title: Former Sanger Police Officer Sentenced to Five Consecutive Life Sentences for Sexually Assaulting Women While on Duty

body_text: Former Sanger Police Department Officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, was sentenced today by visiting U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson, to five consecutive life sentences for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. After a two-and-a-half-week trial in January 2025, a federal jury in the Eastern District of California convicted Torrence of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law. The jury found that five of the counts involved kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or attempted aggravated sexual abuse. “The defendant’s conduct was premediated and depraved. He repeatedly abused his official authority to exploit women who expected the police to protect them,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While no prison sentence can undo the extraordinary pain and suffering the defendant caused these women, today’s sentence of five consecutive life sentences holds the defendant accountable for his heinous conduct and sends a clear message that the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who violate the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to protect.” “I commend the court’s decision to impose life sentences on this former police officer, who betrayed the public’s trust and abused his authority to perpetrate heinous acts of sexual violence,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “This sentence sends a clear message: no one is above the law, and those who exploit their position to violate the civil rights of others will face the full force of justice. Our office stands with the victims and remains committed to protecting our communities from such egregious abuses of power.” “We commend the courageous women who came forward, trusting law enforcement to ensure J.D. Torrence was held accountable for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Their bravery has prevented this predator from harming anyone else. The FBI recognizes the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for their unwavering partnership. Justice has been served, making our community safer.” The evidence at trial proved that Torrence kidnapped a 21‑year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. As Torrence drove the woman away from town, he taunted her by saying, “no one is going to look for you.” After the assault, he warned that if she reported him, “no one’s going to believe you.” Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67‑year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. After the assault, Torrence frequently parked his police car in front of the woman’s home to stalk and intimidate her. On one of these occasions, Torrence cornered the woman behind her home and sexually assaulted her. With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her home, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body by falsely telling her that he had to “photograph” her injuries. On one occasion, Torrence trapped the woman in her bedroom and sexually assaulted her. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.


title: Former California Police Officer Sentenced to Five Consecutive Life Sentences for Sexually Assaulting Four Women He Encountered While On Duty

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, a former Sanger, California, police officer, was sentenced today to five consecutive life sentences for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. After a two-and-a-half-week trial in January 2025, a federal jury in the Eastern District of California convicted Torrence of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law. The jury found that five of the counts involved kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or attempted aggravated sexual abuse. “The defendant’s conduct was premediated and depraved. He repeatedly abused his official authority to exploit women who expected the police to protect them,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While no prison sentence can undo the extraordinary pain and suffering the defendant caused these women, today’s sentence of five consecutive life sentences holds the defendant accountable for his heinous conduct and sends a clear message that the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who violate the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to protect.” “I commend the court’s decision to impose life sentences on this former police officer, who betrayed the public’s trust and abused his authority to perpetrate heinous acts of sexual violence,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California. “This sentence sends a clear message: no one is above the law, and those who exploit their position to violate the civil rights of others will face the full force of justice. Our office stands with the victims and remains committed to protecting our communities from such egregious abuses of power.” “We commend the courageous women who came forward, trusting law enforcement to ensure J.D. Torrence was held accountable for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Their bravery has prevented this predator from harming anyone else. The FBI recognizes the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for their unwavering partnership. Justice has been served, making our community safer.” The evidence at trial proved that Torrence kidnapped a 21-year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. As Torrence drove the woman away from town, he taunted her by saying “no one is going to look for you.” After the assault, he warned that if she reported him, “no one’s going to believe you.” Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67-year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. After the assault, Torrence frequently parked his police car in front of the woman’s home to stalk and intimidate her. On one of these occasions, Torrence cornered the woman behind her home and sexually assaulted her. With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her home, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body by falsely telling her that he had to “photograph” her injuries. On one occasion, Torrence trapped the woman in her bedroom and sexually assaulted her. The FBI Sacramento Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California.


title: Fresno County Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Michael Dickens, 59, of Clovis, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 12.5 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, between Oct. 21 and Oct. 30, 2020, Dickens used his cellphone and social media to communicate with a person he believed to be a 12-year-old minor, but who was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer. Dickens communicated his desire to engage in sexual activity with the minor, including by sending images and a video of his genitalia to the undercover officer. Dickens drove to an agreed-upon location to meet with the minor and was arrested by law enforcement. This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany M. Gunter and Arin C. Heinz 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: Two Mexican Nationals With Prior Felony Convictions And Multiple Deportations Charged For Illegally Reentering The United States

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – Two Mexican nationals unlawfully residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country. Alfredo Covarrubias-Jimenez, 39, and Victor Manuel Navarro-Quesada, 34, are both charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for October 6, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J Youchah. According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Covarrubias-Jimenez and Navarro-Quesada are both citizens and nationals of Mexico and were both previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally. On September 10, 2025, Covarrubias-Jimenez was remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an ICE detainer. ICE became aware Covarrubias-Jimenez was in Nevada after he was arrested by North Las Vegas Police for Possession of Controlled Substance, Trafficking Controlled Substance, and Own Possess Gun by Prohibited Person. On another occasion, ICE filed a detainer in California after Covarrubias-Jimenez was arrested by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s office on December 1, 2021, for Possess Purchase for Sale Narcotic Controlled Substance and Transport Sale Narcotic Controlled Substance. The California ICE detainer was not honored. Covarrubias-Jimenez had previously been deported five times, and he also has a prior felony conviction for Inflict Corporal Injury on a Spouse out of California. On September 16, 2025, Navarro-Quesada was remanded to the custody of ICE, from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an ICE detainer. On February 6, 2025, ICE learned that Navarro-Quesada was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for Trafficking Controlled Substance and four counts of Possess to Sell Controlled Substance. Navarro-Quesada had previously been deported to Mexico on four occasions. Navarro-Quesada has a prior felony conviction from 2019 out of the District of Colorado for Illegal Reentry after Deportation, the same offense he is currently charged with. If convicted, Covarrubias-Jimenez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. If convicted, Navarro-Quesada faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Acting Director Jason Knight made the announcement. The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case. Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form . A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ###


