title: Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to Isis

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – A Hanover, Maryland, man entered a guilty plea in federal court today, in connection with charges stemming from his attempt to join and fight for ISIS. Michael Sam Teekaye, Jr., 22, pled guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI - Baltimore Field Office. According to the plea agreement, between March and April 2023, Teekaye engaged in multiple conversations with an undercover officer (UCO). During these conversations, Teekaye told the UCO he wanted to travel to Africa to join ISIS as a “mujahid,” or fighter. Teekaye also told the UCO that his “plan B” was to carry out an attack in the United States against Jews and people who support Israel. He said that he researched buildings close to him that support Israel and thought about how to “gun down key members or anyone involved.” On three occasions in May and June 2024, Teekaye purchased ammunition and range time at a shooting range in Severn, Maryland, which he later told the UCO was part of his “training.” In July 2024, Teekaye attempted to purchase a Kalashnikov K-9 9mm assault rifle, but since Teekaye was on probation in a state criminal case, the purchase was denied. “Teekaye aspired to become an ISIS fighter to unleash attacks on the homeland. He took real-world steps to carry out a terrorist attack in Maryland, including attempting to purchase an assault rifle and researching locations where he could kill Jews and supporters of Israel,” Hayes said. “Thanks to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, we stopped Teekaye before he could harm anyone. There is no margin for error when it comes to terrorism.” “Michael Teekaye spent years maliciously plotting to join ISIS and murder Americans. His evil plans failed thanks to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Their swift action and coordination stopped Teekaye from carrying out his deadly plans against Americans,” Paul said. “The FBI remains steadfastly committed to protecting our nation.” During conversations with the UCO between August and October 2024, Teekaye told the UCO that he engaged with a Somali ISIS fighter regarding his plans to travel to Somalia to join ISIS. Teekaye explained that first, he would fly to Turkey, then travel to Ethiopia, and then cross the border into Somalia. He sent the UCO screenshots of an Ethiopian e-Visa he obtained from the ISIS fighter. On October 4, 2024, Teekaye told the UCO that he received airline tickets from the ISIS fighter. He also sent the UCO screenshots of his travel itinerary showing that he planned to depart from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) on October 14, and fly to Istanbul, Turkey, with a layover in London. Then on October 10, Teekaye sent the UCO a photo of himself wearing a black mask and holding a large machete, and he added, “Victory or shahada [ i.e. , martyrdom] … either you do it here or over there or both.” On October 11, the UCO asked whether Teekaye was “sure” he wanted to join ISIS. Teekaye responded that he was “sure” because he had done “a lot of research” and “they are the only group that has the most true and sincere intentions.” On October 14, FBI agents arrested Teekaye at BWI after he checked in for his flight and proceeded through security. Following his arrest, Teekaye made the following unprovoked statements, among others: “I’m just gonna get out in 20 years and I’m just gonna do it here. Okay? Okay? It will never stop. Jihad will never stop. I’ll just do it here then, when I get out. . . . You think 20 years is something? I’ll be like 40 when I get out, then I’ll just do it. I don’t care. It will never stop. Jihad will never stop. I’ll come and I’ll kill your soldiers. I’ll kill you, and I’ll kill . . . .” While making these statements, Teekaye kicked and spat on one of the arresting agents. Teekaye faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and lifetime supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, July 8, at 10 a.m. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI Baltimore Field Office for its outstanding work in the investigation and praised the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the FBI’s Newark and Richmond Field Offices and New York Police Department, for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman, who is prosecuting this case, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat, DOJ’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: SDTX charges another 307 people with criminal actions this week in support of Operation Take Back America

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – The first month of the new year has come to a close with another 299 filed cases related to immigration and border security, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. From Jan. 23-29, a total of 169 people have been charged with felony reentry after removal, and another 108 face allegations of illegal entry. Most have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, various immigration crimes and more. The filed cases also include 26 individuals accused of human smuggling with four others accused of other crimes. In addition to the new cases, Mexican national Javier Andres Rivera received a 60-month federal prison sentence for illegally reentering the country without authorization. He has prior convictions for aggravated robbery with a firearm, possession of more than 50 pounds of marijuana, terroristic threats and illegal reentry. He was first removed in 2011 and illegally returned three times. In Laredo, Mexican national Erik Villegas Cusi was ordered to prison for 51 months for conspiring with others in Mexico to smuggle fentanyl and cocaine during a family trip. Authorities discovered the drugs hidden in an aftermarket compartment in the undercarriage of his vehicle as he entered the United States with his wife and minor son. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - 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. Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas 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: Former Paralegal for Chicago-Area Company Sentenced in Federal Court for $100,000 Embezzlement Scheme

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CHICAGO — A former paralegal for a Chicago-area public company has been sentenced in federal court for embezzling nearly $100,000 from the company. As part of her paralegal duties, NAKESHA DAVIS facilitated payments from the company to former employees with whom the company had entered into settlement agreements. Davis created and submitted false approvals from managers in the company’s legal department purporting to approve settlement payments to certain former employees. Davis knew, however, that those former employees either did not have a settlement agreement with the company or, if they did, the amount of the settlement was different than the amount specified in Davis’s submissions. Davis supplied the company’s payroll department with her own bank account information in place of the former employee’s information, causing the company to issue the settlement payments directly to Davis. In total, Davis caused the company to fraudulently issue her $99,905.17. Davis, 46, of South Holland, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah sentenced Davis to six months of home confinement as part of a two-year term of probation. Judge Shah also ordered Davis to pay restitution to the company in the amount of $99,905.17. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayley Altabef.


title: New Bedford Couple Charged with Defrauding Clients of Over $750,000 in Connection with their Insurance Business

