title: Missoula man sentenced to over 7 years in prison for drug trafficking in Missoula

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MISSOULA – A Missoula man who trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl between Washington and Missoula was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said. Joseph Daniel Cierley, 38, pleaded guilty in January 2026, to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided. The government alleged in court documents that Cierley with a pair of associates were transporting methamphetamine and fentanyl from Washington state to Missoula with plans to distribute. Law enforcement officers began surveillance on Cierley and his associates in summer 2025 after receiving a tip from an informant that the group was bringing back “pounds of methamphetamine and ounces of fentanyl” from Washington. Officers conducted a traffic stop in July 2025 of a vehicle in which the three men were traveling; Cierley was a passenger. In the vehicle, agents discovered 896.9 grams, or nearly 2 pounds, of meth, 66.4 grams of fentanyl pills and a loaded .357 revolver. A search of the men’s cell phones showed that all three were involved in distributing the drugs. It also showed 1,000 of the fentanyl pills had been purchased by Cierley. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missoula Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Fresno Man Sentenced to Almost 10 Years in Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm Connected to a Shooting at Residence

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Randall McBride, 39, of Fresno, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to nine years and eight months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, on Jan. 8, 2024, McBride’s vehicle was seen on surveillance video driving by a residence as the driver shot out multiple times, striking both the house and a vehicle in front of it as a victim hid behind the vehicle. When McBride was arrested later that month, he was in possession of a Glock handgun loaded with a high-capacity magazine that he had stolen. Ballistic testing linked the handgun to the earlier shooting at the residence. McBride is prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions including six convictions for illegally possessing a firearm, stalking, and burglary. McBride pleaded guilty on Oct. 21, 2025. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Peoria Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal Prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man, Alton Blue, 38, was sentenced on May 12, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley to 36 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. In December 2024, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents became aware of Blue’s involvement in the distribution of illicit substances in the Central District of Illinois. Blue was identified as a supplier of methamphetamine and participated in multiple drug sales. In total, Blue was responsible for the distribution of at least 1,286.29 grams of methamphetamine. Blue was arrested on a complaint in May 2025, and a federal grand jury returned an indictment against him in June 2025. He pleaded guilty to both counts in January 2026. The statutory penalties for distribution of methamphetamine are not less than ten years and up to life imprisonment, not more than a $10 million dollar fine, and a minimum five-year to a maximum life term of supervised release. Blue was eligible for a lower sentence because he was sentenced pursuant to the “safety-valve” provision of 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Blue 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: Senior Personnel At Telecommunications Company Charged With Multimillion Dollar Fraud Following Company Self-Report

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging MOHD HAFIZ LOCKMAN, MOHD YUZAIMI YUSOF, and KHANH THUONG NGUYEN, three former senior employees of Telekom Malaysia (USA) Inc., the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad, with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The charges in the Indictment arise from an alleged scheme by the defendants to divert more than $20 million of company funds through four interconnected frauds. The defendants used false statements, forged records, fictitious transactions, and corporate and individual impersonations to deceive counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and supervisors. LOCKMAN was arrested on April 20, 2026, at San Francisco International Airport, and NGUYEN and YUSOF surrendered to authorities on April 22 and 23, respectively. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton also announced that the criminal conduct was reported by Telekom Malaysia Berhad to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early April 2026, and the company has been cooperating with the Office’s ongoing investigation. “Today’s fraud charges come within weeks of receiving a self-report from the company,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, Mohd Hafiz Lockman, Mohd Yuzaimi Yusof, and Khanh Thuong Nguyen perpetrated a sprawling fraud to steal over $20 million. The defendants deceived counterparties, suppliers, auditors, and their own supervisors. As a result of the fact that the conduct was reported to this Office and quickly investigated, the defendants will now be held to account for fraudulently lining their own pockets.” “These three individuals are alleged to have conducted a deliberate and calculated embezzlement scheme, falsifying corporate records for their own financial benefit,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “These charges highlight the FBI’s commitment to aggressively investigating and identifying fraud schemes that exploit the corporate system.” As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and other public records of court proceedings: [1] From July 2020 through February 2026, LOCKMAN, YUSOF, and NGUYEN were senior managers at Telekom Malaysia (USA) Inc. (“the American Subsidiary”), which is wholly owned by Telekom Malaysia Berhad (the “Parent Company,” and, collectively with the American Subsidiary, “Telekom Malaysia”), a major telecommunications company in Malaysia. The American Subsidiary’s primary business is selling access to broadband infrastructure to technology companies in the United States. The Parent Company approved major contracts of the American Subsidiary, relying on management of the American Subsidiary for information about U.S. deals. While employed at the American Subsidiary, LOCKMAN, YUSOF, and NGUYEN pursued a multifaceted scheme to steal more than $20 million. First , they devised a scheme to sell Telekom Malaysia’s broadband capacity without the Parent Company’s authorization and to divert the proceeds of those sales to accounts under their control. For example, they requested Parent Company approval to sell eight terabytes of capacity to a multinational corporation headquartered in the United States (“U.S. Customer-1”) for roughly $54 million, but, in reality, $54 million was the price the American Subsidiary charged U.S. Customer-1 for six terabytes of capacity, not eight. After receiving the Parent Company’s approval, the defendants prepared two versions of the contract: one for U.S. Customer-1 that memorialized a sale of six terabytes, and another for the Parent Company that memorialized a sale of eight terabytes and that fraudulently bore signatures and initials of representatives of U.S. Customer-1, including one representative based in the United States. After misappropriating the excess two terabytes from the Parent Company, the defendants sold it for their own personal benefit to third parties, including a large U.S.-based internet services company and a subsidiary of a U.S.-based social media and technology company. To conceal those illicit sales from the Parent Company, and pocket the proceeds, the defendants executed the sales through a sham entity they incorporated with a name meant to look like the American Subsidiary’s name, and directed payments to bank accounts in the name of that entity, which they controlled. Second , LOCKMAN, YUSOF, and NGUYEN impersonated a supplier of goods for the American Subsidiary and captured payments the Parent Company intended for that supplier. In 2021, the American Subsidiary was to acquire a particular type of cable from the supplier and resell it to an affiliate of the Parent Company at a markup. Unbeknownst to the Parent Company, the defendants had caused the American Subsidiary to purchase the cable from the supplier for roughly $500,000. But the defendants falsely represented to the Parent Company that the American Subsidiary had paid roughly $2.9 million for the cable. The American Subsidiary sold the cable to the affiliate of the Parent Company for over $3 million, reflecting the markup, and the defendants then caused the American Subsidiary to transfer roughly $2.9 million—the amount that the American Subsidiary supposedly paid the supplier—to a bank account held by another sham entity with a name meant to look like the supplier’s, but secretly controlled by the defendants. To accomplish this fraud, the defendants falsified several documents purportedly signed by individuals who the defendants represented were employees of the sham entity with the name substantially similar to the supplier’s. In reality, those individuals were employees of the supplier, and the defendants had falsified their signatures. Third , LOCKMAN, YUSOF, and NGUYEN impersonated employees and interns of the American Subsidiary and captured salaries intended for those employees and interns. For example, the defendants caused the American Subsidiary’s records not to reflect the fact of a particular employee’s departure in 2020, and, from August 2020 through May 2025, the defendants caused the American Subsidiary to pay that employee’s monthly salary into a bank account that the defendants controlled. In 2025, the defendants finally recorded in the American Subsidiary’s records that employee’s departure, prompting Human Resources in Malaysia to request an exit interview with the employee. To sustain the fraud, the defendants recruited another individual to impersonate the employee during the exit interview. When Human Resources subsequently requested a video call, the defendants arranged for their imposter to disguise his appearance and bear the face of the departed employee through an artificial intelligence program. Fourth , LOCKMAN, YUSOF, and NGUYEN sought reimbursements for fabricated work expenses. For instance, in January 2026, the defendants collaborated to request reimbursement for expenses incurred for a work trip that employees of the American Subsidiary supposedly made to Las Vegas in December 2025. In fact, no such trip occurred. When the Parent Company requested pictures from the trip, the defendants hastily organized a trip to Las Vegas and photographed scenes with Christmas trees to make it appear as though photographs had been taken in December. Telekom Malaysia initiated an internal investigation of the American Subsidiary and the defendants. Upon discovering the fraud, Telekom Malaysia self-reported the conduct to the United States Attorney’s Office and received a conditional declination of charges against the company based on the company’s commitment to full cooperation, restitution, remediation of harm caused by the misconduct, and its agreement to report criminal conduct for a three-year period. Today’s action reflects the Office’s commitment to using self-reports as a means to quickly and effectively bring cases that hold individual executives accountable for their misconduct. * * * LOCKMAN, 48, of Dublin, California, YUSOF, 44, of Livermore, California, and NGUYEN, 48, of Manassas, Virginia, are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison. The maximum and minimum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentences of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. DiBattista and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel P. Rothschild and Matthew Weinberg are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: Retired Air Force Major Indicted for Sexually Exploiting Several Children

