title: Former Youth Pastor Sentenced for Coercion of a Minor and Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A former youth pastor was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Chaz Chinsethagid, 34, of Jenks, to serve 168 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Chinsethagid will also be required to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, from December 2023 through March 2024, Chinsethagid knowingly entered an online chat room. He engaged in several conversations and initiated a conversation with someone he believed to be 14 years old. Chinsethagid spoke with the 14-year-old about school and quickly turned the conversation sexual. He then attempted to entice the 14-year-old to participate in a video call or provide sexually explicit photos. Chinsethagid further admitted to possessing explicit videos and images of children, some under 12 years old, engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Chinsethagid will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC .


title: Member of ‘21st and Vietnam’ Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to More than 12 Years in Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Damien Jenkins, 35, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 151 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization known as the “21 st and Vietnam” crew. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Jenkins pleaded guilty on Feb. 11, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, as well as cocaine, N-n-dimethylpentalone, also known as “boot,” and phencyclidine, aka PCP. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Jenkins to serve five years of supervised release. According to court documents, Jenkins is a member of the “21 st and Vietnam” crew, an organization that distributed narcotics – primarily fentanyl and cocaine – in an open-air market and apartment building in the area of the 1900 block of I Street, NE. Among other things, the crew took over a vacant apartment for use as a base of operations and used it to process, prepare, and package the drugs for redistribution. Sales occurred at the front of the building, in the apartment, and in a parking lot at the rear of the apartment. Law enforcement identified Jenkins as being involved in the manufacture, packaging, and sale of drugs. Jenkins has admitted that he was accountable for 1.2 to 3.9 kilos of fentanyl, as well as cocaine, boot, and PCP. Additionally, on March 7, 2024, several crew members engaged in a verbal altercation with an individual. Co-defendant Charles Manson went into the vacant apartment and Jenkins handed Manson a ski mask. Manson, who was in possession of a firearm, put on the mask. Manson then went outside of 1919 I Street, NE, and opened fire in the direction of the indivIdual. On May 15, 2024, about 6 a.m., law enforcement executed a search warrant at Jenkins’s residence. Law enforcement recovered an AK pattern firearm, a Ruger .380 caliber handgun, a Sterling Arms .22 caliber handgun, weapon magazines, dozens of rounds of ammunition, and $3,342 in cash. This case was investigated by the MPD, the DEA Washington Division, and FBI Washington Field Offce. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Duvall and Solomon Eppel. 24cr226


title: Prior sex offender from North Dakota who groomed a child online and sexually assaulted her after traveling to Wisconsin receives 30 years in federal prison

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 15, 2025, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Kelly J. Rosemore (age: 43) to 30 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by life on supervised release, after Rosemore pled guilty to child enticement and committing a felony sex offense against a minor as a registered sex offender, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2422 and 2260A. According to court records, in late 2023, Rosemore was living in North Dakota where he was required to register as a sex offender based on a prior felony sex offense against a minor from 2010. Before December 2023, Rosemore met a 14-year-old female from Wisconsin in an online platform. Unknown to the child’s family, Rosemore groomed her for months, including by sending her sexually explicit chats and photos. In March and April 2024, despite knowing the child was 14 years old, Rosemore twice traveled to the Green Bay area where he rented hotel rooms and sexually assaulted her, which included violent acts, restricting her breathing, restraining her wrists, and taking sexually explicit pictures of her while she was blindfolded. The child subsequently reported the sexual assaults to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, Rosemore had returned to North Dakota and sent the child a sexually explicit photo of her that she did not know he had taken, threatening to extort her. The Brown County Sheriff’s Office coordinated its investigation with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal investigation, which arrested Rosemore and obtained incriminating evidence from his phone and vehicle. Rosemore was extradited to Wisconsin by the Brown County District Attorney’s Office, and he has remained in continuous custody as state and federal prosecutors worked collaboratively toward the outcome. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach emphasized that Rosemore was previously convicted and sentenced to prison for the same conduct, and that he had again targeted a child, whom he repeatedly and cruelly sexually assaulted. The judge said that Rosemore’s conduct called for a lengthy prison term to achieve just punishment, deterrence, and protecting the public. The investigation was spearheaded by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with critical assistance from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Funnell. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: St. Louis Area Man Accused of Fentanyl, Meth Dealing

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A man accused of involvement in methamphetamine and fentanyl dealing was arrested by the FBI in Richmond Heights, Missouri Friday. Albert James, 47, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded not guilty Friday. The indictment accuses James of agreeing with others in 2021 to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth and 400 grams of fentanyl. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $18,920 in cash. In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards said the charges related to a traffic stop in Oklahoma, when James was caught with pounds of meth and fentanyl. “This is part of a larger on-going investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Perpetrators should not underestimate the FBI’s expertise, resources, and tenacity to dismantle criminal networks.” Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of at least 10 years, with a maximum term of life. Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The FBI and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.


title: Keshena Man Sentenced for Fatal Drug Delivery in Tribal Detention Facility

body_text: Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 16, 2025, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Warren Grignon (age 43) of Keshena, Wisconsin, to 12 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl he smuggled into the Menominee Tribal Jail, which led to three overdoses, one of which was fatal. Those actions led to the February 7, 2025, entry of guilty pleas to charges of involuntary manslaughter and distribution of controlled substances. Grignon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the distribution of controlled substances count and a concurrent 8 years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter count. According to court records, Grignon was booked into the tribal jail on December 22, 2023, and moved into a cell with other inmates on December 23, 2023. Grignon distributed a substance containing fentanyl to three other inmates, who ingested the drug that afternoon. All three inmates overdosed, and responding jail personnel, tribal police, and EMTs managed to revive two of the inmates. Tragically, one of the inmates died. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach noted that the serious nature of the offense and the profound effect Grignon’s actions had on the community required a lengthy prison term. Following his 12-year prison sentence, Grignon will be on supervised release for an additional 10 years. He was also ordered to pay $6,943 in restitution to the victim’s family. The Menominee Tribal Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier in the United States District Court in Green Bay. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Four Men Arrested For Illegal Reentry During Immigration Enforcement Operation In Sumter County

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Henry Noe Murillo Castellanos (29, Honduras), Juan Diaz Mendez (29, Mexico), Esteban Pashanno Gomez (30, Mexico), and Hermilo Jimenez Vazquez (23, Mexico) have been arrested on federal criminal complaints charging them with illegal reentry after being previously deported or removed from the United States. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison. These arrests took place during an immigration enforcement operation carried out in in Sumter County during the week of May 12, 2025. According to court records, Murillo Castellanos had been previously deported from the United States on at least three occasions; Diaz Mendez had two prior deportations; Pashanno Gomez and Jimenez Vazquez each had one prior removal. None of these individuals applied for or received permission from the Attorney General, or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to return to the United States. These cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Florida Highway Patrol. They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton. The investigations are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Middletown Man Admits Role in Scheme that Defrauded Connecticut’s Medicaid Program of More Than $1.8 Million