title: Mexican National Admits Murdering Couple and their Unborn Child During Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, an undocumented Mexican national living in Yakima, Washington, admitted in federal court today that he murdered a man and his six-months-pregnant wife while they were engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy. According to his plea agreement, Madrigal-Birrueta and coconspirators fatally shot 44-year-old Cesar Murillo multiple times in the back of the head and the torso on August 28, 2022, during an argument. The shooting took place at a remote ranch outside of Yakima. Madrigal-Birrueta’s co-conspirators then buried the victim’s body near the ranch at Madrigal’s direction. On September 2, 2022, Madrigal-Birrueta persuaded Murillo’s wife, Maira Hernandez, 33, who was unaware of her husband’s death, to come to the ranch by claiming her husband was waiting for her there. She agreed, and the defendant picked up Hernandez in Yakima and drove her to the ranch. According to admissions in his plea agreement, when the visibly-pregnant Hernandez arrived at the ranch, the defendant’s coconspirators shot her multiple times in the head. Madrigal-Birrueta and his coconspirators then buried Hernandez near the ranch. The child died in utero when Hernandez was shot, killed and buried. Madrigal-Birrueta admitted the murders were committed while he was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy. The plea agreement said Madrigal-Birrueta’s coconspirators owed money to the couple for an unpaid drug debt. Madrigal-Birrueta is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, 2026. The superseding indictment also charges Ricardo Orizaba-Zendejas with being an accessory after the fact to murder and a co-conspirator in Madrigal’s drug trafficking organization. Orizaba-Zendejas is set for trial beginning October 27, 2025 According to court filings, the investigation originated with the seizure of drugs from vehicles entering the United States through San Diego area ports of entry between August and October of 2021. By August of 2022, the investigation led agents to a group of individuals operating out of Yakima. Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) interviewed Murillo and Hernandez. Within days of those interviews, Murillo and Hernandez were murdered and their bodies buried at the Yakima ranch in the high desert. Court filings describe how these charges followed an exhaustive, years’ long investigation that employed geophysicists, ground penetrating radar, aircraft, laser imaging, chemical testing of the soil, numerous cadaver dogs, and other law enforcement techniques to search for the victims’ remains. HSI Special Agents successfully recovered the remains on September 13, 2023, aided by a Washington State Police Crime Scene Investigations team. During the investigation agents seized methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, multiple firearms — including a machine gun — and body armor from Madrigal-Birrueta’s drug trafficking organization, to include the Yakima ranch. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Wong, Alexandra Foster, Mario Peia and Brandon Kimura. DEFENDANTS Case Number 23cr1684-RBM Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta Age: 22 Yakima, WA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Count 4 : Murder of Cesar Murillo in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e) Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years and up to life, or death Count 5 : Murder of Maira Hernandez in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e) Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum twenty years and up to life, or death Count 9 : Causing the Death of a Child in Utero – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1841 and 1111. Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum life in prison or death INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Homeland Security Investigations Drug Enforcement Administration Federal Bureau of Investigation Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington State Police California Highway Patrol Yakima Police Department Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Visalia Police Department Fresno Sheriff’s Office Fresno Police Department *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Oakland Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison For Firearms Trafficking And Possession

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND – Robert Earl Davis was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín handed down the sentence. At the conclusion of a week-long trial in February 2025, a jury found Davis guilty of one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition as a felon. The jury acquitted Davis of a second count of being a felon in possession of firearms. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between August 2020 and December 2021, Davis regularly traveled between Texas and California, purchasing firearms in Texas that he shipped to the East Bay. Davis advertised and sold the firearms for profit using social media platforms and mobile communications. Over this period of time, Davis trafficked and sold dozens of firearms, most of which were illegal under California law. In addition, on Dec. 21, 2022, a federal task force executed a search warrant on Davis’s residence and vehicle, where they found a firearm hidden in a hole in the wall and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in various calibers. United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Topper made the announcement. In addition to the prison term, Judge Martínez-Olguín also sentenced Davis to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan Mateer and Jonah Ross are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kevin Costello, Mark DiCenzo, and Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Worth (TX) Police Department.


title: Lowndes County Man Sentenced in OCDETF Drug Trafficking Case

component: USAO - Mississippi, Northern

body_text: Oxford, MS – A Lowndes County man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for drug trafficking. According to court documents, Jimmy Johns, of Columbus, Mississippi pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to trafficking methamphetamine. Johns was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to 96 months in prison for the charge. He was further sentenced to five years supervised release following his release from prison. “Those who traffic dangerous narcotics into our communities will be held to account,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The partnership between MBN, the Lowndes County S.O., DEA and ATF demonstrates what can be accomplished when each agency acts as a force multiplier for their partners.” “Methamphetamine is one of the most destructive drugs impacting families in our state,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics is proud to work alongside our federal and local partners to protect the citizens of Mississippi and hold traffickers responsible.” The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case. This investigation and resulting case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . This case is also a 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: Two Hondurans Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Arrested for Trafficking Fentanyl in Portland

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.— Two Honduran nationals unlawfully residing in Oregon made their first appearances in federal court today after being arrested for trafficking fentanyl in East Portland. Omar Rodriguez-Salgado, 28, and Cesar Antonio Gutierrez-Doblado, 19, have been charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, on September 18, 2025, investigators observed Rodriguez-Salgado in an area active for drug distribution and attempted to stop his vehicle. After a short pursuit, investigators obtained consent from Rodriguez-Salgado to search his vehicle and seized approximately 274 gross grams of suspected fentanyl, including packaging. Gutierrez-Doblado was arrested after police developed probable cause to believe Gutierrez-Doblado was distributing fentanyl. A search of Gutierrez-Doblado’s person, vehicle, and residence resulted in seizures of more than 3 gross kilograms of suspected fentanyl, including packaging, and approximately $85,885 in cash proceeds from suspected fentanyl trafficking. Both defendants made their first appearances in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Both defendants were ordered detained pending further court proceedings. Arraignments have been scheduled for October 22, 2025. These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Portland Police Bureau, and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, which all participate in the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA). They are being prosecuted by Scott Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives. A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is potentially enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org . Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.


title: Scribner Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Two Counts of Production of Child Pornography

