title: Slovenian Drug Traffickers Sentenced To 10 And 13 Years In Prison For Conspiring To Send Heroin To The United States

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that GORAZD FILIMONOVIC and GASPER URBANC, were sentenced to 10 years and 13 years in prison, respectively, for conspiring to import hundreds of kilograms of heroin into the United States. FILIMONOVIC and URBANC, who are both Slovenian nationals, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, before whom they previously pled guilty. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Gorazd Filimonovic, Gasper Urbanc, and their co-conspirators agreed to send a staggering amount of heroin to the United States. The defendants boasted of their connections to other drug traffickers in Europe, and claimed they had experience in trafficking thousands of kilograms of drugs. But today, all of that comes to an end as Filimonovic and Urbanc will serve lengthy prison sentences. This Office, through its longstanding partnership with the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, will continue to prosecute those who seek to harm our communities by flooding our streets with dangerous drugs.” As reflected in the Indictment, other filings, and statements made in court: From at least November 2020 through approximately April 2021, FILIMONOVIC and URBANC conspired to distribute multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of heroin from Austria and elsewhere for importation into the U.S. The Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) had been investigating FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and certain of their co-conspirators since at least 2019, when a Confidential Source (the “CS”) identified URBANC as a significant international cocaine trafficker who was responsible for coordinating drug transportation logistics on behalf of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”). In a subsequent series of meetings and electronic communications, confidential sources (the “CSes”) negotiated the purchase of large quantities of cocaine and heroin for distribution in the U.S. FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and their co-conspirators explained to the CSes that they had experience in the international trafficking of thousands of kilograms of cocaine and heroin and could act as direct conduits to drug production facilities that they controlled. FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and their co-conspirators met with the CSes multiple times throughout the world, including in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, and Colombia, to coordinate large-scale drug shipments and to discuss alternative routes as they sought methods to evade law enforcement. After early discussions regarding a potential cocaine shipment, the parties began discussing large scale heroin shipments. When a CS expressed interest in kilogram-quantity samples of heroin for potential future drug transactions, URBANC informed the CS that he could provide heroin immediately from multiple locations throughout Europe. By February 2021, FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and their co-conspirators agreed to supply the CSes with high-quality heroin to be delivered by the DTO to a location in Austria with the understanding that the heroin would then be flown by the CSes from Europe to New York City for further distribution in the United States. In March 2021, the parties agreed on a price between €18,000 and €19,000 (approximately $21,600 and $22,800 at the time) per kilogram. Around this time, FILIMONOVIC and a co-conspirator met with one of the CSes and explained how the heroin would be transported, and that the heroin would be exchanged with the CSes in Graz, Austria. By April 2021, FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and their co-conspirators agreed to provide up to 135 kilograms of heroin in segments of approximately 30 to 40 kilograms to the CSes in exchange for approximately €2.6 million (approximately $3.1 million at the time). During meetings in April 2021 and in ensuing encrypted communications, the CSes showed FILIMONOVIC, URBANC, and their co-conspirators that they had secured payment for the heroin. The parties continued to discuss the proposed heroin transaction until FILIMONOVIC and URBANC were arrested in Croatia on May 21, 2021. * * * Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit as well as the Slovenia National Bureau of Investigation, the Austrian Federal and State Criminal Police, and the Croatian National Police for their assistance. This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Matthew J.C. Hellman, and Nicholas S. Bradley, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Isaacson are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Indian-National Sentenced to Serve 35 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Extorting Minors through Social Media