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RAMON APELLANIZ, also known as “Kristopher Rockefeller” and “Kris,” 40, of Middletown, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a health care fraud offense related to a Medicaid fraud scheme. The Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP) is a Connecticut Department of Social Services-administered program that provides medical assistance to low income persons. CTMAP’s benefit packages, referred to as “HUSKY” or “Connecticut Medicaid,” are jointly funded by the State of Connecticut and the federal government. According to court documents and statements made in court, Apellaniz previously operated The Gemini Project, LLC (“Gemini”), a Newington-based business that offered counseling to patients with mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. According to the State of Connecticut’s public license database, Apellaniz is not a licensed provider. In 2020, Apellaniz was charged by the state with larceny, health care fraud, and identity theft offenses related to his providing services to numerous Medicaid beneficiaries as a non-licensed provider, and Gemini billing Medicaid for those services, or for services that were not rendered at all. Medicaid paid Gemini and Apellaniz $909,268 for the false claims. Apellaniz pleaded nolo contendere and, on April 17, 2024, was sentenced in Hartford Superior Court to eight years in prison, execution suspended after 15 months, and five years of parole. He was released from Department of Correction custody on November 19, 2024. Suhail Aponte was the sole principal and registered agent of Minds Cornerstone LLC, dba Minds Cornerstone Behavior Therapy Services (“Minds Cornerstone”), an Autism Specialist Group, which was registered with the State of Connecticut in June 2021. Aponte also in not a licensed provider. Although Apellaniz does not appear on any of Minds Cornerstone’s Medicaid enrollment forms, had no ownership interest in the company, and had no signatory authority to any of its bank accounts, he conspired with Aponte and ran the company under a pseudonym, including while he was incarcerated in state custody. Beginning in approximately November 2021, Apellaniz and Aponte used Minds Cornerstone to defraud the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting fraudulent claims for applied behavior analysis (“ABA”) services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (“ASD”). The scheme involved billing for Medicaid for services purportedly rendered to patients when company payroll records indicate employees were not compensated for the associated services; direct supervision services purportedly provided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (“BCBA”) of a behavioral technician, when the corresponding procedure code for behavioral technician services was not billed; services purportedly rendered to patients who were actually in an inpatient hospital; and services purportedly rendered when parents of patients and former employees of Minds Cornerstone confirmed those services did not occur. Between November 2021 and January 2025, Apellaniz and Aponte submitted or caused to be submitted to Medicaid fraudulent claims that resulted in a loss of approximately $1,876,617 to the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The investigation revealed that Apellaniz used some of the funds Minds Cornerstone received to pay a portion of the restitution he owes as a result of his state prosecution. From approximately May 2022 until November 2024, Aponte was also employed by the State of Connecticut in the Office of Policy and Management. Apellaniz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for August 15. Apellaniz has been detained since his arrest on January 16, 2025. Aponte pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 30 and awaits sentencing. Apellaniz and Aponte have agreed to the forfeiture of approximately $469,000 in funds seized during the investigation, as well their interest in additional bank accounts and two parcels of land in Hartford. This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 153 Border-Related Cases This Week

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 153 border-related cases this week, including charges of assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city). In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here . A sample of border-related arrests this week: On May 11, Mario Santiago-Velasquez, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in The United States. According to a complaint, Santiago-Velasquez was previously convicted of five immigration crimes and Malicious Destruction of Property. On May 12, Juan Jose Perez-Garcia, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of five immigration-related offenses including felony reentry-after-deportation in 2023, was sentenced in federal court to seven months in custody for again entering the U.S. illegally. On May 13, Juan Nazario Lizarraga Peralta, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Lizarraga was attempting to enter the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry when he was intercepted by Customs and Border Patrol agents with seven pounds of fentanyl and 11 pounds of cocaine strapped to his body. On May 13, Oscar Echevarria-Luque, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with illegal importation of cocaine. According to a complaint, Luque applied for entry through the Calexico, California East Port of Entry in a Kenworth truck towing a car hauler. Upon inspection of the trailer, Customs and Border Protection officers found 92.18kg (203.22 pounds) of cocaine concealed in the frame of the trailer. On May 14, Ernesto Alejandro Rodriguez Gallegos, a Mexican national, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Rodriguez attempted to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry with 135 pounds of cocaine hidden in his vehicle. Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases: On May 16, Serafin Abelino-Medel, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, and threatening crime with intent to terrorize, was sentenced in federal court to 15 months in custody for again entering the United States illegally. On May 16, Isaac Lopez-Rodriguez, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault in 2015, was sentenced in federal court to two years in custody for again entering the U.S illegally. Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community. The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners. Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: CEO of Financial Firm Sentenced to Prison for Running a Multimillion Dollar Fraud