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A retired Air Force Major has been indicted on charges involving the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby. A five-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court charges Daniel Martin Brown, 63, of Leeds, Alabama, with four counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography. The incidents allegedly occurred between January 2014 and December 2025 in Jefferson County, Alabama. If you suspect or become aware of a child being sexually abused or exploited, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The FBI Birmingham Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case. An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Schenectady County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

component: Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jarell Davis, age 40, pled guilty on April 29, 2026, to possessing child pornography and admitted to having a 2001 rape conviction in Georgia. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement. First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone said: “I applaud the outstanding work of HSI on investigating this repeat defendant. Now he is facing at least a decade in prison and will not be able to further victimize the children whose abuse images he apparently delighted in viewing. I commend the actions taken by every company that appropriately flags this behavior and brings it to the attention of the authorities, and I look forward to continued cooperation with companies to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of sexual offenders like this defendant.” During his guilty plea hearing, Davis admitted that he was convicted of statutory rape in Georgia in 2001. He also admitted that, in 2022, he knowingly possessed about 775 child pornography files, including some that depicted sex acts between children, within an application on his cellphone designed to look like a calculator. Special Agent in Charge Keegan said: “By concealing hundreds of files containing child sexual abuse material, this defendant—previously convicted for statutory rape—showed clear disregard for the safety of children. These investigations are vital to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities and ensuring that offenders are held fully accountable. HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding children and pursuing those who exploit them.” At his sentencing on August 27, 2026, Davis faces between 10 and 20 years in prison, a supervised release term of at least five years and up to life to start of Davis is released from prison, a fine of up to $250,000, special assessments, forfeiture of the property used to commit the offense, and restitution to victims. In addition, Davis will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. HSI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Justice Department Announces Formation of Advisory Committee on Anti-Semitism

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice today announced continued efforts to combat antisemitism nationwide through the forthcoming launch of the Anti-Semitism Advisory Committee (ASAC), a new advisory body that will provide recommendations to the Attorney General and the Department of Justice on strategies to address the rising tide of antisemitism across the United States. The initiative builds on President Donald Trump’s historic and unwavering efforts to combat antisemitism, including his directive that the federal government use every available legal tool to protect Jewish Americans and confront antisemitic discrimination and violence. The Committee will support the United States’ policy to combat antisemitism vigorously, consistent with Executive Orders 13899 ( Combating Anti-Semitism ) and 14188 ( Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism ), while furthering the Department of Justice’s mission to protect civil rights. “President Trump has made combating antisemitism a top priority for this Administration, and we thank Leo Terrell for his leadership at the Department of Justice in helping to carry out this mission,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Protecting civil rights of every American remains a core responsibility of the Department of Justice.” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who has supervisory responsibility for overseeing the Department’s respect for religious liberty in litigation, emphasized the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting Americans from unlawful discrimination and antisemitic threats. “President Trump has made combating antisemitism a national priority because no American should live in fear because of their faith,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “This Administration is using every tool available to confront antisemitic threats, support local communities, and ensure that radical activists and violent extremists do not intimidate law-abiding Americans. The Department of Justice will act aggressively to protect civil rights and uphold public safety.” Leo Terrell, Chair of the DOJ Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, will lead the ASAC. The Committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Attorney General and Department of Justice leadership on coordinated, timely, and effective responses to antisemitism. The ASAC will consist of citizen leaders dedicated to combatting antisemitism, subject to approval by the President. Members will come from a wide range of backgrounds but share a common goal of developing innovative solutions to address antisemitism across the country. Follow @TheJusticeDept, @DAGToddBlanche, @ASGWoodward, and @LeoTerrellDOJ for updates. If you have been discriminated against, you can file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division at civilrights.justice.gov . President Trump’s Executive Order can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/additional-measures-to-combat-anti-semitism/ .


title: Rockford Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Covid-Relief Fraud and Preparing False Tax Returns

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining Covid-relief loans and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. In 2020 and 2021, ABSALOM HALL engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), one of the sources of relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Hall submitted multiple PPP loan applications that contained materially false statements and misrepresentations about his purported businesses, including gross revenue, payroll needs, and operational expenses. As a result of the fraudulent applications, Hall obtained approximately $85,401 in PPP loans. Hall also engaged in tax fraud by presenting himself as a tax preparer operating a purported business called “Lootland Tax Prep.” Even though Hall did not have an IRS-issued tax ID number to prepare federal income tax returns for others, he nonetheless accepted compensation from clients in exchange for preparing their federal income tax returns. Hall did not report any income derived from this business on his 2021 or 2022 individual income tax returns. Hall, 37, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to wire fraud, tax, and money laundering charges. On May 15, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins imposed the three-year prison sentence, entered a judgment against Hall of $85,401, and ordered him to pay $30,866 in restitution to the IRS. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Nicholas Bucciarelli, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Maveus. "Absalom Hall exploited a program designed to help Americans survive an unprecedented crisis,” said IRS SAC Jobes. “At a time when families and small businesses were fighting to stay afloat, Hall chose greed over integrity and stole from a system built to provide relief and stability. Even as the pandemic fades further into the past, IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to identifying and bringing to justice individuals who abused these emergency programs for personal gain. Americans deserve accountability for those who treated a national emergency as an opportunity to enrich themselves.”


