title: Raleigh Woman Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of a 12-Year-Old Victim and Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: NEW BERN, N.C. – A Raleigh woman was sentenced to 216 months in prison for conspiring to sex traffic a minor and production of child pornography. On August 15, 2024, Brieania Shidae Pinnock, age 23, pled guilty to the charges. According to court documents and other information presented in court, on June 23, 2022, law enforcement received a report regarding a missing juvenile child. Later that night, officers responded to the Budgetel Inn and Suites in Raleigh for a suspected overdose. Upon arriving at the hotel room, first responders identified the overdose victim as the missing 12-year-old female. The child was revived and transported to the hospital for treatment. Law enforcement later discovered that the 12-year-old victim had been advertised for commercial sex on two separate websites. The advertisements featured multiple nude and exposed photographs of the minor victim. Investigators discovered the advertisements, which falsely claimed the victim was 19, had been posted to the websites on June 16, 2022. Investigators also determined that Pinnock did not act alone in advertising the minor for commercial sex, they identified an accomplice, Trinity Sky Alston. A review of phone messages between Pinnock and Alston confirmed they were aware of the victim’s true age and arranged for her to engage in commercial sex. A forensic review of Pinnock’s phone revealed numerous images of child pornography, including original images of the victim taken on June 16, 2022, at Alston’s residence in Goldsboro, and subsequently posted on commercial sex websites. On March 13, 2024, Alston [Case No. 5:23-cr-00210-FL-2] pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion of a minor, and sex trafficking of children age 13 years old or younger; and aiding and abetting. Alston is scheduled to be sentenced in April. Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Raleigh Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Peaden prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-00210-FL-1. ###


title: Jury Finds Bank Robber Guilty Following Two-Day Federal Trial

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WILMINGTON, Del. – Shannon T. Hanson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Justin Cabot, age 52, of Newark, was convicted of bank robbery after a two-day trial in federal court last week. The Honorable Colm F. Connolly, Chief United States District Judge, presided over the trial. According to evidence and witness testimony, on June 24, 2022, Cabot, wearing a distinguishable bright yellow shirt, entered the Bank of Delmarva in Laurel, Delaware and handed the bank teller a demand note. It was the teller’s first day of work at the Laurel branch. Cabot also made additional threatening statements, directing the teller to “use big bills” and to “hurry up.” Complying with Cabot’s written and oral demands, the bank teller filled a bag Cabot tossed at him with money and a GPS tracking device. Cabot was observed on surveillance footage from nearby businesses leaving the area of the bank and removing the distinguishable yellow shirt. Five days after the robbery, he was arrested in Salisbury, Maryland. “Cabot’s actions demonstrated his disregard for the rule of law. While no one was injured here, bank robbery is inherently dangerous to innocent bystanders and bank staff,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Hanson. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute individuals, like the defendant, who commit such crimes.” “Cabot’s use of threat and intimidation terrified employees of the bank he robbed. This conviction should serve as a reminder that the FBI will not waver when it comes to protecting Delaware and taking dangerous criminals off the streets,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno.” Cabot is facing a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. Chief Judge Connolly will determine the defendant’s sentence, after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli H. Klein and Edmond Falgowski prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by the Laurel Police Department and the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the Wicomico County, Maryland Sheriff’s Department. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-32.


title: Mexican National Arrested on Child Sex Charges

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – Federal agents on Monday arrested a Mexican national accused of illegal sexual activity with a minor. Giovanni Falcon, 40, of University City, was indicted Feb. 26, 2025, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with two felonies: transfer of obscene material to a minor and coercion and enticement of a minor. The indictment says that between July 26, 2024, and August 12, 2024, Falcon used the internet to expose his genitals to a minor. It also accuses him of coercing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity between Jan. 1, 2024, and August 12, 2024. Falcon appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty. A motion seeking to have Falcon detained until trial says he is not in the country legally and presents a flight risk if released. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The coercion charge is punishable by not less than 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The transfer of obscene material charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the same fine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Ann Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting 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: Morgantown Business Owner Sentenced for Federal Broadband Funding Fraud

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Chad Henson, the owner of Clearfiber, Inc., an internet service provider in Monongalia County, was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison for money laundering. According to court documents and statements made in court, Henson, 35, of Morgantown, West Virginia, applied for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to provide high-speed internet services in Monongalia and Marion Counties. The USDA’s Community Connect Program offered grants to eligible applicants providing broadband services to rural areas. Henson’s Clearfiber, Inc. was awarded $1.96 million. Henson then submitted false invoices to the USDA to receive more than $340,000, transferring $322,900 into another bank account for his personal use. Henson was ordered to pay $1,401,849.06 in restitution. Henson will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Family to Hide from the IRS More than $90M In Offshore Bank Accounts

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: Note : View plea agreement here . View factual basis here . MIAMI – A Florida woman, and dual U.S. and Colombian citizen, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States by, among other things, concealing tens of millions of dollars in undeclared foreign financial accounts, filing false tax returns, and evading taxes. According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2010 and 2022, Gilda Rosenberg, of Golden Beach, Florida, conspired with two family members to conceal from the IRS more than $90 million in assets and income held in undeclared bank accounts in Andorra, Israel, Panama and Switzerland. Rosenberg’s family had maintained offshore accounts since the 1970s. By the late 1990s, Rosenberg — who was identified as an owner and an authorized signer on some of the accounts — knew that she and her family members had not disclosed their ownership of these foreign financial accounts to the U.S. government and that they had not paid any taxes on the income earned from the assets in those accounts as was required by law. Starting in the early 2000s, the family consolidated their assets at accounts with Credit Suisse in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Family members told Credit Suisse employees that they were U.S. persons and seeking to hide their assets from U.S. authorities. The assets remained at Credit Suisse until 2013, when Credit Suisse closed the accounts because the family members were U.S. persons. When Credit Suisse closed their accounts, the family moved their assets, which were typically titled in the names of nominee entities, to new accounts located at Bank Leumi in Israel, Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) and PKB Privat Bank SA in Switzerland, and an Andorran bank. Rosenberg was documented as the beneficial owner of accounts at UBP and the Andorran bank. She also signed false account opening documents that claimed she was a Colombian resident and not a U.S. citizen. Rosenberg, as well as her relatives, did not file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBARS) disclosing their foreign financial accounts, as they were required to do. In addition, Rosenberg and her relatives continued to file false tax returns that omitted income generated by their offshore assets. In or about 2017, as part of a scheme to continue to evade their U.S. tax and reporting obligations, Rosenberg and the family members divided the family’s assets and signed documents to make it appear that Rosenberg and a relative gifted the offshore assets to another relative after he had renounced his U.S. citizenship. Rosenberg and her relatives then tried to covertly transfer assets to Rosenberg in the United States and to conceal their ongoing and historical tax evasion. To do so, Rosenberg and her relatives, among other things, created fake loan and investment documents to make it appear that transfers to and from Rosenberg were loans and business investments. From 2010 through 2017, Rosenberg filed false tax returns that did not report more than $5.5 million in income she earned from her assets at UBP, which caused a tax loss to the IRS of $1,927,342. Rosenberg is scheduled to be sentenced on May 30. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Rosenberg previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Texas to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to defraud the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), by making and presenting false reports in order to avoid fully paying contractually required commissions. See United States v. Rosenberg , 4:24-cr-00062-ALM-AGD (E.D. Tex.) U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation’s International Tax & Financial Crimes Unit is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining important evidence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez for the Southern District of Florida, Senior Litigation Counsel Mark Daly and Stan Okula, and Trial Attorney Marissa Brodney of the Tax Division, are prosecuting the case. 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.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . 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-20005. ###