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jordan Vaughn, 34, of Scribner, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 11, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for two counts of production of child pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Vaughn to 360 months on each count of conviction and ordered the sentences to run consecutively to one another, for a total of 720 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Vaughn is released from prison, he will begin a life term of supervised release. The case began when it was discovered Vaughn had been sending images of his genitals to a minor child. Further investigation identified that Vaughn was sexually abusing multiple young children, aged 12 and younger, and preserving digital evidence of the assaults. Vaughn would additionally sexually assault one or more of his victims while the victims were asleep. A search of Vaughn’s phone located a large amount of child pornography in addition to evidence of production of child pornography. Vaughn worked at the Winnebago Police Department in Winnebago, Nebraska in late 2024 and early 2025 but was terminated over the instant offenses. United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods said in response to the conviction and judgment: “The successful investigation and prosecution of this egregious child sex offender not only ended the living nightmares of each vulnerable victim he targeted but also stripped this predator of his police badge and prevented him from carrying a weapon on the Winnebago reservation and having access to more children in the line of duty. The just and appropriate sentence in this case fits the outrageousness and depravity of the unthinkable crimes committed against these innocent children.” This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department in conjunction with the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.


title: Mexican National Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Massachusetts

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


title: CONVICTED FELON PLEADS GUILTY TO FIREARM OFFENSE

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

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Earl Vincent Hudgins III, 32, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners to keep our streets safe, and keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons is a major part of that effort. My office will continue to aggressively pursue prosecutions against repeat offenders, like this defendant, as long as it takes to make our communities safe.” Court documents reflect that on February 16, 2025, Hudgins was driving a vehicle when he was stopped for a traffic infraction. A subsequent search uncovered an AR-style firearm loaded with 15 rounds of .300 caliber ammunition, which he was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon. Later, law enforcement identified multiple posts on Hudgins’ social media showing him in possession of the same firearm that was located during the traffic stop. Hudgins also posted a video during the traffic stop which was captioned, “Bout to go to jail.” Hudgins faces up to fifteen years’ imprisonment as a result of his actions. If Hudgins is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, such term could be followed by up to a three year term of supervised release. Thus, if Hudgins were to violate any conditions of his release, he could potentially face an additional period of incarceration related to violating his supervision. This case was a joint investigated by Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher C. Patterson and Jennifer H. Callahan. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: ESCAPEE CAUGHT AND CHARGED

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Trashad Laron Roberts, 34, Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court and charged with escape of a prisoner subject to lawful custody from a residential treatment facility. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge. Roberts appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick for his arraignment in federal court on September 16, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Trial is set for November 4, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Alan C. Winsor. If convicted, Roberts faces up to five years’ imprisonment. The case is being investigated by the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo. An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Honduran National Faces Minimum of 20 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Multiple Armed Robberies in Austin

body_text: AUSTIN, Texas – A Honduran national pleaded guilty in federal court this week to committing multiple armed robberies. According to court documents, on Dec. 31, 2023, Christian Lopez-Burgos, 27, used a black-over-tan pistol during an attempted robbery of a fast-food restaurant on Interstate Highway 35 in Austin and a convenience store robbery on North Lamar Boulevard in Austin. From the convenience store, Lopez-Burgos and two other masked, armed males stole approximately $6,000 while Lopez-Burgos pointed his pistol at an employee working the cash register. On Jan. 23, 2024, Lopez-Burgos was caught on security video driving the same vehicle from the two previous robberies as he and four co-conspirators robbed another convenience store on North Lamar Boulevard, brandishing firearms at two employees and stealing approximately $5,000 from the store’s cash register. Later that day, Lopez-Burgos arrived in his previously noted vehicle at a vape and smoke shop in San Marcos. He returned four days later, on January 27, 2024, with three other individuals to rob the business, stealing CBD and kratom items, as well as glass pipes, while one of the robbers pointed a shotgun at a store employee and ripped a necklace from the victim’s neck. Lopez-Burgos was also identified as one of three individuals who robbed another convenience store on Lamar Boulevard in Austin on Feb. 3, 2024. In that robbery, Lopez-Burgos and a co-conspirator entered the store brandishing firearms while the third robber served as a lookout at the front door. Lopez-Burgos demanded money from the store employee in a check-cashing room and fired three rounds at the victim in response to an alarm being pressed beneath the employee’s desk. Two other employees in the store then provided approximately $3,000 to the robbers. Lopez-Burgos was arrested in Houston on Feb. 15, 2024, after he attempted to evade police in the same vehicle with which he committed most of the string of armed robberies. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of multiple articles of clothing and items both worn during the robberies and stolen from the robberies, including glass pipes and the necklace stolen from the vape and smoke shop employee. Searches of Lopez-Burgos’s phones revealed a photo of the black-over-tan handgun and internet searches related to robberies in Austin on Dec. 31, 2023. Lopez-Burgos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; two counts of Hobbs Act robbery; two counts of discharge of firearm in furtherance of crime of violence; and one count of brandishing of firearm in furtherance of crime of violence. He faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI along with the Austin, San Marcos, and Houston Police Departments are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keith Henneke, Thomas Parnham and Gabriel Cohen are prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). ###


title: Jury Convicts Illegal Alien for Operating Atlanta-Area Methamphetamine Labs and Unlawfully Possessing a .50 Caliber Rifle

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ATLANTA - Following a five-day federal trial, a jury convicted Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, an illegal alien originally from Michoacan, Mexico, of distributing over 135 kilograms of a liquid methamphetamine mixture and possessing firearms as an illegal alien and in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes. “Without any regard for the safety of our community, Contreras-Sandoval operated two methamphetamine conversion labs in homes in the Atlanta area,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “He also possessed a firearm to protect his methamphetamine operation, as well as a Bushmaster .50 caliber rifle. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement partners, the methamphetamine, weapons, and nearly $100,000 in drug proceeds were seized, and Contreras-Sandoval was convicted by a jury for his crimes.” “This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This guilty verdict is a critical step toward protecting our neighborhoods and ensuring these violent drug traffickers are removed from our streets.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between March 2019 and October 2021, Contreras-Sandoval and Genaro Davalos-Pulido operated two clandestine liquid methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area. On April 23, 2019, DEA agents seized over 135 kilograms of a methamphetamine mixture in paint buckets that Contreras-Sandoval and Davalos-Pulido attempted to transport in a vehicle driven by a conspirator. Both men fled to avoid arrest. In August 2021, DEA located Contreras-Sandoval and Davalos-Pulido at a second methamphetamine conversion lab in a Norcross, Ga. residence. On October 21, 2021, agents searched the home and found Davalos-Pulido inside with a full-scale liquid methamphetamine conversion operation; a loaded firearm on the couch’s center armrest, which also concealed over $84,000 in cash; and a .50 caliber rifle that appeared ready to be shipped to Mexico. Agents arrested Contreras-Sandoval outside the home and found approximately $12,000 in his vehicle and pockets. On September 16, 2025, following a jury trial, Contreras-Sandoval was convicted of all charges against him: one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. Contreras-Sandoval’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled soon. U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Davalos-Pulido to 20 years in federal prison on October 11, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with substantial assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Long Beach (California) Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, Lawrenceville Police Department, and Clayton County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Thomas M. Forsyth, III are prosecuting the case. This case was part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Nicaraguan Man Sentenced to Over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Smuggling More Than 400 Aliens