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – SAI KUMAR KURREMULA , 31, an Indian-national living in Edmond on an immigrant visa, has been sentenced to serve 420 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of three children and transportation of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On April 22, 2024, Kurremula was charged by Information with sexual exploitation of children and transportation of child pornography. According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, in October 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating an account on the social media messaging app, Snapchat, involving a user who was sexually exploiting minor girls. The Internet Protocol address used to create the account led federal authorities to Kurremula. Public documents and evidence at the sentencing hearing allege Kurremula had sexually exploited at least 19 minors through Snapchat, often posing as a 13- to 15-year-old boy to gain the trust of his victims. When the victims refused his requests, Kurremula would manipulate, threaten, and extort his victims to produce even more child pornography. On June 18, 2020, Kurremula pleaded guilty and admitted to sexually exploiting three minor victims and to knowingly transporting images of child pornography. Specifically, Kurremula admitted that, to ensure the minor victims complied, he: threatened Jane Doe #1 that he would drive to her house and show her parents sexually explicit images of her; threatened Jane Doe #2 that he would come to her house and shoot her family; and threatened Jane Doe #3 that he would publicly post sexually explicit images and videos of her. “The appalling exploitation, manipulation, and coercion of multiple children by this defendant justly warranted the 35-year sentence imposed by the Court,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Troester. “This case serves as a clear warning to others that the strongest of penalties await those who exploit and victimize our children. I applaud the work done by federal prosecutors and law enforcement for stopping Kurremula from harming any other children and holding him accountable.” “This defendant manipulated children into sending him explicit images for his own perverse gratification. These disgusting actions robbed the victims of their innocence and caused unthinkable harm,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “The dedicated men and women of FBI Oklahoma City will relentlessly pursue those who prey upon children in our communities. Thank you to our partners at the US Attorney’s Office for their efforts in holding this defendant accountable. The sentence imposed in this case will serve as a reminder of what is waiting for those who victimize children.” At the sentencing hearing on March 27, 2025, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin sentenced Kurremula to serve 420 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Goodwin noted that these offenses are among those that society considers the most serious because they involve such vulnerable victims. Judge Goodwin further highlighted that Kurremula inflicted trauma on his victims that will echo throughout their lives and their families’ lives, and his lengthy sentence of imprisonment reflects that trauma. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Diopsys Inc. Agrees to Pay up to $14.25 Million to Resolve Alleged Federal False Claims Act and State Law Violations Relating to Vision Testing

component: Civil Division

body_text: Diopsys Inc., a medical device company based in Middletown, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay up to $14.25 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the federal False Claims Act and various state laws by knowingly submitting or causing others to submit false claims for payment to Medicare and Medicaid in connection with certain vision testing services. The settlement resolves allegations relating to Diopsys’ NOVA device, an electrophysiological device that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for visual evoked potential (VEP) testing. The United States alleged that, during the period from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2021, Diopsys caused healthcare providers to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services in which the NOVA device was utilized for medically unnecessary uses, specifically electroretinography (ERG) vision testing, a substantially different vision test for which the NOVA device lacked FDA clearance. The government further contended that Diopsys made substantial changes to the NOVA device that it never submitted to FDA for clearance or approval despite knowing that such a submission was required. “Today’s resolution reaffirms our commitment to protect the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs,” said U.S. Attorney John Giordano for the District of New Jersey. “Health care companies must not encourage doctors to submit claims for payment for medically unnecessary tests.” Under the terms of the settlement, Diopsys will make guaranteed payments of $1,225,000 and contingent payments of up to $13,025,000. The settlement is based on Diopsys’ financial condition. The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Dr. Atul Jain, a California ophthalmologist. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Approximately $1,120,000 of the guaranteed payment and up to approximately $11,900,000 of the contingent payments constitute the federal portion of the recovery. Dr. Jain will receive at least approximately $207,000 as his share of the federal recovery in this case. The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Simunovich of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and Trial Attorney Daniel Meyler of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Jain v. Diopsys Inc., et al. , Civil Action No. 21-18151 (D.N.J.). The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.


