title: Former Maryland State Trooper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery and Drug Crimes

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Justin Riggs, 35, of Smithsburg, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for Conspiracy to Distribute and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, Use of a Communication Facility in Causing or Facilitating the Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Dangerous Substances, and Travel Act-State of Maryland Bribery. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office. According to his guilty plea, in December 2022, Riggs — who was serving as a Maryland State Trooper — was assigned to a group within the Maryland State Police (MSP) investigating drug and gun trafficking in Western Maryland. The MSP group used at least one confidential human source during the investigation. On December 19, Riggs created a fictitious Facebook account to contact a drug-distributor target. While corresponding with the drug distributor, Riggs informed the drug distributor that he worked “for a fed agency.” Riggs also told the drug distributor that he had “tons more info pertaining to your biggest informant.” The former Maryland state trooper initiated several electronic conversations with the drug distributor between 2022 and 2023, attempting to sell the informant’s identity. On December 21, Riggs stated among other things: “Theres a big case man. I’m not reaching out because I care what you’re in to or not in to. you don’t have to play innocent to me. IDC about that. I’m just trying to get paid. But there’s a big case that’s going on. Im here to work with you. I gave you some free info to prove my worth. Once you find the tracker and see I’m legit then let's talk about the other info I have.” “That’s why I need money for the info. I know what’ll happen to the rat. You may not have the money but your club does. And this case is going to hurt alot of members. But anyway. Just holler when you want to move forward man.” Then on December 22, Riggs continued conversing with the drug distributor. The drug distributor told Riggs that he was no longer going to participate in drug trafficking, to which Riggs responded in part: “…So listen, if you’re getting out or want nothing to do with what I can offer, is there anybody trustworthy in your club that would have interest in my services? Info for money exchange type of thing?” “I could be willing to give you some more info now for forwarding my services to someone that could use it.” On December 26, Riggs asked the drug distributor if he removed the tracker from his truck. Riggs then offered additional help to the drug distributor. During the correspondence, Riggs said: “Did you pull the tracker off? I can help you by telling you how deep the investigation is. How to make it go away, who your snitch is that’s setting y’all up, and when your phone will be tapped…” “Gotchya. Yah it will send an alert once removed. I think they’re going to try to put another one of this week. I can’t communicate with you once the wire tap starts. That’s why I’m going offline tomorrow. But like I said I can help you. By telling you the snitch. Once he’s gone then you’re case should be gone because he won't be able to testify against you” On January 2, 2023, Riggs began negotiating a price with the drug distributor for the information which continued through January 3. During a latter part of the conversation, Riggs stated: “If you make the 1500 drop then I’ll just give ya the rest of the info and you can make the 300 drop.” Then later, “Every buy he’s done hasbeen recorded. The audio conversations have been recorded. But he plans on testifying on ya…” Then on January 5, Person 1 picked up the $1,500 on behalf of Riggs at an agreed upon location in Western Maryland. Riggs later confirmed with the drug distributor that he received the money. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MSP for their work in the investigation and ATF and HSI for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney who prosecuted the case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Final of 14 Individuals Sentenced for Dog Fighting

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: Following a final sentencing hearing today, all 14 defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dog fighting case in Albany, Georgia, have been sentenced to a total of 343 months in prison for dog fighting and other charges. “Dog fighting is an odious form of organized crime, and it’s a magnet for other criminal activity,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department and its local partners, such as the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, will not tolerate this callous criminal activity.” “The brutality of dog fighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia. “The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals.” “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). Details of the total sentencings is below: Donnametric Miller, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 100 months in prison; Fredricus White, of Panama City, Florida – 35 months in prison Christopher Travis Beaumont, of Panama City, Florida – 30 months in prison; Marvin Pulley, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 30 months in prison; Cornelious Johnson, of Panama City, Florida – 27 months in prison; Terelle Ganzy, of Panama City, Florida – 24 months in prison; Willie Russell, of Blakely, Georgia – 24 months in prison; Brandon Baker, of Panama City, Florida – 20 months in prison; Terrance Davis, of Pansey, Alabama – 20 months in prison; Tamichael Elijah, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 18 months in prison; Timothy Freeman, of Bainbridge, Georgia – time served (15 months in prison); Herman Buggs Jr., of Donalsonville, Georgia – time served (two weeks in prison); Rodrecus Kimble, of Donalsonville, Georgia – one year home confinement; and Gary Hopkins, of Donalsonville, Georgia – six months home confinement. In addition to prison sentences, the court also imposed restitution for the costs of care of dogs rescued in this investigation. Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. According to court documents filed in this case, defendants from three states all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. Law enforcement disrupted the event after a 911 call and rescued 27 dogs that night, including one found in the blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries who soon died. The participants used their cars to store injured dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Law enforcement personnel also seized a distribution quantity of methamphetamine. Seized cell phones in this case contained evidence of some of the participants’ extensive participation in the dog fighting “industry,” including large group dog fighting text message chains, fight reports, and dog fighting videos and photos, including one of a dog who had been hung to death in a garage. Authorities seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs altogether in this investigation, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed with arrest warrants this spring, sparing them from similar fates. The USDA-OIG and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Detectives with the Bay County, Florda, Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance. Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrill and Paralegal Kristi Cote for the Middle District of Georgia handled a parallel civil forfeiture proceeding to ensure that the dogs did not have to be returned to the defendants. The Seized Canine Program of the U.S. Marshals Service cared for the rescued dogs pending legal process.


title: Plot to Molest a Young Girl Leads to 135 Months in Prison for a Virginia Woman

