – A Guatemalan national pled guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges of failing to register as a sex offender and re-entry after deportation, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Nelson Leonel Yocute Samayoa, 34, was convicted in 2014 in Rhode Island state court on a charge of second-degree sexual assault, after which he was ordered to register as a sex offender and was deported. According to information presented to the court, after being deported, Yocute returned to the United States illegally and lived and worked in Newport for approximately nine years. Additionally, Yocute failed to comply with the obligation that he register as a sex offender, as mandated by his 2014 sentence. Mr. Yocute has been detained since his arrest in this latest matter on May 14, 2024. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. He will also face deportation proceedings for a second time. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton. The matter was investigated by the Newport Police Department, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. ###


title: Chicago Man Sentenced to Federal Prison For Brazen Bank Robbery While On Federal Supervision For Previous Bank Robberies

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who committed a bank robbery only two months after being placed on supervised release for two previous bank robberies was sentenced February 26, 2025, to more than 15 years in federal prison. Del Evans, Jr., age 40, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a September 4, 2024, guilty plea to bank robbery. Evidence in the case revealed that on January 22, 2024, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Evans walked into the Sanborn Savings Bank, and handed the teller a note demanding money. Evans obtained cash, exited the bank, and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers identified Evans through surveillance footage and located his residence. Law enforcement converged on the residence, conducted “a cordon and call out” a cordon was setup around the house, and Evans was called out. He peacefully surrendered. At the time of the instant bank robbery, Evans was on supervised release for a 2014 bank robbery spree. Evans admitted to the crime, identified the clothing he wore, and described using a note during the robbery. He took the note back to his home, where he ripped it apart and threw it in the bathroom trash. During the execution of a search warrant on Evans’ home, the clothing and money were located, as well as the torn-up note in the bathroom trash. Evans has been convicted of four armed robberies and four more unarmed robberies and an attempted robbery not including the instant offense. In 2008, Evans, at the age of 24, was convicted for bank robbery, and attempted bank robbery. In 2014, at the age of 30, Evans committed a spree of three of bank robberies, as well as an escape. Evans was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 188 months’ imprisonment. He was also ordered to make $5,408.00 in restitution. He was also sentenced to serve a consecutive 24-month sentence for the supervised release violation. He must then also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Evans is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by O’Brien County Sheriff’s Department, Sanborn Police Department, Sheldon Police Department, Hartley Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-4025. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Montana man convicted in cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy

body_text: TYLER, Texas – A Montana man was found guilty of a cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Randall V. Rule, 73, formerly of Kalispell, Montana, was found guilty by a jury on all counts following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on February 26, 2025. “We will not stand by as our citizens are victimized by financial crimes and their life savings are stolen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney McGlothin. “We will aggressively pursue cases against scammers and against those who facilitate their crimes by laundering the criminal proceeds.” “The U.S. Secret Service extends our appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Texas, for their efforts and partnership in this case,” said Resident Agent in Charge Brad Schley. “This case culminates the work of a great team of investigators and prosecutors that works tirelessly to protect the financial infrastructure of the United States.” On November 16, 2022, Rule and Gregory C. Nysewander, formerly of Irmo, South Carolina, were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, charging them with money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and a conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act. According to the indictment, Rule and Nysewander were alleged to have conspired with others to launder the proceeds of wire fraud and mail fraud schemes through cryptocurrency. The defendants converted funds from romance scams, business email compromises, real estate scams, and other fraudulent schemes into cryptocurrency and sent the cryptocurrency to accounts controlled by foreign and domestic co-conspirators. The defendants and their co-conspirators made false representations and concealed material facts, in order to avoid discovery of the fraudulent nature of deposits, wires, and transfers, such as providing instructions to co-conspirators and victims to label wire transfers as “loan repayments” and “advertising.” The defendants also made false representations and concealed material facts when completing account opening documents and when communicating with financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges. During the course of the conspiracy, Rule, Nysewander, and their co-conspirators laundered more than $2.4 million. Rule and Nysewander were also charged with willfully violating the money services business requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act. At sentencing, Rule faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each money laundering charge and up to 5 years in federal prison on the conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act charge. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. This effort is part of Operation Crypto Runner, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys D. Ryan Locker, Dustin Farahnak, and Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld. ###


title: Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery Conspiracy  Connected to Murder of Drug Supplier