title: Three Members of International Criminal Organization Sentenced to Lengthy Sentences in $2 Billion Telemedicine Healthcare Fraud Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Anthony Santamaria was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz II to 10 years in prison for his participation in an approximately $2 billion international health care fraud conspiracy. Santamaria is the third member of a Moscow-based criminal organization sentenced this month in connection with the scheme. Co-defendants Hershel Tsikman and Hafizullah Ebady were sentenced earlier this month to 120 months’ and 97 months’ imprisonment, respectively. In addition to the terms of imprisonment, Judge Kuntz ordered Santamaria to forfeit $3.2 million and Ebady to forfeit more than $1.8 million. Additionally, all three defendants were ordered to pay restitution to their victims in an amount to be determined at a later date. A fourth defendant, Dela Saidazim, was sentenced to time served in December 2022. Three additional co-defendants, David Bishoff, Brycen Millett and Joshua Alegria, are awaiting sentencing. An eighth co-defendant and the leader of the criminal organization, Brian Sutton, a U.S. citizen who is believed to be residing abroad, remains at large. “This Moscow-based criminal organization provided anything but health care,” said Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division Colin M. McDonald. “Through aliases, encrypted communications, shell companies, and straw owners, these defendants siphoned nearly $2 billion from private insurers that provide services to American patients. They executed a brazen international fraud scheme involving sham call centers, ghost telemedicine visits, and remotely controlled pharmacies—with many patients never receiving the medication. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively identify, target, and prosecute those who defraud America’s health care system.” “For over five years, the defendants built a sophisticated, international criminal organization that employed scores of call center employees and remote-billers to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from American businesses and launder the stolen monies overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Despite the defendants’ aliases, encrypted messaging platforms, shell companies and straw owners, even operating from overseas, they are now being held accountable. Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to dismantle complex health care fraud networks and hold every responsible actor accountable.” “The takedown of this international criminal organization sends a clear message that those who exploit our American healthcare system for profit – no matter where they operate – will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle Jr. According to court filings and proceedings, between 2017 and 2022, the defendants engaged in an international scheme to fraudulently bill private health care benefit programs (the Private Insurers). They executed their scheme by having call centers they controlled, initially in Utah and later in Russia, contact beneficiaries enrolled with the Private Insurers and offer medications at no cost to the beneficiaries and without any medical exams to determine if the medications were necessary. Regardless of whether the beneficiaries agreed to receive these medications, the defendants generated fraudulent prescriptions for the medications for these beneficiaries. The defendants also recruited doctors purportedly to review prescriptions by nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants after telemedicine visits. Contrary to what the recruited doctors were told, in most cases there were no telemedicine visits between the beneficiaries and any medical professionals. The defendants generated fraudulent prescriptions under the physicians’ names and National Provider Identifier numbers. Despite the prescriptions, many beneficiaries never received the medications. The defendants also acquired pharmacies across the United States with pre-existing relationships with the Private Insurers and trained and managed teams of Moscow-based “billers” to input data and remotely submit electronic reimbursement requests for the fraudulent prescriptions through those pharmacies. The defendants submitted over $1.97 billion in fraudulent prescriptions according to third-party billing records. Private Insurers paid over $758 million as a result of those fraudulent submissions. To conceal their involvement in the scheme, the defendants operated under multiple aliases, funneled hundreds of millions of dollars through pass-through shell companies and straw owners, used end-to-end encrypted communications and moved operations overseas. Specifically, the defendants purchased and operated dozens of existing brick-and-mortar pharmacies through straw owners, including in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan and Alabama. The defendants also laundered millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds from overseas through pass-through shell companies that they used to purchase the scheme pharmacies and conceal the defendants’ involvement. Under Sutton’s direction, the defendants played various roles in the scheme, including as follows: Alegria oversaw development of custom software and forwarded fraudulent prescriptions to licensed physicians for approval; Bishoff coordinated logistics for the operations of multiple scheme pharmacies; Ebady coordinated the purchase of and was the “boots-on-the-ground manager” for at least 30 scheme pharmacies; Millett oversaw call centers in Utah, Russia and elsewhere overseas; Saidazim recruited licensed physicians and acted as Sutton’s personal assistant; Santamaria trained and managed teams of billers to input data and remotely submit fraudulent requests for reimbursement to insurers; and Tsikman coordinated the laundering of fraud proceeds through straw owners and shell entities for at least 30 scheme pharmacies, and personally wired millions of dollars internationally. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Vagelatos, Jessica K. Weigel, Jonathan P. Lax and Tara B. McGrath for the Eastern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Melina Piatti-Chayan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire S. Kedeshian for the Eastern District of New York is handling forfeiture matters. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.


title: Janesville Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Receiving Child Pornography

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Adam Gurney, 30, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 5 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Conley also ordered Gurney to pay a $5,000 assessment. Gurney pleaded guilty to this crime on February 17, 2026. In June 2025, Gurney met via Discord a 17-year-old female who lived in North Carolina. After learning she was a minor, Gurney travelled to North Carolina twice to engage in sex with her. After his second trip, Gurney brought the minor back to Janesville with him. Gurney told others online that he was grooming the minor. During his contact with the minor, he received pornographic images of her via Discord. At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted that Gurney’s online searches showed he knew his conduct was illegal, yet he engaged in the unlawful behavior for his own sexual gratification at the expense of the victim. Judge Conley also rejected Gurney’s suggestion he was “saving” the victim from her home life, responding that Gurney didn’t “save” her from anything and instead took her from one controlling environment to another. The charge against him is the result of an investigation conducted by the City of Janesville Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (North Carolina), and the Cherokee Police Department (North Carolina). The Rock County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted the case. This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . # # # #


title: 2 Mexican illegal aliens sentenced to federal prison for drug, immigration crimes

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two illegal aliens from Mexico were sentenced in U.S. District Court today for their roles in a cocaine conspiracy and for violating immigration laws. Cristian Melendez, 42, and Ismerio Garcia-Ontivaro, 39, were transporting more than three kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment in a car when they were pulled over by law enforcement on I-70 in June 2025 for a window tint violation. Melendez and Garcia-Ontivaro received the Honda Accord from a car hauler traveling from Arizona to Columbus. The Accord had a hidden compartment from the console to the rear seats. Melendez and Garcia-Ontivaro were each sentenced today to 60 months in prison. “Both defendants previously were convicted of drug trafficking and subsequently deported from the United States, only to illegally return and continue to traffic dangerous drugs into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “This Office will continue to aggressively prosecute such repeat offenders and seek strong sentences to hold them to account.” Both men were in the United States illegally after previously being removed and previously being convicted of aggravated felony offenses. Melendez had former convictions for trafficking heroin and illegally possessing firearms. Garcia-Ontivaro’s prior crimes include cocaine trafficking in North Carolina. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Kevin Raycraft, Acting Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office; announced the sentences imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Geraghty is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Engineer for Illinois Company Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trade Fraud, Counterfeiting, and Other Fraud Schemes