title: Five People Charged with Immigration Offenses

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Tyler Kenneth George Leavine, 34, of Dannemora, New York, and Jody Lynn McGuire, 52, of Plattsburgh, New York, have been charged by criminal complaint with illegally transporting Sandeep Chawla, 34, Jay Sisodiya Kumar, 27, and Chintan Patel, 29, all citizens of India, within the United States. Chawla, Kumar, and Patel were also charged with illegally entering the United States at a place not designated by immigration officers. On March 26, 2025, Leavine and McGuire appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome J. Neidermeier, who ordered them to be detained during the pendency of their prosecution. During their initial court appearances yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Neidermeier in Burlington, Chawla, Kumar and Patel all pleaded guilty and were sentenced to time-served. Chawla, Kumar and Patel had faced up to 6 months in prison. According to court records, in the early morning hours of March 26, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol received a tip that there would be a smuggling attempt in the area of Hunter Road North in Alburgh, Vermont. Border Patrol agents responded to the area and observed a vehicle with a NY registration driving slowly up the road. A camera operated by Border Patrol then observed several subjects running to the vehicle, which had stopped in a corner of a gas station parking lot. Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and found McGuire and Leavine in the front seat, and Chawla, Kumar and Patel in the back. Chawla, Kumar and Patel identified themselves as citizens of India. A review of DHS databases returned no documents or authorizations that would allow Chawla, Kumar and Patel to have legally entered or remained in the United States. McGuire and Leavine later told agents that they had been paid to drive to pick up people. The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaints contain allegations only and that Leavine and McGuire are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. McGuire and Leavine face up to five years in prison and/or up to a $250,000 fine or both, if convicted. The actual sentences, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller. Jody Lynn McGuire is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. Tyler Kenneth George Leavine is represented by Kevin Henry, Esq. Jay Sisodiya Kumar is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq. Chintan Patel is represented by Chandler Matson, Esq. Sandeep Chawla is represented by Karen Shingler, Esq.


title: Norteño Gang Member Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison

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

body_text: BOISE – Hector Aguirre, 28, of Caldwell, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today. According to court records, in June 2023, officers contacted Aguirre during a traffic stop. Officers learned that Aguirre had absconded from supervision with the Idaho Department of Correction’s Probation and Parole. Officers searched Aguirre’s vehicle and found a loaded firearm and 66 fentanyl pills. Aguirre is prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous drug-related felony convictions. The investigation revealed that Aguirre is a Norteño gang member. Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Caldwell Police Department, which led to the charges. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kane Venecia prosecuted the case. This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN . ###


title: Chilean National Sentenced, Ordered Deported for His Role in Burglary Ring Targeting Families of Asian Descent

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Chilean national who participated in a burglary ring that targeted the homes of families of Asian descent in at least eight states, including Rhode Island, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island today and ordered deported, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Yoel Andres Barrera Garrido, 21, who came to the United States in 2022 and overstayed a tourist visa, previously admitted to a federal judge that he was a member of a conspiracy that collectively surveilled individuals, typically of Asian descent, at the victims’ residences and businesses, and then executed well-planned burglaries at their homes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Florida. The defendants typically targeted homes where large sums of money, jewelry, credit and debit cards, and other valuable items might be found. Barrera Garrido admitted to the court that he participated in two burglaries in Rhode Island and one burglary in Goram, NH, and in West Allis, WI. Barrera Garrido was arrested on March 12, 2024, and ordered detained in federal custody. He pleaded guilty on November 20, 2024, to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose sentenced Barrera Garrido today to time served (12 months) and ordered that the defendant be removed from the United States. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Julianne Klein. The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Warwick and Smithfield, RI Police Departments; Shrewsbury and Framingham, MA Police Departments; Gorham, NH Police Department; Stamford, Wallingford, and Westport, CT Police Departments; West Allis, WI Police Department; New Castle County, DE Police Department; Manalapan, NJ Police Department; New York City Police Department; Jacksonville and Flagler County Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; Pennsylvania State Police; and the United States Postal Inspection Service. ###


title: Former Colombian Navy Lieutenant Sentenced to 15 Years for Helping Sell Locations of Navy Drug Interdiction Vessels to International Drug Traffickers

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: On Wednesday, Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reasonable cause to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Romero Caballero pleaded guilty on April 8, 2024. According to court documents, Caballero, 35, was a former member of the Colombian Navy. In exchange for money, he recruited active-duty members of the Colombian Navy to secretly plant global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices in Colombian Navy vessels. Transnational Criminal Organizations used the location data derived from these tracking devices to direct vessels filled with cocaine bound for the United States around Colombian Navy ships and patrols. “This foreign national committed serious crimes to enable the flow of drugs into our country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This sentencing reflects the Department of Justice’s ironclad commitment to not only hunting down criminals, but ensuring that they suffer severe legal consequences following their apprehension.” “Our teams focus on sophisticated and violent drug trafficking organizations and work countless investigative hours,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “I am proud of our team’s efforts and thankful for our law enforcement partners who brought this case to conclusion.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted this case. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.