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man involved in distributing large quantities of marijuana, has admitted to helping plan a robbery that ultimately led to the murder of his drug supplier Garrett Isaac Williams, 22, pled guilty yesterday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery. Last month, Williams’ co-defendant, Joseph Walker, pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, beginning no later than January 2023, Walker and Williams conspired to distribute marijuana and marijuana wax they sourced from E.B., who periodically traveled from Pennsylvania to supply the pair at Mr. Walker’s residence in Roanoke, Virginia. Eventually, the men fell into debt to E.B. Then, in an effort to collect money he was owed, E.B. attempted to phone Walker but instead inadvertently called Walker’s mother. This phone call caused Walker and Williams to set in motion a plan to end their relationship with E.B. However, instead of paying down their debt, they conspired to order more marijuana from E.B., rob E.B. of that marijuana upon delivery and, in so doing, scare him from returning to Virginia. On April 17, 2023, E.B. traveled from Pennsylvania to Walker’s residence, bringing with him approximately 10 pounds of marijuana and two pounds of marijuana wax in a deal facilitated by Williams. During E.B.’s trip, Williams maintained communication with him and provided updates to Walker so that he was prepared for E.B.’s arrival. For his part, Walker concealed a Sig Sauer, .45 caliber pistol on his person, intending to use it as part of the robbery. Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker invited him into his home where he confronted E.B. about the phone call E.B. made to his mother, before immediately shooting him twice, killing him. Walker then took the marijuana that E.B. had brought with him and, to conceal his crime, dragged E.B.’s body out of his residence, placed it in the trunk of E.B.’s car and drove to Bedford County, Virginia where he set the car on fire. While not physically present at the time of the robbery, Williams admitted to planning to rob E.B by force. Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division and Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia State Police, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the City of Lynchburg Police Department, and the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office are investigating the case. The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also aided in the investigation and is comprised of officers from the Roanoke City Police Department, Roanoke County Police Department, City of Salem Virginia Police Department, the Vinton Police Department, and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Salem Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Coleman Adams and Kelly McGann are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Roanoke Man To Serve 108 Months For Illegally Possessing Firearm

body_text: ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke, Virginia man, who used a firearm he was illegally in possession of to shoot another man in the back, was sentenced this week to 108 months in federal prison. James Aaron Haburn, 32, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a bench trial in October 2024. According to court documents and evidence presented at Haburn’s trial, in November 2022 police encountered Haburn during a traffic stop and found him with a stolen Smith & Wesson pistol tucked into his waistband. Additional investigation revealed that Haburn has used the same pistol 34 hours earlier to shoot a man in the back following a confrontation outside of a Roanoke business. Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The Roanoke City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly McGann prosecuted the case.


title: Lackawanna County Man Charged With Receiving Child Pornography

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Reinaldo Gonzalez, Jr., age 31, of Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 25, 2025, by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Gonzalez received numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in 2022 and 2023, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 120 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Convicted Sex Offender Is Sentenced To 37 Years For Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A convicted sex offender was sentenced today to 37 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jesse Thomas Cunningham, 30, of Morven, N.C., was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, Roger “Chip” Hawley, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and Sheriff Scott Howell of the Anson County Sheriff’s Office, join Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making this announcement. According to court documents and court proceedings, in 2021, Cunningham assumed the identity of a minor on Snapchat to communicate with an 11-year-old female. Court records show that Cunningham induced the minor to send him sexually explicit images and videos of herself via Snapchat. Over the course of his communications with the minor victim, Cunningham gained access to the victim’s Snapchat account and used it to persuade two other minor females to create and send him images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to court records, on December 7, 2021, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Cunningham’s phone. A forensic examination of the phone revealed that Cunningham possessed CSAM, including images and videos of the three minor victims he had contacted via Snapchat. During the investigation, law enforcement also found evidence that Cunningham had coerced the minor victims, threatening to expose them publicly online if they did not comply with his demands for additional CSAM. Cunningham has prior criminal convictions of Possessing Obscenity With Intent to Disseminate, Attempting to Extort Another, Felony Secret Peeping, and Indecent Liberties with a Child. On October 11, 2024, Cunningham pleaded guilty to producing CSAM. Cunningham will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The FBI, HSI, SBI and the Anson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Armed Drug Trafficker Is Sentenced To 10 Years in Prison