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CHICAGO — A former engineer for an Illinois company has been sentenced to federal prison for manufacturing and selling counterfeit versions of his employer’s products and engaging in other fraud schemes. SHAUN BROUWER worked as a mechanical engineer for an Illinois-based manufacturer of high-performance network infrastructure solutions, including network jacks. Brouwer stole proprietary information from the company and paid three vendors in China to manufacture jack modules and other products and falsely brand them as authentic products of Brouwer’s former employer. Brouwer then arranged for the counterfeit products to be sold online. Brouwer also sold approximately 11,267 authentic jack modules and other products that his employer had sent him after Brouwer falsely represented that he would use them at trade shows. Brouwer admitted in a plea agreement that he sold a total of approximately 160,039 counterfeit and authentic products without the company’s authorization, causing a loss to the company of approximately $986,519. Brouwer further acknowledged that he asked a vendor in China to create fake payment documents to lower the perceived value of some of the counterfeit items in order to avoid attracting attention from U.S. customs officials and avoid paying additional customs duty fees. As part of his schemes, Brouwer also fraudulently applied for and received a loan under the Covid-relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In 2020, Brouwer received a $20,832 PPP loan for a purported side business and dispersed more than $10,000 of it to the online marketplace in China for counterfeit goods. Brouwer, 47, of Cedar Lake, Ind., pleaded guilty in December 2025 to a federal mail fraud charge. On May 8, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings sentenced Brouwer to 18 months in federal prison. Judge Cummings found in mitigation that, among other things, Brouwer promptly waived indictment, accepted responsibility, and pleaded guilty to a criminal information. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly. This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, which vigorously pursues enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade or otherwise undermine federal customs laws. The Department of Justice recently selected the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office to be lead prosecutorial partner on the Trade Fraud Task Force. In addition, on April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.


title: Kankakee Man Sentenced to 72 months in Prison for Fifth Weapons Felony

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

body_text: URBANA, Ill. – A Kankakee, Illinois, man, Jerome Simms, 37, was sentenced on May 15, 2026 to 72 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon. At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief United States District Judge Colin S. Bruce, the government presented evidence that Simms was found in possession of a firearm while fleeing a traffic stop in 2025. Simms had previously been found guilty of four other weapons offenses in Illinois state courts including armed robbery with a knife, armed robbery with a firearm, possessing a weapon in a penal institution, and possessing a firearm as a felon. The government also noted Simms’s several controlled substance convictions. The government argued that a significant sentence was needed to deter Simms from further crimes. Also at the hearing, Judge Bruce found that Simms was on mandatory supervised release, for delivery of cocaine when he possessed the firearm in the federal case. Judge Bruce encouraged Simms not to “squander the rest of his life” after serving his sentence and further encouraged him to leave behind the habits and lifestyle that led to this case. Simms was convicted following a plea of guilty. The statutory penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group; and the Kankakee Police Department cooperated in the investigation of the case. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Lynch represented the government in the prosecution. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Justice Department Notifies Washington of Investigation into Whether Housing Biological Men in Women’s Prison Violates Constitution

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: Today, the Justice Department notified Washington Governor Bob Ferguson of the initiation of a federal investigation into Washington’s practice of housing men in its women’s prison. The Justice Department will investigate whether Washington engages in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights of female prisoners incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor, Washington. “Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The constitutional rights of women cannot be sacrificed at the altar of appeasing unsupported and dangerous ideologies.” “Washington State must protect women inmates from the inherent dangers of incarcerating them with biological men” said Interim U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington. “Our Constitution protects the civil rights of every American, including woman who are in prison and forced by the State of Washington to live with male inmates.” The Justice Department will investigate allegations of deprivation of female prisoners’ Eighth Amendment protections from cruel and unusual punishment, including Washington’s response to allegations of sexual assaults, rape, voyeurism, and sexual intimidation based on WCCW’s housing of male prisoners in the exclusively female facility. The Department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter. The Department will investigate WCCW pursuant to its authority to enforce the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Under CRIPA, the Department has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners’ constitutional rights that result from a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights.” The Department has conducted CRIPA investigations of many correctional systems, and where violations have been found, the resulting settlement agreements have led to important reforms. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department via www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/ . The Department is also collecting information on men housed in women’s jails and prisons anywhere in the country. Individuals can reach the National Initiative Examining the Housing of Biological Men in Women’s Prisons at (202) 616-5939 or SingleSexPrison.Initiative@usdoj.gov . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt .


title: Three Members of International Criminal Organization Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Sentences in $2 Billion Telemedicine Healthcare Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Anthony Santamaria was sentenced by United States District Judge William F. Kuntz II to 120 months’ imprisonment for his participation in an approximately $2 billion international health care fraud conspiracy. Santamaria is the third member of a Moscow-based criminal organization sentenced this month in connection with the scheme. Co-defendants Hershel Tsikman and Hafizullah Ebady were sentenced earlier this month to 120 months’ and 97 months’ imprisonment, respectively. In addition to the terms of imprisonment, Judge Kuntz ordered Santamaria to forfeit $3.2 million and Ebady to forfeit more than $1.8 million. Additionally, all three defendants were ordered to pay restitution to their victims in an amount to be determined at a later date. A fourth defendant, Dela Saidazim, was sentenced to time served in December 2022. Three additional co-defendants, David Bishoff, Brycen Millett and Joshua Alegria, are awaiting sentencing. An eighth co-defendant and the leader of the criminal organization, Brian Sutton, a U.S. citizen who is believed to be residing abroad, remains at large. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentences. “For over five years, the defendants built a sophisticated, international criminal organization that employed scores of call center employees and remote-billers to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from American businesses and launder the stolen monies overseas,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Despite the defendants’ aliases, encrypted messaging platforms, shell companies and straw owners, even operating from overseas, they are now being held accountable. Our Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to dismantle complex health care fraud networks and hold every responsible actor accountable.” Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Office of Inspector General, for its work on the case. “This Moscow-based criminal organization provided anything but health care,” stated Assistant Attorney General McDonald. “Through aliases, encrypted communications, shell companies, and straw owners, these defendants siphoned nearly $2 billion from private insurers that provide services to American patients. They executed a brazen international fraud scheme involving sham call centers, ghost telemedicine visits, and remotely controlled pharmacies—with many patients never receiving the medication. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively identify, target, and prosecute those who defraud America’s health care system.” “The takedown of this international criminal organization sends a clear message that those who exploit our American healthcare system for profit – no matter where they operate – will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. According to court filings and proceedings, between 2017 and 2022, the defendants engaged in an international scheme to fraudulently bill private health care benefit programs (the “Private Insurers”). They executed their scheme by having call centers they controlled, initially in Utah and later in Russia, contact beneficiaries enrolled with the Private Insurers and offer medications at no cost to the beneficiaries and without any medical exams to determine if the medications were necessary. Regardless of whether the beneficiaries agreed to receive these medications, the defendants generated fraudulent prescriptions for the medications for these beneficiaries. The defendants also recruited doctors purportedly to review prescriptions by nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants after telemedicine visits. Contrary to what the recruited doctors were told, in most cases there were no telemedicine visits between the beneficiaries and any medical professionals. The defendants generated fraudulent prescriptions under the physicians’ names and National Provider Identifier numbers. Despite the prescriptions, many beneficiaries never received the medications. The defendants also acquired pharmacies across the United States with pre-existing relationships with the Private Insurers and trained and managed teams of Moscow-based “billers” to input data and remotely submit electronic reimbursement requests for the fraudulent prescriptions through those pharmacies. The defendants submitted over $1.97 billion in fraudulent prescriptions according to third-party billing records. Private Insurers paid over $758 million as a result of those fraudulent submissions. To conceal their involvement in the scheme, the defendants operated under multiple aliases, funneled hundreds of millions of dollars through pass-through shell companies and straw owners, used end-to-end encrypted communications and moved operations overseas. Specifically, the defendants purchased and operated dozens of existing brick-and-mortar pharmacies through straw owners, including in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan and Alabama. The defendants also laundered millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds from overseas through pass-through shell companies that they used to purchase the scheme pharmacies and conceal the defendants’ involvement. Under Sutton’s direction, the defendants played various roles in the scheme, including as follows: • Alegria oversaw development of custom software and forwarded fraudulent prescriptions to licensed physicians for approval; • Bishoff coordinated logistics for the operations of multiple scheme pharmacies; • Ebady coordinated the purchase of and was the “boots-on-the-ground manager” for at least 30 scheme pharmacies; • Millett oversaw call centers in Utah, Russia and elsewhere overseas; • Saidazim recruited licensed physicians and acted as Sutton’s personal assistant; • Santamaria trained and managed teams of billers to input data and remotely submit fraudulent requests for reimbursement to insurers; and • Tsikman coordinated the laundering of fraud proceeds through straw owners and shell entities for at least 30 scheme pharmacies, and personally wired millions of dollars internationally. The charges pending against Sutton in the superseding indictment are merely allegations and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys John Vagelatos, Jessica K. Weigel, Jonathan P. Lax and Tara B. McGrath are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Melina Piatti-Chayan. Assistant United States Attorney Claire S. Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section is handling forfeiture matters. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. The Defendants : HAFIZULLAH EBADY Age: 48 Parsippany, New Jersey (Sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment on 5/6/26) ANTHONY SANTAMARIA Age: 33 North Hollywood, California (Sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment on 5/19/26) HERSHEL TSIKMAN Age: 33 Studio City, California (Sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment on 5/4/26) Co-Defendant Previously Sentenced : DELA SAIDAZIM Age: 36 Moscow, Russia (Sentenced to time served in December 2022) Co-Defendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty (Awaiting Sentencing) : JOSHUA MANUEL ALEGRIA Age: 35 Woodland Hills, California DAVID GARY BISHOFF Age: 41 Saint George, Utah BRYCEN KAY MILLETT Age: 35 Saint George, Utah Co-Defendant Who Remains at Large : BRIAN MICHAEL SUTTON Age: 32 Moscow, Russia E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-564 (S-3) (WFK)


title: Tallahassee Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Transporting Child Pornography

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: Tallahassee, Florida – Charles Eric Love, 56, of Tallahassee, Florida was sentenced to five years in federal court for transporting child pornography. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Achieving justice for the innocent victims who have been exploited in the creation of child sexual abuse material is of paramount importance, and my office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting predators like this defendant to put an end to the cycle of victimization that is perpetuated by the transmission of these horrific images and videos.” Court documents reflect that on March 19, 2025, detectives with the Tallahassee Police Department were assigned seven cyber tips by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Subsequently, law enforcement obtained search warrants for the defendant’s file sharing account, apartment, house, and office. From the seized electronic devices, law enforcement identified 1,010 image and 34 video files of child pornography. “Every image represents a real child who has been harmed,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. “Our detectives worked around the clock on this investigation because these victims deserve justice, and our community deserves to be safe from predators like this.” “The exploitation of innocent children is among the most reprehensible crimes we confront in law enforcement,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “HSI worked tirelessly alongside Tallahassee Police Department to ensure this predator was brought to justice and removed from our community. We will not tolerate those who prey on the vulnerable, and we remain steadfast in our mission to protect children, pursue offenders relentlessly, and support victims every step of the way.” After serving his term of 5 years’ imprisonment, Love will have to register as a sexual offender and be on supervised release for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution to the victims. The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Recidivist Mexican National Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison For Reentry of Removed Alien and Firearm Offenses

body_text: SOUTH BEND – Oscar Solano-Salinas, 44 years old, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien and Reentry of Removed Alien, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred. “An illegal alien with two convictions for sexual battery was sentenced to 41 months in prison for possessing a rifle and ammunition and reentering the country for a third time after having been removed on two separate occasions. Once he finishes his sentence, he will be removed a third and hopefully final time. Armed recidivist sexual offenders who violate our borders are not welcome here,” U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred said. “When the Defendant was caught, he was found to possess a rifle and ammunition, both of which he was prohibited from possessing due to his felony convictions and his being in the country illegally. Solano-Salinas was removed from the United States in July 2010 after he was convicted of sexual battery in two different cases involving two different victims in Cass County, Indiana. He illegally reentered about six months later and was removed a second time. He illegally reentered the United States again in 2011. Officers executed a search warrant and found a Winchester rifle and ammunition at his home in Logansport in November 2025,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred. “Through ‘Operation Take Back America,’ and the combined efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Logansport Police Department, the Cass County Sheriff's Office, the Monticello Police Department, and Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah T Jones and Jerome W. McKeever, the Defendant has been caught, prosecuted, and sentenced,” U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred said. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Logansport Police Department, the Cass County Sheriff's Office, and the Monticello Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah T Jones and Jerome W. McKeever. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Illinois Doctor Agrees to Pay $62,500 for Signing False Orders in Durable Medical Equipment Scheme