title: Man Sentenced to 40 Years After Sexually Abusing  Three Children

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A man from Kansas, Oklahoma, was sentenced today for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 in Indian Country, Aggravated Abuse of a Minor by Force and Threat in Indian Country, and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Sequoyah Jo Hinzo, 30, of Kansas, Oklahoma, to 480 months, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon release, Hinzo will be required to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, from 2020 through 2022, Hinzo sexually abused three children, who were 6, 9, and 13 years old. Additionally, Hinzo created fake social media accounts to entice a minor child to send him sexually explicit photos. Hinzo is a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI, Kansas Police Department, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Jiang and Valeria Luster 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC .


title: Medical Clinic Owners and Clinical Investigator Plead Guilty in Connection with Fraudulent Clinical Drug Trials

component: Civil Division

body_text: Two owners of a clinical research facility pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with their work on two clinical trials testing drugs designed to treat asthma. According to court documents, Angela Baquero, 49, and Ricardo Acuna, 52, both of Weston, Florida, owned A&R Research Group (A&R), located in Pembroke Pines, Florida. A&R was a medical research facility that conducted clinical trials of prospective new drug treatments on behalf of drug sponsors seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Baquero served as A&R’s clinical research director and study coordinator. Acuna served as A&R’s regulatory and contract affairs manager. Pursuant to their plea agreements, Baquero and Acuna admitted to conspiring to unlawfully enrich themselves by making fraudulent representations to the asthma drug trial sponsor regarding subject eligibility, and falsifying and fabricating material documents and data, including case histories, spirometry readings, and echocardiogram data. As a result of the conspiracy, A&R provided fraudulent clinical research data to the drug trial sponsor and to an FDA investigator. According to the plea agreements, fraudulently enrolling subjects who did not qualify, and submitting data for subjects who were not participating, allowed A&R to inflate payments due from the sponsor. “Clinical trials are essential to evaluating the safety and efficacy of potential drug treatments,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will continue to work with the FDA to investigate and prosecute those who illegally undermine the integrity of the clinical trial process to facilitate fraudulent payments.” The guilty pleas by Baquero and Acuna follow a March 3 guilty plea to a separate criminal information by Dr. Matthew Teltser, 70, of Hollywood, Florida, who served as the clinical investigator for numerous A&R clinical trials. Teltser pleaded guilty to making false statements to an FDA investigator regarding his work on the trials. According to his plea agreement, Teltser was the clinical investigator responsible for performing physical examinations on subjects and maintaining accurate records of data pertinent to the clinical trial. Teltser admitted that, during an FDA inspection, he knowingly and falsely told the FDA investigator that he had been present at every subject visit during the two asthma clinical trials. Baquero and Acuna’s matters are set for further hearings before U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz on Sept. 19. Teltser is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal on June 10. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office, investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Andrew K. Crawford and Brianna M. Gardner of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has provided critical assistance.


title: Violent pimp who trafficked women through the west, beating and threatening them, sentenced to 15 years in prison

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A California man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 180 months (15 years) in prison for two federal felonies related to his sex trafficking of adult female victims, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Winston Cornell Burt aka “Dice Capone,” 32, of Hemet, California, was arrested November 6, 2022, after he brutally assaulted a 20-year-old woman and engaged in a rolling gun battle as she fled in a van driven by a man who picked her up from the middle of Aurora Avenue in north Seattle. The sentence will run concurrent with a 176-month sentence imposed in King County Superior Court. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said, “This was horrific criminal conduct – outrageous conduct. He treated (the victims) terribly – and that is an understatement.” Judge Chun ordered Burt to be on 15 years of supervised release following prison. “Winston Burt is a manipulative and predatory person who has supported a luxurious lifestyle for himself with the prostitution profits of his victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “His conduct – badly beating women in his control and engaging in a rolling gun battle when one person tried to escape – put our community at risk. Throughout his adult life, Burt has exhibited nothing other than disregard for the law and a complete lack of respect for women.” In October 2024, Burt pleaded guilty to the federal charges of Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud, and Coercion and Unlawful Possession of Firearms. In King County Superior Court, he pleaded guilty to three counts of Assault 2; Drive-by Shooting; Unlawful Imprisonment; and Assault-3. According to records filed in the case, Burt self-identifies as a “pimp” who led a sex trafficking enterprise through California, Arizona, and Washington. The young women were required to provide all the money they earned in prostitution to Burt. Three women had his name tattooed on their faces – a sign of “ownership.” On November 2, 2022, Burt assaulted the 20-year-old victim in this case by kicking her, punching her, and pistol whipping her after she indicated she wanted to stop working for Burt. The assault occurred at an Airbnb in south Seattle. Three days later, on November 5, 2022, Burt assaulted the victim again and forced her to strip to her underwear. The victim tried to escape from the rental home by jumping out a third story window. The defendant and two women working for him forced her into a car and drove towards a motel on north Aurora Avenue. Burt was armed with a gun, but the victim was able to get out of the car and ran into traffic on Aurora wearing only her underwear. Burt and his other female sex workers tried to force the victim back into the car, but the victim stayed in the middle of the roadway until finally she was picked up by a driver who saw her in distress. Even after the victim was driven away in a van, Burt gave chase on Aurora Avenue and fired shots at the van with the victim inside. The driver was eventually able to evade Burt and called the Washington State Patrol for assistance. Ultimately law enforcement responded to the scene and got the victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. “As this case so horrifically illustrates, human trafficking is a violent crime and, more than that, constitutes modern day slavery,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Even after the victim took extreme measures to try to escape, including jumping from a third-story window, Mr. Burt cruelly chased, assaulted, and shot at her and the driver who stopped to help her. He engaged in all this violence for what could be the most egregious of purposes: to return to unlawful captivity a human being he viewed, in effect, as his property. The FBI and our federal, state, and local partners will continue to pursue consequences for violent offenders befitting their crimes, and justice for their victims.” Burt was arrested on November 6, 2022, as he was attempting to leave the Airbnb in south Seattle. In the car police recovered more than $41,000 in cash, and a firearm. At the time of his arrest Burt was wearing a $29,000 diamond necklace and a watch appraised for $85,000. Law enforcement determined that Burt had used some of his illegal income to purchase a home in Arizona. When that home was searched, they recovered an additional firearm, methamphetamine and nearly $25,000 in cash. Burt will forfeit both firearms and more than $72,000 in cash. In asking for the 15-year sentence and 25 years of supervised release to follow, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Burt is a sex trafficker who used physical, mental, and emotional coercion to prey upon and control his victims for his own financial benefit. He forced his victims to walk the “track” and arrange dates with sex buyers, thus making them vulnerable to rape, assaults, or arrest. He also required the victims to follow his “rules,” which included tattooing his name on their faces and earning him at least $2,000 per day through commercial sex. Despite being a prohibited person, Burt routinely carried firearms and used them to further threaten and control his victims.” Speaking to the court by phone today, the victim said Burt “gets a thrill from violence and hurting people. I was one of the lucky ones who got away.” The case was investigated by the FBI, and Seattle Police Department with assistance from the Washington State Patrol (WSP). FBI Phoenix also assisted. Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Alexandra Voorhees worked closely with Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham on this case.