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bryan Torres, 24, of Cherryville, N.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release on drug and gun charges, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. According to court documents and court proceedings, between October 2022 to January 2023, Torres engaged in drug trafficking in Gaston County. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine, over 250 fentanyl pills, powder fentanyl, heroin, and other substances from the defendant. Torres was armed during at least one drug transaction. On February 2, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Torres’s residence. Investigators seized from the residence five firearms and ammunition, and additional amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl. On February 29, 2024, Torres pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. The investigation was jointly conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Cherryville Police Department, and the Gaston County Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 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. For more information about PSN in the Western District, please visit our website .


title: Reston predator sentenced to 19 years in prison for sexually exploiting minors

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Reston man was sentenced today to 19 years in prison for sexually exploiting minor victims he met online. According to court documents, on July 1, 2024, Xavier Dejuan Jackson, 28, arrived on a flight into Dulles International Airport. Customs and Border Protection Officers initiated a secondary inspection of Jackson’s devices, resulting in the discovery of several videos and images that appeared to depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Jackson met Minor Victim 1 on a social media application in January 2024. Minor Victim 1 revealed to Jackson she lived with her parents, attended high school, and was 17 years old. On various occasions, Jackson transported Minor Victim 1 across state lines to engage in sexual activity with him. Beginning on Jan. 16, 2024, Jackson repeatedly traveled to Maryland to pick up Minor Victim 1 and transported her 40 minutes to his apartment in Reston to engage in sexual activity with him. Each time Jackson engaged in sexual activity with Minor Victim 1, he recorded his exploitation of her on his cellphone. Jackson then distributed the videos to Minor Victim 1 via Snapchat. In February 2024, Jackson began communicating with Minor Victim 2 on Instagram. On March 1, 2024, Minor Victim 2 informed Jackson she was 14 years old. When Minor Victim 2 asked how old he suspected she was, Jackson replied, "Like 17 maybe 16 but that was a stretch and ya it's not too hard when you know what to look for." After Minor Victim 2 revealed her age, Jackson resumed sexually explicit conversations with her. Jackson requested that Minor Victim 2 produce for and send to him explicit videos and directed her in what he wanted her to say and how he wanted her to expose herself. Jackson received these videos via Snapchat and stored them in a folder under the victim’s name. Also stored within that folder were three videos depicting Minor Victim 2 engaged in sexual activity. On March 2, 2024, Jackson asked Minor Victim 2 to meet in person for sexual activity. Over the next several days, the two discussed potential opportunities. Minor Victim 2 expressed fear of embarrassing herself, but Jackson persisted. Jackson pressed Minor Victim 2 for her address. Jackson continued to engage in sexually explicit messages and exchange sexually explicit photos with Minor Victim 2. They discussed locations Jackson could pick up Minor Victim 2, including her specific high school or a mall near her parent's house. On June 23, 2024, Minor Victim 2 asked Jackson when he would next be available to meet up for sexual activity. He responded that it would be over a week because he would be out of the country. He was arrested on July 1, 2024, after his return flight to Dulles. On Feb. 4, 2024, Jackson initiated contact on Snapchat with a person he believed was 15 years old. Though he was then 27 years old, Jackson told the person he was 19. On March 25, 2024, Jackson inquired how much the person would charge for nude depictions of herself and sent a detailed request describing what type of sexually explicit videos he wanted. The person said that sort of video would cost $45, which Jackson sent her via PayPal. Jackson received and saved on his cellphone videos responsive to his request approximately two hours after Jackson sent the money to the person’s PayPal account. Further investigation revealed that the person Jackson believed was 15 years old was actually 19 years old. On Nov. 21, 2024, Jackson pled guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of minors, and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity. In addition to his term of imprisonment, Jackson will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa K. Strobbe prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-212.


title: Tulsan Sentenced for Two Counts of Robbery

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Raul M. Arias-Marxuach sentenced Melik Deshawn Davis, 34, for two counts of Robbery in Indian Country. Judge Arias-Marxuach ordered Davis to 76 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution. In September 2023, Tulsa Police officers were dispatched to an auto repair shop where the employees were robbed. Upon arrival, officers found two victims who described being held at gunpoint, pistol-whipped, and robbed. The investigation revealed that Davis was dropped off at the auto repair shop. The vehicle was seen on video surveillance and FLOCK cameras fleeing the area. When law enforcement spoke with Davis, he admitted to robbing the victims. Davis is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case. 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 PSN, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: El Paso Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Dealing Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court to 180 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and other illicit drugs. According to court documents, Victor Arellano, 40, delivered 1,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover agent in exchange for $1,500 on or about Nov. 28, 2023. He sold more narcotics, including fentanyl, to agents through controlled purchases on four other occasions. On Jan. 18, 2024, Drug Enforcement Administration agents conducted an operation to seize 20 kgs of methamphetamine, resulting in the arrest of Arellano. Arellano pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance on Dec. 5, 2024. Arellano also forfeited a total of $10,225 in drug proceeds seized during the investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The DEA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Watts prosecuted the case. ###