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, 46, of Charlottesville, Va., was sentenced to 135 months in prison today for distributing child pornography in a plot to molest an eight-year-old girl. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro of the District of Columbia, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Emily Odom of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Hoppe pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on April 24, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. The terms of Hoppe’s plea agreement call for her to serve 135 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In addition, she will have to register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 25 years. According to court documents, in late February 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer encountered Hoppe on a social media site where individuals discuss their sexual interest in children and exchange child sexual abuse material. Hoppe distributed images of child pornography to the undercover officer and repeatedly expressed an interest in sexually abusing his purported 8-year-old daughter. On March 16, 2023, Hoppe arranged to have the undercover officer bring his daughter from D.C. to a motel in Warrenton, Va., where she would meet them to sexually abuse the child. Police arrested Hoppe when she arrived at the hotel. This case was investigated by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Rachel Forman. 23cr102


title: Detroit Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Allen Lation Baird, 48, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Baid on an arrest warrant issued in Michigan. Officers searched Baird while taking him into custody and found approximately 56 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and 14 grams of methamphetamine. Baird told officers he was taking the controlled substances to someone else. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case. This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-183. ###


title: The Justice Department, Texas Reach Agreement to End In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released the following statements after a federal judge formally enjoined Texas from providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens. "The Justice Department commends Texas leadership and AG Ken Paxton for swiftly working with us to halt a program that was treating Americans like second-class citizens in their own country," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Other states should take note that we will continue filing affirmative litigation to remedy unconstitutional state laws that discriminate against American citizens." "I'm proud to stand with Attorney General Bondi and the Trump Administration to stop an unconstitutional and un-American law that gave in-state tuition to illegal aliens," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "This law was an insult to our nation's citizens and has now been rightly stopped from being enforced. I will continue to fight for the American people and work swiftly to defeat any policy that puts illegal aliens ahead of our own citizens." The motion came just hours after the Department filed a complaint in the Northern District of Texas seeking to enjoin enforcement of Texas laws that required colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Texas residency, regardless of their legal status. Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Texas laws were in direct conflict of federal law and the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.


title: Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to $3.8 Million Durable Medical Equipment Fraud Scheme

component: Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section

body_text: MONROE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Louisiana man pleaded guilty today in connection with a five-year scheme to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary medical equipment. According to court documents, Michael L. Riggins , 62, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) scheme. Riggins was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare (Bluewater), a DME supply company in West Monroe. From 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity in order to bill for it. Despite receiving hundreds of complaints regarding the fraudulent orders, Riggins submitted over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for supplying medically unnecessary DME and was reimbursed over $1.8 million. Riggins is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement. Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin McCoy for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case. HHS-OIG is investigating the case. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit . # # #


title: Laredo area alien smuggling ring taken down

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for their roles in an extensive human smuggling conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Manuel Capetillo, 27, Poteet, and Michael Diaz, 31, Laredo, pleaded guilty Feb. 4 and March 4, respectively. U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now imposed an 85-month-term of imprisonment for Capetillo, while Diaz received 70 months. Both men were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. Diaz was further ordered to pay a $10,000 special assessment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the inhumane conditions in which the aliens were transported and that Capetillo and Diaz had made a business out of smuggling aliens. “You thought of these people as cattle,” he said. Judge Kazen also commented on Capetillo’s leadership role and that he was one of the highest-level players in the region he had seen. Capetillo and Diaz are attributed with smuggling over 65 aliens, including adults and children as young as six, who came from multiple countries as far south as Guatemala and as close as Mexico. Both had received cash payments in excess of $50,000 during their operations. The investigation revealed both men operated stash houses in Laredo and that Capetillo also operated one in Poteet. Over several months, Capetillo recruited drivers, scouts and caretakers to bring aliens in from countries in Central America and transport them throughout the southern and central areas of Texas. Capetillo negotiated prices with Mexican smugglers on how much and to whom would be paid for aliens illegally crossing into the United States. He also negotiated with Mexican nationals to provide weapons for the wars taking place in Monterrey, Mexico, and importing drugs into the United States. Diaz worked in close connection with Capetillo to rent a yard in Laredo and load aliens into inoperable vehicles, place them on top of tow trucks and smuggle them to Capetillo’s Poteet stash house in the Southern Texas heat. Capetillo paid Diaz for his role in the conspiracy. Previously released on bond, Capetillo was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Diaz has been and will remain in custody. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of police departments in Laredo and Poteet. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory Sailer 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood .


title: Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Traffic Cocaine and Money Laundering

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Mexican man, and member of a Tijuana-based Sinaloa Cartel cell, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a cocaine and money laundering conspiracy. Eber Alain Estrada Palafox, also known as “Doctor”, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4, 2025. Palafox conspired with a ring of Massachusetts-based individuals to traffic cocaine and heroin from Mexico, through California, to Massachusetts and into New England over a two-year period. Palafox and his co-conspirators also conspired to import at least one kilogram of heroin (which turned out to be pure fentanyl) from sources in Mexico. Palafox also admitted to conspiring to use a co-conspirator’s auto dealership, State Line Auto Sales, LLC, in Enfield, Connecticut, to commit money laundering by wiring drug proceeds to his mother in Mexico. The charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000,000. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of an imposed sentence. 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; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Office is prosecuting the case.


title: Grand Jury Charges Two Mexican Nationals with Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned indictments charging two Mexican nationals with violating Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326, illegal reentry. Additionally, one defendant was charged with using fraudulent documents. These are separate cases and not related. Pedro Martinez-Garcia, 28, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has two previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Oct. 11, 2017. On June 1, 2025, he was found in Marion, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission. Bersain Alvarez-Lopez, 37, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has three previous removals from the United States with the most recent being Jan. 15, 2019. He was again found in the country on May 9, 2025, in Norwalk, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a fraudulent identification document for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card and a fraudulent Social Security card in violation of Title 18 USC 1546 (a). Additionally, the defendant is charged with misuse of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, USC 408 (a)(7)(B). The investigations preceding the indictments were conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin is leading the prosecution. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. These cases are 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 communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Jefferson County man sentenced to federal prison, ordered to pay over $2 million  in restitution for bank fraud conspiracy