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A Nicaraguan national was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 63 months in prison for harboring and transporting over 400 illegal aliens between October 2023 and February 2024. According to court documents, Jose David Betanco-Ramirez, 37, conspired with two other individuals to transport and harbor approximately 20 illegal aliens per week for approximately five months. In June 2024, San Antonio Police Department officers investigated a report of human trafficking and sexual assault at a San Antonio address. Upon arrival, officers confirmed that the residence was being used as a stash house for human smuggling and observed the woman who matched the description in the sexual assault report. In a bedroom with the victim, the officers located Betanco-Ramirez. In a separate room, they located co-conspirators Leomar Jose Mendoza-Amador, of Nicaragua, and Rony Jose Gonzalez-Amaya, of Honduras, as well as another Nicaraguan national who was in the U.S. illegally. The residence was reported to be sparsely furnished but with numerous beds in the living room and throughout the house. A search warrant resulted in the recovery of a bag containing nine cell phones. The investigation revealed that the sexual assault victim had entered the U.S. illegally several days prior to the reported incident and was transported along with approximately 60 other undocumented aliens, including other women and children, in the back of a tractor trailer truck before they were shuffled between multiple stash houses. The victim also reported that on the first night in her final stash house, Betanco-Ramirez told the other males that she was “his” and that they were not to touch her. The following night, he sexually assaulted her for the first of two instances. Betanco-Ramirez, Mendoza-Amador and Gonzalez-Amaya were each indicted on April 3, 2024, for one count of conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens and one count of harboring illegal aliens. Betanco pleaded guilty to both charges on April 8, 2025. His two co-defendants pleaded guilty to the alien smuggling charge. Mendoza-Amador and Gonzalez-Amaya were both sentenced to 51 months in federal prison earlier this year. U.S. District Court Judge Xavier Rodriguez presided over the court proceedings. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. ICE and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Spears prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). ###


title: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Enbridge Case

component: Civil Division

body_text: Note: View statement of interest here . The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Civil Division last week filed a statement of interest in a case in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan between Enbridge Energy and the State of Michigan. “The federal government already comprehensively regulates pipeline safety, but Michigan is trying to usurp the Department of Transportation’s statutory authority,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of ENRD. “President Trump has made clear that the United States will not tolerate state overreach that interferes with American energy dominance.” In 2020, Michigan issued a notice terminating Enbridge’s easement for its Line 5 pipeline that traversed underground through the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Michigan issued the notice — which in effect is a safety standard — so it could shut down an international pipeline that provides significant energy to the United States. The United States’ statement notes that the federal Pipeline Safety Act charges the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) with setting nationwide safety standards for interstate pipelines and related infrastructure. By imposing its own safety standards on an interstate (and international) pipeline, Michigan improperly encroached on PHMSA’s exclusive authority under the Pipeline Safety Act. Additionally, the pipeline is subject to a treaty between the United States and Canada. The statement highlights that shutting down this international pipeline interferes with the United States’ exclusive authority in foreign affairs. Chief of Staff and Senior General Counsel John Adams of ENRD filed the motion. Enbridge v. Whitmer - United States SOI.pdf


title: West Virginia Man Sentenced for Federal Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Nelson Cortes, age 50, of Beverly, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 65 months in federal prison for the distribution of methamphetamine. Cortes was selling methamphetamine, sometimes from his home, in Randolph County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. Investigative agencies include the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office; and the Buckhannon Police Department. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Ponte Vedra Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Traffic Firearms And Controlled Substances

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Braden Huston Hobbs (27, Ponte Vedra) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, making a materially false statement to a licensed firearms dealer, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine. Hobbs faces up to 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy offense, up to 10 years’ imprisonment for the false statement offense, and a minimum of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for the drug offense. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. According to court documents and court proceedings, law enforcement began investigating Hobbs after learning that several firearms purchased by him were recovered during unrelated law enforcement investigations. These firearms were recovered in the homes of drug distributors and a convicted felon. Additionally, during a series of controlled purchases conducted in the summer of 2024, agents purchased 11 firearms from two co-conspirators, Alton Wayne Cope III and Jayden Lance Cope, who were also prosecuted. Hobbs was the original purchaser of multiple firearms purchased from the Copes. Cellphone records later showed that Jayden Cope regularly purchased firearms from Hobbs. Further investigation revealed that between March 2022 and June 2024, Hobbs had purchased at least 120 firearms from three different federally licensed firearms dealers in Jacksonville, with 67 of those firearms being purchased between January and June 2024. Hobbs then sold those firearms to others. On multiple occasions, Hobbs advertised firearms for sale to potential customers before acquiring the firearms from the federally licensed firearms dealer. Customers typically paid Hobbs in cash or traded drugs in exchange for the firearms. Hobbs was aware that some of his customers intended to resell the firearms, were drug users, or were drug distributors. Hobbs also asked his co-conspirators to assist him in finding buyers for the firearms and the co-conspirators advertised Hobbs’s firearms for sale. Hobbs told people that he “deal[s]” in firearms. Although he engaged in the business of dealing firearms, Hobbs was not a federally licensed firearms dealer, as required by federal law. When Hobbs purchased the firearms from the federally licensed firearms dealers, he indicated on the required ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual buyer or transferee of the firearms. In addition, Hobbs indicated that he was not a user of or addicted to controlled substances. Both statements were false as Hobbs intended to sell the firearms and therefore was not the actual buyer or transferee of them. Further, he was a habitual user of controlled substances. In addition, Hobbs distributed controlled substances, including over 500 grams of cocaine and Adderall. Hobbs routinely advertised controlled substances for sale and coordinated narcotics transactions. Hobbs often sold the controlled substances to the same individuals to whom he was selling firearms. On June 26, 2024, Hobbs was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for driving under the influence and trafficking in cocaine. During a search of Hobbs’s car, officers seized more than 200 grams of cocaine and 17 grams of Adderall, as well as various items used to package and distribute controlled substances. In related court proceedings, Alton Wayne Cope III was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and conspiring to deal firearms without a license. Jayden Lance Cope has pleaded guilty to conspiring to deal firearms without a license. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 2025. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the North Florida HIDTA Tri-County Narcotics Task Force with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods.