title: Chicago Man Sentenced to 121 Months in Prison For Violent Crimes

body_text: HAMMOND- Trashawn Heard, 29 years old, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund on his plea of guilty to robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Heard was sentenced to 121 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, on July 25, 2022, Heard entered a gas station in Hammond, Indiana, and pointed a handgun with an extended magazine at the employees. After demanding and receiving money, Heard attempted to leave but was shot in the shoulder. He dropped the money and the firearm, fled the scene, crashed his car and was taken to a hospital where he was arrested. At the time he committed the robbery, Heard was on parole for three robbery convictions from 2017. This case was investigated by the FBI/GRIT Task Force with the assistance of the Hammond Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results .


title: Gastonia Pharmacy To Pay $204,000 To Resolve Alleged Controlled Substances Act Violations

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Prescriptions Plus, a pharmacy in Gastonia, N.C., has agreed to pay $204,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence J. Cameron. The Controlled Substances Act was enacted to combat illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications. Pharmacies dispensing controlled substances must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and comply with the various requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, including to maintain complete and accurate records of all controlled substances received, sold, or otherwise disposed of. These recordkeeping requirements play a vital role in ensuring the appropriate handling, accounting, and distribution of controlled substances. Violations of the recordkeeping requirements subject pharmacies to civil monetary penalties. The United States alleges that Prescriptions Plus did not adequately monitor the conduct of its staff pharmacist and failed to keep complete and accurate records regarding the receipt and distribution of controlled substances, including oxycodone and alprazolam. The United States contends that these violations negligently enabled the illegal distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam by its staff pharmacist. Prescriptions Plus represents that it has taken steps to improve its compliance with the Controlled Substances Act, including by implementing new recordkeeping policies. As part of the resolution, Prescriptions Plus has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA, addressing measures to ensure the pharmacy’s future compliance with the Controlled Substances Act. “When pharmacies fail to comply with the Controlled Substances Act, they can put opioids and other prescription drugs at risk of abuse on the street, causing great harm to our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron. “Our Office is committed to working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to hold pharmacies accountable when they fail to take required steps to prevent unlawful drug distribution.” “DEA investigators will continue to aggressively pursue the unlawful dispensing practices of pharmacists, as was the case with the pharmacist working at Prescriptions Plus. The DEA is committed to making sure healthcare providers are abiding by the law,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the DEA, which oversees the Charlotte District Office. This investigation was conducted by the DEA Charlotte District Office Tactical Diversion Squad with assistance from the Gastonia Police Department, DEA Greensboro Resident Office Diversion Group, DEA Columbia District Office Diversion Group, North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, and IRS Charlotte Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly H. Snow handled this affirmative civil enforcement matter on behalf of the Government. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.


title: Hardy County Man Convicted of Firearms Charges

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal jury has convicted a West Virginia man of firearms charges. James Douglas Lambert, age 36, of Moorefield, West Virginia, was found guilty of two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. Lambert has prior convictions of domestic battery, breaking and entering, and escape, prohibiting him from having firearms. The jury heard testimony that the West Virginia State Police, acting on a tip, visited Lambert’s home. During a search of the residence, troopers recovered seven firearms. On a separate date, Lambert was arrested for brandishing a firearm, which also led to the recovery of an additional firearm. Lambert faces up to 15 years in federal prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Warner and Will Rhee prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office and Bureau of Land Management Secure Sentence for Damage to Historic Petroglyphs