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Nome, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Eulice Emerson Alvey, also known as Trey, 50, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on June 5, 2025. Judge Crone also ordered Alvey to pay restitution in the amount of $2,075,458.57. According to information presented in court, on September 6, 2018, a Neches Federal Credit Union (NFCU) member contacted the credit union and reported there were loans reflected on their account that they did not request. Shortly thereafter, another member notified the credit union that they also had loans on their account that were not theirs. This type of notification then became common over the next few weeks, involving as many as 30 members, all associated with Billy Ray Thomas, an assistant branch manager for NFCU. An investigation revealed Thomas was working with Alvey to commit bank fraud. Alvey would fabricate fraudulent purchase invoices for tractors from his business, Oil City Tractor, LLC, and send the invoices to Thomas. Thomas would then use credit union members’ information to request a loan. Once the loan was approved, Thomas would share the proceeds with Alvey and they would use the money for personal and business ventures. In April 2025, Thomas was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison. This case is being investigated by FBI’s Beaumont Field Office and the Beaumont Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin. ###


title: Indiana Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – An Indiana woman was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 300 months in prison for sexually exploiting a six-year-old child. According to court documents, Veronica Solis, 35, of Valparaiso, produced child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in August and September 2019 with codefendant Gerald Talman Brann. An investigation showed that Solis and Brann sexually assaulted the child victim, recorded the sexual assaults using their cell phones, and then shared the CSAM with each other, as well as others. The two were arrested on March 14, 2023. Solis pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2023 and, on June 3, 2025, was sentenced by Judge Fred Biery. Brann, who pleaded guilty to the same charge on Nov. 28, 2023, was sentenced in May 2024 to 360 months in federal prison by Judge Jason K. Pulliam. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI’s San Antonio and Indianapolis divisions investigated the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. ###


title: Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping a Child From Berks County in 2022

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Duane Taylor, 50, of Brooklyn, New York, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge John M. Gallagher to charges arising from the abduction of a minor child from her home in Reading, Pennsylvania, and transportation of that child across state lines to Taylor’s residence. In January 2023, Taylor was charged by superseding indictment with kidnapping, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all counts. As detailed in court filings, on the morning of August 31, 2022, City of Reading police officers responded to the victim’s home when the child’s mother reported her missing from her bedroom, where she had last seen her daughter around 10:30 p.m. the evening prior before going to bed. After searching for the child, her mother observed that the back door of their residence was wide open, and law enforcement found the chain lock on that door was broken. Investigators reviewed video surveillance footage from the home’s security system, which showed a person entering the living room area at approximately 2 a.m. and proceeding to the stairs leading to the second floor. A short time later, the victim is seen walking down those stairs and through the living room, followed by the person who was later identified as the defendant, whom the victim’s mother also stated was her former boyfriend. Reading investigators contacted the New York City Police Department, who traced the defendant to his residence in Brooklyn, but did not locate the victim there. The victim was located later that day when a citizen called 911 to report a child alone and asking for help because she had been kidnapped from Pennsylvania. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 and faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov . The case was investigated by the FBI, the Reading Police Department, and the New York City Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalynda M. Michetti and Josh A. Davison.


title: Prison Sentence for Man Who Robbed a Woman Near Her Job

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Donovan Adams, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 90 months in prison today for robbing a woman in an alleyway in Southeast Washington D.C, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Adams pleaded guilty to armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, on April 3, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Today, the Honorable Jennifer DiToro sentenced the defendant to 7.5 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. According to court documents, on the morning of September 27, 2024, the victim drove her car and parked it in an alleyway adjacent to the restaurant where she worked in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. As the victim was exiting her car, she noticed a black sedan drive past her. The victim began walking down the alley toward her workplace. A few moments later, the same black sedan began following the victim down the alley, before pulling up beside the victim. The defendant exited the driver’s seat of the black sedan and pointed a firearm at the victim, demanding her belongings. The defendant took the victim’s purse, cell phone, and car key. The defendant returned to his black sedan and sped off. The victim ran into her workplace and called 911. About five minutes later, the defendant returned to the alleyway and drove off in the victim’s car. When she returned outside about ten minutes after the robbery, she discovered that her car was gone. About an hour later, Officers arrested the defendant, who had fled from police in his black sedan. Officers recovered from the defendant a beige BB gun, the victim’s car key, and three credit cards belonging to the victim. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein, who prosecuted the case.


title: Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Mexican national unlawfully residing in Hudson, Mass. has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the United States after deportation. Fredi Rios-Nolasco, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing on Sept. 17, 2025. In April of 2025, Rios-Nolasco was indicted by a federal grand jury. On March 6, 2025, federal immigration authorities lodged a detainer against Rios-Nolasco after he was arrested by the Hudson Police Department and charged in Marlborough District Court for trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine. Fingerprints taken during his arrest matched biometrics from his prior removals. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Dan Roark, Former Police Officer, Sentenced for Exploitation of a Child and Receipt of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Tennessee, Eastern

body_text: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On June 5, 2025, Dan Roark, 48, currently of Knoxville Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Roark agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with, one count of exploitation of a child in violation of 18 U.S.C.§ 2251(a); and one count of receipt of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2). Roark was sentenced to 300 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Roark will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release. In early October 2023, Scott County Virginia Sheriff’s Department (SCVSD) received an anonymous tip that a juvenile female (JV) was sending child pornography through the internet to other potential internet users. A forensic examination of a cellphone belonging to JV’s mother revealed child pornography images of JV as well as text messages between JV’s mother and Roark while he was employed with the Knoxville Police Department. In the text message communications, Roark demanded that JV’s mother provide child pornography depicting JV. JV’s mother complied by sending child pornography images and videos depicting JV to Roark. The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the SCVSD, 9th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office (9th JDAGO), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force. This investigation was led by Detective Daniel Ross of SCVSD, HSI Task Force Officer Cortney Dugger, and Investigator Chanel Finnell of the 9th JDAGO. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.” ###


title: Six People Indicted for COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme Totaling Over $34 Million