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A married couple was charged today for their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud individuals seeking insurance coverage through the couple’s business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC. Brendan Lawler, 58, and Lisa Lawler, 45, of New Bedford, Mass., were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. The Lawlers were charged by criminal complaint in August 2025 . According to the charging documents, from March 2023 through March 2024, the Lawlers allegedly solicited and collected insurance payments from BL Insurance’s clients, which should have been paid to the clients’ insurance providers. But instead of paying the insurance companies, the Lawlers allegedly pocketed their clients’ payments and used the money for their own purposes. To conceal this theft of client funds and to keep their BL Insurance afloat to perpetuate the scheme, the Lawlers allegedly used incoming client funds to pay outstanding balances due to other clients’ insurers. The Lawlers also allegedly created and distributed certain insurance documents to clients that falsely suggested that the clients were insured. In total, through this scheme, the Lawlers allegedly defrauded at least 50 individuals or insurance providers and stole more than $750,000 from insurance providers, premium finance companies and hard money lenders. Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this case or have any relevant information related to this case are requested to please fill out the attached form to be contacted by a member of law enforcement: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/BLInsuranceVictims/view . The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the loss to the victim. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and Insurance Fraud Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Manderson Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison  for Receipt of Child Pornography and Assault

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Manderson, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography and Assault by Beating, Striking or Wounding. The sentencing took place on January 26, 2026. John Steele, Jr., 51, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution and $125 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Forfeiture was also ordered. A federal grand jury indicted Steele for the charges in July 2024. He pleaded guilty on October 30, 2025. Between 2012 and 2016, Steele hid his Samsung cellular phone in the bathroom of the home he shared with his girlfriend. Steele surreptitiously photographed a minor female as she exited the shower when the girl was approximately 13 years old. In 2023, Steele assaulted the adult female by striking her with his hand at Manderson. When Steele’s cellular phone was examined as part of the assault investigation, the sexually explicit photos Steele took of the minor were discovered. 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case. Steele was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Webster Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Crystal Methamphetamine

body_text: BOSTON – A Webster man pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, 2026 in federal court in Worcester in connection with his role in distributing crystal methamphetamine. Giang Tran, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 50 grams or more of methamphetamine) and distribution of methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026. Tran was indicted on June 10, 2025. According to court records, in December 2024, a cooperating witness told law enforcement that Tran was a supplier of pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Undercover law enforcement contacted Tran, posing as the cooperating witness. Through these communications, Tran agreed three times to deliver crystal methamphetamine to undercover law enforcement. On Jan. 2, 2025, Tran personally delivered the drugs at a commercial plaza in Everett. On Jan. 8, 2025, and again on Jan. 21, 2025, Tran sent an associate to deliver the drugs in Worcester. In total, Tran delivered or arranged the delivery of approximately 1 kilogram of methamphetamine. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 50 grams or more of methamphetamine) provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Riverside (Calif.) DEA Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Principals Of ‘Pre-IPO’ Funds Plead Guilty To Defrauding Investors

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that MARIO GOGLIORMELLA, STEVEN LACAJ, and KARIM IBRAHIM, a/k/a “Chris Hayes,” pled guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges in connection with their management of L & G Capital Corp., Legend Venture Partners LLC, and a related series of funds. GOGLIORMELLA and LACAJ pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick and IBRAHIM pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo. The defendants will be sentenced before Judge Broderick at a later date. “Our pre-IPO markets are important to investors, entrepreneurs, and our economy,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Their integrity is critical to our continued leadership in technology, healthcare, energy, and other key industries. The defendants used high-pressure sales tactics, false and misleading disclosures, and hidden exorbitant fees to defraud retail investors seeking to invest in private companies that had not yet had initial public offerings. The women and men of our Office and our law enforcement partners continue to focus on our pre-IPO markets and our listed small-cap markets. Our message is clear: marketing and trading in securities of new and smaller companies does not give you a pass to commit fraud.” According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, public filings, and statements made in court: GOGLIORMELLA, LACAJ, and IBRAHIM engaged in a scheme to defraud investors in a group of related private funds known generally as the “StraightPath Funds” and the “Legend Funds.” The defendants, and others working at their direction, used “boiler room”-style call centers to market the funds to non-professional investors by promising an opportunity to invest in privately held companies expected to go public in the near future (“pre-IPO companies”). The defendants purported to offer investors the chance to acquire shares in pre-IPO companies at favorable prices in advance of an anticipated public offering, at which time, they claimed, the shares would be worth significantly more. The defendants also claimed there were no upfront fees or commissions, and that they would not get paid until their investors got paid. These representations that the defendants made to investors were lies. In fact, the defendants sold shares to investors at arbitrarily inflated and excessive prices without disclosing to investors the nature or extent of the markup. The defendants’ fraudulent misrepresentations about the operation of their funds allowed them to raise approximately $185 million from hundreds of investors. Based in large part on the excessive and undisclosed share price markups they charged to investors, the defendants were able to divert nearly $28 million in investor funds to themselves. They also used investor funds to pay their sales representatives at least $17.5 million in fees and commissions, despite making explicit representations to investors that fees were not being charged. In addition to misrepresentations about fees and markups, the defendants also misled investors regarding the nature of their investments and hid the involvement of GOGLIORMELLA and IBRAHIM, who had previously been disciplined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, in the management of the Funds. In order to generate interest in the Funds among retail investors, GOGLIORMELLA, LACAJ, and IBRAHIM used finders, or “referral agents,” to pitch prospective investors and thereafter to serve as the investors’ primary point of contact. The defendants used “boiler room”-style call centers wherein salespeople cold-called potential investors, many of whom were not experienced investors, and gave aggressive sales pitches using notes and pitch scripts. The defendants referred to their pitch scripts as “The Bible.” Contrary to the defendants’ claim that they and their agents did not make money unless and until investors received a profit on their investments, the defendants paid referral agents a commission, typically a 10 to 15 percent front-end fee based on the amount of the investment that agents were able to draw to the Funds, plus a portion of the carried interest when the Funds exited their position in a particular company. At first, the defendants operated this scheme as a marketing arm for StraightPath Venture Partners, Inc. (“StraightPath”). In approximately 2021, multiple individuals associated with StraightPath received subpoenas from the SEC, and in approximately February 2022, StraightPath ceased operations. In approximately February 2022, when StraightPath ceased operations, GOGLIORMELLA, LACAJ, and IBRAHIM began conducting the scheme under the corporate entity Legend Venture Partners, LLC (“Legend”), where they continued to run the same scheme that StraightPath had started. The three principals of StraightPath —Michael Castillero, Francine Lanaia, and Brian Martinsen—were also prosecuted by this Office and convicted at a trial before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman in November 2025. * * * GOGLIORMELLA, 48, of Manhasset, New York, STEVEN LACAJ, 28, of New York, New York, and KARIM IBRAHIM, 36, of Queens, New York, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and investment adviser fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of investment adviser fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Clayton also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which has filed a parallel civil action. The case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam S. Hobson and Matthew R. Shahabian are in charge of the prosecution.