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Santa Fe man was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to pay $1,996.44 in restitution for vandalizing ancient petroglyphs at the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Area near Santa Fe. He was also required to perform 50 hours of community service for an organization working in public lands and cultural conservation, and to provide 48 hours of service with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as in-kind restitution to the United States. According to court documents, on October 19, 2022, Jesse Foster drove to the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Area near Santa Fe, New Mexico, and spray-painted several areas of the rocks near and around the petroglyphs. These drawings date back as early as 13th century through the 17th century and have significant cultural meaning to the Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos. Foster pled guilty to damage or defacement of archeological resources on September 27, 2024, and was sentenced to a 6-month probation term and ordered to pay $1,996.44 in restitution. As part of his sentence, Foster must complete 98 hours of community service, with 48 hours specifically benefiting the Bureau of Land Management and the other 50 hours benefitting the community specifically in the realm of public lands and cultural conservation. The U.S. Attorney's Office and Bureau of Land Management notes that the plea agreement took into consideration that Foster did not participate in or have any connection to a previous vandalism incident at the same site. Rather, Foster’s graffiti was an attempt to balance out that graffiti with his own less-offensive spray-painted vandalism. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Josiah Andrews, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Land Management, made the announcement today. The Bureau of Land Management, Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Region 5, investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tavo Hall prosecuted the case.


title: Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Plotting to Attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago

body_text: A former Navy sailor has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to plotting to attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois, purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, of North Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities, with the intent to injure, interfere with, and obstruct the national defense of the United States. The guilty plea was entered on Nov. 5, 2024, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and ordered unsealed today. According to court records filed in the case, in the summer of 2021, Pang communicated with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, a general of the IRGC Quds Force who was killed by the U.S. military in 2020. The Quds Force is a branch of the IRGC that conducts unconventional warfare and intelligence activities outside of Iran. A covert FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the Quds Force, subsequently communicated online with the individual in Colombia about conducting an attack. The individual in Colombia put the covert FBI employee in touch with Pang, who at the time was stationed and residing at Naval Station Great Lakes. The pair communicated online through an encrypted messaging application about possible targets for the attack, including Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area. Pang and the individual in Colombia agreed to help the covert FBI employee and his purported associates with their operation to conduct the attack in the United States, court records state. On three occasions in the fall of 2022, Pang personally met with another individual working with the FBI who was posing as an associate of the covert FBI employee. The first meeting took place outside of the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, and the two other meetings were held at a train station in Lake Bluff, Illinois. During the meetings in Lake Bluff, as the plot coalesced into an attack on the Naval Station, Pang displayed photos and videos on his phone of multiple locations inside the Naval Station. He also provided two U.S. military uniforms – for operatives to wear inside the base during the attack – and a cell phone that could be used as a test for a detonator. Pang is currently detained without bond and is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois, Assistant Director David J. Scott of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force – which is comprised of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Vikas Didwania, and Brandon Stone for the Northern District of Illinois and Trial Attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.


title: Fort Worth woman sentenced for smuggling minors from Mexico

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old woman has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to smuggle two Mexican children from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Sandra Perez pleaded guilty Nov. 19, 2024. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now ordered Perez to serve three years in federal prison. “Smuggling children is absolutely reprehensible,” said Ganjei. “Who knows what awaited these children had the defendant managed to slip past authorities. Fortunately, law enforcement was able to unravel Perez’s false story and stop her smuggling scheme dead in its tracks.” On Aug. 8, 2024, Perez applied for admission into the United States driving an SUV. She had her three minor U.S. citizen children with her along with two minor Mexican children. Perez falsely claimed the two Mexican children were also hers and attempted to present Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards that belonged to her two other children as proof. After the Mexican children failed to answer authorities’ questions, Perez admitted to attempting to bring the Mexican children into the United States to the children’s mother in Fort Worth, knowing that they did not have legal authority to enter the country. She also admitted she expected to receive $5,000 per child after delivery. Perez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.


title: New York Man Who Ran Multi-Million-Dollar Cryptocurrency Investment Scheme Found Guilty Of Wire Fraud And Money Laundering