body_text: Tampa, FL — On Wednesday, Cesar Augusto Romero Caballero, of Colombia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge James Moody Jr. for conspiracy to distribute cocaine having reasonable cause to believe it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Romero Caballero pleaded guilty on April 8, 2024. According to court documents, Caballero, 35, was a former member of the Colombian Navy. In exchange for money, he recruited active-duty members of the Colombian Navy to secretly plant global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices in Colombian Navy vessels. Transnational Criminal Organizations used the location data derived from these tracking devices to direct vessels filled with cocaine bound for the United States around Colombian Navy ships and patrols. “This foreign national committed serious crimes to enable the flow of drugs into our country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This sentencing reflects the Department of Justice’s ironclad commitment to not only hunting down criminals, but ensuring that they suffer severe legal consequences following their apprehension.” “Our teams focus on sophisticated and violent drug trafficking organizations and work countless investigative hours,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “I am proud of our team’s efforts and thankful for our law enforcement partners who brought this case to conclusion.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Stoia for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted this case. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations


title: Las Vegas Man Sentenced To Over Three Years In Prison For Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud And Identity Theft

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced Thursday by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to three and a half years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to defraud at least $385,000 in unemployment benefits from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and identity theft. According to court documents, from August 15, 2020, and continuing to September 18, 2020, Emelio Vladimir Rochester (28) and co-defendant Joseph Holmes Jr. conspired to obtain and possess 17 EDD debit cards issued in the names of victims without their authorization. To execute the scheme, Rochester and Holmes stole personal identifying information belonging to victims and filed fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. They then used the debit cards loaded with unemployment benefit funds to make ATM withdrawals in Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, and Garden Grove, California. On September 18, 2020, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Rochester with Holmes as a passenger. A search recovered 17 EDD debit cards, $89,710 in cash, five cell phones, three laptop computers, and a tablet. All of the debit cards recovered were issued in different names. At least $385,000 in unemployment benefits were approved for the claims associated with the debit cards, and at least $192,234.29 was withdrawn from the accounts. “Emelio Rochester filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself at the expense of a program intended to assist American workers struggling during an unprecedented pandemic,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “This sentencing underscores the commitment of the DOL-OIG and our law enforcement partners to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in DOL programs.” Rochester pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess counterfeit and unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. In addition to imprisonment, he was ordered to pay $192,234 in restitution. Co-defendant Holmes Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess counterfeit and unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 54 months in prison. Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Heiden made the announcement. The DOL-OIG investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Frayn prosecuted the case. Suspected fraud or violations relating to any DOL program should be promptly referred to the OIG via the OIG Hotline online Complaint Form or 1-800-347-3756. ###


title: 20 Defendants – Convicted Felons Included – Charged Federally with Being Illegal Aliens Found in the United States Following Removal