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – An Illinois-based doctor has agreed to pay $62,500 to resolve allegations that she caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for medically unreasonable and unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME). The United States previously filed a complaint against Dr. Alexandria Williams. The complaint alleges that Dr. Williams signed orders for DME that were pre-populated based on telemarketing calls made to Medicare beneficiaries and contained multiple false statements, including that Dr. Williams had completed an evaluation of the patient, discussed the use of orthotics with the patient and instructed the patient on medical follow-up care. Without these signed orders, DME suppliers could not have submitted claims to Medicare for the medically unnecessary orthotics. The complaint further alleges that Dr. Williams received payment for each order she reviewed through a staffing company that had connected her with Integrated Support Plus, Inc., a telemedicine company whose owner pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme in 2020. As part of the settlement agreement, Dr. Williams admitted that, between December 2018 and April 2019, she worked for Integrated Support Plus and signed orders for medically unnecessary orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. This matter is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit. executed_williams_settlement_agreement.pdf


title: Illegal alien wanted for murder in Saint Lucia sentenced on federal firearms charge

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Orville Andrew Pernell, an illegal alien from Jamaica charged with murder in Saint Lucia, has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully present in the United States. “After he was charged with murder, Pernell escaped custody twice in the Caribbean, entered the United States under a different identity, and then repeatedly endangered our community through his possession of stolen and high-powered firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “All of our communities are safer with Pernell behind bars and subject to extradition to Saint Lucia to face murder charges.” “Individuals who attempt to hide behind false identities, cross international borders unlawfully, and traffic stolen firearms should understand that ATF and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue those who threaten public safety,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd, ATF Atlanta. “This case highlights ATF’s critical role in tracing illegal firearms, disrupting trafficking networks, and ensuring dangerous offenders are removed from our communities.” “No one who flees justice abroad and threatens public safety in the United States will escape accountability,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Through the coordinated efforts of HSI and our partners, Pernell has been apprehended, convicted, and when his sentence concludes will be returned to face murder charges in Saint Lucia.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Pernell was charged with murder in Saint Lucia on October 8, 2020. While awaiting trial, he escaped custody in Saint Lucia and was arrested in Jamaica on July 21, 2021. He then escaped Jamaican custody while awaiting his extradition to Saint Lucia. Nearly 18 months later, American immigration authorities encountered Pernell attempting to illegally enter the United States at an unmanned area near the San Ysidro point of entry at the California border with Mexico. Pernell identified himself as “Oneil Christopher Reid,” and was allowed to enter the United States pending further immigration proceedings. On July 21, 2023, sheriff’s deputies in Clayton County, Georgia stopped Pernell for driving 115 miles per hour on a motorcycle. Deputies searched Pernell and found a stolen firearm in his jacket pocket. Although deputies arrested him for speeding, fleeing, driving without a license, and receiving stolen property, Pernell posted bail and was released from custody within less than two months. In 2025, federal law enforcement determined Pernell was in the United States using the Reid alias. He was arrested on April 4, 2025, while agents simultaneously executed a search warrant at his home in Hinesville, Georgia. At the home, agents found another stolen handgun and an assault rifle with a loaded high-capacity magazine. On February 11, 2026, Pernell pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. While in federal custody, Pernell repeatedly damaged the cell walls at his pretrial detention facility in apparent escape attempts. Orville Andrew Pernell, a/k/a Oneil Christopher Reid, 33, of Saint Mary, Jamaica, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson to 33 months of imprisonment. After he serves his sentence in the United States, he will be subject to removal and extradition proceedings. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wylly prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Missouri Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of 8-Year-Old

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a man who recorded his sexual abuse of an 8-year-old to 25 years in prison. Jacob J. Hampton, 33, placed a hidden camera in a bathroom to record an 8-year-old girl. Police found images on Hampton’s phone of Hampton abusing the victim, as well as child sexual abuse material that he’d obtained online. Hampton, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in January of 2025 to one count of production of child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography. The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson 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 Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Eighteen Charged in Multi-State Drug and Money Laundering Conspiracy

body_text: BOSTON – Eighteen individuals in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, California and Hawaii have been arrested in connection with an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering scheme centered in Gardner, Mass. The following defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. They appeared in federal courts in Worcester as well as Trenton, NJ, Orlando, FL, Dallas, Texas, Tulsa, Okla., Riverside, Calif. and Honolulu, Hawaii last week: 1. Hai Son Pham, 39, of Gardner, Mass. 2. Kelly Breault, 41, of Leominster, Mass. 3. Boonphet Sysoumang, 42, of Gardner, Mass. 4. Rafael Moreno, 38, of Leominster, Mass. 5. Andres Montemayor, 42, of Arlington, Texas 6. James Jah, 37, of South River, N.J. 7. Cesar Gonzalez, age 42, of Rancho Mirage, Calif. 8. Courtney Spaulding, 42, of Leominster, Mass. 9. Abdeem Griffin, 31, of Vallejo, Calif. 10. Rhonda Reed, of Winchendon, Mass. 11. Fong Yang, 43, of Claremore, Okla. 12. Kenneth Godfrey, 59, of Phillipston, Mass. 13. Scorpio Ramos, 41, of Fitchburg, Mass. 14. Giovan Colon, 36, of Kissimmee, Fla. 15. Gary Boucher, 46, of Shirley, Mass. 16. David Vega, 37, of Fitchburg, Mass. 17. Frederick Hrdy, 38, of Honolulu, Hawaii 18. Jose, Garcia, 36, of Chicopee, Mass. According to the charging documents, Pham headed a drug trafficking organization in North Worcester County, Mass. From there, Pham and his co-conspirators allegedly conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, counterfeit pills and other controlled substances throughout the United States, to include Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Oklahoma, California, Texas, Washington and Hawaii. According to court documents Pham registered and controlled Infinite Painting, a local commercial and residential painting company. Pham and his co-conspirators allegedly used Infinite Painting to launder drug proceeds through multiple financial institutions by concealing the illegal source of these funds. The drug conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years up to lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The money laundering conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Massachusetts State Police; the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department; and Worcester, Gardner, Leominster, Fitchburg, Cliton, Lunenburg, Hopkinton, Westminster, Ashburnham, Winchendon, Templeton, Phillipston, Boylston, Sterling and Weymouth Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: New York City Felon Sentenced to 77 Months for D.C. Swatting and Carjacking Incidents