title: St. Michael, ND Man Arrested for Murder on Sprit Lake Indian Reservation

component: USAO - North Dakota

body_text: Fargo – Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced that on March 10, 2025, JOHNNIE JAY GAKING, Age 27 of St. Michael, ND, made his initial court appearance to face federal murder charges. A Federal Complaint charges Gaking with two counts of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Attempted Murder on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. Court documents alleged that on March 4, 2025, Johnnie Gaking shot and killed an adult victim and a child victim at a residence on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. These court documents also allege that Gaking shot another adult victim who was later transported to the hospital for treatment. Gaking departed the residence and was apprehended by law enforcement that same day and transported to the hospital for apparent self-inflected injuries. A Complaint in this case is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s office, with Assistant United States Attorney Samantha L. Schmidt assigned to the case. # # #


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced To 144 Months’ Imprisonment For Possession Of Firearms And The Distribution Of Cocaine

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 144 months in prison for possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced. Dominick Montgomery, 38, of Plainfield, New Jersey, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Georgette Castner on October 8, 2024, and pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On March 6, 2025, Judge Castner sentenced Montgomery to 144 months’ imprisonment. According to court documents: In October of 2021, law enforcement was investigating narcotics trafficking in the Somerset and Middlesex County area. During the investigation, law enforcement identified Montgomery as an individual distributing narcotics in that area. From October 27, 2021 until January 24, 2022, Montgomery sold eight firearms, cocaine, and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer in exchange for money. During the last transaction, on January 24, 2022, Montgomery sold the undercover officer cocaine and three firearms in exchange for $6,750. On February 2, 2022, law enforcement arrested Montgomery and found him in possession of a Smith and Wesson pistol and fifteen rounds of ammunition. In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Montgomery to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., and the Somerset County Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan N. Linares of the Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.


title: Mexican National Sentenced To 13 Months In Federal Prison For Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri P. Chappell today sentenced Tomas Juarez-Santos (45) to 13 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States without authorization by federal immigration officials. Juarez-Santos pleaded guilty in December 2024. According to court documents, on September 3, 2024, Juarez-Santos was arrested in Collier County on state criminal charges and was found to be present in the United States without legal authorization. Juarez-Santos has previously been convicted on two occasions for illegal reentry to the United States after deportation, in 2010 and 2019, and has been deported from the United States to Mexico on four occasions. This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.


title: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jason Lorel Minter, 43, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 10, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Minter’s residence and seized 126.8 grams of fentanyl, 312.7 grams of methamphetamine, 490 grams of marijuana, a loaded Taurus model G3 9mm pistol, a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber pistol, and $1,522. Minter admitted to possessing the seized controlled substances. Minter is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case. 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. 2:24-cr-196. ###


title: Man who Illegally Possessed Multiple Firearms in Cedar Falls Sentenced to Over Seven Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: An Iowa man who illegally possessed multiple firearms, including a sawed off-shotgun, was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison. Ian Jon Duffy, age 35, from Independence, Iowa, received the prison term after a October 10, 2024 guilty plea to two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession of a national firearms destructive device not registered to possessor. In October 2023, law enforcement officers traffic stopped Duffy due to concerns about his wellbeing. At that time, he was in possession of multiple loaded firearms. Duffy had a prior domestic conviction which prohibited him from possessing firearms. After the traffic stop, Duffy had his wife obtain a Glock firearm for him and later possessed multiple firearms in his residence. One of those firearms included a sawed-off shotgun that Duffy had altered by changing the grip. Duffy was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Duffy was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Duffy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Cedar Falls Police Department. 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. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR- 02031-2. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Flat Rock Man Guilty of Illegally Transporting and Receiving of  Explosive Device that Caused a Home Explosion in River Rouge

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A Flat Rock man pleaded guilty today to illegally transporting and receiving an explosive device, announced Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck. Beck was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Detroit Field Division. Steven Marchbanks, 58, also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. According to court documents, the investigation arose out of a home explosion in River Rouge, Michigan in June 2024. On that date, Marchbanks purchased an illegal explosive device, thought to be an M-80, from an unknown individual off the street and transported it to the residence, where he left the device unattended with two children. One of the children set off the device. The explosion caused severe injuries to the children and structural damage to the home. Subsequently, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Marchbanks’ house and found two guns that belonged to him. Marchbanks had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and, as a result, cannot legally possess guns. “The facts of this case show the danger that illegal explosive devices pose to our community. Tragically, this defendant’s actions caused devastating injuries to minor children,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Beck. “The allegations in this case represent the most horrific unintended consequences associated with poor choices. Steven Marchbanks is a repeat offender prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm. Tragically, he chose to leave an unsecured M80 caliber explosive device with children in the home,” said Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “In a millisecond, a youngchild’s life was changed forever. In the end, Mr. Marchbanks will have several years behind bars to reflect on how his poor decision-making caused serious injuries to a child. Illegal fireworks are extremely dangerous and should never be left stored inside of your home.” Sentencing is scheduled for July 15, 2025. Marchbanks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for transporting and receiving explosive materials without a license and 15 years in prison for possession of firearms as a felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from River Rouge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan Ho is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.