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – This week, federal prosecutors working with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement partners filed criminal charges against 20 defendants who allegedly were found in the U.S. following removal, the Justice Department announced today. Many of the defendants charged previously were convicted of felony offenses before they were removed from the United States, offenses that include vandalism and firearms crimes. One of the defendants, Antonio Espinoza Zarate, 55, a.k.a. “El Gato,” of the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, was arrested Wednesday on a federal criminal complaint alleging he sold two kilograms of fentanyl pills to a buyer from July 2023 to February 2025 and charging him with illegally re-entering the U.S. following removal and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond a scheduled an April 15 arraignment for him in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorney Diane B. Roldán of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting Espinoza. Espinoza is a citizen of Mexico who has been previously deported in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2017 and illegally reentered the United States following his removals, according to court documents. His criminal history includes felony convictions in 2008 in Los Angeles Superior Court for possession of narcotics for sale and in 2015 in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona for illegal reentry of a removed alien. The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-led El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California, with support from special agents with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California – Criminal Investigative Division; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department regarding dangers to the community from the sales of narcotics and firearms. The crime of being found in the United States following removal carries a base sentence of up to two years in federal prison. Defendants who were removed after being convicted of a felony face up to 10 years in federal prison. Defendants removed after being convicted of an aggravated felony face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Some of the other recently filed cases are summarized below with information contained in court documents. Efrén García Jiménez, 24, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. García Jiménez, who was removed from the U.S. in 2019, was charged after being convicted in Orange County Superior Court on January 24 of discharging a firearm at an inhabited residence and vandalism, for which he was sentenced to three years in California state prison. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa S. Rabbani of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case. Aristeo González Rosas, 24, of Mexico, was charged via a federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States after removal. González Rosas was federally charged after he was arrested on February 15 in Ventura County. Prior to this arrest, González Rosas was convicted in 2022 in Ventura County Superior Court of carrying a loaded firearm with a large capacity magazine, for which he was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and again in Ventura County Superior Court in 2023 of being a felon/addict in possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to 16 months in California state prison. He was removed from the U.S. on August 31, 2024, and was removed again on September 5, 2024. The Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting this case. In another matter, a federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Kevin Mauricio Ballardo-García, 24, a Mexican national, for allegedly transporting 148.12 kilograms (326.6 pounds) of methamphetamine from Mexico into Southern California. During a traffic stop in Westminster on March 11, law enforcement seized 13 buckets and one water container that held liquid methamphetamine from Ballardo-García’s Jeep Wrangler. He was ordered jailed without bond and his arraignment is scheduled for March 31 in United States District Court in Santa Ana. He is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Keenan of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this matter. Criminal complaints and indictments contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ICE and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating these matters. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the Ballardo-García case with assistance from California Highway Patrol and the Irvine Police Department. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Justice Department Launches Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: Today, the Justice Department launches an Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force to advocate for the elimination of anticompetitive state and federal laws and regulations that undermine free market competition and harm consumers, workers, and businesses. The Antitrust Division has a long history of advocacy against laws and regulations that create unnecessary barriers to competition. The Task Force will surge resources to these efforts and invite public comments to support the Administration’s mission to unwind laws and regulations that hinder business dynamism and make markets less competitive. “Realizing President Trump’s economic Golden Age will require unwinding burdensome regulations that stifle free market competition. This Antitrust Division will stand against harmful barriers to competition whether imposed by public regulators or private monopolists,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “We look forward to working with the public and with other federal agencies to identify and eliminate anticompetitive laws and regulations.” On Jan. 31, President Trump signed Executive Order 14192 declaring “the policy of the executive branch” to be that federal agencies should “alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on the American people.” Consistent with this policy, on Feb. 19, President Trump signed Executive Order 14219 directing agencies to “initiate a process to review all regulations” and identify regulations that, among other things, “impose undue burdens on small businesses and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.” Consistent with longstanding practice, the Antitrust Division will support