title: Sex Offender Sentenced To Ten Years For Possession Of Child Sex Abuse Material

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Michael Alan Schumaker (57, Port Richey) to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). Schumaker pleaded guilty on May 16, 2025. According to court documents, in 2021, law enforcement received a cyber tip about a user uploading images of CSAM to a social media platform. The investigation led to Schumaker, a registered sexual offender. Law enforcement located more than 25 images and 23 videos of CSAM on Schumaker’s cellphone. Schumaker admitted to viewing the CSAM. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Six-Time Deported Guatemalan National Indicted For Illegal Reentry Into The United States

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Godinez-Mendoza (39, Guatemala) with illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Godinez-Mendoza faces up to two years in federal prison and subsequent deportation and removal from the United States. According to court documents, Godinez-Mendoza was previously removed from the United States on six separate occasions from December 29, 2011, through his most recent deportation on December 28, 2018. Godinez-Mendoza has never applied to U.S. immigration authorities for permission to lawfully reenter the United States. On September 7, 2025, Godinez-Mendoza was found voluntarily back in the United States in the St. Augustine area, where he was encountered during a traffic stop by a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. On September 11, 2025, he was arrested by federal agents and detained pending trial in this case. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the United States Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime and human trafficking.


title: Haitian National Sentenced to 108 Months’ Imprisonment and a $1,000,000 Fine as Leader of International Cocaine-Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 18, 2025, Jean Eliobert Jasme, a/k/a “ED1,” “Eddy One,” and “Tio Loco” (age: 63) of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison, 4 years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine after having pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, intending, knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 963, 959(a), and 960(b)(2)(B). According to court documents, between February 2019 and March 2022, Jasme arranged to smuggle bulk quantities of cocaine along routes that led to the United States. Jasme, an established Caribbean-based cocaine smuggler, operated primarily in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and caused cocaine to be transported from Colombia or Venezuela to Haiti or the Dominican Republic and then to the Bahamas and the United States. Jasme had personnel, planes, and boats readily available to move cocaine along these routes. For his services, Jasme charged a commission, which varied between 25% and 30% of the cocaine load. In early 2022, Jasme was arranging the shipment of up to 4,000 kilograms (over 8,800 pounds) of cocaine from Colombia to the Bahamas through Haiti using a Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft. In a message to his Colombian cocaine broker, Jasme said: “You know, 4000 [kilograms] is nothing, brother. I can schedule that on the C90, 500 [kilograms] per trip, two trips a week without any headaches. In four weeks, we have 4000 [kilograms] here [i.e., Haiti]. In three months, I tell you, three months, the maximum of four months, put four thousand [kilograms] again . . .. I have people who are waiting for work, who are waiting for food [i.e., cocaine]. Big people who are buying for 500 [kilograms], 400 [kilograms], buying a thousand [kilograms], so you know.” Law enforcement intervened before Jasme completed this shipment, and in March 2022, Jasme was arrested by the Haitian National Police and ultimately expelled to the United States to face prosecution. The DEA Port-au-Prince Country Office and the Milwaukee DEA Field Office investigated this case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Haitian National Government, including the Haitian Ministry of Justice, the Haitian National Police and La Brigade de Lutte contre le Trafic de Stupéfiants (BLTS), provided assistance in this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. Brady, Jr. and Gail J. Hoffman of the Eastern District of Wisconsin prosecuted the case. # # # For further information contact: Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero (414) 297-1700 Follow us on X


title: Three-Time Convicted Felon Faces Federal Charges after Purple Fentanyl and Numerous Weapons Seized

body_text: Atlanta – Dontrell Lamar Brown, a three-time convicted felon, was arraigned in federal court earlier today on charges related to his alleged distribution of large amounts of “purple” fentanyl and possession of numerous firearms in his Midtown Atlanta condominium. Brown’s girlfriend, Karleah Edwards, also faces charges for allegedly moving the fentanyl out of Brown’s condominium to conceal it from law enforcement. “Despite three prior drug felony convictions, Brown allegedly continued his criminal activities by distributing fentanyl and illegally possessing numerous weapons to protect his drugs and money,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Due to strong law enforcement partnerships, Brown now faces serious federal drug and weapons charges, and his lethal fentanyl and weapons cache are off of the street.” “This case exemplifies the importance of collaboration among law enforcement agencies,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian “Chris” Johnson. “By working together, we can effectively combat the threats posed by drug traffickers and keep our neighborhoods safe from violence and illegal firearms.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 19, 2025, Brown was arrested on outstanding warrants after he fled from a traffic stop in DeKalb County. While in the DeKalb County Jail, Brown allegedly made recorded jail calls instructing Edwards, in coded language, to remove drugs from his midtown condominium and give them to another individual. Using a ruse concocted by Brown, Edwards allegedly gained access to the condominium and removed a briefcase containing over eight pounds of fentanyl. The DeKalb County Police Department later recovered this “purple” fentanyl at a residence in Stone Mountain. On June 24, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Brown’s condominium and seized six firearms scattered throughout the residence, including a rifle with a large capacity magazine, over $30,000 in cash, a wrapper containing purple residue, a kilogram press, and a money counter. Brown has three prior felony convictions from the Gwinnett County Superior Court, including sale of methamphetamine and cocaine, in 2015; possession of cocaine, in 2017; and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and theft by receiving stolen property, in 2023. Dontrell Lamar Brown, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2025, on charges of conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment also charges Karleah Edwards, 26, of Scottdale, Georgia, with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the DeKalb County Police Department’s HIDTA, Narcotics, and Gang Units. Valuable assistance has been provided by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Herskowitz is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov . For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Judge convicts Kansas man of receiving child pornography