title: Timothy Gabriel Imprisoned on Federal Firearms Charge

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Timothy Gabriel, 31, who most recently has been living in the Rutland area, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 60 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge that he possessed a firearm as a convicted felon. Senior U.S. District Judge William Sessions III also ordered that Gabriel serve a three-year term of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. He directed that the federal sentence run concurrently to state sentences that Gabriel is serving on related and unrelated cases. Gabriel has been held in federal custody since his arrest in October 2023. According to court records, someone stole a Vermont State Police cruiser from a residence in Rutland where it was parked in the pre-dawn hours of October 17, 2023. A few hours later, the car was found parked behind a downtown Rutland business. Investigators found that a police-issued Sig Sauer rifle had been forcibly removed from a secure locking device in the vehicle. Surveillance camera footage from businesses near where the cruiser was found showed the car enter a parking lot before dawn. The footage depicted a man, later identified as Timothy Gabriel, get out of the car, then leave the area with what appeared to be a rifle in his hand. DNA evidence later connected Gabriel to blood found inside the stolen cruiser. Gabriel is prohibited from possessing any firearms because he has several prior convictions in Vermont for felony offenses. Gabriel was arrested in Burlington on the afternoon of October 18, 2023. Court records show that Gabriel traded the stolen rifle for drugs. Law enforcement recovered the police rifle from a bag abandoned beside U.S. Route 7 near Bennington. Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Rutland Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gabriel is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples. 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: Commercial fisherman sentenced to 6 months in prison for falsifying fishing records and taking an endangered sperm whale

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: JUNEAU, Alaska – A Southeast Alaska commercial fisherman was sentenced today to six months in prison for falsifying fishing records in violation of the Lacey Act and illegally taking a sperm whale in violation of the Endangered Species Act. According to court documents, between October and November 2020, Dugan Paul Daniels, 55, of Coffman Cove, knowingly submitted false records about his commercial fishing activities to make it appear that he lawfully caught sablefish, aka “black cod,” in federal waters on two separate occasions. An investigation revealed he harvested the fish illegally in State of Alaska waters, specifically, in Chatham Strait and Clarence Strait, respectively. The total market value of the illegally harvested fish was $127,528. Court documents further explain that, in March 2020, Daniels and three crew members were fishing for sablefish southwest of Yakobi Island in the Gulf of Alaska when they came upon a sperm whale. During the encounter, Daniels knowingly tried to take the endangered sperm whale by having a crewman shoot the whale multiple times and by trying to ram the whale with his fishing vessel. Court documents detail that the term “take” means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. Daniels documented the encounter in writing and through text messages sent from a GPS communication device. Some of the messages stated he wished he “had a cannon to blow” the whale out of the water and that he hoped “to be reeling in a dead sperm whale.” Court documents explain that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does not know if Daniels succeeded in killing the whale, as no sperm whale carcass was reported in Southeast Alaska in 2020. On June 6, 2024, Daniels pleaded guilty to one count of Lacey Act violation for false labeling and one count of Endangered Species Act violation for an illegal take. In handing down the sentence, the Court called Daniels’ actions “deliberate” and emphasized Daniels' 20 years of experience as a commercial fisherman and the importance of deterring others from similar conduct because of the threat it poses to the sustainability of Alaska's marine resources. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Daniels to pay a $25,000 fine and serve three years on supervised release, with a one-year commercial fishing ban while on supervised release and 80 hours of community work service as special release conditions. “Though he had been a fisherman for over 20 years, Mr. Daniels showed a blatant disregard for endangered animals, the laws that protect them and the regulation of commercial fishing,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska. “Let this sentence serve as an example that these violations will not go unpunished. Falsifying recordkeeping and reporting documents has a direct effect on sustainable fishery management and interferes with Alaska’s ability to ensure species are not overfished. Our office, in collaboration with our wildlife law enforcement partners, is committed to holding all individuals to the same standards and will continue to seek criminal sanctions for wildlife crimes.” “Mr. Daniels believed that he could use deception to escape the consequences of his actions,” said Benjamin Cheeseman, Assistant Director of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Division. “Anyone who violates the laws that protect Alaska’s marine resources will face serious repercussions. We remain committed to holding individuals accountable for these offenses.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ainsley McNerney and Andrea Hattan, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney/NOAA Office of General Counsel Enforcement Attorney, prosecuted the case. ###


title: Suburban Chicago Businessman Indicted on Immigration Fraud Charges

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly providing false and fraudulent information to U.S. authorities to obtain immigration benefits for his foreign national clients. JOSE GREGORIO SOSA CARDONA operated Delta Global Solutions, Inc., which assisted individuals in applying for asylum, immigrant visas, lawful permanent residence cards, and other immigration benefits. From 2020 to 2024, Sosa Cardona conspired with two employees of his firm and others to knowingly provide false and fraudulent information to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of his foreign national clients who were seeking benefits, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment accuses Sosa Cardona of, among other things, fabricating foreign law enforcement reports and foreign political party membership letters to falsely corroborate his clients’ asylum claims. Sosa Cardona also falsely represented to U.S. immigration officials that he was an attorney licensed to practice law in Ohio, when, in fact, he was not an attorney and not authorized to represent applicants in immigration proceedings before the USCIS, the indictment states. Sosa Cardona, 40, of Downers Grove, Ill., is charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit immigration fraud, four counts of falsifying applications for immigration benefits, and two counts of making a false statement to the USCIS. Sosa Cardona was arrested this morning. He was arraigned this afternoon in federal court in Chicago and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office, and Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell. The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of falsifying immigration applications is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the conspiracy and false statement counts each carry a maximum sentence of five years. sosa_cardona_indictment.pdf


title: California Businessman Indicted for Tax Evasion

component: Tax Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in Los Angeles recently returned an indictment charging a California man with tax evasion. According to the indictment, Edward Michael Greer, of Newport Beach, owned an insurance salvage company, Greer & Kirby Co. Inc. From 2017 through 2020, Greer allegedly used the business’s bank accounts to pay for personal expenses, including payments to bookmakers Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian to cover sports gambling losses, and to purchase a 2021 Mercedes Benz. The indictment further alleges that Greer concealed these personal payments in the business records, and in many cases directed the payments to be recorded as business expenses to reduce its income. Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian previously pleaded guilty for their roles in operating an illegal sports gambling business. If convicted, Greer faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of evasion. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally for the Central District of California made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Julia Rugg and Mahana Weidler of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Mitchell for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Mansfield Tax Preparer Sentenced in Tax and PPP Loan Fraud Schemes, Ordered to Pay $10.2 million in Restitution