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Carlos Manuel da Silva Santos, the founder and chief executive officer of San Diego-based Ethos Asset Management, Inc., which offered financing to domestic and international businesses, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for tricking borrowers into paying him more than $17 million in up-front loan fees for nothing in return – conduct that U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie described as “reprehensible.” Santos pleaded guilty in January 2025 to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in connection with his advance-fee loan scam through his company, Ethos. Santos, a Portuguese national, has been in custody since his arrest on November 13, 2023, in Newark, New Jersey, after arriving in the United States from abroad. According to his plea agreement, Santos admitted he and co-conspirators held Ethos out to the public as a “full-service project financing” company that offered loans to prospective borrowers in exchange for an upfront fee as collateral for Ethos to use. However, on many occasions when a borrower gave Ethos the upfront fee as collateral, Ethos’ funding never materialized. To induce prospective borrowers to send Ethos an upfront fee as collateral and enter into loan agreements, Santos and his co-conspirators lied about Ethos’ history of funding projects, the source of Ethos’ money, the amount of capital available to disburse loans, and how Ethos used the collateral upfront fees. For instance, Santos admitted that he used money from the upfront collateral fees to release collateral deposited by other borrowers and to disburse loans to other borrowers. Santos also admitted that he and others altered otherwise legitimate financial account statements to inflate the amount of money Ethos appeared to have at its disposal to finance projects for the purpose of luring prospective borrowers to provide collateral and financial institutions to lend money. For example, in August 2021, Santos successfully induced a borrower to wire money as a collateral upfront fee by sending a bank statement that falsely represented Ethos having $100,304,447.46 when, in fact, it did not. In February and May 2023, Santos again induced borrowers to provide collateral upfront fees by emailing a copy of Ethos’ annual financial statements reflecting falsely that Ethos had over $2.2 billion in total assets and that an accounting firm had audited the statements. Indeed, Santos admitted that he knowingly forged the signature of an employee at a bookkeeping firm on Ethos’s 2022 annual financial statement to falsely indicate that the firm had audited the statement. In each noted example, Ethos fraudulently obtained upfront fees and failed to disburse loan payments as promised. Santos further admitted Ethos’ project financing scheme was international in nature, with a presence in the United States, Brazil, Turkey, and elsewhere. Santos admitted his scheme resulted in $17,125,000 in losses to certain U.S.-based victims. The plea agreement also explains that the parties will request a restitution hearing allowing the United States to offer evidence that Santos owes significantly more money to various other victims. According to the plea agreement, Santos also forged the signature of an employee at an accounting firm to make it appear that the firm had audited Ethos’ annual financial reports. “Fraud like this is a calculated abuse of trust,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “It strips people of their money under false promises. The impact is real, measurable, and lasting—and it calls for real consequences.” “Businesses, large or small are the backbone of our economy yet one wrong or ill advised financial move can result in significant losses or even complete ruin,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI and our partner agencies are committed to preventing greedy scammers from victimizing and profiting from legitimate businesses. Our country relies on these businesses and law enforcement will continue to protect them from criminals.” A restitution hearing will be held at a later date. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys E. Christopher Beeler and Carl F. Brooker, IV. If you believe you are a victim of Carlos Santos and his company Ethos Asset Management, Inc., contact Homeland Security Investigations at ethos-victim@hsi.dhs.gov . DEFENDANT Carlos Manuel da Silva Santos Age: 30 Portugal SUMMARY OF CHARGES Wire Fraud Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349 Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison and $250,000 fine Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 1028A Maximum penalty: Mandatory two years in prison consecutive to the term for the underlying felony INVESTIGATING AGENCY Homeland Security Investigations


title: Mission Man Sentenced to Federal Prison  for Possessing a Firearm As a Felon

component: USAO - South Dakota


title: Pipeline Indian Country Fentanyl Distributer Found Guilty After Trial

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted Dimitric Wilson, a Twin Cities resident originally from Detroit, with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and distributing fentanyl while on pretrial release, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents and evidence at trial, law enforcement set out to discover a supplier of fentanyl in Wisconsin and Minnesota, including in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. After an extensive investigation, Dimitric Timopkin Wilson, 46, was identified and stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol as he traveled back to the Twin Cities from Detroit. When apprehended by law enforcement, Wilson and the other passenger gave inconsistent stories regarding their activities in Detroit. The State Patrol used a drug dog to sniff the car for narcotics. The drug dog alerted to the odor of drugs, resulting in a search of the vehicle. State troopers noticed an electrical panel that was altered. The officers opened the panel and located four separate vacuum-sealed packages hidden with a natural void accessible from the panel area. The packages contained multiple sub-packages and were ultimately found to contain approximately a kilogram of fentanyl, a package containing heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, and another package containing crack cocaine. After being charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and given terms of release pending trial, Wilson was documented selling fentanyl to a government informant. On May 15, 2025, a jury convicted Wilson of all three counts on which he was indicted. Wilson was previously sentenced to a state misdemeanor conviction for maintaining a drug house, a state felony conviction for carrying a concealed weapon, and a federal felony conviction for conspiring to distribute heroin. Due to his prior federal conviction for conspiring to distribute heroin, Wilson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment for the possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute conviction and a mandatory consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for his conviction for distributing fentanyl while on pretrial release. “I laud the hard work of the agents and officers who exposed Wilson as a major fentanyl trafficker, running routes from Detroit to Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Wilson showed that he would not be stopped—despite a prior federal conviction, he peddled his poison to the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. Outrageously, after being released from custody, Wilson yet again trafficked in fentanyl, this time selling drugs to a government informant. Wilson rightly faces serious federal time. Wilson—and others who would bring deadly fentanyl to Minnesota and to our vulnerable Indian reservations—should be prepared to spend decades in federal prison.” “Fentanyl continues to ravage communities across the country, fueling addiction, tragedy, and loss,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “One of the FBI's top priorities is to protect the American people, and that means holding accountable the individuals and networks responsible for pushing fentanyl into our communities. The FBI and our partners are committed to removing these drug traffickers from our neighborhoods and stopping the flow of fentanyl at its source.” This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, the East Central Drug Task Force, the Sawyer County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Lac Courte Oreilles (Wisconsin) Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Campbell Warner and Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.


title: Department of Justice Announces Settlement of Litigation Between the Federal Government and Rare Breed Triggers

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Today, in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting Second Amendment Rights , as well as the Attorney General’s Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force, the Department of Justice announced the settlement of litigation between the federal government and Rare Breed Triggers. “This Department of Justice believes that the 2nd Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “And we are glad to end a needless cycle of litigation with a settlement that will enhance public safety.” In June 2024, in Cargill v. Garland , the Supreme Court held that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its statutory authority by issuing a rule classifying a bump stock as a “machinegun.” In July 2024, the Northern District of Texas applied Cargill v. Garland to a device called a “forced-reset trigger” (FRT) and concluded that FRTs also cannot be classified as a “machinegun.” The Department’s agreement with Rare Breed Triggers avoids the need for continued appeals in United States v. Rare Breed Triggers and continued litigation in other, related cases concerning the same issue. The settlement includes agreed-upon conditions that significantly advance public safety with respect to FRTs, including that Rare Breed will not develop or design FRTs for use in any pistol and will enforce its patents to prevent infringement that could threaten public safety. Rare Breed also agrees to promote the safe and responsible use of its products. The cases that will be resolved under the settlement agreement are: NAGR v. Garland , 23-cv-830-O (N.D. Tex.), on appeal 24-10707 (5th Cir.). United States v. Rare Breed Triggers LLC , No. 23-cv-369 (E.D.N.Y), on appeal 23-7276 (2d Cir.). United States v. Miscellaneous Firearms and Related Parts and Equipment Listed in Exhibit A, 23-cv-17 (D. Utah).


title: Two Texas Syndicate gang members receive multi-decade sentences for drug trafficking