title: District of Arizona Charges 200 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Jan. 24 through Jan. 30, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 200 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 109 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 72 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 14 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol agent. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-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. Gustavo Duarte-Corona. Duarte-Corona was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 29, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on March 28, 1997, after being convicted of Delivery of a Controlled Substance I, a felony, in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, Multnomah County. In that case, Duarte-Corona was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised release. 26-03031MJ, Phoenix. A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-013_January 30 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 Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison for Conspiring to Straw Purchase Firearms

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

body_text: ROCKFORD — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for conspiring with his sister to straw purchase seven firearms. From 2020 to 2023, DERWIN VAZQUEZ, JR. conspired with his sister—JALISSA R. VAZQUEZ—to make false or fictious written statements to three licensed firearms dealers in connection with the acquisition or attempted acquisition of the firearms. Vazquez Jr. often purchased firearms online but falsely used his sister’s name as the purchaser. He then instructed Jalissa Vazquez to go pick up the firearms, knowing that she would falsely certify on federal forms that she was the actual buyer. Other times, Vazquez Jr. provided cash to Jalissa Vazquez or instructed her to purchase firearms with cash on his behalf. Vazquez, Jr. admitted that he intended to unlawfully re-sell the firearms to others on Facebook. Vazquez Jr., 26, of Waukegan, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to provide false and fictitious written statements to federally licensed dealers of firearms. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the 30-month prison sentence during a hearing on Thursday in federal court in Rockford. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim. Jalissa Vazquez, 37, of Garden Prairie, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to the same conspiracy charge as her brother. She is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Johnston on April 23, 2026. Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to tackle a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.


title: Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty After Requesting Person in Philippines  Sexually Abuse a Child and Record the Abuse

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Bradley D. Hounsell, 44, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty today to one count of coercing and enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. As detailed in the plea agreement, Hounsell communicated with an individual in the Philippines on a social media platform, seeking sexually explicit videos and images of children. In November 2023, the individual informed Hounsell that the individual had access to a 13-year-old child, and Hounsell asked the individual to produce and send him a video of the individual sexually abusing the child. Hounsell paid the individual and the child via an online payment platform and in exchange, the individual sent him a video depicting the sexual abuse of the child, performing the acts that Hounsell requested. A later review by law enforcement of Hounsell’s online communications with this individual revealed Hounsell’s repeated requests for sexualized images of minors. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel for the Eastern District of Wisconsin made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Humble for the Eastern District of Wisconsin are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Former Massachusetts State Senator Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Obstruction of Justice and False Statements

body_text: BOSTON – Former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for attempting to cover up a fraudulent job offer and job offer letter from his sister’s company. Tran, 50, of Fitchburg, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to one year in prison, 11 months to run concurrent with his current sentence and one month to run consecutive, to be followed by 18 months of supervised release to run concurrent with his current sentence. In December 2025 , Tran pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement. Tran was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024 along with his sister, Tuyet T. Martin. Tran was convicted by a federal jury in September 2024 for fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and his willful omission of consulting and rental income from his tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He is currently serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison for those convictions. “This case is clear and simple. It is about entitlement. Entitlement to benefits Mr. Tran was not owed, entitlement to lie when confronted and entitlement to blame everyone but himself. Dean Tran did not only commit fraud; he lied, obstructed justice and tried to derail a federal investigation to protect himself. Even after being convicted, Dean Tran continued to deny responsibility for his actions,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Today’s sentence makes one thing clear: if you think you can lie to federal agents, manipulate the system and obstruct justice – you are sorely mistaken. As we have said over and over, no one is above the law. Justice is blind to power, wealth and status.” “This investigation underscores our continued commitment to protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance system,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “Mr. Tran’s fraudulent receipt of pandemic unemployment benefits was compounded by false statements made to federal law enforcement during the execution of a lawful search warrant. Individuals who exploit critical benefit programs and attempt to obstruct investigations will be held accountable.” “Today’s sentencing of Dean Tran demonstrates that lying to federal law enforcement officers is a serious offense,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Obstruction of justice, at a minimum, prolongs an investigation and costs the American taxpayers thousands of additional dollars. In these situations, obstruction can lead to the destruction or loss of evidence, allowing guilty parties to evade justice and deprive their victims of a fair and just outcome.” “Anyone who obstructs a federal investigation is attempting to subvert the course of justice, and when a former Massachusetts State Senator does it, that’s even more egregious,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners will always seek to hold those foolish enough to try to interfere with our cases accountable because it is a direct threat to our entire system of justice.” As part of an ongoing investigation into unemployment benefits and tax fraud schemes, federal law enforcement interviewed Tran at his residence while executing a federal search warrant. During the interview, Tran was asked about a letter he provided to unemployment agency officials when his benefits were briefly suspended, and he was attempting to have benefits reinstated. Tran made material misrepresentations to the federal law enforcement agents about the letter, including that his sister and co-defendant, Tuyet Martin, had authored the letter when she was not the sole author of the letter and Tran had revised it before the letter was finalized and submitted to unemployment officials. Tran also told federal law enforcement agents that his sister’s signature appeared on the letter when in fact Tran had signed the letter, not his sister. In January 2026 , Martin pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2026. U.S. Attorney Foley; DOL IG D’Esposito; IRS-CI SAC Demeo; and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy, Lauren Maynard and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Postal Employee Sentenced for Her Role in Conspiracy to Steal Checks from the Mail