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Elaine A. Escoe, 40; Alfred L. Davis, 51; Gino J. Jourdan, 37; Cher L. Davis, 53; Latoya T. Clark, 39; and James G. McGhow, 69, have been indicted with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $34 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. According to allegations in the indictment, from May 2020 through November 2021, the defendants conspired to submit more than 90 false and fraudulent applications for funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). The applications allegedly contained materially false representations regarding employee counts, payroll expenses, and business revenues. In support of the applications, the defendants are alleged to have submitted falsified IRS tax documents and fabricated bank statements. The indictment alleges that the scheme resulted in the wrongful disbursement of approximately $29.1 million in PPP funds, $1.2 million in RRF funds, and $3.8 million in SVOG funds. After the funds were disbursed, the defendants allegedly directed payments to each other and to businesses they controlled, withdrew large sums in cash, and used blank, signed checks to conceal the origin and nature of the proceeds. Each of the six defendants is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each defendant also faces multiple substantive counts of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each wire fraud charge and up to 10 years in prison on each money laundering charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement. FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. HSI Miami assisted in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Bailyn is prosecuting the case. Legal Administrative Specialist Matthew Neff is helping with litigation technology. An indictment is a mere allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-80076-AMC. ###


title: Small Business Investment Company Agrees to Pay $1.5 MILLION to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A Pennsylvania Small Business Investment Company (SBIC), its affiliate, and one of its portfolio companies have entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the portfolio company violated the False Claims Act by taking a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to which the company was not entitled, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today. According to the allegations in the complaint and the contentions of the United States contained in the settlement agreement: Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses. Under appropriate circumstances, small businesses were eligible to receive these funds even if they were owned or had investment from SBICs. For the second draw of PPP loans, businesses in a single corporate group were limited to receiving a maximum of $4 million in PPP loans. Argosy Investment Partners V, L.P. (“AIP V”) is an SBIC, and Argosy Investment Partners Parallel V, L.P. invests in parallel with AIP V. Among the portfolio companies in which they invested is AIP-ECS Holdings LLC (“AIP-ECS”). AIP-ECS applied for, received, and received forgiveness of a PPP loan for $1,205,352.00, even though AIP-ECS was ineligible for a loan of that size, because other companies in the portfolio had already received loans that, together with the loan AIP-ECS received, would take the corporate group over $4 million in total second draw PPP loans. Argosy fully cooperated in the investigation and resolution of this matter. In accordance with the terms of the settlement, Argosy Investment Partners V, L.P., Argosy Investment Partners Parallel V, L.P., and/or AIP-ECS agree collectively to pay the United States $1.5 million. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. In this matter, the relator is receiving $150,000 as his share in the recovery. U.S. Attorney Habba credits special agents of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Supervisory Criminal Investigator Angelo Palmeri in New York, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Kaufman of the Healthcare Fraud Unit. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . The qui tam case is captioned United States of America ex rel. Zachary Holtzman v. Argosy Capital Company, LLC, et al. , Civil Action No. 24-8318. ### Counsel for Argosy and AIP-ECS Holdings: Suzanne Jaffe Bloom, Benjamin Sokoly, Alan Roth, and Christopher Douglass, Winston & Strawn, New York, New York Relator’s counsel: Darth Newman Esq., Coraopolis, Pennsylvania argosy.agreement.pdf


title: Waterbury Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Drug Trafficking Ring

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE DELROSARIO-CANELA, also known as “Domi,” 39, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 32 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a Waterbury drug trafficking ring. According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other law enforcement agencies investigated two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury. One organization operated in the area of William Street and the other operated in the area of Maple Avenue. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles, and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through a network of sellers. The organizations shared sources of supply and worked together to further their operations. During the investigation, law enforcement made two controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Delrosario-Canela, one of the main street-level distributors for the Maple Avenue organization. Seventeen individuals were charged with federal offenses as a result of the investigation. Delrosario-Canela and several codefendants were arrested on November 29, 2023. In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials (“caps”) of crack, approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and more than $39,000 in cash. Delrosario-Canela has been detained since his arrest. On February 11, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task includes members from the FBI, the Waterbury Police Department, the Naugatuck Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, Wolcott Police Department, and Meriden Police Department have assisted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Shan Patel through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.


title: Sex Offender Who Approached 11-Year-Old Online Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a registered sex offender who possessed child sexual abuse material and initiated a sexual conversation with a 11-year-old girl via Facebook Messenger to 16 years in prison. Seth Allen Barger, 42, of Jefferson County, Missouri, sent a friend request to the victim in 2023. Via Facebook Messenger on July 26, 2023, he sought to engage her in a sexual conversation. The victim’s mother contacted the St. Louis County Police Department, and a detective interviewed Barger. Barger said his account had been hacked. After Barger consented to a search of his phone, a detective with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office found 35 images containing child sexual abuse material. Barger pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receiving child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor. The St. Louis County Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards 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: Honduran National Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting USBP Agent

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: DEL RIO, Texas – A Honduran national was sentenced today in a federal court in Del Rio to 96 months in prison for assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent while attempting to illegally enter the United States. According to court documents, Trinidad De Jesus Madrid-Rivas, and another illegal alien attempted to flee from two U.S. Border Patrol agents south of Spofford on Aug. 17, 2024. When one of the agents approached, Madrid-Rivas became assaultive, resisted arrest and attempted to choke the agent, leaving a mark on his neck. During the incident, Madrid-Rivas released the safety of the agent’s duty weapon, left an incision on the agent’s hand with his fingernails, and struck the agent in the arm, causing the handgun to fire. The agent eventually regained control and attempted to call for help on his radio when Madrid-Rivas ripped the ear piece from the agent’s ear, along with the collapsible baton from the agent’s duty belt. Madrid-Rivas then attempted to gain possession of the agent’s pistol. Fearing for his life during the struggle over the handgun, the agent fired a single round and Madrid-Rivas fled again. He was later apprehended. Madrid-Rivas pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. He was also convicted in 2023 for felony assault on a peace officer. In that assault, police officers responded to a burglary in progress when they encountered Madrid-Rivas yielding a machete. After physically removing the machete from Madrid-Rivas, he bit one of the officers and later hit another officer with his head. “This district and the Department of Justice will not tolerate violent criminal behavior that endangers our law enforcement officers, and this case is one of many that shows the potentially fatal risks our partners along the border face every day of the week,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Understand that we greatly value the efforts of our local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement partners, and we will aggressively prosecute anyone who obstructs or assaults these men and women who risk their lives to keep our nation secure.” The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass prosecuted the case. ###


title: Federal Jury Convicts Pakistani Weapons Smuggler of Transporting Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Destined for the Houthis in Yemen

body_text: A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49. During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families. Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation. Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case. The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.