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two Corpus Christi residents have been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Jesse Martinez, 51, and Gabriel Galindo, 46, both long-time Texas Syndicate gang members, pleaded guilty Jan. 2. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has ordered Martinez to serve 360 months, while Galindo was ordered to serve a 288-month-term of imprisonment. Both must also serve five years of supervised release following their sentences. The court held Martinez responsible for over two kilograms of heroin and almost eight kilograms of methamphetamine. Galindo was held responsible for almost 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and over a kilogram of heroin. However, the court heard that throughout the investigation, authorities calculated that the Texas Syndicate drug trafficking organization was likely distributing approximately two kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of methamphetamine per month from September 2020 to May 2024. The court also considered their criminal histories including convictions for theft, burglary, weapons and drug charges for Martinez. Galindo’s criminal history began at the age of 14 and includes burglary of a habitation, multiple cocaine convictions – with a federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute - and possessing a stabbing weapon while incarcerated. Furthermore, the court heard Galindo was found with a shank, methamphetamine and suboxone strips while incarcerated for this offense and that he was dealing suboxone to other inmates. The investigation began in 2020 when law enforcement was looking into the drug trafficking activities of the Texas Syndicate. They discovered Martinez was receiving kilogram amounts of methamphetamine and heroin. Galindo was one of his top distributors in the Corpus Christi area. On May 21, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Martinez’s residence and found he was in possession of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana as well as three unsecured firearms. Several children were also living in the home. Galindo was also found in possession of almost a kilogram of methamphetamine, a kilogram of heroin and four firearms at the time of his arrest. Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service and police departments in Corpus Christi and Robstown. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage . Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara J. De Pena and Brittany Jensen prosecuted the case.


title: Houston sex trafficker gets 14 years for luring minor through social media

body_text: HOUSTON – A 25-year-old man has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Michael Ramone Hooks pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2024. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake considered victim letters and sentenced Hooks to 168 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $6087 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Hooks will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. At the time of his plea, Hooks admitted to recruiting the 16-year-old victim to engage in prostitution via Instagram, text messages and video calls. He communicated via cell phone with the minor and lured her away from a known sex trafficker, Antonio Dario Osario-Avelar aka Pressure. Prior to Hooks’ attempt to lure the minor victim away to work for him, Osario-Avelar had caused to her to engage in commercial sex. Hooks knew the victim was a minor. Law enforcement discovered text messages revealing that they discussed her age. The victim agreed to pay Hooks a “choosing fee,” which is a fee the victim pays a trafficker for them to be their “pimp.” In August 2023, authorities arrested Hooks and recovered the minor victim before she could join up with him. Osario-Avelar was previously sentenced to 375 months in federal prison for his conduct in a separate case before U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks. “This case is a reminder that sex trafficking is happening in our city, even if it is not always immediately visible,” said Ganjei. “This case was, of course, a great hit against this specific defendant, but our larger goal is nothing short of putting the Houston sex trafficking trade completely out of business.” He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance and Houston Police Department (HPD). Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Celia Moyer and former AUSA Sherri Zack prosecuted the case. HTRA law enforcement includes members of HPD, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties. Established in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.


title: SDTX continues efforts to secure the border with 209 more charged with immigration-related crimes

body_text: HOUSTON – A total of 209 cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from May 9-15, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. As part of the cases, 78 face allegations of illegally reentering the country. The majority have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, sexual offenses, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 124 people face charges of illegally entering the country, while seven cases allege various instances of human smuggling. Three of those charged this week had unlawfully attempted to reenter the country after being removed less than one month ago, according to allegations. Authorities had allegedly removed Honduran national Erick Nahun Orellana-Ramos and Mexican national Alejandro De La Vega-Loyola April 21, while Mexican national Luis Cibrian-Gonzalez was removed May 5. However, the alleged convicted felons were once again allegedly discovered in the United States unlawfully, according to their charges. Criminal complaints further allege Eleno Martin Velazquez-Hernandez and Edwin Vazquez-Perez both have prior convictions for sexual assault and were previously removed from the United States in 2021 and 2019, respectively. However, law enforcement allegedly found the men in the Rio Grande Valley and are now charged with illegal reentry after removal. Similarly, Heriberto Garcia-Robles was allegedly discovered near Mission. The criminal complaint charging him alleges the Mexican male had been previously removed Jan. 10, 2023, following a conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In addition to the new cases, two Tango Blast gang members were sentenced for conspiring to transport illegal aliens. Eusebio Regalado was ordered to serve 66 months while Eric Grajeda had previously received 36 months. Both had led law enforcement on multiple vehicle pursuits during human smuggling attempts. “With these sentencings, two less gang members are out on the streets, and a human smuggling operation has been dismantled,” said Ganjei. “Securing the border is the Southern District’s top priority, and we’re delivering.” In Brownsville, Felix Raymundo Mora-Gonzalez received a 70-month sentence for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) . He was originally arrested Feb. 21, 2023, for harboring illegal aliens. However, the investigation uncovered a cell phone at the stash house that belonged him. A forensic examination of the cell phone revealed Mora-Gonzalez knowingly possessed 29 videos and nine images of CSAM. He had also previously pleaded guilty to the smuggling charges and received 15 months. Also announced was another criminal alien who had unlawfully reentered the United States. Hector Castillo-Molina has a lengthy criminal history to include five felonies such as burglary, drug possession, felon in possession of a firearm and illegal reentry into the United States. In handing down the sentence, the court called Castillo-Molina’s extensive record “concerning,” noting that if he kept coming back, he would just be spending all his time jail. In Corpus Christi, Eusebio Cavazos received the maximum of 60 months for smuggling 36 illegal aliens in a tractor trailer. All were from the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. Five had previously been removed from the United States and now face additional charges for illegal reentry. Cavazos admitted he was paid to drive the group from near Donna to Houston and expected to earn $1,000 per person. Following a one-day bench trial in McAllen, an illegal alien was convicted of unlawfully reentering the United States for the eighth time. Enrique Melendez-Saldivar attempted to resist and evade arrest as authorities struggled to apprehend him in the South Texas brush. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. In Houston, another illegal alien pleaded guilty in a large-scale wire fraud conspiracy involving more than 550,000 fraudulent Texas paper license plates. Former fugitive Emmanuel Padilla Reyes admitted he used stolen identities to obtain used car dealer licenses and created two fictitious dealerships to access the state’s secure tag portal. Authorities said he and his co-conspirators advertised the tags on social media and issued them without selling any vehicles. The fake tags allowed buyers to avoid registration, safety inspections and insurance, and enabled criminals to conceal their identities while committing crimes ranging from fraud to robberies and drive-by shootings. He faces up to five years in federal prison and is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect 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 . Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Romanian crew convicted in ATM skimming case