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal judge convicted a Kansas man of receiving child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) after a bench trial. Frank Castro, 50, of Kansas City, Kansas, was found guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography. In September 2020, Castro used social media to exchange messages with Antonio Galicia of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Galicia offered to send Castro a video Galicia made of himself sexually abusing a young child. Galicia then used an app to send Castro the video file containing CSAM. Castro knowingly accepted and viewed the video file containing CSAM. Later while the Milwaukee Police Department was investigating Galicia for a series of child sex crimes, officers found evidence of the video transmission to Castro and passed the information on to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Castro is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2025, and faces a penalty of five to twenty years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey McCormick and Scott Rask are prosecuting the case. Project Safe Childhood 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Lackawanna County Business Owners Plead Guilty To Failing To Pay Employment Taxes

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Vincent Guntur, age 34, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and Angelica Jones, age 65, of Hauppauge, New York, both pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to one count of failure to remit employment taxes. Both Guntur and Jones were charged by criminal information on September 9, 2025. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, from approximately 2018 through the third quarter of 2024, Guntur and Jones owned and operated four companies, Mega & G Inc., Yoagen LLC, Phoenix 89 LLC, and Starlight & Sun Inc., and engaged in the business of temporary employee staffing, that is, leasing temporary employees to other companies, such as food services companies. As individuals who exercised control over the companies’ financial affairs, both Guntur and Jones were persons responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over to the Internal Revenue Service employment taxes for their companies’ employees. Guntur and Jones, however, willfully failed to collect, account for, and pay more than $1.3 million in employment taxes due and owing to the IRS during that timeframe. Both Guntur and Jones agreed to make full restitution of the employment taxes due and owing to the IRS as part of their sentence. “Business owners have a responsibility to withhold income taxes for their employees and then remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service,” stated Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office. The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle A. Moreno prosecuted the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. # # #


title: Indian National Charged with Making a False Statement in the Attempted Acquisition of a Firearm

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Harkamal Singh, 34, of Ludhana, India, has been charged by criminal complaint with making a false statement to a federal firearms licensee during the attempted purchase of a firearm. On September 18, 2025, Singh had his initial court appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. A detention hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 1:00pm in Burlington before Magistrate Judge Doyle. Singh remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending that hearing. According to court records, it is alleged that Singh falsely indicated that he had lawful status in the United States when he filled out ATF Form 4473 during the attempted purchase of a firearm, when Singh knew that he did not have lawful status to be in the United States. The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Singh is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Singh faces up to ten years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) and the United States Border Patrol. The prosecutor is Special Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham. Singh is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Emily Kenyon. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: 75-Year-Old Toa Baja Man Arrested for Child Exploitation Charges

component: USAO - Puerto Rico

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez, a 75-year-old man from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Today, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Collazo-Pérez. According to court documents, on or about September 15, 2024, Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez attempted to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a six-year-old female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child exploitation material. Moreover, from March 2021 through August 2025, the defendant knowingly transported images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct via the internet using a computer and knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view digital videos and images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct saved on the defendant’s laptop, cellular phone, and other electronic devices. Collazo-Pérez is facing one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children; one count for transportation of child exploitation material; and one count of possession of child exploitation material. “The Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners will aggressively investigate and prosecute those criminals who seek to exploit and harm children,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I thank the dedicated HSI agents and prosecutors who investigated and charged this case for their tireless efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our community. This type of exploitation of children has no place in civilized society.” “In the last thirty days, HSI has arrested four individuals on child exploitation charges. This is an alarming number; this individual has an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material that is appalling. Child predators have no age limit, no profile, this 75-year-old man hid behind the trust of his community while gathering an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material. Crimes like these inflict lasting harm, not only on the victims but also on the hearts of our neighborhoods. His age gave the communities a false sense of security. We will never allow age, status, or circumstances to shield predators from accountability. Our mission is clear, to protect children and bring every offender to justice,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Juan (Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands). Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation. If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) attempted sexual exploitation of a minor – a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; (2) transportation of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and (3) possession of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov . To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to IntelHSISanJuan@hsi.dhs.gov . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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. 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: Hope Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Arkansas, Western

body_text: TEXARKANA – A Hope man was sentenced yesterday to 144 months in federal prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for distributing child pornography. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Texarkana. According to court documents, Bradley Hunter Cox , age 36, used an online social media platform to distribute child pornography to multiple users. Cox’s crime came to light after agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in Washington D.C. discovered Cox was distributing child pornography to a recipient in their area. Local FBI agents then conducted a search warrant at Cox’s residence and confirmed that he had, in fact, distributed child pornography. Cox later admitted to distributing files using three separate social media platforms and to creating groups for distribution purposes. Cox was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in July of 2024 and entered a plea of guilty in January of 2025. U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Arkansas State Police, Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office, and Hope Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case was prosecuted 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 www.justice.gov/psc . Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov .


title: Texarkana Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: TEXARKANA – A Texarkana man was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 168 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing over a kilogram of pure methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court at Texarkana. According to court records, on March 26, 2024, Miller County Sheriff’s Office investigators executed a search warrant at the Texarkana, Arkansas, residence of Christopher D. Nard , age 40, also known as “Killa Chris.” Inside Nard’s residence, investigators found and seized approximately 2.3 pounds of methamphetamine, a loaded firearm, and a large amount of cash. Following Miranda warnings, Nard admitted he had been trafficking pound quantities of the drug weekly for some time. U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement. The Miller County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case. Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov .


title: Kalamazoo Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Keith Smith, 46, from Kalamazoo, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. VerHey said, “A thirty-year sentence is a long time, but Keith Smith worked hard to earn it. He got federal attention because his drug trafficking was killing people in Kalamazoo. Nothing short of a long prison term will stop Smith from dealing drugs: When we charged him, Smith already had many drug convictions in state court, and he went right back to moving large amounts of methamphetamine, while illegally armed with guns, while under federal court supervision. The community is safer without Smith in it.” In 2022, investigators used a confidential informant to buy a pound of methamphetamine from Keith Smith. They subsequently searched Smith’s home, where a woman was found dead from drug poisoning, and seized more than two kilograms of methamphetamine from inside the residence. They also searched Smith’s car and found fentanyl, cocaine, and a stolen pistol. A federal grand jury indicted Smith for that conduct and he was released on bond. While free, investigators found that Smith was still dealing drugs. On January 13, 2025, police caught Smith with a package containing more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine. Smith was a career offender under the federal sentencing guidelines based on his offense conduct in this case and his criminal history, which included more than ten prior felony convictions, including six for dealing drugs. “Mr. Smith is a career criminal. We hope this sentence sends a message to those who continue to commit criminal activity in and around Kalamazoo,” said Captain Michael Ferguson of the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET). “Through DEA’s combined efforts with KVET and the U.S. Postal Inspectors Service, we are able to take another violent criminal off the streets and prevent the poisoning and potential overdoses of many American citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton. “This was an individual who showed no remorse in his criminal actions by continuing to bring lethal amounts of narcotics into the communities while awaiting adjudication for other extremely serious and harmful crimes. Yesterday’s sentencing will reflect the seriousness of Mr. Smith’s crimes and bring a small measure of relief in western Michigan.” This case was investigated by KVET, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Austin Hakes, Dan McGraw, Jonathan Roth, Olivia Ghiselli, and Alex Jansen.


title: Federal Jury Finds Domestic Abuser Guilty of Fourth Illegal Reentry into the United States

component: USAO - Indiana, Southern

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- A federal jury has found Gilberto Hernandez-Sanchez, 29, of Mexico, guilty of illegal reentry of a removed alien. According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Hernandez-Sanchez was removed from the United States to Mexico in 2021. In 2024, he was arrested at the Plainfield, Indiana Correctional Facility, where he had been incarcerated following a state conviction for domestic battery. Hernandez-Sanchez had previously been removed from the United States on four separate occasions. His initial entry occurred on August 5, 2014, when he crossed the Mexican border into the United States without legal documentation or authorization to apply for admission and was promptly removed. He unlawfully re-entered the country and was removed twice more that same month. At an undetermined later date, Hernandez-Sanchez re-entered the United States and was again removed in November 2021. Undeterred, he re-entered in 2022 and was subsequently convicted on state charges. Hernandez-Sanchez has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for false informing, public intoxication endangering the life of another, domestic battery, battery resulting in bodily injury, and domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this case. U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon presided over the trial and will sentence Hernandez-Sanchez at a later date. U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Haney and Adam Eakman, who are 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). ###


title: Columbus woman pleads guilty to committing bankruptcy fraud using stolen or fake identities

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Latasha Collins-Ford, 50, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to bankruptcy fraud. Collins-Ford admitted to renting homes using stolen or fictitious identities, failing to pay rent, and then filing bankruptcy petitions to delay eviction. Once the bankruptcy petitions were discharged or dismissed, Collins-Ford would move on to a new rental home and use a new identity to repeat the scheme. According to court documents, Collins-Ford committed bankruptcy fraud on at least three occasions between 2019 and 2023 while renting three separate residences and using three different identities. She pleaded guilty today to bankruptcy fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Tyler J. Aagard is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Man Pleads Guilty in March 2025 Shooting and March 2025 Carjacking; Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty in Same Carjacking

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Keon Preston, 19, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in Superior Court for a shooting that occurred in the afternoon on March 23, 2025, and an armed carjacking that occurred later that same day. Mekhi Greene, 19, of Washington, D.C., also pleaded guilty for the carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Preston pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to assault with intent to kill, possession of a machine gun, and carjacking. Greene pleaded guilty in the Superior Court to carjacking. Sentencing is scheduled for December 19, 2025, before the Honorable Judge Deborah Israel. Carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years of incarceration. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 4:11 p.m., on March 23, 2025, in the 4600 block of G Street Southeast, Preston and two other unidentified suspects fired approximately 30 rounds at a victim as the victim exited his house and walked towards a bus stop. The victim was not hit, but multiple rounds struck the victim’s house and car. Later that same day, at approximately 9:19 p.m., in the 3500 block of East Capitol Street Northeast, Preston, Greene, and two unidentified suspects, wearing masks and dark clothing, carjacked a victim at gunpoint. MPD officers canvassed the area, spotted the vehicle, and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle abruptly pulled into a dead end on the corner of 33rd Street Southeast and C Street Southeast. The defendants fled on foot but were caught by police. Officers recovered two illegal firearms from the vehicle, one of which had an automatic conversion switch. Preston and Greene were arrested at the scene and have been in custody since. Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green.


title: Marketer Sentenced for $11.5M Genetic Testing Fraud and Kickback Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Robert Desselle, 47, was sentenced today in Tampa, Florida, to 57 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks. Desselle pleaded guilty in February 2025. In addition, Desselle was ordered to pay $4.5 million in restitution and to forfeit $2.1 million of the criminal proceeds. According to court documents, Desselle and his co-conspirators convinced Medicare beneficiaries to take genetic tests that they did not need. Desselle paid other marketers, who were not medical professionals, to recruit vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries at grocery stores, pharmacies, or car dealerships and persuade them to take the tests using deceptive methods. Desselle then bribed a telemedicine company to supply doctors’ orders for the tests. The orders and test kits were then sent to clinical laboratories who paid Desselle and his co-conspirators kickbacks in exchange for the referrals. From June 2018 to December 2020, Desselle and his co-conspirators caused the laboratories to bill $11.5 million to Medicare. Medicare paid out $4.5 million on these claims. Desselle personally earned over $2.1 million from the scheme. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) investigated the case. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank for HHS-OIG made the announcement. Trial Attorney Charles D. Strauss of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted 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: Two New Caney individuals charged for firebombing Buddhist temple