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury convicted Douglas Jae Woo Kim, 32, of New York, New York, on 14 counts of wire fraud, international money laundering, and money laundering. The jury reached its verdict yesterday afternoon, following a three-week trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between October 2017 and June 2020, after moving to San Francisco, Kim engaged in a scheme to defraud investors, many of whom were friends and acquaintances, of over $7 million in money and cryptocurrency by holding himself out as a legitimate trader of cryptocurrency, a form of virtual currency. Kim falsely represented that he was seeking short-term liquidity in the form of loans or investments for cryptocurrency trading or other legitimate business purposes and promised to trade or invest the cryptocurrency provided by investors and lenders to make a profit. He also told victims that the loans carried no or very low risk, promised high rates of return on their loans, and claimed that he had sufficient funds to personally guarantee the loans. “This case may involve the new world of virtual currency, but there’s nothing new about the defendant’s scheme to defraud,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “Douglas Kim made bogus promise after promise to investors and lenders, only to cheat them and send their money to offshore gambling sites. Today’s verdict sends a clear message to anyone who engages in fraud in the Northern District of California: you will be prosecuted, and you will face serious consequences.” “Mr. Kim deceived those who trusted him, exploiting their confidence to fund his personal gambling activities rather than the legitimate investments he offered his victims. The FBI remains committed to identifying and bringing to justice individuals who manipulate and defraud others for financial gain,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin. In October 2017, Kim contacted a victim by text message and said he was looking for investors interested in making what he called a short-term loan for a “fairly modest operation.” Kim represented that he was investing in a cryptocurrency operation in which he would make a profit from fees charged to a peer-to-peer network and from exchange transactions, and informed the victim that the operation “isn’t very risky to me.” Within days of receiving cryptocurrency from the victim to finance the investment, Kim transferred almost all of it to bitcoin sports betting sites located outside the United States. Kim went on to obtain over a million dollars’ worth of funds from this victim over the course of the scheme, the majority of which went to offshore sports betting sites. In November 2017, Kim contacted another victim by email and said he was looking for cryptocurrency for a trading strategy. Kim assured that the victim that “my activities are fairly low risk.” On Dec. 1, 2017, Kim obtained a cryptocurrency loan from this victim worth approximately $186,000 at the time. Once the cryptocurrency was obtained, Kim immediately sent all of it to offshore sports betting sites. In total, Kim obtained over $500,000 in funds from this victim. In an agreement dated Jan. 1, 2018, Kim set out the terms of a similar investment with a third victim. The agreement called for the victim to provide cryptocurrency valued at approximately $200,000 at the time. The same day, Kim converted more than half of the funds to bitcoin and, in the following days, transferred substantially all the converted cryptocurrency to his account with an offshore casino. Kim went on to obtain over $4 million in funds from this victim. Kim defrauded numerous other victims, including nine who testified at trial, until at least July 2020, when he was charged by federal complaint. In 2023, while he was out on pretrial release, Kim allegedly renewed his scheme to defraud. One count related to this renewed period of fraud remains pending. The jury acquitted Kim of one count of international money laundering. Kim is scheduled to appear on June 25, 2025, to set a date for sentencing. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and international money laundering, and 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering. Any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah Stern and Maya Karwande are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Veronica Hernandez, Maryam Beros, Andy Ding, Lynette Dixon, and Christine Tian. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.


title: Washington, D.C. Felon Sentenced to Ten Years for Illegal Firearm Possession After Leading Law Enforcement on a High-Speed Chase with Minors in the Car

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced yesterday to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon. On September 16, 2024, Tavon Everett Lee Vines, age 32, pled guilty to the charge. According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 6, 2021, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Vines. After the vehicle stopped, and while he was still in his police cruiser, the Sheriff observed Vines and a front-seat passenger switching seats. Upon approach, the Sheriff noted that three minor children were in the vehicle’s rear seat. The Sheriff further observed that Vines, who had moved to the front passenger seat, kept his hand under his shirt; the Sheriff recognized that Vines was in possession of a firearm. The woman who had been in the passenger seat but had moved to the driver’s seat was escorted out of the vehicle, and the Sheriff radioed in for a deputy to come assist in the stop. An assisting deputy shortly arrived on scene and tried to remove Vines from the vehicle as well, but Vines pushed the deputy and attempted to flee on foot. The deputy stopped Vines from fleeing, at which time Vines kicked the deputy in the face and tried to steal the deputy’s service weapon from the holster. Vines eventually broke free from the struggle, ran around to the driver’s seat of the car, and fled in the vehicle where the children had remained. During the pursuit, which occurred after sunset, Vines turned off the vehicle lights and drove at speeds exceeding 120 mph before ultimately crashing into a guardrail and fleeing on foot, leaving the children, who were uninjured, in the car. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a loaded .40 caliber firearm. Vines has two prior felony convictions for crimes of violence and is not permitted to legally own a firearm. “Keeping firearms out of the hands of violent criminals, especially those who assault law enforcement, is a top priority,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those that endanger our communities.” “This case is a great representation of how we combat the violence of criminals who live or travel through our county,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “Our office is grateful to have such dedicated law enforcement partners that willingly put their lives in danger every day to protect every citizen. This case would have not been possible without the hard work and collaboration of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” “A felon in possession of a firearm is a serious threat to public safety,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF and our law enforcement partners are focused on stopping those who endanger our communities, and we’ll continue to utilize every resource we have to keep our streets safe.” Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II announced the sentence on February 26, 2025. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-00147M-001. ###


title: Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Plotting To Attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill.