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday sentenced a former mail carrier who aided a check stealing and bank fraud conspiracy to a year and a day in prison and ordered her to repay $21,635. Cambria M. Hopkins, a postal carrier based in Clayton, sold her “arrow key,” which allows access to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, to Malik A. Jones on March 20, 2022. She also told Jones which boxes the key would open. Jones then paid others to steal mail using Hopkins’ key. Hopkins also sold checks multiple times to Jones that she’d stolen from mail at the Post Office and from mail while on her route. Jones paid her in cash, via CashApp or in groceries. Jones then recruited others who allowed him to use their bank accounts to deposit forged and fraudulent checks. “The relatively small amount of money for which (Hopkins) was willing to abuse her position, undermine the public’s trust, and harm those whose mail she stole speaks to the selfishness of her actions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow wrote in a sentencing memo. When confronted, Hopkins “lied to investigators… and attempted to cover up her crimes by then deleting her messages with Jones,” Clow wrote. Hopkins, 30, of Florissant, Missouri, pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy and one count of unlawful use of a mail key. Jones, now 28, was sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. “The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who steal mail will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Acting Inspector in Charge, Mary Johnson, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes St. Louis. “The Postal Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state, and federal partners to bring mail theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.” “This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.” The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.


title: TANGIPAHOA MAN GUILTY OF POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE FENTANYL, METHAMPHETAMINE

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA –GARRETT MCCLAIN JR.(“MCCLAIN”) , age 24, of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty on January 29, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), §841(b)(1)(A), and § 841(b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Judge Ashe scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2026. At sentencing, MCCLAIN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five (5) years of supervised release. According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, MCCLAIN, and other individuals, conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region. Law enforcement officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by MCCLAIN after he was seen leaving a residence in Tickfaw, Louisiana. MCCLAIN led officers on a high-speed pursuit before fleeing his vehicle on foot. Ultimately, he was arrested and a backpack in his possession was seized and found to contain 226 grams of pure methamphetamine, 336 grams of marijuana, and 77 grams of fentanyl. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 86 Border-Related Cases This Week

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 86 border-related cases this week, including charges of 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 January 23, Maria Luisa Luna-Garduno, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found a minor undocumented female hiding under a blanket in the trunk of the defendant’s vehicle as she tried to cross the border at the Tecate Port of Entry. On January 27, Fernando Martin Cota Sordia, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found 994 pounds of liquid methamphetamine in the fuel tank of the defendant’s Kenworth Tractor when he attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry Commercial Facility. On January 28, Adolfo Garcia-Vega, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents intercepted the defendant about 200 yards north of the border. Garcia-Vega was previously deported to Mexico on January 22, 2026, through Texas. 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: NEW ORLEANS MAN SENTENCED FOR  BEING FELON IN POSSESSION OF FIREARM

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – HAVEN PATTERSON (“PATTERSON”) , age 43, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter on January 29, 2026, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Chief Judge Vitter sentenced PATTERSON to 48 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. According to court records, on February 27, 2025, PATTERSON intentionally possessed a loaded 40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun. PATTERSON is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior Louisiana State conviction. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chandra Menon of the of the Public Integrity Unit. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Illegal Immigrant from Mexico Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Throwing Molotov Cocktail at LASD Deputies During Anti-ICE Riot

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – An illegal immigrant from Mexico was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for lighting and throwing a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement during an anti-immigration enforcement riot in Paramount last year. Emiliano Garduño Gálvez, 23, of Paramount, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. Gálvez pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of obstructing, impeding, or interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. He has been in federal custody since June 2025. “This defendant’s reckless behavior threatened the lives and safety of law enforcement officers and that of a lawful protester,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “My office remains steadfast in its efforts to prosecute and punish those who commit acts of violence against others.” On June 7, 2025, in Paramount, Gálvez was present during a civil disorder, a public disturbance involving acts of violence by an assemblage of more than three people that caused immediate danger of and resulted in damage to property or other people. Specifically, groups of individuals in Paramount amassed around federal personnel, and later local law enforcement, all of whom were lawfully engaged in the performance of their official duties. The demonstration’s purpose was to protest the federal enforcement of immigration laws in Los Angeles County. For several hours, the group threw objects, including rocks or chunks of cinder blocks, at federal and local law enforcement, lit objects on fire, and set off fireworks in the direction of law enforcement. Law enforcement declared the protest an unlawful assembly. The civil disorder interfered with a federally protected function, namely, the coordination of federal agencies’ personnel and preparation for immigration enforcement activities. Rioters also caused The Home Depot, a local business, to temporarily close, and they stole store products during the disorder. The streets in this area were blocked by the civil disorder and objects individuals lit on fire, affecting access to The Home Depot and other businesses in the area. Hiding behind a stone wall, Gálvez lit and threw a Molotov cocktail towards Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies who were on duty in Paramount during the civil disorder. Gálvez admitted he threw the Molotov cocktail intending to obstruct, interfere with, and impede the sheriff’s deputies who were lawfully engaged in their official duties. The Molotov cocktail Gálvez threw landed in a grassy area near the foot of a protestor in the crowd and approximately 15 feet from LASD deputies. Gálvez had never registered this Molotov cocktail, nor any destructive device, with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. He then fled the area. “[Gálvez] threw an incendiary device capable of killing someone,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “And his destructive device came far closer to injuring a civilian holding a sign, as opposed to [Gálvez’s] intended target – the sheriff’s deputies.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this matter with the assistance of the FBI and LASD. Assistant United States Attorney Jenna W. Long of the National Security Division prosecuted this case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Takes Down Drug and Gun Trafficking Ring; Six Arrested