federal agencies’ deregulatory initiatives by sharing its market expertise on regulations that pose the greatest barriers to economic growth. Regulatory capture is a well-studied phenomenon in which agencies become “captured” by special interests and big businesses, rather than serving the interests of the American people. But when regulations serve the few and impose undue burdens on small businesses, private enterprise, and entrepreneurs, they also harm competition and ultimately hurt American consumers, workers, and businesses. For example, regulations can increase compliance costs, preventing businesses from competing on a level playing field with powerful corporations. Regulations can also discourage or even intentionally prohibit small businesses and new products from entering markets and lowering prices for American families. In contrast, eliminating unnecessary anticompetitive regulations makes it easier for businesses to compete. More competition empowers the American people — not government regulators — to drive economic progress and innovation. When every American has a fair opportunity to enjoy the benefits of competitive free markets, every American has an opportunity to realize the American dream. By identifying and working with state and federal agencies to revise or eliminate these laws and regulations, the Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force will contribute to making the American dream a reality. As a first step, the Antitrust Division will initiate a public inquiry to identify unnecessary laws and regulations that raise the highest barriers to competition. In particular, the Division will seek information from the public about laws and regulations that make it more difficult for businesses to compete effectively, especially in markets that have the greatest impact on American households, including: Housing : Americans spend more than one-third of their monthly income on housing, and the cost of owning or renting a home continues to rise. Laws and regulations in housing markets can contribute to these problems by making it more difficult for companies to build and ordinary Americans to rent or buy. Transportation : Laws and regulations in areas like airlines, rail, and ocean shipping can grant antitrust immunities, outright monopolies, or safe harbors for conduct that undermines competition. As a result, Americans pay more for travel, fuel, and a variety of other products. Food and Agriculture : By the end of the Biden-Harris Administration, grocery prices were 27% higher than at the end of the first Trump Administration. Eliminating unnecessary anticompetitive regulations will help farmers, growers, and ranchers increase the amount of food they produce and unlock lower prices for American consumers. Healthcare : Laws and regulations in healthcare markets too often discourage doctors and hospitals from providing low-cost, high-quality healthcare and instead encourage overbilling and consolidation. These kinds of unnecessary anticompetitive regulations put affordable healthcare out of reach for millions of American families. Energy : Reliable and affordable energy is essential to modern American life — whether in homes, businesses, manufacturing plants, schools, hospitals, sporting events, or data centers. Laws and regulations can undermine reliability and affordability by protecting incumbent electricity providers from competition or disruptive innovation. The public will have 60 days to submit comments at www.Regulations.gov (Docket No. ATR-2025-0001), no later than May 27. Once submitted, comments will be posted to Regulations.gov. All market participants are invited to provide comments in response to this inquiry, including consumers, consumer advocates, small businesses, employers, trade groups, industry analysts, and other entities that are impacted by anticompetitive state or federal laws and regulations. In addition to reviewing responses from the public, the Task Force will bring together attorneys, economists, and other staff from across the Division, together with interagency partners, to identify state and federal laws and regulations that unnecessarily harm competition. The Antitrust Division will then take appropriate action, including helping agencies revise or eliminate these regulations. The Task Force will also consider other ways to advocate for the removal of anticompetitive laws and regulations. The Division routinely files amicus briefs and statements of interests in private litigation, and it will continue to do so to promote competition and oppose anticompetitive laws and regulations. The Division also provides comments on proposed legislation in the states on the request of state legislators. These efforts will continue with an eye toward protecting competition and interstate commerce in light of dormant Commerce Clause principles. The Justice Department has a long history of serving as the Executive Branch’s chief competition advocate by working with agencies to identify and eliminate unnecessary regulations. In 2018, the Justice Department released a report on how regulations can harm competition . Following this report, the Justice Department submitted dozens of comments to federal agencies supporting efforts to eliminate unnecessary regulations and increase competition. For example, the Justice Department, in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, submitted a comment opposing regulations that would have protected incumbent electricity transmission companies from much-needed competition in energy markets across the country. The Justice Department filed comments aimed at making it easier for individuals and small businesses to navigate the federal government bureaucracy. The Justice Department also provided technical assistance and trainings to federal agencies to help them analyze how new and existing regulations might affect competition, or whether competition may be a better alternative to regulation altogether. The Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force will continue these efforts, supporting ongoing efforts across the Trump Administration to unleash competition by eliminating unnecessary, burdensome, and wasteful government regulations. For more information on the Task Force, including contact information, see Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force page on the Division’s website. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : AnticompetitiveRegulations@usdoj.gov.