title: Gettysburg Man Charged with Mail Theft

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that, on June 5, 2025, Harry Hartman, age 54, a resident of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal information with mail theft. According to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, the Information alleges that, between approximately May 2023 and August 2024, Hartman stole packages from the Gettysburg Post Office that were to be received by the Gettysburg College, Print Center & Post Office, and delivered, provided, or made available to intended recipients. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (“Wes”) Mishoe is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and the imposition of a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a court after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Informations only contain allegations. All persons charged by information are presumed innocent until proven guilty. # # #


title: Four Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After Deportation

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that four men convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced this week. Eric Gonzalez , aka Jefferson Alexander Huertas Cajamarca, 44, a Colombian national, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 12 months and one day in prison for illegal reentry. At the conclusion of his sentence, he again will be removed from the country. Gonzalez had previously been deported in February 2008, after having been convicted of robbery in New Jersey. In April 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received an electronic notification that Gonzalez had been arrested by the Abington Township Police Department and charged with theft by unlawful taking and related offenses. ICE officers took Gonzalez into custody in October, following the completion of his term of imprisonment on the state theft conviction. In December, he was charged by federal indictment with illegally reentering the United States and pleaded guilty in February of this year. Eddy Rondon Salcedo , 34, a Dominican national, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg to time served, approximately five months, for illegal reentry. Having completed his prison sentence, he again will be removed from the country. In September 2008, Rondon Salcedo entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident on a valid visa. In December of 2019, he pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of heroin and fentanyl. Rondon Salcedo was sentenced in March of 2021 to time served and two years of supervised release. Due to the federal conviction on this aggravated felony, Rondon Salcedo was removed from the United States in June 2021. In December 2024, the defendant was arrested by ICE officers, who had received information that he was back in Philadelphia. In February of this year, Rondon Salcedo was charged by information with illegal reentry and pleaded guilty. Wilmer Yovani Fuentes-Benitez , 34, a Honduran national, was sentenced by Judge Goldberg on Monday to time served, approximately four months, for illegally reentering the U.S. after multiple previous deportations. Having completed his prison sentence for this latest illegal reentry, he again will be removed from the country. Fuentes-Benitez had been deported from the United States to Honduras three times prior: in June 2008, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encountered him at a Philadelphia jail following his arrest for aggravated assault and weapons possession; in June 2010, after ICE encountered him at a Louisiana jail following his arrest for battery on a police officer and resisting arrest; and in May 2022, following his arrest by the United States Border Patrol in Franklin, Vermont, during an alien smuggling operation. After becoming aware that Fuentes-Benitez was once again unlawfully present in the United States, ICE officers conducted surveillance to confirm his identity and took the defendant into custody in February of this year. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry that month and pleaded guilty in March. Ronal Hilario Morantin-Mota , aka Jose Flores Davila, 39, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro on Monday to time served, approximately three months, for illegally reentering the United States. Having completed his prison sentence, he again will be removed from the country. Morantin-Mota had been deported in September 2019, following his arrest by Pennsylvania State Police in January of that year on a charge of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Earlier this year, ICE received information that Morantin-Mota may be back in the United States unlawfully. Officers conducted surveillance to confirm his identity and took the defendant into custody in February. In March, he was charged by indictment with illegal reentry and pleaded guilty. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell, Shayna Gannone, and S. Chandler Harris.


title: Convicted Killer Sentenced for Possession of Loaded Gun and Cocaine While Still on Probation

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

body_text: WASHINGTON – Jayvon Gattison, 24, a previously convicted killer and resident of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 40 months in prison for being in possession of a loaded gun and a bag full of marijuana and cocaine when he was arrested by police for smoking a joint while still on probation. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Gattison pleaded guilty Jan. 15, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Gattison to serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, in October 2018, Gattison shot and killed man who tried to rob him during a drug transaction. On October 9, 2024, just three months after he was released from prison in that case and while he was still on probation, Gattison was arrested with the loaded firearm and bag full of drugs. About 7 p.m on Oct. 9, members of the MPD Robbery Suppression Unit were patrolling on the 3000 block of Channing Street NE, when they observed a group of five individuals smoking next to a silver Lexus. As the investigators approached the group, which included Gattison, the officers recognized the smell of burning marijuana. All the individuals were detained. An officer took the marijuana cigarette from Gattison’s hand, removed a bag from Gattison’s shoulder, and arrested Gattison for public consumption of marijuana. The joint field-tested positive for THC. Another officer looked into the open top of Gattison’s bag with a flashlight and saw a large bag of suspected marijuana and a loaded black Glock 17 9mm pistol. Also in the bag was a clear plastic bag containing 12 grams of a white rock substance which field tested positive for cocaine base, a black digital scale, and $320.80 in cash. Gattison has a prior criminal felony conviction. On December 5, 2019, he was sentenced to a 10-year term, four years suspended, followed by three years of probation for voluntary manslaughter in Prince Georges County, Maryland. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan McFadden and was previously prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Mirabelli. 24cr476 An an image captured on a body-worn camera, an MPD officer reaches to take a marijuana cigarette from the hand of Jayvon Gattison on Oct. 9, 2024. Gattison subsequently was found to be in possession of a loaded Glock 17 9mm pistol, additional cannabis, and crack cocaine.


title: Two Co-Defendants Arrested In Connection With Cocaine And Methamphetamine Conspiracy

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Temeko Evans (46, Brandon) and Torrey Taylor (44, Tampa) on an indictment charging them with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. According to the indictment, beginning on an unknown date, but not later than on or about February 11, 2025, and continuing through on or about March 26, 2025, Evans and Taylor knowingly and willfully conspired with each other and other persons to distribute cocaine and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The indictment further alleges that on February 19, 2025, Evans and Taylor knowingly and willfully distributed cocaine, and on March 26, 2025, they knowingly and willfully distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.