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that the following six individuals were arrested today on federal charges related to their alleged involvement in a narcotics and firearms trafficking ring: MANOLIN VARGAS D’OLON , also known as “Robelin,” 30, of Waterbury GIOVANNI BENOIT , 41, of New York, New York ALVARO PEREZ , 40, of Waterbury ANDERSON AMADOR NOVA , 35, of Waterbury ANGEL VASQUEZ , also known as “Bebo,” 36, of Hamden ANDY MARTINEZ , 46, of Paterson, New Jersey As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the FBI and the Homeland Security Task Force New Haven (HSTF New Haven) have been investigating a narcotics and firearms trafficking organization led by a Dominican national who resides in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican national coordinates the distribution of narcotics and firearms in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, through multiple redistributors in those locations. During the investigation, investigators made more than 30 controlled purchases from redistributors totaling more than one kilogram of fentanyl, more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, and 17 firearms. Laboratory analysis of the purchased fentanyl revealed that some of it was mixed with bromazolam, which is a relatively new synthetic benzodiazepine that was unscheduled at the time it was sold, and which is increasingly found as a component in mixtures of drugs resulting in overdoses. It is alleged that the Dominican national made statements to sources suggesting that he had the ability to direct violence against individuals in the U.S. The six defendants appeared today in federal court. Vargas D’Olon and Perez, who are citizens of the Dominican Republic, and Nova and Vasquez, were detained. Benoit and Martinez were released on bond to home confinement. On December 9, 2025, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 15-count indictment charging the six defendants. The indictment, which was unsealed today, charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine. If convicted of this charge, based on the type and quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, Vargas D’Olon faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Benoit, Perez, and Amador Nova face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; and Vasquez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances. The indictment also charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Perez, Amador Nova, and Vasquez with one or more counts related to the distribution of controlled substances. In addition, the indictment charges Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, Vasquez, and Martinez with engaging in a firearms trafficking conspiracy; Vargas D’Olon with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally present in the United States; Vasquez with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; and Vargas D’Olon, Benoit, and Vasquez with unlawful transfer of a firearm. Each of these charges carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. It is further alleged that in May 2025, Vargas D’Olon was arrested on state narcotics charges. Analysis of a cellphone seized from him at the time of his arrest revealed cache folders for the encrypted messaging service Telegram that contained video and image files depicting child pornography. On December 9, the New Haven grand jury returned a separate indictment charging D’Olon with possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. This investigation was assisted by FBI New York, FBI Newark, FBI Tampa, FBI Orlando Resident Agency, FBI Legal Attache (LEGAT) – Santo Domingo, and the New Haven, East Haven, North Haven, Milford, and Waterbury Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Guevremont.


title: Leslie County Man Sentenced for Attempted Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: ASHLAND, Ky. – A Hyden, Ky., man, Finley Wooton, 33, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 180 months in prison, following his conviction for attempted production of child pornography. According to his plea agreement, on April 10, 2023, Wooton engaged in a Facebook Messenger conversation with a minor victim. During the conversation, Wooton sent sexually explicit images and asked for sexually explicit images in return. By doing so, Wooton used Facebook Messenger to attempt to persuade the minor victim to produce child pornography. Under federal law, Wooton must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years. Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. – END –


title: Magoffin County Man and Former Teacher Sentenced for Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor

body_text: ASHLAND, Ky. – A Salyersville, Ky., man, Jordan Cobb, 32, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 132 months in prison, for attempted online enticement of a minor. According to his plea agreement, in April and May 2023, Cobb was employed as a middle school teacher, and he engaged in a Snapchat conversation with a former student of his, who was a minor. In the course of the conversation, Cobb sent the minor a series of sexually explicit messages, offers to provide the minor with marijuana, and a plan to meet for sexual intercourse. Under federal law, Cobb must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years. Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police jointly announced the conviction. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov. – END –


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.” “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers. In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States. Since January 20, 2025, the following individuals have been charged with human trafficking-related crimes: Carlos Recinos-Valdez and his son Kevin Recinos-Ruano were charged in a criminal complaint for allegedly conspiring with each other to harbor illegal aliens in the Reno area for their personal financial gain. As alleged, Recinos-Valdez orchestrated the illegal smuggling of aliens through a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) with a network of human smugglers and traffickers located throughout Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. Once in Reno, Recinos-Valdez would demand and collect regular payments for smuggling fees from the victims to pay off their debt to the TCO; and he threatened victims with physical violence if payments were not received. Recinos-Valdez is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens; three counts of harboring illegal aliens; two counts of aiding and abetting attempted interference with commerce by extortion; and one count of aiding and abetting bringing illegal aliens. Recinos-Ruano is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. A jury trial is scheduled to begin April 21, 2026. A grand jury returned an indictment charging Rafael Juan Mitjans for allegedly subjecting three victims from Cuba to forced, confiscating their passports and other identifications, and providing false statements on immigration documents. Mitjans was charged with three counts of forced labor, three counts of unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking and forced labor, and three counts of false statements on immigration documents. A jury trial is scheduled to begin May 19, 2025. In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including: Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states. Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery. Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains. Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG. Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking. On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including: 1,041 Sinaloa members 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members 641 MS-13 members 456 Tren de Aragua members 1,067 weapons More than $3,250,000 in currency Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics ###


title: Louisiana Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Killing Lafayette Parish Woman in Armed Carjacking

body_text: LAFAYETTE – On January 27, 2026, Brandon Jermaine Francisco, 39, of Mansura, Louisiana was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to committing a carjacking that resulted in the death of victim E.G., a Lafayette Parish woman who had been missing for three years. “Today’s sentence ensures that the defendant will spend the rest of his life in federal prison for a brutal and senseless crime,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “While no prison sentence can repay or erase the loss suffered by the victim’s family, including her young children, this case reflects our commitment alongside our state and federal partners to hold violent offenders accountable and pursue justice for victims.” “Convicted carjacker Brandon Jermaine Francisco will be permanently removed from society and unable to hurt the people of Louisiana ever again," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI's New Orleans Field Office. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim, and we are so sorry for your loss. We are very grateful for our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Police and the FBI Special Agents who relentlessly pursued justice for the innocent victim of this awful crime.” While pleading guilty, Francisco admitted to the following facts: Francisco carjacked the victim, an Uber and Lyft driver, on March 9, 2022, while attempting to avoid an attempted murder charge in Louisiana. Francisco contacted E.G. about transportation to Missouri, and the two agreed that E.G. would meet him in Lafayette, Louisiana, and E.G. would drive him as far as Houston, Texas. After leaving Houston, the two headed eastbound back into Louisiana. Around Iowa, Louisiana, Francisco took control of the vehicle, shot E.G. several times, and disposed of her body before fleeing with the vehicle, ultimately reaching Missouri. Francisco was arrested in Missouri while possessing the firearm that killed E.G. as well as the key fob to E.G.’s vehicle roughly two weeks later, on March 25, 2022. U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, St. Joseph’s Police Department, Bedford Police Department, and Scott Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Nickel and Casey N. Stelly are prosecuting the case with assistance from Legal Assistant Dru Casebonne. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer , under Case Number 24-CR-00249. ### Public Affairs United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Louisiana USALAW-News@usdoj.gov www.justice.gov/usao-wdla Twitter @USAO_WDLA