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – Two Montgomery County residents have been indicted in connection with the November 2023 firebombing of the Huyen Trang Buddhist Meditation Center, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Austin Willard Tanton, 28, and Kayla Lynn Thompson, 31, have been charged with conspiracy to commit malicious use of explosive materials and using explosive materials in the commission of a felony. Tanton is also charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device. They are expected to make their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho at 2 p.m. “The use of firebombs to attack a place of worship is a direct threat to the safety and peace of our community,” said Ganjei. “No one should fear being attacked in their house of worship. The Southern District will continue working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who seek to spread fear and violence through acts of hate or intimidation.” According to the charges, on Nov. 5, 2023, Tanton allegedly threw a crude incendiary device, known as a Molotov cocktail, through a window of the temple, igniting a fire that damaged a rug and flooring inside the building. Monks who had been asleep in the temple awoke and quickly extinguished the fire, which caused smoke damage and forced the temple to close temporarily, according to the charges. The indictment alleges that four individuals, including the center’s head nun, were inside. According to the charges, surveillance video captured a vehicle stopping near the property gate late at night. After the vehicle left, a man allegedly approached the building, broke a window screen, ignited a gasoline-filled jar and threw it inside before fleeing on foot. The charges alleged the authorities later identified Tanton as the suspect and Thompson as the driver of the vehicle. The two allegedly conspired together, along with others, to carry out the attack on the Buddhist worship center. “On Nov. 5, 2023, Austin Tanton and Kayla Thompson allegedly conspired to burn down the Huyen Trang Temple in New Caney, TX,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “Their purported actions intimidated a peaceful community, shattered the safety of a neighborhood, and struck at the heart of American religious freedom. For nearly two years, dedicated FBI Houston investigators worked jointly with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Houston to bring justice in this case. The arrests of Tanton and Thompson make clear that the right to practice one’s faith without fear is a cornerstone of our democracy and will be fiercely defended by the FBI.” “The deliberate use of firebombs to target a house of worship is both a violent crime and a direct attack on the sense of safety in our community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel. “ATF remains committed to working alongside our federal, state and local partners to investigate and bring to justice anyone who seeks to spread fear and destruction through explosives and fire.” If convicted, they both face up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit malicious use of explosive materials and use of explosive materials in commission of a felony. Tanton could also face an additional 10 years, served consecutively, and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted of possessing an unregistered destructive device. The FBI and ATF conducted the investigation with the significant assistance of Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Weinhold and Anthony Franklyn are prosecuting the case. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Former Yonkers Teacher Sentenced To 25 Years In Connection With Sexual Exploitation Of Minor Student

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that SANDY CARAZAS-PINEZ was sentenced to 25 years in prison for enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. CARAZAS-PINEZ’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan, who also presided over her guilty plea. “Sexual exploitation by teachers offends every New Yorker,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Sandy Carazas-Pinez betrayed her role and, through explicit texts and other means, coerced a 16-year-old into a sexual relationship. Actions of this type by anyone, particularly a teacher or other person of trust, will not be tolerated.” According to the court documents and statement made during court proceedings: CARAZAS-PINEZ was a high school teacher at a school for kindergarten through 12th grade students located in Yonkers, New York (“School-1”). From in or around November 2022 through February 2023, CARAZAS-PINEZ abused her position as a teacher at School-1 by inducing and attempting to induce a student (“Minor Victim-1”) at School-1 into a sexual relationship with CARAZAS-PINEZ. Minor Victm-1 was 16 years old at the time of the abuse. CARAZAS-PINEZ singled out Minor Victim-1 for personal attention at School-1. In addition, CARAZAS-PINEZ induced Minor Victim-1 to engage in sexual activity with her by leading Minor Victim-1 to believe that they were in a romantic relationship. CARAZAS-PINEZ used her personal cellphone to call, text, and video call Minor Victim-1 to arrange sexual encounters and to repeatedly induce Minor Victim-1 to engage in live-streamed sexually explicit conduct while on video calls with CARAZAS-PINEZ. In text messages with Minor Victim-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ referred to her sexual encounters with Minor Victim-1 and the live depictions of sexually explicit conduct she induced Minor Victim-1 to create as “gifts.” CARAZAS-PINEZ also used her personal cellphone to send Minor Victim-1 sexually suggestive photographs of herself along with sexually explicit text messages. After sending the photographs and messages, CARAZAS-PINEZ instructed Minor Victim-1 to delete them and inquired repeatedly as to whether Minor Victim-1 had done so. To facilitate their sexual encounters outside the premises of School-1, CARAZAS-PINEZ directed Minor Victim-1 in text messages to obtain day passes from School-1 to be permitted to leave campus. CARAZAS-PINEZ then met Minor Victim-1 at a location near School-1’s campus and drove Minor Victim-1 to another location. On multiple occasions, while parked in CARAZAS-PINEZ’s car at various locations, including in or around the Bronx, Yonkers, and Staten Island, New York, CARAZAS-PINEZ engaged in sexual intercourse and other sexual acts, and attempted to do so, with Minor Victim-1. * * * In addition to the prison term, CARAZAS-PINEZ, 36, of Bethel, Connecticut, was sentenced to five years of supervised release. Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department for their outstanding work in this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi S. Steiner is in charge of the prosecution.


title: St. Augustine Man Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Robert George Morgen, Jr. has pleaded guilty to willfully making a false tax return. Morgen faces up to three years in federal prison. He has also agreed to pay $280,910 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). His sentencing date has not yet been set. According to court documents, in March 2019, Morgen submitted a false tax return for the 2017 tax year. Morgen knew that when he signed his tax return that his gross receipts and income were higher than reported. Due to multiple years of false reporting, Morgen owes the IRS $280,910 in back taxes. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Semi-Automatic Pistol While on Parole

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

body_text: WASHINGTON – Ricky Corey Watkins, 33, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison in connection with his possession of a semiautomatic pistol while on parole for several weapons offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Watkins pleaded guilty May 30 before U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 37-month prison sentence, Judge Howell ordered Watkins to serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were called March 19 to the Harrison Recreation Center, on the 1300 block of V Street, Northwest, for a report of someone who was riding a dirt bike on the baseball field. Watkins, who was driving the dirt bike, was handcuffed and detained for operating the dirt bike in a public space. Watkins complained of an injury, and police called D.C. Fire and Emergency Services. After an examination by emergency services personnel, police asked Watkins if he needed to be transported to a hospital. When Watkins said “yes,” police told him he would need to be searched before getting in the ambulance. Watkins stood up and attempted to run. As Watkins ran down 13 th Street with his hands cuffed behind his back, a tan-colored firearm fell from his person to the ground. Police caught Watkins hiding behind a pickup truck in an alley after a brief chase. Officers recovered a 9mm Glock Model 19X semiautomatic pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and outfitted with a laser sight attachment. Watkins has several prior felony convictions and was sentenced to 24 months for a 2010 charge of carrying a pistol without a license. In 2012 he was convicted of four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of aggravated assault while armed, one count of second degree cruelty to children, and two counts of destruction of property and was on parole for those offenses when he was arrested in this case. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the ATF Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson. 25cr94