body_text: WASHINGTON – Thierno Barry, 23, a previously convicted felon who resided in Queens, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 77 months in federal prison in the March 2025 multijurisdictional crime spree that included a high-speed police chase, the swatting of a random Northwest residence and a subsequent carjacking of an elderly couple the same day at Union Station, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Barry, aka “Usman Barrie,” pleaded guilty on January 22, 2026, to one count of carjacking, to one count of interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, and to making false alarms and reports. In addition to the 77-month prison term, Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Barry to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 102 months. “Thierno Barry led police on a 120-mile-per-hour chase while live-streaming the pursuit, filed a false shooting report that sent officers rushing to a sleeping family’s home, and carjacked an elderly couple on their way to the hospital,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “This violent and reckless conduct put countless lives at risk. Our office will continue to hold accountable anyone who treats the District as a playground for violence and lawlessness.” According to court documents, at about midnight on March 31, 2025, Barry was being pursued by Virginia State Police when he drove into the District. During the chase which reach speeds over 120 m.p.h., Barry used his cellphone to post to social media, including an Instagram selfie with the caption “Run or pull over like a ?bitch” at 11:41 p.m. At 11:52 p.m., Barry posted a video narrating the pursuit, saying: “ . . . I’m talking about five state troopers on my a** bro! I swear to god . . .” Barry abandoned the Volkswagen SUV he was driving in an alley behind 4300 block of Reno Road, NW. Metropolitan Police officers responded to the area at 12:21 a.m., recovered the vehicle, but were unable to locate Barry. At 1:30 a.m., Barry called 911 and falsely reported to the operator that his ex-husband had shot his wife in the face and chest. He indicated that the shooter had driven away. Barry provided an address on Brandywine Street NW where he claimed the shooting had occurred. At the time Barry made the report, he knew that it was false. A few minutes after Barry made the call, 911 operators attempted to call back the phone number that had made the report but were sent to voicemail. The voicemail mailbox recording stated that the mailbox belonged to “Thierno Barry.” MPD responded to the address of the reported shooting and made contact with the residents of the house, who were asleep when MPD arrived. Barry remained in the area until 2:30 a.m., when video footage showed him at the 4200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW boarding a WMATA bus. 3:11 a.m. he switched to another bus in the 2100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Barry boards the second WMATA bus. Shortly after getting off of the bus, Barry entered Union Station. Security guards reported that an individual matching Barry’s description was kicked out of station about 3:30 a.m. after making threats to commit a shooting there. At 3:37 a.m., Barry approached a Buick sedan occupied by an 88-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman who had been stopped directly in front of the station. Barry approached the driver’s side, then reached into the open window and opened the driver’s side door. Barry ordered the couple out of the car repeatedly, stating “Get out of the car! If you don’t, I’m gonna kill you.” Barry told the victims that he had a gun and held his hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt to imitate a firearm. Surveillance photo shows Barry behind the wheel of the Buick sedan, as the 88-year-old man (CW-3) attempts to get up from the street where Barry had thrown him to the ground. The victims told Barry that they could not give him the car because they were on their way to the hospital, but Barry continued to threaten them and demand the car. With the driver’s door still opened, Barry grabbed hold of the driver’s upper body, physically wrenched him out of the vehicle, and threw him to the ground. Barry stepped over the man and climbed into the driver’s seat. The woman passenger got out of the car. With the doors still open, Barry drove away, eventually reaching a gas station in Greenbelt, Maryland. During that drive, images of the car were captured by a speed camera. Barry only stopped driving after the car suffered a flat tire. The Greenbelt Police Department apprehended Barry, who initially identified himself as with the alias “Usaman Barrie.” Barry has two prior felony convictions and has seven other open cases outside of this jurisdiction. This case was investigated by the MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Greenbelt Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan. 25cr175 Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Brevard County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – Victor Raul Cordero Arocho (39, Melbourne) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed to 15 years in federal prison for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine as well as possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Cordero Arocho pleaded guilty on January 29, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, between August and September 2025, Cordero Arocho sold a confidential source approximately 3 pounds of methamphetamine and 2 ounces of fentanyl from his residence in Melbourne. Law enforcement then executed a search warrant on the residence in October 2025 resulting in the recovery of over 12 ounces of cocaine, approximately 2.5 ounces of fentanyl, and drug processing materials. Law enforcement also located a loaded handgun and a loaded rifle inside the residence. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.


title: Northern Virginia duo pleads guilty to defrauding pandemic relief programs

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Teresita Tiongson, 81, of Springfield, and Chung K. Shih, 39, of Sterling, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in submitting fraudulent loan applications through pandemic relief programs. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, on March 27, 2020, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Among other relief measures, the law authorized the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. PPP was intended to provide loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to certain businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others to help them remain afloat during the pandemic. The EIDL program was intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the pandemic. According to court documents, prior to April 2020, Tiongson owned and operated a home health services company called Alpha Health Resource, LLC (AHR). In March 2020, AHR closed for reasons unrelated to the pandemic. On May 4, 2020, Shih prepared and electronically submitted a PPP loan application for $57,143 on behalf of AHR, with the knowledge, consent, and assistance of Tiongson. The application falsely stated that AHR had 25 employees and an average monthly payroll of over $22,000. On May 7, 2020, $57,143 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account. On April 27, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed a second PPP loan application for $75,616 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $40,000. On May 3, 2021, $75,616 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account. On Sept. 28, 2020, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL application for $150,000 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR was an operating business. On Oct. 2, 2020, the SBA deposited $149,900 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account. On July 13, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL increase application for $350,000 on behalf of AHR. On July 19, 2021, the SBA deposited $350,000 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account. Shih prepared and submitted each application with Tiongson’s knowledge, consent, and assistance. After the funds from each loan were received, Tiongson and Shih engaged in numerous financial transactions to split the funds between them and used the funds for personal expenses. In total, Shih and Tiongson fraudulently received $632,659 in pandemic assistance loans to which they were not entitled. Shih is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Tiongson is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27 and faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey is prosecuting the case. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 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 Nos. 1:26-cr-87 and 1:26-cr-96.


title: Three People from St. John The Baptist Parish and Jefferson Parish Sentenced in Fentanyl Distribution Case

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – JESSICA PORTWAY , age 42 of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY , age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO , age 25 of Jefferson Parish were sentenced on May 13, 2026 by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, after previously pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy, drug distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. TYLER SALADINO was sentenced to 48 months and three (3) years of supervised release as to Counts 1, 2, and 3. JESSICA PORTWAY was sentenced to thirty-seven (37) months as to Counts 1, 2, and 4 and three (3) years of supervised release. RACHEL PORTWAY was sentenced to time-served, three (3) years of supervised release and a 12-month period of home incarceration as to Counts 1, 2, and 3. According to court documents, in August 2023, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) investigated an overdose death in Jefferson Parish that revealed SALADINO , RACHEL PORTWAY , JESSICA PORTWAY, and others, conspired to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. As part of the conspiracy, SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY sold pills containing fentanyl to the victim in Jefferson Parish. The investigation further revealed that RACHEL PORTWAY had obtained the pills from JESSICA PORTWAY in the weeks leading up to the transaction and that JESSICA PORTWAY had received the pills from another individual in California. A search warrant was executed on SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY’S shared residence and additional pills were recovered. Testing by the JPSO Crime Laboratory confirmed the pills contained fentanyl. A search warrant was executed on JESSICA PORTWAY’S residence in LaPlace, Louisiana and law enforcement also recovered 26 doses of LSD, a quantity of methamphetamine, and a quantity of fentanyl. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Briana Williams and Andre’ Jones of the Narcotics Unit. * * *


title: Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-State Scheme to Defraud Factoring Companies