title: Eau Claire Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Nathan Hendrickson, 37, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was sentenced on January 27, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in prison for possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Hendrickson pleaded guilty to this charge on October 30, 2025. In September 2024 and January 2025, officers with the West Central Drug Task Force received information that Hendrickson was selling pounds of methamphetamine. Officers conducted controlled buys of methamphetamine from Hendrickson on January 16, January 24, and February 12. When officers searched Hendrickson’s apartment on February 12, they found approximately 678 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, $2,987 cash, and drug paraphernalia. At sentencing, Judge Conley expressed concern that Hendrickson’s “criminal conduct has been escalating.” In deciding to impose a 10-year sentence, Judge Conley weighed the fact that Hendrickson had previously served only short state sentences against his now “substantial methamphetamine distribution.” The charge against Hendrickson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Chippewa County, Dunn County, Eau Claire County, and Buffalo County Sheriffs’ Departments, the Eau Claire Police Department, the West Central Drug Task Force, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Remington prosecuted this case. Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: District Man Sentenced to 26 Years for the 2020 Daytime Murder in The Benco Shopping Center in Southeast

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Antoine Turner, 32, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today to 312 months (26 years) in prison for the November 29, 2020, murder of Demeitri Anderson in the BENCO Shopping Plaza in Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Turner pleaded guilty to second degree murder on September 5, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. His guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 240–312-month prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the plea agreement and sentenced the defendant to 312 months. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:30 p.m., on November 29, 2020, the defendant, Antoine Turner, drove a rented red Nissan Versa to the 4500 block of B Street SE, Washington, DC, where he parked the car. The defendant then walked around the block from B Street SE to 46 th Street SE, then took a left on East Capitol Street SE, and entered the rear alley behind the BENCO Shopping Plaza located at 4528 Benning Rd SE. He then walked to the front of Ken’s Beauty Supply located in the BENCO Shopping Plaza where at approximately 12:38 p.m., the defendant approached the victim, Demeitri Anderson, from behind and shot him repeatedly in the back of the head and body, killing him. Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Coronado, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 2020CF1009131


title: Florida Man Sentenced for Misrepresenting Indian Produced Goods

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jose Farinango Muenala, 47, Casselberry, Florida, pleaded guilty on January 28, 2026, to misrepresenting Indian produced goods. Following the guilty plea, Farinango Muenala was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years of probation and a $25,000 fine. In January 2023, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board received complaints that a man with the business name Southwest Expressions was going to art shows and misrepresenting that the jewelry he was selling was handmade by Pueblo Indians. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently launched an investigation and identified the man as Farinango Muenala. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that since 2012, Farinango Muenala had attended dozens of art shows as a vendor, including the 2023 Loon Day Festival in Mercer, Wisconsin. At these shows, Farinango Muenala misrepresented himself as a Pueblo or a Native American from New Mexico. He also misrepresented that the jewelry he sold was handmade by himself or other Pueblo Indians, when in fact, the jewelry was mass produced and imported from the Philippines. Between 2012 and 2023, Farinango Muenala’s business Southwest Expressions made 40,905 individual sales, and grossed over $2,686,000. At sentencing, Judge Conley emphasized that for years, Farinango Muenala profited by regularly and intentionally misrepresenting the jewelry that he sold. Judge Conley also acknowledged the significance of the statute Farinango Muenala violated, noting it was meant to protect Native Americans. “The Indian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Department of the Interior, administers and enforces the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA), a truth in marketing law,” said the Board’s Director Meridith Stanton. “The IACA is intended to rid the Indian arts and crafts marketplace of counterfeits to protect the economic livelihoods and cultural heritage of Indian artists, craftspeople, and their Tribes, as well as the buying public. Authentic Indian art and craftwork is an important tool for passing down cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and artistic skills from one generation to the next. The defendant in this case falsely claimed to be a third-generation jewelry maker from the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico while he sold imported Philippines jewelry as authentic Indian made across several states. These sales of fake Indian art tear at the very fabric of Indian culture and undercut the marketability of the creative work of federally recognized Tribes.” U.S. Attorney Elgersma and Director Stanton praised the collaboration between IACA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and thanked all those who helped bring Farinango Muenala’s conduct to light. Both stressed that his prosecution sends a strong message that violators of the IACA will be held accountable. The charges against Farinango Muenala were the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus prosecuted this case.


title: Final Charged Defendant in GirlsDoPorn Sex Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced; Adult Film Actor Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