title: Former North Dakota State Senator Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment for Traveling to Prague to Engage in Commercial Sex with Children

component: USAO - North Dakota

body_text: WASHINGTON – A former North Dakota state legislator for 45 years was sentenced on March 26, 2025, to 10 years in prison for traveling to Prague in the Czech Republic, where he paid to sexually exploit children. According to court documents, Raymon (Ray) Everett Holmberg, 81, of Grand Forks, traveled to Prague approximately 14 times between 2011 and 2021. During these trips, while staying at a brothel that catered to men looking to engage in commercial sex with adolescent boys, Holmberg paid for sex acts with boys. During some of the trips, Holmberg used the alias “Sean Evans.” Witnesses told law enforcement that Holmberg did not want his name on the brothel’s registry because he was a North Dakota state legislator. Witnesses also told law enforcement that Holmberg would also visit a public park in front of the main train station in Prague to procure sex from underage boys. Holmberg also used the “Evans” alias to tell friends about his trips and encourage them to travel to Prague. In these communications, Holmberg shared an image of an adolescent boy that he called “his twink,” and said that “no one is ever to [sic] young . . . remember Prague.” He emailed a different friend a link to a brothel in Prague and suggested that they go that summer, writing: “The boys rent at around $60 . . . (sex is extra).” Holmberg also wrote: “It will be decadent but oh so much fun bro. What happens in Prague—Stays in Prague.” Back in the United States, Holmberg boasted about having engaged in sexual activity with boys as young as 12- and 15-years old during his travels. According to the government’s sentencing memorandum, Holmberg’s sexual exploitation of minors was not limited to his trips to Prague. Holmberg established an online relationship with a 16-year-old Canadian boy, posing as a boy of a similar age in order to manipulate the Canadian teen into taking images of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct and sending them to Holmberg. On August 8, 2024, Holmberg pled guilty to traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl for the District of North Dakota made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations, Grand Forks, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations investigated the case. Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and Acting U.S. Attorney Puhl are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Orlando Man Indicted For Unlawful Possession Of A Machinegun Conversion Device

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Jaquarius McDonald (24, Orlando) with unlawful possession of a machinegun conversion device. If convicted, McDonald faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, on January 1, 2025, McDonald knowingly possessed a machinegun which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orlando Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson. 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 Neighborhoods (PSN).


title: Coventry Township Man Sentenced to more than 10 Years in Prison for Transportation and Possession of Child Pornography

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: AKRON, Ohio – Matthew Lamp, 29, of Coventry Township, Ohio, was sentenced March 11, 2025, by U.S. District Judge David Ruiz to 130 months in prison after he admitted to transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), also known as child pornography. He pleaded guilty to transportation of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of child pornography. Lamp was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to the victims of the child pornography images he possessed. According to court documents, in February 2024 during a search warrant execution at the defendant’s residence, federal investigators seized a cellphone and other electronic devices that contained CSAM. During the investigation, it was determined that Lamp possessed more than 2,000 images of CSAM, including prepubescent minors, toddlers, and images involving sadistic or masochistic conduct. The investigation was conducted by the FBI-Akron Field Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Dangelo for the Northern District of Ohio. To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


title: Operator of Fraudulent Investment Vehicle Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Prison for Securities Fraud, Tax Fraud and Other Charges

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 15 and a half years in prison yesterday for defrauding investors, conspiring to defraud the IRS, filing false tax returns, employment tax fraud, wire fraud, obstruction, and other charges. According to court documents and statements made in court, Joseph LaForte, of Philadelphia, engaged in a scheme to defraud investors using a fraudulent investment vehicle known as Par Funding. In total, LaForte and his co-conspirators caused an actual loss to investors exceeding $288 million. LaForte also engaged in a series of federal tax crimes. LaForte and co-conspirators diverted approximately $20 million in taxable income from Par Funding to another entity controlled by LaForte and nominally owned by another, then filed false tax returns that did not report this income. He also received more than $9 million in cash kickbacks from a customer of Par Funding and did not report this income to the IRS on his individual tax returns. As a result, LaForte’s individual tax returns for the years 2016 through 2018 were false. He also paid off-the-books, cash wages to some employees of Par Funding. He did not report these wages to the IRS and did not pay employment taxes on wages paid to employees in cash. The total federal tax loss stemming from LaForte’s crimes exceeds $8 million. He also caused $1.6 million in state tax loss to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue by falsely reporting that he and his wife were residents of Florida from 2013 through 2019, when in fact they resided in Pennsylvania. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement. The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Newcomer, Sam Dalke, Eric Gill, and Patrick J. Murray for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Boscia for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania assisted with the prosecution.


title: Revere Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Armed Robberies of Two Local Convenience Stores