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hector Perez, 35, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his role in a scheme to defraud companies of $2 million, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, between May 2018 and November 2020, Hector Perez and his brother Flavio Perez, 30, of Stockton, carried out a fraudulent scheme targeting invoice factoring companies. Invoice factoring is a financial service that provides immediate cash flow to a business in exchange for the business’s outstanding invoices. The invoice factoring company, which has bought the outstanding invoices, then has the right to collect the money owed by the debtors on those invoices. To execute the scheme, the brothers created corporate entities posing as businesses seeking to sell fabricated debt in the form of fraudulent invoices. The defendants then sold these fraudulent invoices to at least four different factoring companies. As a result of this deception, the victim factoring companies transferred money to bank accounts held under the control of one or both of the defendants. The victim factoring companies would either never get paid on the fake invoices that they had purchased or if they did, would get paid much less than they were due. If they were paid, the money generally came from the defendants, most often via bank accounts held in the names of fictitious debtors. These payments were designed to disguise the fraud so that the defendants could avoid detection and continue the fraudulent enterprise. From May 2018 through September 2020, the overall loss to the victims totaled more than $2 million. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case. Hector Perez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Aug. 24, 2026. Hector Perez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud counts, and a mandatory consecutive two-years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. A status conference is scheduled for Flavio Perez on July 13, 2026. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Judge Hands Killer 10.5 Years in Prison for 2021 Slaying

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Khalid Claggett, 42, of Washington, DC was sentenced Friday to 10.5 years in prison for killing 30-year-old Isaac Aull, Jr., on June 11, 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Claggett was found guilty by a D.C. Superior Court jury of one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of offenses committed during release following a trial in February of 2026. On May 15, 2026, a sentencing hearing was held before Judge Neal Kravitz. Under the DC Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Claggett’s sentencing range was 10.5 to approximately 33 years. The government requested a 21-year sentence, noting the particular cruelty of Claggett’s actions, but his sentencing was at the bottom end of the guidelines. On the date of this killing, Claggett was on release for two separate criminal charges. Evidence presented by the government, at sentencing, further showed that Claggett possessed multiple guns while on release, in disregard for court orders prohibiting his possession of a gun. At trial, the government presented evidence that on June 11, 2021, a preliminary hearing was held in the case United States v. John Young, where Young was charged with the murder of Dewayne Shorter III, who is the brother of Isaac Aull, Jr. After viewing the preliminary hearing virtually, Mr. Aull and another male went to the parking lot of Walgreens located at 1401 Rhode Island Avenue and shot at a car belonging to Young’s brother, Richard Young. Khalid Claggett, who was a close friend of John Young, was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car at the time. After shots hit the car, Claggett exited the car and ran after Mr. Aull and his friend to the 1600 block of Franklin Street. While on Franklin Street, Claggett fired six shots at Mr. Aull, causing a bullet to lodge in the back of Mr. Aull’s head. Mr. Aull fell into the street and was unarmed, and unable to move. Claggett then left the scene. In the intervening time, an ambulance had arrived at Franklin Street and was parked in front of Mr. Aull. Dash camera video from the ambulance showed that Claggett changed his appearance – putting on a mask, removing his sweatshirt, and retrieving a new gun – drove back to Frankin Street, and attempted to shoot at the unarmed Mr. Aull. At that point, Claggett’s gun jammed and he walked away. Once he was able to fix the jam in his gun he returned to where Mr. Aull lay helplessly, stood directly above him, and fired seven shots into his body. Claggett was arrested on June 25, 2021, and has been in custody since. Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rashmika Nedungadi and Daniel Seidel, who prosecuted the case. 2021 CF1 003577


title: Nebraska United States Attorney Appointed to Serve on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Advisory Committee

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has appointed U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods of the District of Nebraska to serve on the Administration’s inaugural Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC) for a term of three years. The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) is a select and prestigious body of United States Attorneys chosen by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to advise Department of Justice leadership on national law enforcement priorities. Acting Attorney General Blanche selected United States Attorney Lesley Woods to serve as the Eighth Circuit’s representative to his Advisory Committee. Created in 1973, the AGAC is comprised of an exclusive group of 18 United States Attorneys and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational, and subject-matter representation. Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, fraud, narcoterrorism, and other critical priorities as set by the President of the United States. The Committee plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs national Department of Justice strategy. U.S. Attorney Woods is deeply honored at the opportunity to represent Nebraska and the interests of Nebraska and the Eighth Circuit on this committee and hopes to make her service impactful for both the District of Nebraska and the Department of Justice as a whole. Prior to her appointment on the committee, U.S. Attorney Woods served as a JAG officer on active duty in the United States Air Force, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas for approximately three years, the District of Nebraska for approximately seven years, and the District of Maryland in the Baltimore Office’s National Security Section for a short time while her husband was briefly assigned in the Washington, D.C. area. U.S. Attorney Woods also briefly served as a trial attorney for the Counterterrorism Section at Department of Justice Headquarters where she specialized in cases that combated international terrorism and served on a team of attorneys that were liaisons to the Department of Defense on matters of national security. U.S. Attorney Woods was grateful to return to Nebraska in her present role. U.S. Attorney Woods and other members of the AGAC met with Acting Attorney General Blanche and other Department leadership earlier in May and the AGAC will hold the first substantive meeting next month where the committee will focus on establishing subcommittees individually focused on matters that will be top priorities, such as committees focused on combating violent and organized crime and increasing national security in all fifty states from foreign threats that include the cartels and the violent Tren de Aragua organization that has committed alleged crimes in Nebraska that include human trafficking and ATM jackpotting offenses. AGAC members typically chair these subcommittees which are staffed with United States Attorneys from around the nation. AGAC membership is selected to represent various federal judicial districts, geographic locations, and various sized offices. The Committee is comprised of 18 United States Attorneys and First Assistant U.S. Attorneys. U.S. Attorney Woods will serve alongside the Committee’s Chairman Jay Clayton (Southern District of New York) and Vice-Chairwoman Leah Foley (District of Massachusetts), as well as U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop (Middle District of North Carolina), U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros (Northern District of Illinois), U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford (District of Oregon), U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine (District of Arizona), Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine Crosby (Northern District of Alabama), U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant (Western District of Tennessee), First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli (Central District of California), U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (Southern District of California), U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon (Eastern District of Michigan), Acting U.S. Attorney John Marck (Southern District of Texas), U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly (District of Colorado), U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (District of Columbia), U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (Southern District of Florida), and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison (District of New Mexico).


title: Illegal Alien Sentenced For Unlawful Reentry

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Pedro Ramirez Covarrubias, age 53, a Mexican national, unlawfully present in Adair County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment for one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division. On January 7, 2026, Covarrubias pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on December 3, 2025, Covarrubias, who was convicted of First-Degree Murder on May 6, 2015, in Harris County, Texas, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed from the United States on October 14, 2021. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Covarrubias will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.