body_text: SAN DIEGO –Douglas Wiederhold, a male performer in the massive GirlsDoPorn sex-trafficking conspiracy led by Michael Pratt, was sentenced in federal court today to four years in prison. Wiederhold was paid to perform in 71 adult sex videos that exploited victims. Wiederhold is the last of seven charged defendants to be sentenced for their roles in the multimillion-dollar criminal empire that lured young women into making sex videos through lies, coercion, and manipulation, and then broadcasting their abuse to millions online. “Each defendant’s actions unleashed profound harm on hundreds of victims, and today the final conspirator was held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “These strong sentences reflect the bravery of the victims in coming forward and speaking of their abuse. Without them, justice would have been impossible. The Department of Justice thanks these remarkable women.” “Wiederhold’s sentencing today is another victory for the hundreds of victims subjected by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex acts so Michael Pratt and his co-conspirators could make millions off their pain,” said TJ Holland, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “FBI San Diego and our law enforcement partners relentlessly investigated this case and everyone who played a part in the conspiracy to ensure justice was appropriately served. Each sentence handed down in the GirlsDoPorn case is a direct result of victim cooperation and investigative persistence.” Pratt was the owner and operator of the pornography website girlsdoporn.com. Girlsdoporn.com featured sex videos of young adult women appearing in their first pornographic video. Girlsdoporn.com charged visitors a subscription fee to access the website’s content. Wiederhold was part of the conspiracy from the start, starting in at least January 2011 through at least March 2012. The young adult women were paid by Pratt to perform sex acts with Wiederhold. Pratt was the camera operator; Pratt also directed the video shoots. Wiederhold was a salaried employee who sometimes traveled with Pratt to pick the young women up at the airport and drive them to the location of the video shoots. Wiederhold knew Pratt recruited women from all over the United States to appear in these videos. If the women lived far from San Diego, Pratt would book travel and pay for these women to fly to San Diego for their video shoot. Pratt would also pay for the hotels or short-term rentals in San Diego where the video shoots would occur. At Pratt’s direction, Wiederhold lied to the women, assuring them that the videos would not be posted on the internet. Pratt instructed Wiederhold to tell the women that the videos were only going onto a DVD to a collector in a foreign country or posted to VHS for a small number of viewers in Australia. Wiederhold knew that Pratt made his money by posting the videos onto girlsdoporn.com, where the videos were publicly available on the internet to anyone willing to pay a fee. Wiederhold also knew that Pratt was posting snippets of the videos to Pornhub and other porn websites to drive traffic to girlsdoporn.com. Even after learning that the sex videos were being posted on the internet, Wiederhold falsely assured at least two women that the videos would not be posted publicly. Further, Wiederhold stood by while Pratt provided false assurances to the women that their videos would not be posted on the internet. Wiederhold would act in the pornographic videos with the women, after the false assurances were made. Women told the agents that they trusted Wiederhold, because he treated them as a friend and helped them feel comfortable. At today’s hearing, six of the defendant’s victims urged the court to hand down the maximum sentence. One woman explained that “by putting me online and exposing me to the world without my consent, [Wiederhold] didn’t just humiliate me, he branded me …. I spent years unable to look my own family in the eyes.” Another woman told the court, “The person I was before this happened no longer exists. I am a shell of who I used to be.” A third addressed the defendant directly, “throughout my experience with you, deception was constant. You lied about who you were, even using a false name to conceal your identity. You misrepresented your intentions and the reality of what I was being drawn into. Nothing about my interactions with you was honest. Every part of it was built on deception … After you got what you wanted from me, you left me alone, scared, humiliated, and overwhelmed by what had just happened.” U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino told the defendant that even though he left the conspiracy over 10 years ago, “what happened in this case had long lasting harm. Some of the damage [to the women] will be lifelong.” The defendant was ordered to self-surrender on March 27, 2026, at noon. Judge Sammartino set a restitution hearing for March 6, 2026, at 2 p.m. The GirlsDoPorn investigation and prosecution spanned years, involving FBI agents, FBI analysts, the U.S. Marshal Service, victim advocates, and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to secure justice for the victims. Multiple co-conspirators have been convicted in connection with the scheme. DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr1202-JLS Douglas Wiederhold Age: 42 Sentenced to four years on January 30, 2026 SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy (Sex Trafficking)– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalty: Five years and $250,000 fine DEFENDANTS Case Number 19cr4488-JLS Michael Pratt Age: 42 Sentenced to 27 years on September 8, 2025 Matthew Wolfe Age: 43 Sentenced to 14 years on March 20, 2024 Ruben Andre Garcia Age: 36 Sentenced to 20 years on June 4, 2021 Theodore Gyi Age: 47 Sentenced to four years on November 9, 2022 Valorie Moser Age: 43 Sentenced to two years on December 12, 2025 SUMMARY OF CHARGES Sex Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594 Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine Sex Trafficking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1591 Mandatory Minimum: Fifteen years in prison Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine Conspiracy (Sex Trafficking) – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalty: Five years and $250,000 fine DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr0111-JLS Alexander Foster Sentenced to one year on April 28, 2023 SUMMARY OF CHARGE Conspiracy (Stalking) – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalty: Five years and $250,000 fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES FBI – Southern District of California San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force U.S. Marshals Service


title: Long Beach Man Found Guilty of Distributing Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine that Caused Fatal Overdoses of Engaged Couple in Orange County

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man was found guilty by a jury today of distributing fentanyl-laced cocaine that resulted in the overdose deaths on the same day in Orange County of two victims who were engaged to be married. Stephen Johnson, 43, a.k.a. “Stephen Jo,” was found guilty of two counts of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and two counts of distribution of cocaine. According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, the victims paid Johnson $240 on the night of May 24, 2023, and in exchange he twice gave them cocaine. The victims then attended a concert in West Hollywood before returning to Johnson’s residence at approximately 3 a.m. on May 25, 2023, to pick up the remainder of their cocaine – which contained fentanyl. The victims then returned to their residence in Brea, where they consumed the narcotics and suffered fatal overdoses. United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled an April 20 sentencing hearing, at which time Johnson will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The FBI and the Brea Police Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Y. Fu of the Orange County Office, and Christopher R. Jones, Christina R.B. López, and William Kanellis of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.


title: Leader of Trans-Pacific Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Over 28 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - Hawaii

body_text: HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Leonard Gutierrez, 65, of Whittier, California, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by Senior United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to 340 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and carfentanil, nine counts of distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Gutierrez has been detained since his initial arrest in this case on April 9, 2024. Judge Kobayashi found that Gutierrez was one of the leaders of the organization, and responsible for bringing more than 26 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, and over 4 kilograms of carfentanil into the Hawaiian Islands, using a variety of methods, and collecting thousands of dollars in illegal drug proceeds. Carfentanil is a fentanyl analogue and is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which can be lethal at the 2-milligram range, depending on route of administration and other factors. Gutierrez is one of eleven defendants charged in three separate indictments for crimes related to the operation of a trans-Pacific drug trafficking network, nine of whom have pled guilty with the remaining awaiting trial. The investigation yielded seizures of more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine, several kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, eight firearms, ammunition, and over $150,000 in cash. Gutierrez is the sixth defendant of eleven to be sentenced. Those charged in his and other related indictments have been sentenced as follows: On April 30, 2025, Shawn Pauahi Santana was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and to distributing methamphetamine. On December 10, 2025, Faith Michelle Nelson was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On December 16, 2025, Francis Anthony Abergas, Jr. was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony. On January 8, 2026, Trish Leila Henderson was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On January 12, 2026, Travis Kalani Hong-Ah Nee was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing with intent to distribute carfentanil and possessing ammunition after having been previously convicted of a felony. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui Police Departments, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret C. Nammar is prosecuting the case. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Hawaii is comprised of agents and officers from ICE-HSI, FBI, ATF, CBP, CGIS, DCIS, DEA, DSS, IRS-CI, NCIS, USMS, USPIS and HHIDTA, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii.