title: Dual citizen indicted for using Lebanese business to support Hizballah

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to launder money. According to the indictment, Ali Farhat, 59, owned and operated a Lebanese company, identified in court records as Company 1, that acquired electronics equipment in the United States and resold it to other entities located primarily in the Middle East and Africa. As alleged in the indictment, one of Farhat’s customers was Al Manar TV, a television station based in Lebanon that is owned and operated by Hizballah, which was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on Oct. 8, 1997, by the U.S. Secretary of State. Al Manar TV was designed to cultivate support for Hizballah by, among other things, raising money for its activities and recruiting volunteers for future attacks. Farhat and Company 1 allegedly used a relative in the United States, identified as Co-Conspirator 1, and other U.S.-based co-conspirators, to purchase audio, video, and other equipment. The merchandise was then consolidated, often at the residence of Co-Conspirator 1, and shipped overseas, at which point some of it was sold to Al Manar TV or to front companies affiliated with Al Manar TV. Farhat allegedly arranged for the purchase of these items in a convoluted manner designed to obscure the source of the funds and the intended destination of the items. Farhat allegedly periodically reimbursed Co-Conspirator 1 for expenses and paid a commission on purchases Co-Conspirator 1 made for Company 1. Farhat transferred money to Co-Conspirator 1 and other co-conspirators primarily through international wire transfers to Co-Conspirator 1, including into a bank account in a third party’s name that was controlled by Co-Conspirator 1. In total, Farhat allegedly sent approximately $1,192,000 in international wire transfers to Co-Conspirator 1. Farhat also allegedly caused other co-conspirators and businesses to send wire transfers and transfers over digital payment networks to Co-Conspirator 1. In total, Farhat allegedly caused approximately $130,000 to be transferred in this manner to Co-Conspirator 1. Farhat allegedly made a payment in Lebanon that triggered a Florida-based co-conspirator to send structured money orders to Co-Conspirator 1 and/or other U.S.-based co-conspirators. The money orders were purchased in amounts that evaded anti-money laundering regulations. In total, Farhat allegedly caused approximately $396,160 in structured money orders to be paid to U.S.-based co-conspirators. Co-Conspirator 1 filed U.S. tax returns on Farhat’s behalf containing false information. Co-Conspirator 1 used the tax refund generated to offset expenses incurred on Farhat’s or Company 1’s behalf. If convicted, Farhat faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Courtland Rae, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterterrorism Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony T. Aminoff is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-162.


title: Final of 14 Individuals Sentenced for Dog Fighting

component: USAO - Georgia, Middle

body_text: ALBANY, Ga.— Following a final sentencing hearing today, all 14 defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dog fighting case in Southwest Georgia have been sentenced to a total of 343 months in prison for dog fighting and other charges. “The brutality of dog fighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker for the Middle District of Georgia. “The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals.” “Dog fighting is an odious form of organized crime, and it’s a magnet for other criminal activity,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department and its local partners, such as the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, will not tolerate this callous criminal activity.” “The Office of Inspector General is committed to working with all of our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners in pursuing individuals who choose to participate in animal fighting activities and engage in violations involving animal welfare,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). Details of the total sentencings is below: • Donnametric Miller, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 100 months in prison; • Fredricus White, of Panama City, Florida – 35 months in prison; • Christopher Travis Beaumont, of Panama City, Florida – 30 months in prison; • Marvin Pulley, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 30 months in prison; • Cornelious Johnson, of Panama City, Florida – 27 months in prison; • Terelle Ganzy, of Panama City, Florida – 24 months in prison; • Willie Russell, of Blakely, Georgia – 24 months in prison; • Brandon Baker, of Panama City, Florida – 20 months in prison; • Terrance Davis, of Pansey, Alabama – 20 months in prison; • Tamichael Elijah, of Donalsonville, Georgia – 18 months in prison; • Timothy Freeman, of Bainbridge, Georgia – time served (15 months in prison); • Herman Buggs Jr., of Donalsonville, Georgia – time served (two weeks in prison); • Rodrecus Kimble, of Donalsonville, Georgia – one year home confinement; and • Gary Hopkins, of Donalsonville, Georgia – six months home confinement. In addition to prison sentences, the court also imposed restitution for the costs of care of dogs rescued in this investigation. Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that affects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. According to court documents filed in this case, defendants from three states all converged on a property in Donalsonville, Georgia, on April 24, 2022, where they held a large-scale dog fighting event. Law enforcement disrupted the event after a 911 call and rescued 27 dogs that night, including one found in the blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries who soon died. The participants used their cars to store injured dogs who had already been fought, as well as those whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the fighting pit. Law enforcement personnel also seized a distribution quantity of methamphetamine. Seized cell phones in this case contained evidence of some of the participants’ extensive participation in the dog fighting “industry,” including large group dog fighting text message chains, fight reports, and dog fighting videos and photos, including one of a dog who had been hung to death in a garage. Authorities seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs altogether in this investigation, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed with arrest warrants this spring, sparing them from similar fates. The USDA-OIG and detectives with the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Detectives with the Bay County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance. Criminal Chief Leah McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia assisted Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy and Trial Attorney Leigh Rendé of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section in prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrill and Paralegal Kristi Cote for the Middle District of Georgia handled a parallel civil forfeiture proceeding to ensure that the dogs did not have to be returned to the defendants. The Seized Canine Program of the U.S. Marshals Service cared for the rescued dogs pending legal process.


title: Roberts man found guilty of kidnapping and threatening one woman and two children while trafficking meth, fentanyl, and cocaine