body_text: CHICAGO — A former Navy sailor has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to plotting to attack Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Ill., purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. XUANYU HARRY PANG, 38, of North Chicago, Ill., pleaded guilty to conspiring to and attempting to willfully injure and destroy national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities, with the intent to injure, interfere with, and obstruct the national defense of the United States. The guilty plea was entered on Nov. 5, 2024, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and ordered unsealed today. Pang is currently detained without bond in law enforcement custody. U.S. District Judge Jeremy C. Daniel set sentencing for May 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Sue Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, David J. Scott of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Substantial assistance was provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The case was investigated by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Vikas Didwania, and Brandon Stone of the Northern District of Illinois, with assistance from Trial Attorneys John Cella and Charles Kovats of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. According to court records filed in the case, Pang communicated in the summer of 2021 with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, a general of the IRGC Quds Force who was killed by the U.S. military in 2020. The Quds Force is a branch of the IRGC that conducts unconventional warfare and intelligence activities outside of Iran. A covert FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the Quds Force, subsequently communicated online with the individual in Colombia about conducting an attack. The individual in Colombia put the covert FBI employee in touch with Pang, who at the time was stationed and residing at Naval Station Great Lakes, court records show. The pair communicated online through an encrypted messaging application about possible targets for the attack, including the Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in the Chicago area. Pang and the individual in Colombia agreed to help the covert FBI employee and his purported associates with their operation to conduct the attack in the United States, court records state. On three occasions in the fall of 2022, Pang personally met with another individual working with the FBI who was posing as an associate of the covert FBI employee. The first meeting took place outside of the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, and the two other meetings were held at a train station in Lake Bluff, Ill., court records show. During the meetings in Lake Bluff, as the plot coalesced into an attack on the Naval Station, Pang displayed photos and videos on his phone of multiple locations inside the Naval Station. He also provided two U.S. military uniforms – for operatives to wear inside the base during the attack – and a cell phone that could be used as a test for a detonator, the records show. pang_plea_agreement.pdf pang_complaint.pdf


title: Venezuelan National Accused of Federal Gun Crime

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

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned and indictment charging a Venezuelan national, restricted from possessing a firearm and ammunition, with a gun crime after an alleged shooting incident in Summit County, Utah. Manuel A. Pimentel-Gonzalez, 24, of Eagle Mountain, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on February 21, 2025. According to court documents, on May 19, 2024, a dispute erupted at a party at a rural property in Summit County. During the investigation, security footage depicted a heavily built male, later identified as Pimentel-Gonzalez, reach into a parked BMW X7 sport-utility vehicle and remove a large firearm with a wooden feature. Pimentel-Gonzalez then shouted profanities and insults in Spanish. Immediately after Pimentel-Gonzalez stepped away from the camera view, several gunshots were heard on the security footage. Investigators recovered at least 42 shell casings, four firearms, and bullet damage to vehicles at the scene. During the execution of a search warrant in Eagle Mountain, Utah, law enforcement located a white BMX sport-utility vehicle, with gunfire damage. Investigators also found Pimentel-Gonzalez with at least one gunshot wound that he attempted to treat himself. A Draco 92 9x19 mm firearm with a wooden feature was also seized and later linked to expended shell casings recovered from the shooting scene in Summit County. At the time of the shooting, Pimentel- Gonzalez was on probation for a prior state firearm conviction by a restricted person. Pimentel-Gonzalez is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. His initial appearance on the indictment has yet to be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement. The case is being investigated by an ATF Task Force Officer with the Utah Department of Corrections. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former federal officer guilty of money laundering