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A former Mansfield tax preparer who previously pled guilty to charges related to his false preparation of tax returns was sentenced last week to nearly 5 years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. Festus Adenisimi, 65, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. He was sentenced on March 6, 2025 to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. Senior District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn, who also ordered him to pay $10,283,737.65 in restitution. According to court documents, Adenisimi was the owner of a tax preparation business, FA Tax, where he and other tax preparers prepared fraudulent tax returns for their clients, often causing the IRS to issue refunds to those clients. Adenisimi admitted to falsely preparing his own tax returns as well. As part of the plea agreement, Adenisimi also admitted that he fraudulently obtained two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling $760,415 under the Small Business Administration’s COVID -19 relief program. The Court ordered Adenisimi to pay restitution in relation to both the tax fraud and the PPP loan fraud. IRS-Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marty Basu prosecuted the case.


title: Lincoln County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Michael Allen Kenney, 54, of Hamlin, was sentenced today to six years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. A federal jury convicted Kenney on November 6, 2024, following a two-day trial. Evidence at trial proved that on May 17, 2023, Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call at a video poker parlor in Poca and encountered Kenney. An officer saw Kenney reach into his waistband and retrieve a Ruger Model EC9s 9mm pistol, which was loaded and had a round in the chamber. Officers seized the firearm and arrested Kenney. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Kenney knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions, including convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle in Kanawha County Circuit Court on October 27, 2017, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm in Mason County Circuit Court on August 5, 2014, and fleeing with reckless indifference in Putnam County Circuit Court on February 11, 2014. After arresting Kenney, officers obtained a search warrant for the vehicle in which he arrived at the video poker parlor. Officers found a 9mm bullet in the vehicle and a magnetic lockbox hidden near the gearshift that contained a quantity of methamphetamine packaged for distribution. During a recorded jail call with the vehicle’s owner three days after his arrest, Kenney indicated that the lockbox belonged to him after the individual told Kenney that the box had been found and seized during the search of the vehicle. The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory determined the firearm seized from Kenney was fired during an April 26, 2023, incident in Poca. During that incident, the same vehicle searched by officers after Kenney’s arrest stopped outside a residence. After arguing with the resident’s owner, a male in the vehicle fired four to six rounds at the owner. Kenney has a long criminal history that also includes more than 20 other prior convictions since age 18 including for domestic battery, breaking and entering, DUI, driving on a suspended or revoked license, and controlled substance offenses. “Mr. Kenney has spent much of his adult life unlawfully endangering the public, as reflected by his extensive criminal record and by repeatedly and illegally possessing firearms,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “I commend the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their investigative work in this case, and the trial team led by Assistant United States Attorneys Lesley C. Shamblin and Stephanie Taylor for prosecuting this case and securing his conviction.” United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. 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. 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-40. ###


title: El Paso Woman Arrested for Allegedly Defrauding Paycheck Protection Program of More Than $2 Million

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – An El Paso woman was arrested on criminal charges related to her alleged Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud. According to court documents, Araceli Benitez, 46, was the owner of both an insurance and tax services company and a home health services company. Between April 9, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2022, she allegedly submitted fraudulent loan applications and requests for fund disbursement to the PPP, a federal government COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the Small Business Administration. The indictment, filed Jan. 22, alleges Benitez attracted and induced clients to hire her to apply for PPP loans through paid radio commercials and social media—usually in Spanish. She allegedly sent and caused to be sent to a credit union PPP loan applications which contained material misrepresentations and omissions. Unbeknownst to her clients, Benitez allegedly included false federal income tax documentation, false information about her clients’ businesses, and false information about her clients’ need and qualifications. Benitez allegedly submitted approximately 156 loan applications totaling $2,305,294.06. Benitez was arrested March 7 and is charged with seven counts of wire fraud; eight counts of bank fraud; two counts of money laundering; one count of structuring transactions to evade reporting requirement; two counts of aggravated identity theft; and one count of false or fictitious claims. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigations are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Texas Pharmacist Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Prison and Ordered to Forfeit $405M in Assets for Defrauding the Department of Labor

body_text: On Feb. 21, Texas pharmacist Dehshid “David” Nourian, 62, of Plano, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison and ordered to pay over $115 million in restitution for his role in a $145 million scheme to defraud the Department of Labor through the submission of fraudulent claims for prescription compound creams. On March 6, the court also forfeited $405 million in assets tied to Nourian’s fraud and money laundering schemes. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nourian and others conspired to pay doctors to prescribe medically unnecessary compound creams to injured federal workers. Nourian and others owned and operated three pharmacies located in Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas. Over the course of the scheme, they paid doctors millions of dollars in illegal bribes and kickbacks for referring expensive compound medications to be filled by those pharmacies. Evidence at trial showed these compounds were being mixed in the back rooms of the pharmacies by untrained teenagers at a cost to the defendants of around $15 per prescription and then billed to the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (DOL-OWCP) for as much as $16,000 per prescription. Patients who received the creams testified at trial to the creams’ ineffectiveness and, in some instances, that using the creams resulted in painful, irritating skin rashes. “Protecting victims and safeguarding the public fisc are two of the Criminal Division’s highest priorities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s 17-year sentence sends a clear message that our prosecutors, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our investigative partners, will identify, investigate, and prosecute even the most sophisticated fraud schemes that target taxpayer money and endanger patients. As a result of our tireless efforts, this defendant was tried, convicted, and ordered to forfeit more than $400 million – the highest forfeiture ever obtained in a health care fraud case in the Department’s history – and now his ill-gotten proceeds will be returned to the taxpayers and programs designed to care for our most vulnerable citizens.” “This sentence sends a strong message to those who would defraud our federal healthcare programs for personal gain,” said Inspector General Tammy Hull of the U.S. Postal Service. “The outstanding work by the legal and investigative teams stopped a multi-year health care fraud scheme responsible for tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent billing to government agencies. Along with the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners, the USPS Office of Inspector General will remain committed to investigating those who would engage in this type of fraud and abuse.” In less than three years, between May 2014 and March 2017, the pharmacies billed the DOL-OWCP and Blue Cross Blue Shield more than $145 million and were paid more than $90 million for unnecessary prescriptions referred by medical providers in exchange for the illegal bribes and kickbacks. Nourian and others then attempted to conceal their ill-gotten gains by laundering the money through purported holding companies and attempted to evade paying $24 million in federal income taxes on the illicit proceeds. In November 2023, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted Nourian of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, eight counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to launder money, five counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by failing to report and attempting to evade the collection of taxes owed to the IRS. In an order issued following Nourian’s sentencing, the court also ruled that Nourian will forfeit $405 million in seized assets tied to his crimes. Evidence at trial demonstrated that Nourian and his co-conspirators used a complex web of bank accounts and shell companies to launder their fraud proceeds, ultimately depositing tens of millions of dollars into Nourian’s and other family members’ bank and investment accounts. The forfeiture order returned that money to the taxpayers and included the forfeiture of $395 million in brokerage accounts, over $2 million in bank accounts, real estate in Dallas and Austin worth $8 million, and a BMW luxury vehicle. Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham for the Northern District of Texas; Inspector General Tammy Hull of the U.S. Postal Service; Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Dallas Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), South Central Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office made the announcement. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, DOL-OIG, VA-OIG, and IRS-CI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Ethan Womble and Senior Litigation Counsel Catherine Wagner of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dimitri Rocha for the Northern District of Texas handled the criminal forfeiture for 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 the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit .


title: Doctor Agrees to Pay $468,000 to Settle Civil False Claims Act Allegations

body_text: EL PASO, Texas – John Patterson, M.D., a physician practicing in El Paso has agreed to pay the United States $468,626 to resolve allegations under the Federal False Claims Act. The United States alleged that Dr. Patterson received kickbacks from Nursemind Home Care Inc., a freestanding hospice care center in El Paso, to certify patients as eligible for hospice services when in fact the patients were not eligible for these services. The United States further alleged that by falsely certifying these patients as eligible for hospices services, Dr. Patterson caused false claims to be submitted to federal healthcare programs. “My office will hold providers accountable, both through the civil and criminal process, when they attempt to defraud federal healthcare programs and the American taxpayer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. Dr. Patterson received cooperation credit under the terms of the settlement pursuant to the Justice Department’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation, and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters. Dr. Patterson cooperated with the United States’ investigation by, among other things, agreeing to cooperate with an ongoing criminal investigation and to testify truthfully in any resulting criminal prosecutions. The investigation into this scheme led to the criminal prosecution of Zenia Chavez, the owner of Nursemind Home Care, Inc. Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit illegal renumerations regarding a federal health care program, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. “Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute waste valuable federal health care program funds and corrupt the medical decision-making process,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The emotional toll it takes on Medicare recipients and their families to be placed on hospice when it is not appropriate is reprehensible. HHS-OIG will continue to identify and investigate those who seek to unlawfully benefit from such abhorrent financial arrangements.” “Dr. Patterson falsely certified individuals for hospice services under Medicare when they did not meet eligibility criteria,” said Special Agent in Charge John Morales for FBI El Paso. “He violated his oath as a physician to fight against healthcare fraud and waste. Today’s civil settlement shows how steadfastly committed the FBI El Paso Healthcare Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force is in protecting the integrity of the Medicare Program, which is vital to the health and well-being of individuals in need of their services. We will go after individuals who seek to enrich themselves by jeopardizing the healthcare of Medicare beneficiaries and defrauding American taxpayers.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Castillo negotiated the civil settlement on behalf of the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Skillern and Debra Kanof represented the United States in the criminal prosecution of Ms. Zenia Chavez. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. ###


title: Plainview Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography

body_text: Alejandro Aguirre, 28, of Plainview, Texas, pleaded guilty to Production of Child Pornography announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. Aguirre pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda ‘Amy’ R. Burch and was immediately remanded to custody pending sentencing. According to court documents, in June 2023, officers with the Amarillo Police Department received information that Aguirre was contacting minors through a social media application and that he had sexual intercourse with at least one minor. One of the minors, who was 16 years old, was forensically interviewed and stated that Aguirre had sexual intercourse with her in Amarillo. When APD detectives interviewed Aguirre, he admitted to having sex with the minor and recording it on his cell phone. APD detectives obtained a search warrant for Aguirre’s cell phone and recovered the video Aguirre described. However, the minor in the video was not the one that had been forensically interviewed. APD officers contacted a detective with the Plainview Police Department to help identify the minor in the video. The Plainview Police Department detective was able to identify the minor as a 16-year-old Plainview resident. That minor was forensically interviewed and stated that Aguirre had messaged her on a social networking application. The minor stated that Aguirre made a video of them having sexual intercourse in Plainview, which was the video found on Aguirre’s cell phone. Aguirre faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison. His sentencing date has not been set. The Amarillo Police Department and Plainview Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.


title: Mankato Felon Indicted in Child Exploitation Case

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Mankato man has been charged with multiple counts related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, in October 2024, Mitchell Ray Williams, 39, engaged minor victims in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material videos. Between approximately October 1, 2024, and November 1, 2024, Williams possessed—and advertised the availability of—visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment charges Williams with one count of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of advertisement of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Williams made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on February 5, 2025, and was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings by Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for March 11, 2025. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Mankato Department of Public Safety. It 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. 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 . Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian Weir is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Three Dominican Nationals Arrested for Drug Conspiracy Involving Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine

body_text: BOSTON – Three Dominican nationals residing in Lawrence, Mass. were arrested on March 9, 2025, on drug trafficking charges. Juana Luduvina Aguasvivas, 66, Richard Arias-Aguasvivas, 38 and Ariel Ruiz, 31, have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. All three appeared in federal court in Boston on March 10, 2025. According to the charging documents, in April 2021, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization operating in Lawrence, that was supplying fentanyl, cocaine base and cutting agents to customers. Between April 2021 and November 2024, more than a dozen controlled purchases were conducted using confidential sources, during which it is alleged that Aguasvivas, Arias-Aguasvivas, or Ruiz sold more than 600 grams of fentanyl, more than 60 grams of cocaine base and copious amounts of cutting agents. Through recordings of the controlled purchases and surveillance, Aguasvivas, Arias-Aguasvivas and Ruiz were allegedly identified as the primary distributors for the DTO. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon on 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 Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Andover, Billerica, Haverhill, Methuen and Lowell Police Departments; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Massachusetts State Police; the Internal Revenue Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting this case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Newport Beach Man Indicted for Allegedly Using Sports Gambling Losses as Business Expenses to Evade Federal Tax Payments