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: BILLINGS – A man who lived for a time in Roberts, Montana was found guilty of three counts of kidnapping and one count of making an interstate threat, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The same man had entered a plea of guilty the previous week with respect to trafficking large amounts of illegal narcotics. Following a three-day trial, a federal jury on Wednesday found Adolfo Vargas-Lepe guilty of two counts of kidnapping two minors, one count of kidnapping an adult, and making an interstate threat. He was acquitted of a separate count of kidnapping an adult and possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking. Lepe pleaded guilty last week to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of pure methamphetamine, 400 or more grams of fentanyl, and cocaine. Lepe faces the following penalties: A maximum term of imprisonment of life for kidnapping an adult, a fine of $250,000, and five years of supervised release; A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and maximum term of life for each count of kidnapping a minor, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release; Five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for making a threat in interstate commerce; and A mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of life for the drug trafficking, along with a fine of $10 million and five years to a lifetime of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for October 2, 2025. Lepe will remain in custody pending sentencing. “Lepe’s victims endured unimaginable trauma that will stay with them forever,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Lepe demonstrated a complete disregard for human life and the law. He is a serious threat to the community and will be held accountable for his horrific crimes.” “Lepe traumatized his kidnapping victims, including physically and sexually assaulting them, shooting one of them, and transporting them around the United States and into Mexico. While engaged in that conduct, he also distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in communities in Montana and elsewhere. Lepe posed a significant danger to the public and the jury’s verdict should serve as a warning to others who would engage in such abhorrent behavior. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno Baucus and Ryan Weldon, the staff in our office, and the law enforcement agents from the FBI, BIA, Billings Police Department, and Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work on the case.” U.S. Attorney Alme said. The government alleged in court documents that in November 2017 Lepe kidnapped Jane Does 1, 2, and 3, a mother and two daughters, and transported them to multiple states and into Mexico. While in Mexico, Lepe locked them in a house to prevent them from fleeing. Lepe plied Jane Doe 1 with methamphetamine and told her he transported drugs for a Mexican cartel. Lepe would not let Jane Doe 1 leave his sight because of her knowledge of his drug trafficking. He threatened to kill her and have cartel members kill her family, he continuously physically assaulted her, and he threatened her with a gun. In 2018, when Jane Doe 3 had returned to live with her mother (Jane Doe 1), Lepe sexually assaulted her at a residence in Billings. In 2023, Lepe kidnapped Jane Doe 4, whom he had known for several years, from her residence in Wyoming, after sending her a text message from Montana that threatened to hurt her because she tried to get away from him. Jane Doe 4 ultimately agreed to travel from Wyoming to Montana with Lepe because of his threats to hurt her and her family. Once back in Montana, Lepe repeatedly abused Jane Doe 4. He beat her regularly, pistol whipped her, and shot her in the legs. She finally escaped in May 2023 by running away from his house, hiding in the dirt behind some bushes for several hours, and making her way to a nearby bar to call 911. On May 31, 2023, two days after Jane Doe 4 had escaped, Carbon County Sheriff’s deputies saw Lepe driving a truck near Boyd, Montana, and tried to arrest him. He led the officers on a high-speed chase, ultimately rolling his vehicle, and was apprehended. In July, after listening to Lepe’s phone calls from the jail, which were translated from Spanish to English, law enforcement searched Lepe’s storage unit and seized about one pound of cocaine and two pounds of meth. They also found 12.5 pounds of meth and roughly 10,000 fentanyl pills in a backpack underneath a tree in the area where Lepe rolled his vehicle following the high-speed chase in May. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno Baucus and Ryan Weldon prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Billings Police Department, and Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Violent Offender Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A serial offender with a violent criminal history, including attacking women, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Miranda M. Du to 84 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. “Public safety is at the forefront of ATF’s mission,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Buenaventura, San Francisco Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Protecting the public from violent offenders is our duty as law enforcement. The criminal background of the defendant in this case is astounding. Today’s sentencing ensures that a repeat offender will be taken off the streets. The Las Vegas community is now a safer place.” Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Los Angeles Division, which oversees Las Vegas, said, “The methamphetamine epidemic continues to threaten the health and safety of Americans. Today’s sentencing serves as a stern warning to drug distributors: When you unleash deadly poison in our communities, we will track you down and ensure you face the full force of the law.” According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on or about September 12, 2021, Damien Patillo, 41, of Las Vegas, possessed 16 grams of pure methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance. Patillo’s prior convictions includes brutally attacking six different women, 38 convictions, and 10 domestic violence convictions. Following a four-day trial in January 2025, a jury convicted Patillo of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Buenaventura for ATF’s San Francisco Field Division, and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division made the announcement. This case was investigated by the ATF and DEA. Assistant United States Attorney David Kiebler prosecuted the case. ###


title: Melbourne Man Sentenced To Five Years For Investment Fraud Scheme

body_text: Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge John C. Antoon II has sentenced Thomas Gaffney (59, Melbourne) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $487,750, which represents the amount of proceeds the defendant obtained from the wire fraud conspiracy. Gaffney pled guilty on January 23, 2025. According to court documents, between 2018 and 2021, Gaffney and others co-operated VerdeGroup as an investment fraud scheme. In furtherance of this scheme, Gaffney solicited investors primarily though advertisements for VerdeGroup in various local and national newspapers across the country. The advertisements solicited would-be investors to provide funds for private loans to fund businesses engaging in legal marijuana cultivation, technologies, and pharmaceuticals in states where doing so was legal under state law. In exchange, investors were promised a 12% annual return on their investment. The statements in these advertisements were false and fraudulent. In reliance on the information in the advertisements, investors called the listed number and spoke, most often, with co-conspirator-1. In concert with and at the direction of Gaffney, co-conspirator-1 would repeat and add to the false and fraudulent information about VerdeGroup and the state of its business to entice victims to invest with VerdeGroup. Once a victim expressed an interest in investing, co-conspirator-1 or Gaffney would send promotional materials to the victim about VerdeGroup, including brochures and a term sheet with instructions for how to invest with VerdeGroup. Co-conspirator-2 received the investments from the victims and then remitted the funds to the defendant and other co-conspirators. After victims invested with VerdeGroup, Gaffney and co-conspirator-1 continued to make false and fraudulent statements to investors about how their money was being used and the state of VerdeGroup. Instead of using the money to fund private business loans as promised, VerdeGroup never provided any loans to any businesses or individuals. Rather, the conspirators used a small portion of the money to make the “Ponzi” type payments to investors. The rest of the funds were used for the personal benefit of Gaffney and his co-conspirators. Specifically, Gaffney received $487,750 as proceeds of the scheme. He used this money to pay for personal expenses, including cruises and expensive jewelry. He also used a significant portion of the funds to cover costs at a pizza restaurant that he helped operate. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda S. Daniels.