body_text: HOUSTON –A former deportation officer has entered a guilty plea to charges of laundering money while working for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Christopher Washington Toral, 49, Spring, began working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2008 and was assigned to a processing center in Conroe. Over a two-month period in 2023, Toral agreed to transport $700,000 in drug proceeds under the protective cover of his position as a federal law enforcement officer. As part of an undercover operation, Toral agreed to transport a black bag containing $200,000 in cash from Dallas to Houston in February 2023. He believed this money was revenue from the sale of illegal narcotics. Later that same month, Toral repeated the trip, delivering an additional $200,000. In March 2023, Toral agreed to transport $300,000 from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston on a commercial flight. The money was represented to be the proceeds of drug trafficking. While carrying the illicit gains, Toral bypassed airport security and Transportation Security Administration checkpoints by exploiting his law enforcement position. Toral did all this in exchange for cash payments. “Christopher Toral swore to protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threatens our national security….but he betrayed that oath,” said Ganjei. “Today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to hold accountable those who would choose corruption and deception over faithful service to their country, their community, and their brothers and sisters in law enforcement.” “In choosing greed over duty, former ICE officer Christopher Toral disgraced the badge he vowed to uphold,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “His crimes – frequently conducted under the guise of a righteous law enforcement officer – betrayed all the men and women who tirelessly protect and serve their communities with integrity every day. FBI Houston proudly partnered with DHS-Office of Inspector General (OIG) to ensure Toral’s corrupt and deceitful activities were exposed and brought to justice.” “Today’s plea sends a clear message that federal employees who violate the trust of the public and break the law will be prosecuted,” said DHS-OIG Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari PhD. “DHS-OIG is grateful for our continued partnership with our law enforcement partners as we continue fighting corruption.” U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison accepted the plea and set sentencing for May 15. At that time, Toral faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine. FBI and DHS-OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and John Marck are prosecuting the case.


title: Drug Kingpin Sentenced To 27 Years As Part Of Ongoing Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Birge today announced that United States District Judge Jane M. Beckering sentenced Jason Demyers, 44, a current resident of Arizona with significant ties to Lansing, Michigan, to serve 324 months in prison for his leadership of a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy. During sentencing, Judge Beckering described Demyers as a “kingpin” in what she described as a “nationally orchestrated drug trafficking organization” that dealt massive amounts of both cocaine and methamphetamine. Demyers is the seventh defendant to be sentenced in the case. Demyers was one of the leaders of the drug trafficking conspiracy. His organization distributed kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine in and around Detroit, Lansing, and Kalamazoo between August 2022 and July 2024. Demyers personally coordinated the shipment to Michigan of packages containing approximately ten kilograms of methamphetamine. He also worked with couriers who flew from Michigan to California carrying thousands of dollars earned from drug sales and then flew back to Michigan carrying kilograms of illegal drugs. During the pendency of the case, investigators seized approximately ten kilograms of methamphetamine, eight kilograms of cocaine, multiple pieces of real property used to facilitate the drug trafficking conspiracy, and jewelry valued at approximately $325,000. In total, the United States charged fourteen defendants as part of the organization. Twelve of the defendants have pled guilty, while two have entered into a pretrial diversion program. Of the defendants sentenced to date, the Court has imposed the following prison sentences: Franchot Barnes – 324 months Jomo Grady – 210 months Evette Wallace – 110 months Jamar Goins – 78 months Lanise Moody – 40 months Jonathan Conner – 37 months The remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in May and June 2025. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Lansing Police Department (LPD) began the investigation into Demyers’ drug trafficking organization in October 2022, in partnership with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. “Today’s sentencing of Jason Demyers for his lead role in a national drug trafficking organization is a victory for the American public and a defeat to drug traffickers everywhere. The special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation continue in their mission to disrupt the flow of ill-gotten gains that is the life-blood for these criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation . “We will continue to be relentless in our mission to dismantle these drug trafficking organizations and bring the criminals who run them to justice.” “This case is a prime example of how a seemingly small investigation can evolve into a large-scale operation, thanks to the dedicated collaboration between our local, state, and federal partners,” said Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus . “By working together, we’re able to target and dismantle operations led by some of the most prolific offenders.” “DEA is committed to protecting communities throughout Michigan from drug traffickers who prey on the vulnerable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Detroit Field Division Andrew Lawton . “Mr. Demyers ran a drug trafficking organization that funneled kilogram-quantities of drugs into Michigan along with an untold amount of misery and destruction. Together with our law enforcement partners, DEA will continue to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal organizations that threaten safety and disrupt communities.” This prosecution, dubbed Operation Cold as Ice, was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie M. Carowan and Austin J. Hakes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. ###


title: Monongalia County Man Admits to Failing to Report to Federal Prison

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – James Mansfield Davis, 68, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to failing to surrender for a federal sentence. According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis failed to report to federal prison for an 82-month sentence for a child pornography charge in the Northern District of West Virginia. Davis didn’t report to prison and was ultimately arrested on October 15, 2024 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Davis faces up to an additional 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.