body_text: HOUSTON ‐ A man and woman who illegally resided in Houston have admitted their roles in installing and removing ATM skimmers from machines at multiple banks in the Houston area, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Perla Miclescu, 26, and Rafael Rafaila, 21, both citizens of Romania, each entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In April 2024, they installed skimmers designed to enable them and others to intercept debit/credit card information via magnetic strips. They would save the information onto a computer chip affixed to the device after unsuspecting victims used their cards at ATM terminals. The first instance involved co-conspirators April 4, 2024. Security footage at a Houston bank showed Ana Maria Dirman, 30, and Mihai Alexandru Gaita, 38, both Romanian citizens, placing an ATM skimmer into the card reader. At the time, they were in a 2004 Ford Explorer. The investigation revealed the vehicle was at two other banks in the Baytown area approximately two weeks later. ATMs at both locations were found to have deep insert skimmer and pin hole camera devices placed on them. Law enforcement eventually discovered Miclescu and Rafaila in the same 2004 Explorer. They conducted a search and found two overlay pin hole camera devices and supplies used to make the overlay cameras, 24 reencoded credit cards (counterfeit cards) and one deep insert skimmer. Authorities had discovered Miclescu had purchased super glue, two 32G Micro SD cards and scissors – all tools and materials utilized in ATM skimming. Miclescu and Rafaila were also operating a gold-colored minivan April 5 and 7, 2024, placing a skimming device on other ATMs. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake accepted the pleas and set sentencing for Aug. 15. Miclescu and Rafaila will remain in custody pending that hearing. Gaita previously pleaded guilty and is also set for sentencing Aug. 15. Dirman remains a fugitive, and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the United States Secret Service Houston Field office at (713) 868-2299. Police departments in Houston and Baytown, Texas Financial Crimes Intel Center and Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Day is prosecuting the case.


title: Former employee sentenced to federal prison for stealing from psychiatrist

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Jerry Leonard Carnley, Jr., 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 16, 2025. Carnley was also ordered to pay restitution of $191,251.35 to his victims. According to information presented in court, Carnley was employed as an office manager and information technology (IT) specialist for a local psychiatric practice. As such, Carnley had access to the business checking account. As part of his scheme to defraud the business, Carnley would utilize the business checking account, which had a debit card attached to it, and withdraw money from ATMs for matters other than business, including his own personal use. One of Carnley’s responsibilities was to provide an accounting firm with documents necessary for the filing of federal income tax returns. From December 2020 to September 2021, However, Carnley purposefully refused to provide the accounting firm with requested information such as quick books and bank statements. Eventually, Carnley told the accounting firm that he would file the taxes himself and that the doctor would no longer be using their services. These actions allowed Carnley to continue to discretely withdraw money from the business checking account. Carnley befriended the doctor’s mother with the pretense of getting to know the doctor better and obtained information that would help him change passwords to bank accounts. From November 2020 to December 2021, Carnley made 355 unauthorized withdrawals from an ATM machine located at the Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel and Casino in Vinton, Louisiana, and 53 unauthorized cash withdrawals from banks in and around Beaumont, Texas. As a result of the scheme, Carnley was responsible for obtaining over $191,000 by fraud. This case was investigated by FBI’s Beaumont field office and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin. ###


title: U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the one-week period ending May 16, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 68 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326) 8 individual was charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324) 3 individual was charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) 133 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) and 50 U.S.C. 797, violation of a military security regulation, arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico. Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for alien smuggling, drug possession, and DUI. In a significant case, Salvador Ruacho Aguirre , a Mexican citizen, was encountered during a traffic stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on May 13, 2025. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered a .45 caliber handgun with a loaded magazine in the driver’s side door and a 12-gauge shotgun with ammunition on the passenger seat. Subsequently, FBI agents obtained a search warrant for Aguirre ’s residence, where they located five additional firearms. In another case, Aaron Christopher Montez fled the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on New Mexico State Highway 185 on May 11, 2025, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph in a 45-mph zone. During the pursuit, Montez briefly pulled over to the side of the highway. Agents later discovered an undocumented immigrant in the area where Montez had stopped. When Montez was eventually apprehended, he was arrested for high-speed flight and alien smuggling. Montez admitted to transporting the individual in the trunk of his vehicle. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process. Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.


title: West Los Angeles Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Using Snapchat to Entice Children into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A resident of the Westside of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 480 months in federal prison for using apps such as Snapchat to meet and entice children to engage in sexually explicit video-chats which he screen-captured and saved, unbeknownst to the children. Mark David Wallin, 44, of the Del Rey neighborhood of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who scheduled a restitution hearing for August 13. At today’s hearing, Judge Frimpong said Wallin committed “cruel and relentless” crimes against children and that his conduct was “highly sexualized sadomasochistic conduct that no child should know of, let alone be exposed to.” Wallin, who has been in federal custody since July 2022, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. From 2019 to August 2021, Wallin used the internet to “meet” pre-teen boys and girls – both abroad and in the United States – then developed relationships with them online, with the intent to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from them. Wallin also persuaded the victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct via video-chat, which he screen-captured and saved. After his victims sent him sexually explicit content, Wallin would sometimes demand additional sexually explicit images and videos from them. Wallin also threatened to publish or otherwise expose the prior pictures and videos sent by the victim or created by defendant if the victim did not comply with his demands. For example, in February and March of 2020, Wallin enticed a victim, who was approximately 9-10 years old at the time, to produce sexually explicit images and videos used on the social media app Snapchat. Wallin admitted in his plea agreement to knowingly causing at least four additional victims – ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old – to produce multiple files of child pornography. Wallin further admitted to possessing approximately 200 files containing child sexual abuse material in August 2021. Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department providing assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Scott M. Lara of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section and Catharine A. Richmond of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.


title: Milwaukee Man Charged in Federal Court for Arson at downtown MATC campus

body_text: Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 15, 2025, a federal criminal complaint was filed against Jarriel Cotton (age: 40), charging him with arson of a building used in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(i). According to the criminal complaint, on May 13, 2025, shortly before 7:00 a.m., Cotton intentionally set fire to an upholstered chair on the third floor of the downtown Milwaukee MATC campus building at 700 W. State Street. The incident was captured on video. Cotton made his initial appearance in federal court on May 16, 2025. His next court hearing is May 21, 2025. He remains in federal custody. Cotton has a prior arson conviction in Milwaukee County Circuit Court from a 2015 incident. If convicted of the offense alleged in the criminal complaint, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years’ (up to life) imprisonment. He may also be fined up to $250,000. This case was investigated by the Milwaukee Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick. A criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Jury Convicts KC Man in Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Thomas D. Clegg, 42, was found guilty by a jury of participating in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Clegg and others conspired from Aug. 19, 2021, to June 13, 2022, to murder a victim identified as “J.C.” and his family members for payment in cash and marijuana. The conspiracy included two occasions when Clegg shot J.C. On Aug. 19, 2021, Clegg shot J.C. in the leg and back in the parking lot of Ugly Joe’s bar in Kansas City, Mo. On May 25, 2022, Clegg shot J.C. in the back in the parking lot of a strip mall located at 4010 Sterling Avenue, Kansas City, Mo. The businesses in and near the strip mall included an accounting firm, daycare, and fitness center. One witness had just picked two of her children up from the daycare when her vehicle was struck by the gunfire. One of her windows was shot out, but no one in her vehicle was injured. Investigators seized Clegg’s cell phone when he was arrested. Investigators also obtained search warrants for Clegg’s cell phone. Text messages between Clegg and co-conspirators indicated that Clegg was hired to murder J.C. Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, ending a trial that began Monday, May 12. Clegg pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm utilized in the May 2022 shooting on Tuesday, May 6. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Clegg has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, as well as prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, trafficking in drugs, voluntary manslaughter, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, assault, armed criminal action, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal statutes, Clegg is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Heather Siegele. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department, the Independence, Mo. Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Project Safe Neighborhoods This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Mexican National With Three Prior Deportations Sentenced To Prison For Illegally Reentering The United States