title: Recidivist Drug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for a Bulk Methamphetamine-Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Bay Minette man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for taking part in a conspiracy to distribute bulk methamphetamine. According to court documents, Ladarrius Markeil Fields, 30, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between October 2024 and December 2024. On December 9, 2024, narcotics investigators received information that a bulk methamphetamine deal was going to occur at a truck stop in Whistler. Agents attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Fields’s vehicle near the truck stop, but Fields reversed out of a parking lot and drove away. As he did so, Fields threw a large bag of methamphetamine from his vehicle into a drainage ditch before coming to a stop. Agents arrested Fields and recovered the bag that he discarded, which contained nearly a pound of methamphetamine packaged in five separate baggies. Agents then interviewed Fields, who admitted that he had bought a pound of methamphetamine from a supplier with whom he had previously served prison time. Fields has several prior convictions for possession and distribution of narcotics and was released from Alabama state prison in mid-2024. Fields said that on December 8, 2024, he had met his supplier at a gas station near Meaher Avenue in Prichard. Fields said the supplier had accidentally given him the wrong bag, so Fields came to the truck stop to switch out the drugs the next day. Fields said he had been buying bulk methamphetamine from his supplier for roughly two months and had secured one to two pounds of methamphetamine on about 15 separate occasions. At one point during his interview, Fields said, “Y’all caught me bro, red handed.” In addition to the 120-month prison sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Steele ordered Fields to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Fields to pay a total of $100 in special assessments. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from, among others, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.


title: Haileyville Resident Sentenced For Stealing Property From Army Ammunition Plant

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Garland Leon Seay, age 39, of Haileyville, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 5 years’ probation for two counts of Theft of Government Property, and 5 years’ probation for one count of Entering a Military Installation for a Purpose Prohibited by Law. All three counts are to be served concurrently. The charges arose from an investigation by the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant Police Department, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Savanna Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On April 22, 2026, Seay pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on July 22, 2024, law enforcement discovered Seay in possession of various items he had stolen from the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP), including an inert training missile. During the ensuing investigation, law enforcement recovered additional MCAAP property stolen by Seay over the prior year. The Honorable Robert J. Shelby, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan and T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.


title: Oklahoma County Resident Sentenced For Felony Assault

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Bryan Dewayne Goodbear, a/k/a Bryan D. Goodbear, a/k/a Bryan W. Goodbear, a/k/a Sonny F. Goodbear, age 29, formerly of Edmond, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 174 months in prison for one count of Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country. The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. On June 18, 2025, Goodbear pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on August 16, 2023, Goodbear and two other inmates of the Davis Correctional Facility stabbed a fellow inmate over 70 times, causing severe injuries to the victim’s neck, chest, and abdomen. The crime occurred in Hughes County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Robert J. Shelby, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court of Utah, sitting by special appointment, presided over the hearing. Goodbear will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lewis M. Reagan, T. Cameron McEwen, and Patrick M. Flanigan represented the United States.


title: Cherokee County Resident Sentenced For Sexual Abuse And Abusive Sexual Contact

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jimmy Charles Wright, age 48, of Park Hill, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 137 months in prison for one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, and to forty-eight months for two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. The Court ordered the sentences to be served concurrently. The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. On July 24, 2025, Wright pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, beginning on February 27, 2024, and continuing until March 11, 2024, Wright knowingly engaged in sexual contact and sex acts with a minor child who had attained the age of 12 but was under the age of 16, and was at least four years younger than Wright. The crimes occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Robert J. Shelby, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Wright will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.


title: Wagoner County Resident Sentenced To Life In Prison For Sexual Abuse Crimes Against Three Children

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Richard Leroy Osborn III, age 48, of Wagoner County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison for five counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country, and to two years in prison for two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. The Court ordered the terms to be served concurrently. The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On December 11, 2024, at the conclusion of a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Osborn on all eight counts. According to investigators, Osborn began sexually assaulting three children in 2011. In May of 2022, one of the children came forward to report the abuse. At trial, the United States presented evidence that Osborn had also sexually abused three other victims when they were minors. Osborn, who was convicted in 2005 of Rape in the Second Degree in the State of Oklahoma, was a registered sex offender when he committed these crimes. The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservations, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “It’s heartbreaking when innocent people in our communities are victimized, especially our children,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “It remains a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office to pursue justice for crime victims. In this case, the defendant, a convicted sex offender, abused three children and the life sentences imposed by the Court are fitting punishments for his heinous crimes.” The Honorable Robert J. Shelby, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Osborn will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.


title: Lincoln Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Drug Charge

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jamaal McNeil, 48, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 29, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine actual with 1 prior conviction for a serious drug felony. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced McNeil to a total of 360 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After McNeil’s release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release. McNeil was responsible for selling methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana in Lincoln for at least six months in 2023. On November 29, 2023, he was contacted by the Lincoln Police Department in his vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted due to the odor of marijuana. Investigators found multiple plastic baggies. Six of the baggies field-tested positive for cocaine, six baggies field-tested positive for methamphetamine, and three baggies contained marijuana. Investigators also found four hydrocodone pills. McNeil was arrested and $853 was found on his person. A search warrant was executed at McNeil’s residence in Lincoln. Investigators found additional quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana, as well as digital scales, and $2,495 in U.S. currency. The methamphetamine and cocaine were sent to the State Crime Lab. The lab confirmed there were at least 180 grams of methamphetamine actual and more than 212 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. Additionally, the lab confirmed McNeil possessed more than 50 grams of cocaine and at least 6 grams of cocaine base. McNeil was convicted in 2007 in the Nebraska federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine as was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.