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man is scheduled to be arraigned today on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he committed tax evasion by deducting millions of dollars in gambling losses and other personal expenditures as business expenses. Edward Michael Greer, of Newport Beach, is charged with four counts of tax evasion. Greer is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. According to the indictment, Greer owned an insurance salvage company, the La Mirada-based Greer & Kirby Co. Inc. From 2017 to 2020, Greer allegedly used the company’s bank accounts to pay for personal expenses, including payments to bookmakers Wayne Joseph Nix and Ken Arsenian to cover sports gambling losses, and to purchase a 2021 Mercedes-Benz automobile. The indictment further alleges that Greer concealed these personal payments in the company’s business records, and in many cases directed to payments to be recorded as business expenses to reduce the company’s income. Nix and Arsenian previously pleaded guilty for their roles in operating an illegal sports gambling business and are expected to be sentenced in the coming months. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Greer faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Mitchell of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorneys Julia Rugg and Mahana Weidler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting this case.


title: Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO , Calif. —Isaias Aroldo Contreras, 26, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Contreras’s Folsom residence in January 2023. During the search, law enforcement seized 992 fentanyl-laced pills that were made to look like oxycodone “M-30” pills, a loaded Glock 9mm pistol, over $31,000 in cash drug proceeds, a money counter, and numerous items of custom diamond jewelry including a Rolex watch with full-cut diamonds. On Contreras’s seized cell phone, law enforcement found messages from at least March 2020 through December 2022, between Contreras and drug suppliers and customers regarding the purchase and sale of counterfeit M-30 pills (in quantities ranging from hundreds of pills to thousands of pills) and cocaine in kilogram quantities. This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Task Force (SAINT). Assistant United States Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case. Contreras is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge William B. Shubb on May 27, 2025. Contreras faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. As part of his plea agreement, Contreras also agreed to forfeit to the government $31,154 in cash and numerous items of seized jewelry that was seized from his residence. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney Announces More Than 150 Immigration Cases Filed in Final Week of February

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 153 immigration-related criminal cases between Feb. 24 and March 3. The following defendants are among those charged during this week: A Mexican national was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry. Jaime Perez Salinas was allegedly located without immigration documents that allowed him to be or remain in the country legally. Salinas has been removed from the U.S. twice before, the most recent removal being Dec. 27, 2024. He was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to 60 months in prison for distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. If convicted of the illegal re-entry charge, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Honduran national Oscar Adrian Vasquez-Peraza was arrested after he was allegedly found approximately 1.69 miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. legally. Vasquez-Peraza was convicted in January 2021 for robbery in Houston and deported to Honduras in June 2022. Rene Garibay-Robledo was arrested on Feb. 25 in San Antonio during a traffic stop on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of a firearm as an illegal alien. Garibay-Robledo is a Mexican national who allegedly presented FBI agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers a Mexico ID and allegedly stated he lacked legal status to be in the United States. Additionally, the criminal complaint alleges Garibay-Robledo stated that he had one firearm—a pistol—at his house. During the execution of a federal search warrant at Garibay-Robledo’s home, three handguns, a semi-automatic CZ Scorpion EVO 3, approximately 450 rounds of mixed caliber ammunition, and 6.8 grams of a substance that tested positive for cocaine were seized. Garibay-Robledo faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, if convicted. A criminal complaint filed in San Antonio alleges that Kevin Raul Corniel-Rodriguez is a Venezuelan national affiliated with the Tren De Aragua (TDA) Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) organization. Corniel-Rodriguez was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department on Dec. 24, 2024, for assault of a pregnant person and unlawful carry of a weapon. State charges were dismissed on Feb. 25. Corniel-Rodriguez was released into federal custody and charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm. On Feb. 28, Simon Alexander Mendez , of Austin, was arrested near Eagle Pass during a U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint vehicle inspection. USBP agents allegedly discovered an illegal alien in the trunk of the vehicle Mendez was driving. A criminal complaint alleges Mendez was transporting the illegal alien from Eagle Pass to San Antonio. He was previously convicted for the same offense in 2021, when he was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison with credit for time served for conspiring to transport two illegal aliens to Austin. On that occasion, Mendez’s human smuggling attempt was prevented by USBP agents in Uvalde. On Feb. 27, Mexican national Pedro Luis Colmenero-Rangel was arrested by USBP near Carrizo Springs. Colmenero-Rangel had been previously removed from the U.S. through Brownsville in 2019. Prior to his deportation, he was convicted in the Southern District of Texas and sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for his role in an alien smuggling conspiracy. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. 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 Neighborhood (PSN). Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Manufacturing a Bomb and Being a Felon in Possession of a Destructive Device

body_text: FRESNO , Calif. — Robert Lawrence Hunt, 40, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to being a convicted felon in possession of a destructive device and manufacturing a destructive device, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, between July 4 and 5, 2022, Hunt constructed a destructive device containing metal screws and explosives, which was likely to cause injury if detonated. The device was found at a community pool in a residential neighborhood. The defendant was residing at a home closest to the pool. Hunt, a convicted felon, was previously convicted in Kern County Superior Court of two robberies and a burglary and is prohibited from possessing or manufacturing firearms, including destructive or explosive devices. This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case. Hunt, who has been detained pretrial since September 2024 as a danger to the community, is scheduled for sentencing on July 14, 2025. For being a felon in possession of a destructive device, Hunt faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 for and manufacturing a destructive device. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.