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national was sentenced this week to a total of 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States, while on federal supervised release, after being removed from the country on three prior occasions. On Thursday, Chief United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced Geraldo Maya-Gonzalez to 18 months in prison. On Friday, he was sentenced to an additional, consecutive six months by United States District Judge James C. Mahan for violating the terms of his supervised release imposed after his 2018 conviction for the same offense. According to court documents, Maya-Gonzalez was found by immigration officials on January 27, 2021, after he was previously deported on or about March 3, 2011, June 5, 2012, and July 26, 2019. Maya-Gonzalez came into ICE custody in 2024, after serving a state sentence for drug trafficking. Maya-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of Deported Alien Found in the United States. This was his third such conviction. United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke 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 prosecuted 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 . ###


title: Federal Jury Convicts Nampa Man of Attempting to Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: U.S. Attorneys (USAO)

body_text: BOISE – After a three-day trial, a federal jury sitting in Boise found William Walls, 52, of Nampa, guilty of three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill presided over the trial, which began on May 12, and concluded with guilty verdicts on May 14. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Walls used his cellphone to surreptitiously record three female children in the bathroom of his apartment. Walls was babysitting the victims at the time. The video captured one of the children showering and the other two children changing their clothes. The charge of attempted sexual exploitation of a child carries a minimum of fifteen years and up to life in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and at least five years and up to lifetime of supervised release. Walls will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction. Sentencing is set for July 31, 2025, before Judge Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise. Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the Nampa Police Department for a thorough and professional investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Kassandra McGrady and Erin Blackadar prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: ‘King’ of Violent Haitian Gang Found Guilty on All Charges for Hostage Taking of 16 American Christian Missionaries

body_text: WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 32, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was found guilty today by a federal jury in the District of Columbia for his role in orchestrating the 2021 hostage taking of 16 American citizens, including five children, and holding them hostage for 62 days. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan James of the Miami Field Office. “This office will fight aggressively to protect Americans who are taken hostage and abused, and to uphold the religious freedoms of our people, including Christians. As the evidence demonstrated, Joly Germine orchestrated a plot that leveraged American Christian missionaries as bargaining chips to try to secure his own release from a Haitian prison,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When you commit crimes against Americans in other countries, it makes no difference where you are — we are coming for you. Justice may not always be swift but it is certain.” “This conviction demonstrates the FBI’s determination to follow the evidence wherever it leads and to work our way up to the leaders of criminal plots wherever they are. Haitian gang leader and convicted kidnapper Joly Germine found out he was not beyond the reach of the FBI,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge James. “Neither time nor distance will weaken our resolve. We will use all tools available and go to farthest reaches of the globe to bring to justice those who kidnap Americans.” Following a 10-day trial in U.S. District Court, the jury found Germine guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and 16 counts of hostage taking of a U.S. national for ransom. The former leader and self-described “king” of the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, Germine previously pleaded guilty to his role in a gun trafficking conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws and the laundering of the gang’s funds derived from ransoms paid for other U.S. hostage victims. For those crimes, he was sentenced in June 2024 to 35 years in federal prison. Germine’s gang, 400 Mawozo, operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Germine directed the gang’s operations from prison using unmonitored cell phones and was constantly in touch with other 400 Mawazo leaders, most of whom were his relatives. Germine controlled the gang’s finances, supplied the gang’s weapons, and otherwise directed operations. On October 16, 2021, 17 Mennonite missionaries from Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based missionary aid organization, were returning from visiting an orphanage when they were stopped by 400 Mawozo’s armed and masked soldiers. Many of the gang’s soldiers were brandishing firearms supplied by Germine. The group included 12 adults and 5 children, including a 6-year-old, 3-year-old, and an 8-month-old. Sixteen of the victims were U.S. citizens and one was a Canadian citizen. The gang drove the missionaries to a field and robbed them, while consulting by phone with Germine, their leader. The gang took the missionaries to a building in a rural area, held them at gunpoint, and demanded ransom of $1 million each for their return. In postings on social media, the gang threatened to kill all the hostages if the ransom was not paid. Early on in the negotiations, senior gang leadership said that, in lieu of the ransom monies, 400 Mawozo would accept Germine’s release from prison in exchange for the hostages. On November 20, 2021, two hostages were released after one was suffering from life-threatening health conditions. On December 5, 2021, 400 Mawozo released three of the hostages, two adults who had significant medical issues and the six-year old child, after receiving a $350,000 ransom payment. Though the gang had stated they would release all the hostages for the ransom paid, at Germine’s direction, the gang thereafter refused to release any more hostages. On December 16, 2021, the remaining hostages escaped under cover of darkness while their captors were distracted, walking for five hours through the Haitian bush until they were out of the gang’s territory. They were received by the FBI, which had deployed to Haiti and arranged to immediately transport them from Haiti before the gang could respond to their escape. In total, most of the missionaries were held for 62 days. The evidence at trial showed that Germine had directed the initial kidnapping, had arranged for the locations where hostages were held, and set the $17 million ransom demand, knowing it was too high to be paid and would result in the Haitian government negotiating his release from prison in exchange for the missionaries. The evidence also showed that Germine was involved in or consulted on the decisions to release victims. The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. During the law enforcement response to the kidnapping, extraordinary assistance was provided in a whole of government response by various agencies, including Customs and Border Protection Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Defense, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, the government of the Dominican Republic, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department of State and the Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Tom Saunders and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia, with invaluable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, Victim Advocate Yvonne Bryant, and Victim Witness Coordinators Tonya Jones and Guisela Castillo.