title: Federal jury convicts Pakistani weapons smuggler of transporting Iranian advanced conventional weapons destined for the Houthis in Yemen

body_text: Richmond, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Pakistani national today on charges related to smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry destined for the Houthis in Yemen and threatening multiple witnesses. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on the night of Jan. 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces operating from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER, including Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East, boarded an unflagged dhow, a small vessel, in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. boarding team encountered 14 individual mariners on the vessel, including the captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49. During a search of the dhow, the U.S. boarding team located and seized Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. The type of weaponry found aboard the dhow is consistent with the weaponry used by the Houthi rebel forces during the time of the charged conspiracy against merchant ships and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. During the interdiction, Pahlawan lied to the boarding team, instructed other crewmembers to lie, and eventually threatened the lives of his crewmembers and their families. Pahlawan’s January 2024 trip was part of a larger operation. From in or around August 2023 through in or around January 2024, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab), and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunus), affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to smuggle materials from Iran to the Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. Pahlawan completed multiple smuggling voyages, coordinated and funded by Shahab and Yunus, by traveling with cargo from Iran to the coast of Somalia and transporting that cargo to another vessel for a nighttime ship-to-ship transfer. Pahlawan worked with Shahab and Yunus to prepare the dhow for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation. Pahlawan was convicted of: conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists, providing material support and resources to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to and indeed transporting explosive devices to the Houthis knowing those explosives would be used to cause harm, and threatening his crew. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22 and most statutes of conviction include a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Donald M. Holstead, FBI Assistant Director of Counterterrorism; and Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Troy A. Edwards Jr. and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh and former National Security Division Trial Attorney Lesley Woods supported the case. The following government agencies provided invaluable support to the case: the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-41.


title: Box Elder man pleads guilty to sexual abuse charges

body_text: GREAT FALLS - A Box Elder man accused of sexually abusing a minor on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The defendant, Peter Maxwell Houle, 35, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. Houle faces 15 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 9, 2025. Houle was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that in December 2023, law enforcement officers were alerted to the possibility of a sexual relationship involving Jane Doe, an underage girl. Doe underwent a forensic interview during which she disclosed she had been in a “relationship” with Houle that started around the end of June or beginning of July 2022. At that time, Doe was 15 years old and Houle was 34. According to Doe, she and Houle communicated over Facebook Messenger and she told him in those messages that she was 15. Over Messenger, Houle asked Doe whether she wanted to have sex with him. Around July 4, 2022, Houle went to Doe’s house where he and Doe had sexual intercourse. Doe and Houle continued to have a sexual relationship that summer and Houle moved into her house in August 2022. Doe’s family was aware of the relationship between Doe and Houle and did not approve but allowed him to stay in exchange for helping around the house. Doe turned 16 in 2023, while the sexual relationship was still ongoing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Haskell County Resident Pleads Guilty To Failure To Register As A Sex Offender

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tyler Dee Baker, age 33, of McCurtain, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, punishable by up to ten years in prison. The Indictment alleged that Baker was convicted of First Degree Rape in the State of Oklahoma on May 7, 2010, and was required to register as a sex offender, and that from November 2024 until February 19, 2025, Baker failed to register and update his registration while entering, leaving, or residing in Indian country, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Baker will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.


title: Justice Department Launches Investigation into Rhode Island for Race-Based Employment Preferences in Violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into the State of Rhode Island (“Rhode Island”) concerning potential race-based discrimination in state employment practices. The state of Rhode Island mandates state agencies set hiring targets that are effectively race-based employment quotas. [1] These statutorily mandated goals pressure state agencies to engage in discriminatory, and potentially unlawful, hiring practices. The Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section opened the investigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, national origin, and other protected characteristics. “The state of Rhode Island’s official hiring policy embraces racial discrimination, something the Supreme Court has long held to be unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Discrimination in the name of ‘diversity’ is not only fundamentally unjust, but it also violates federal law. The Civil Rights Division will investigate Rhode Island’s discriminatory policy and take appropriate action if warranted.” You can view the notice letter here [1] Rhode Island General Law, §28-5.1-3(b) (“Each state department or agency, excluding the legislative branch of state government, shall annually prepare an affirmative action plan.”); see also Guidelines for State of Rhode Island Government Affirmative Action Plans, Affirmative Action | Rhode Island Office of Division of Equity Diversity and Inclusion .


title: Federal Jury Convicts Fort Gibson Resident Of Second Degree Murder In Indian Country

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that David Allen Lee, age 44, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, punishable by up to life in prison. The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, and concluded, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, with the guilty verdict. During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on July 2, 2024, Lee stabbed a Tahlequah resident in the chest with a knife at the victim’s residence. Lee waited to call 911 for several hours after the victim’s death and barricaded himself inside the residence before finally surrendering to police. The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Lee will remain in custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Gross and Patrick Flanigan represented the United States.


title: Repeat sex offender sentenced to over 19 years in prison for attempting to meet a child for sex

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a child. According to court documents, in July 2024, a task force officer was posing as a 13-year-old child online, identified in court records as Jane Doe. On July 10, 2024, Matthew Ian Britt, 40, under the username “weedsmoke,” sent a private message to Jane Doe through the Whisper social media platform. Britt told Jane Doe that he was 33 years old, and Jane Doe told Britt that she was 13. Britt sent an image of a male exposing himself and requested photographs of Jane Doe, including asking for “a naughty pic.” Jane Doe explained that she would get in trouble with her parents if they found out she sent such a photograph, and Britt sent another picture of an exposed male. Britt asked Jane Doe if she ever engaged in sex. Britt also asked where Jane Doe lived and continued to talk about how attracted he was to her. Britt provided another sexually graphic image, asked Jane Doe if she would touch him in a sexual way, and asked if he could touch her. As he continued to send graphic sexual images, Britt asked Jane Doe if she would sit naked under a blanket with him and offered to make it happen. Britt provided his cellphone number to Jane Doe to continue communicating and on July 11, 2024, Britt messaged Jane Doe and told her that he wanted to meet her and sit naked. He requested an address, and one was provided. The following day, Britt arrived at the residence in Hampton that he believed was Jane Doe’s and was taken into custody. Britt previously was convicted of, among other crimes, aggravated sexual battery and carnal knowledge of a child 13 to 15. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-75.