title: Thibodaux Social Worker Sentenced to 30 Months for Healthcare Fraud

component: Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today that JOHN CHRISTOPHER BARRILLEAUX (“BARRILLEAUX”) , age 64, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 27, 2025 to 30 months in prison, after previously pleading guilty to healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347. According to court documents, from 2008 through 2024, BARRILLEAUX submitted false claims to private insurance companies for millions of dollars of healthcare services that were not actually provided. To hide the fraud, BARRILLEAUX created fake patient notes and submitted them to the insurance companies to support his bills. United States District Judge Barry Ashe sentenced BARRILLEAUX to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. BARRILLEAUX was also ordered to pay $4,592,650 in restitution to the victim companies, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. Acting U.S Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses, of the Financial Crimes Unit and Health Care Fraud Coordinator, and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters, of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are in charge of the prosecution.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea in To’Hajiilee Murder Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A To’Hajiilee man pled guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the beating and abandonment of a man in June 2020, which directly resulted in that man’s death. According to court documents, on June 24, 2020, Antonio Chaco , 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in a verbal argument with John Doe outside Doe’s trailer home in To’Hajiilee. Without sufficient provocation or justification, Chaco struck John Doe in the face and proceeded to punch and kick Doe until Doe was unconscious. Once Doe was immobilized on the ground, Chaco wrapped Doe in a carpet, placed him in the back of an SUV, and drove him to a remote location within the Navajo Nation. At this secondary site, Chaco continued to assault Doe before leaving him there, badly beaten and without any means of survival in the wilderness—no water, food, phone, or shade. Police located John Doe’s skeletonized corpse in the To’Hajiilee wilderness on July 4, 2020. It was later determined Doe’s cause of death was homicidal violence including blunt-head trauma. Area in To’Hajiilee where John Doe was discovered. Chaco will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Chaco faces up to life in prison. Chaco is also under federal indictment for assaulting a federal detention officer at the Cibola County Correctional Facility on November 5, 2024. If convicted of that crime, Chaco faces up to 20 years in prison. That case is pending trial. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee are prosecuting these cases.


title: Modesto Man Sentenced to Prison for 45 Years for Sexual Exploitation of Minors

body_text: FRESNO , Calif. – Daniel Vincent Salazar, Jr., 29, of Modesto was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for his convictions on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. After serving his prison sentence, Salazar will be subject to a 25-year term of supervised release during which his access to minors, electronic devices, and the internet will be restricted. He will also be required to register as sex offender. According to court documents, Salazar used Instagram and Snapchat accounts on dates between December 2018 and January 2020 to contact minor females and coerce them into creating and sending to him images of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The females Salazar targeted were typically 12 to 14 years old. If victims refused to cooperate with Salazar’s demands, he threatened to send explicit images that he had already received to classmates and family members of victims. When one victim expressed suicidal thoughts in their chats, Salazar made comments such as “[t]hat’s on you. Not my fault,” and “[t]he cops can’t do nothing trust me.” Salazar has been in custody since his arrest on January 20, 2020. The investigation was conducted by Patterson Police Services, the Los Banos and San Jose Police Departments, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – Division of Adult Parole Operations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Gappa 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

body_text: FRESNO , Calif. – Peter Yang, 34, of Fresno, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor today, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, on dates between November 2021 and March 2022, Yang communicated with a 15-year-old victim in Missouri on the gaming platform Among Us, and then through Discord and FaceTime calls. Yang coerced the victim into creating and then transmitting sexually explicit images to Yang. Yang also discussed traveling from California to Missouri to meet the victim in person at a motel near the victim’s residence. This case is the result of an investigation by the Christian County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office and the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa is prosecuting the case. Yang faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for sexual exploitation of a minor when he is sentenced on July 14, 2025. Any sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: Two Peoria Men Sentenced for Drug and Firearm Offenses

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

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – Kelvin Eugene Patterson, Jr., 39, of Peoria, Illinois, was sentenced on March 4, 2025, to twelve years of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Patterson also must pay a fine of $26,140, which is separate from monies forfeited in the case. A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Patterson with drug and firearm charges in May 2023. The grand jury later returned a superseding indictment adding Patterson’s partner, Marcus L. Burnside (a.k.a. “Pooty”), 30, also of Peoria, to the charges. In June 2024, Burnside pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Patterson pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count in November 2024. Burnside was sentenced on October 23, 2024, to a total of 120 months’ imprisonment, consisting of two consecutive 60-month sentences for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The court also ordered that Burnside serve four years of supervised release following his imprisonment. At the sentencing hearing before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that the two men engaged in a conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, marijuana from March 2021 through April 2023. At the time, Patterson maintained a loft apartment on Main Street in Peoria that he and Burnside used for the purpose of storing and distributing marijuana. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement observed several individuals leaving the building, who were stopped and searched, and various quantities of marijuana were seized. In total, Patterson and Burnside were responsible for the distribution and possession of 310 kilograms (683 pounds) of marijuana. Also at Patterson’s sentencing hearing, Judge Mihm noted that Patterson’s above-guideline sentence was justified given the severity of the conduct involved in this conspiracy. The judge also required both Patterson and Burnside to forfeit items recovered by law enforcement during a raid of the Main Street apartment, including a Glock model 30, .45 caliber handgun; $23,860.00; and a money counter. The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana are five to forty years’ imprisonment, and up to a $5 million dollar fine, followed by at least four years of supervised release. The penalties for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking are five years to life imprisonment, served consecutive to other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service, investigated the case. The case against Burnside and Patterson is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Bryan County Resident Sentenced For Federal Firearm Crime

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Norman J. Couch, Jr., age 49, of Mead, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. The charges arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Durant Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On October 8, 2024, Couch pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition. According to investigators, on January 18, 2024, Couch was discovered in possession of one .380ACP caliber, semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of .380ACP caliber ammunition after having been previously convicted a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Couch will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.


title: Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced to 12 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Her Role in a Methamphetamine Conspiracy in South Dakota

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Stella Caldwell, age 29, was sentenced on March 7, 2025, to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Caldwell was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 and pleaded guilty on December 20, 2024. In the time period charged, Caldwell and others distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City, South Dakota. She played a supervisory role in the conspiracy, managing moving drugs from co-conspirators to subsequent distributors. In sentencing Caldwell, Judge Schreier lamented how Caldwell’s actions severely damaged the community. The judge also noted the drugs Caldwell was distributing came from Mexican cartels and was 100% pure methamphetamine. This case was investigated by Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case. Caldwell was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.


title: Mexican National Man Sentenced to 22 ½ Years in Federal Prison for His Role in a Large-Scale Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Mexican National man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Reynaldo Garcia-Gonzalez, age 42, was sentenced to 22 years and five months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Garcia-Gonzalez was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023 and pleaded guilty on December 9, 2024. Between April and November 2022, Garcia-Gonzalez was part of a drug conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota. Garcia-Gonzalez transported large quantities of methamphetamine from California to co-conspirators in Western South Dakota who then distributed the methamphetamine to others. During his involvement in the conspiracy, Garcia-Gonzalez was personally involved in the handling and distribution of multiple pounds of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Garcia-Gonzalez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.