title: District of Arizona Charges 310 Individuals for  Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

component: USAO - Arizona

number: 2025-078_May 16 Immigration Enforcement

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 10, 2025, through May 16, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 310 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 125 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 170 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States charged 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Recent matters of interest include: United States v. Angelica Ramos-Lopez : On May 10, 2025, Angelica Ramos-Lopez, a United States citizen, was charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, Birth Certificate Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft. On May 9, 2025, Ramos-Lopez approached the State Route 85 immigration checkpoint near Gila Bend in a vehicle with a child lying down in the backseat, covered by a blanket from head to toe. Ramos-Lopez presented a birth certificate and United States passport for the child with a birth year of 2017 that listed Ramos -Lopez as the mother. However, the child who was in the vehicle provided a different name than the one found on the birth certificate and stated that the driver was his stepmother. In a post- Miranda interview, Ramos-Lopez admitted that she did not know who the child was, but that she knew the child was undocumented. Ramos-Lopez told officers that she was getting paid to transport the child from Mexico to Phoenix, Arizona. Ramos-Lopez stated that the birth certificate was real, but it belonged to her biological son, not the child passenger. [Case Number: MJ-25-6234] United States v. Yolanda Mendivil-Diaz : On May 13, 2025, Yolanda Mendivil-Diaz was charged with Reentry of a Removed Alien. Mendivil-Diaz was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted for Conspiracy to Sell or Transfer Narcotic Drugs, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona. [Case Number: MJ-25-3192] United States v. Jose Herrera Daniel : On May 14, 2025, Jose Herrera Daniel was charged by criminal complaint for attempting to illegally export ammunition from the United States into Mexico. The complaint alleges that United States Customs and Border Protection officers searched Daniel’s car at the Douglas Port of Entry and found 6,399 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden in the vehicle. [Case Number: MJ-25-9008] A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-078_May 16 Immigration Enforcement # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Felon Sentenced To 49 Years In Prison For Multiple Armed Robberies

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who has prior felony convictions was sentenced today by United States District Judge Miranda M. Du to 49 years in prison for committing multiple armed robberies of businesses in Las Vegas. According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, from January 19, 2022, to January 25, 2022, George Perez committed seven store robberies. At all seven robberies, Perez approached the cashiers with store merchandise, pretending he was going to purchase it. At six of the seven robberies, he pointed a Taurus G2 9mm firearm at the cashiers and demanded money. Perez stole money by threatened force, physical violence, and fear of injury. Perez has prior convictions including attempt possession of controlled substance with intent to sell; two burglaries; and possession of credit or debit card without cardholder’s consent, all in Clark County, Nevada, and he is prohibited by law to possess a firearm. In February 2025, following a five-day trial, a jury convicted Perez of seven counts of interference with commerce by robbery, seven counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorneys David Kiebler and Lauren Ibanez prosecuted the case. ###


title: Mexican National Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Role in Drug Conspiracy

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – German Montano-Peralta, 33, of Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on May 12, 2025, by United States District Judge Angela Martinez to 88 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Montano-Peralta previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine. On April 30, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona, Montano-Peralta and others possessed approximately 40 kilograms of powder and pills containing fentanyl and more than 55 pounds of methamphetamine, which they intended to deliver to others later that day. This investigation was a collaborative effort between federal law enforcement agencies and is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative in Southern Arizona that is being led by the Arizona Strike Force located in Tucson. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney, David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-24-2710-AMM-4 RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-079_Montano-Peralta # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Portland Woman Arrested for Interstate Threats and Harassment

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland woman was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging her with making threatening interstate communications and anonymous telecommunications harassment. According to court records, Alice Jones, 40, made threatening telephone calls to a Supervisory United States Border Patrol Agent and others. “The FBI takes all threats against law enforcement extremely seriously and we will work with our partners to bring those who set out to undermine their safety to justice,” said Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “What Alice Jones is accused of is not only an attack on these individuals, but the entire criminal justice system.” The FBI investigated the case. Criminal complaints are merely allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Former Owner of San Diego Surrogacy Consulting Businesses Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Clients

body_text: SAN DIEGO –Lillian Arielle Markowitz, former owner of three San Diego-based surrogacy consulting businesses, was sentenced in federal court today to 24 months in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients. At today’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson also ordered Markowitz to pay $389,142.00 in restitution to her former clients. According to court documents, Markowitz owned three businesses — My Donor Cycle, Surrogacy Beyond Borders, and Expecting Surrogacy — through which she marketed herself as a surrogacy consultant to those seeking to realize their dreams of becoming parents. Beginning around 2018, when Markowitz and her businesses began to experience financial distress, she devised a scheme to steal money from her surrogacy clients by, among other things, submitting fraudulent requests to withdraw client funds from the escrow company where the funds were maintained. Markowitz submitted four fraudulent escrow disbursement requests, including one in which she forged a client’s signature in order to steal his escrow funds. In her plea agreement, Markowitz admitted that from 2019 through 2021, she defrauded nine additional clients by falsely promising that their funds would be deposited into an escrow account and that their funds would be accessed only to pay for expenses related to their respective surrogacy journey. Instead, Markowitz deposited these clients’ funds into her business checking account, then immediately used them to cover general business expenses, expenses related to other clients’ surrogacy journeys, expenses related to her unrelated yoga and float business, and to pay for her personal expenses. “Lillian Markowitz turned her surrogacy businesses into a Ponzi scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “She did not simply steal funds. She stole the dream of parenthood from her victims. She exploited hope and heartbreak for profit. Those who prey on the desperate will be held accountable.” “Today’s sentencing of Lilian Markowitz marks the conclusion of a cruel and deceitful scheme that deeply exploited the victims’ hopeful dreams of becoming parents,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “After years of deception, Ms. Markowitz will now be held accountable for her egregious breach of trust and unethical conduct.” This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill and Assistant United States Attorney Mark W. Pletcher. DEFENDANT Case Number 24-CR-0904-TWR Lillian Arielle Markowitz (aka Lillian Frost) Age: 40 Portland, OR SUMMARY OF CHARGES Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 134 Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation Contact Kelly Thornton, Director of Media Relations


title: Oswego County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Tyler Hull, age 42, of Fulton, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possession with intent to distribute over 300 grams of a schedule I synthetic cathinone. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement. As part of his guilty plea, Hull admitted that during a traffic stop, police found approximately 316 grams of a synthetic cathinone he intended to distribute to others in Oswego County. During questioning, Hull also admitted that he had distributed a similar quantity of the same substance on two prior occasions. The synthetic cathinone Hull intended to distribute is a schedule I controlled substance and has pharmacological effects on the central nervous system similar to other schedule I or II substances such as methylone, pentylone, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA. At the time, Hull was serving a term of supervised release imposed after a 2022 federal drug trafficking conviction. Hull also admitted to violating the terms of his supervised release by committing the new offense and by possessing a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be sentenced on the new offense and his supervised release violations by United States District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby on September 24, 2025, in Syracuse, New York. U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is deeply committed to working closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to root out those who seek to profit by peddling poison in our communities through the distribution of controlled substances.” “Yesterday’s guilty plea underscores the successful and unwavering collaboration between state, local, and federal partners, who continuously place the public’s safety above all else,” said Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Buffalo. “I commend the law enforcement community for ensuring no stone is left unturned as we strive to protect our New York communities.” For his new criminal offense, Hull faces up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $2,000,000, and a term of post-release supervision of at least 6 years and up to life. Hull also faces up to two years in prison on his violations of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. The case was investigated by HSI and the other members of the Oswego County Drug Task Force, which is comprised of members of HSI, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Fulton Police Department, the City of Oswego Police Department, the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, and United States Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .


title: Rensselaer County Sex Offender Sentenced to 292 Months for Receiving Child Pornography

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Zachary Cota, age 32, formerly of Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, was sentenced today to 292 months in prison for receiving child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. Cota previously admitted that he used SnapChat to solicit three children to send him nude photos. After an 8-year-old and a 13-year-old provided the requested photos, Cota threatened to reveal what they had done, in an effort to coerce the children to send additional child sexual abuse material. At the time of these crimes, Cota was on probation following a state conviction for course of sexual conduct against a child. When his Probation Officer asked to see Cota’s phone, Cota locked himself in a bathroom and began deleting its contents. A forensic search of Cota’s phone revealed an additional 900 images of child pornography, including screenshots of a video chat between Cota and a naked child. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Cota’s depraved and disgusting conduct has justly resulted in a lengthy term of imprisonment that will make our community safer. We will continue to investigate and prosecute sex offenders and pedophiles who use the Internet and social media applications to prey on children.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Today’s sentence underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children from dangerous predators like Mr. Cota. We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners at every level to identify and investigate these disturbing individuals and ensure justice is delivered to the victims.” United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also imposed a life term of supervised release and ordered Cota to forfeit the Samsung phone he used to commit the offense. Cota must also continue to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. The FBI Albany Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: District Man Sentenced to 15 Year Prison Term For Two Shootings in Starburst Plaza

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Renard Levenberry, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 180 months in prison for multiple convictions stemming from two different shootings at Starburst Plaza during the summer of 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Mr. Levenberry pleaded guilty February 24 th in D.C. Superior Court to one count of aggravated assault while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in relation to a June 13, 2024, shooting, and to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in relation to an August 20, 2024, shooting. According to the government’s evidence, on June 13, 2024, Levenberry was at Starburst Plaza—an often-crowded public plaza located at 1501 Maryland Avenue, NE. Levenberry robbed an individual during an attempted drug transaction. When the victim pursued Levenberry, the Defendant shot the victim in the leg before escaping. On August 20, 2024, Levenberry was again in Starburst Plaza when an unknown individual entered the area on a moped. Upon seeing that person and without provocation, Levenberry pulled out a black semiautomatic pistol and began firing at the moped driver. The moped driver appeared to fire one shot back at Levenberry. One of the shots Levenberry fired struck a bystander who was waiting at a nearby bus stop. Both shootings were captured on video and the government’s investigation was supported by DNA and ballistics evidence. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Kraig Ahalt, who investigated and prosecuted the case. ## Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Guilty Plea Entered in Metropolitan Branch Trail Robbery Spree

body_text: WASHINGTON – Jalique Wiseman, of the District, and Leon Kirksey, of Maryland, both 20, pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from a string of armed and unarmed robberies along the Metropolitan Branch Trail in October and November of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Wiseman and Kirksey each pleaded guilty in Superior Court to three counts of armed robbery and three counts of robbery. Sentencing is scheduled for August 8, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro. According to the government’s evidence, between October 2, 2023 and November 23, 2023, Wiseman and Kirksey robbed multiple people on six separate instances on or near the Metropolitan Branch Trail, using either physical violence or at gunpoint, taking the victims cell phones and other property. Wiseman and Kirksey demanded the victims’ passcodes and used that information to access the victims’ financial accounts to transfer money to accounts that Wiseman and Kirksey controlled. Wiseman committed a number of the robberies while wearing a distinctive red, white, and blue Moncler jacket and distinctive Penny Hardaway shoes. The plea agreement is the culmination of an investigation into a string of robberies along the Metropolitan Branch Trail in the fall of 2023. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig Ahalt. ## Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Judge Gives 18 Years for Second Degree Murder

body_text: WASHINGTON – Antonio Jackson, 38, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today in Superior Court to 18 years in prison for the brutal stabbing of 52-year-old Maria Evans in the rear alleyway of 530 Oakwood Street, SE, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Jackson pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of second-degree murder while armed, pursuant to an 11(c) plea that limited his prison term to 17-21 years. According to the statement of facts, in the morning hours around 6:30 am on Thursday, March 29, 2018, Jackson walked into the rear alleyway of 530 Oakwood Street, SE with the victim. As he walked behind Ms. Evans into the alleyway, the defendant held a long blade knife in his hand. The defendant then stabbed Ms. Evans 23 times – once in her face, once in her neck, nine in her chest, five in her stomach, three in her side, twice in back, once in her shoulder, and once on her hand. The defendant then briskly exited the alleyway and discarded the knife in a trashcan at the mouth of the alleyway. Later that morning, around 8 am, MPD officers found Ms. Evans lying unconscious and unresponsive in the alleyway, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Ms. Evans was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. On May 4, 2018, the defendant was arrested pursuant to a Superior Court warrant. After the defendant waived his Miranda rights, police showed him surveillance video in which he identified himself entering the alley with Ms. Evans, just moments before he repeatedly stabbed her, and then exited the alley after discarding the knife in a dumpster, although he denied killing Ms. Evans. U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith also praised the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department and acknowledged the work of United States Attorney’s Office. ## Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Illegal Immigrant Sentenced For Reentering the United States

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Guatemalan national was sentenced yesterday for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported. According to court documents, Mateo Juan-Lorenzo, 22, was arrested by the Robertsdale Police Department on February 16, 2025, for giving a law enforcement officer false information. Homeland Security (“HSI”) was notified of his arrest. HSI was able to determine that Juan-Lorenzo had previously been removed from the United States in 2024. At sentencing, Judge Moorer imposed a time-served sentence and a 1-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Juan-Lorenzo had been in custody since his arrest on February 16, 2025. Upon his release from prison, Juan-Lorenzo is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Juan-Lorenzo was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Robertsdale Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. 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.