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Revere man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for the armed robberies of two Boston-area convenience stores in less than one week. Jaquan Barrows, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2024, Barrows pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery interfering with interstate commerce, commonly referred to as Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. In April 2024, Barrows was charged by criminal complaint. On the morning of March 29, 2024, a male wearing a mask, dark clothing and an orange safety vest entered a Revere convenience store brandishing a handgun. The suspect walked behind the counter, demanded cash from the cash register drawer, additional cash and a cell phone from the store clerk. The suspect struck the clerk in the head with the firearm, took an ice cream bar from a store freezer and fled the scene. Less than one week later, on the morning of April 4, 2024, a male wearing a black mask and dark clothing entered an Everett convenience store and appeared to be shopping. After being asked to pay for his items, the suspect brandished a handgun, pointed it at the store clerk and demanded cash from the cash register drawer and fled the scene. A subsequent investigation identified a Honda Pilot captured in the vicinity of the Revere convenience store. The vehicle was registered to an individual who resided with Barrows. Surveillance footage obtained from the Revere convenience store and from Barrows’ residence showed Barrows wearing clothing similar to the robber. During a search of Barrows’ residence on April 4, 2024, clothing items matching the robber from the Revere robbery, as well as a handgun were found. Barrows was immediately taken into custody. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Revere and Everett Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Justice Department Disrupts Hamas Terrorist Financing Scheme Through Seizure of Cryptocurrency

body_text: The Justice Department announced the disruption of an ongoing terrorist financing scheme through the seizure of approximately $201,400 in cryptocurrency held in wallets and accounts intended to benefit Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas). The seized funds were traced from fundraising addresses purportedly controlled by Hamas that were used to launder more than $1.5 million in virtual currency since October 2024. “At Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction, the Department of Justice is committed to dismantling Hamas using every tool at our disposal,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas, wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. “Hamas is responsible for the death of many U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we will stop at nothing to stop their campaign of terror and murder.” “Hamas raised and laundered more than a million dollars to support its terrorist operation, but through our investigation, the FBI traced and seized these funds,” said Assistant Director David J. Scott of the FBI Counterterrorism Division. “Disrupting funding mechanisms and seizing cryptocurrency from Hamas is one of the FBI’s many tools that we use in the fight against terrorism. The FBI will work with our partners to dismantle this terrorist group and protect the American people from their violent and horrific acts.” “Countering terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority. By successfully disrupting access to funds, we weaken their ability to function,” said Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “This success demonstrates that financial warfare is a critical component to fight terrorism. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people and pursue justice by depriving terrorist organizations of the resources they need to continue their illicit activity.” As alleged in court documents, a group chat claiming association with Hamas on an encrypted communications platform provided Hamas supporters worldwide with a changing set of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses. Supporters were encouraged to donate money to those addresses. Those funds were sent into an operational wallet and laundered through a series of virtual currency exchanges and transactions by leveraging suspected financiers and over-the-counter brokers. More than a million dollars was raised and laundered using the laundering system and the virtual currency accounts described in the affidavit. Included among the assets seized were cryptocurrency addresses valued at approximately $89,900 and three additional accounts containing cryptocurrency valued at approximately $111,500. These accounts were registered in the names of Palestinian individuals living in Turkey and elsewhere. The FBI Albuquerque Field Office is investigating the case, in coordination with the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Cyber Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal Chawla for the District of Columbia, Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery for the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, and Trial Attorney Jessica Joyce of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.


title: Former Bank Teller Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $180,000

body_text: BOSTON – A Saugus man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to embezzling bank funds while working as a teller at a Boston branch of a national bank. Derek Aut, 28, pleaded guilty to embezzlement by a bank employee and aggravated identity theft. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2025. Aut was previously charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 18, 2024. According to the charging documents, while working as a teller at a bank branch in Boston, Aut stole from the bank accounts of two customers by forging the victims’ names on withdrawal slips, among other things. When one of the victims noticed money missing from her account, Aut attempted to cover his theft by taking money from the other victim’s account and depositing it into the first victim’s account. In total, Aut took more than $180,000 from the victims’ accounts. The charge of embezzlement by a bank employee provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Rochester Felon for Illegal Possession of Firearm

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury found a Rochester man guilty of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on March 18-19, 2023, Divaunte Kartrell Young, 24, pressured an acquaintance “Victim A” for a ride to the Twin Cities. When Victim A refused, Young brandished a handgun he carried in a black and white Adidas cross-body bag. After Victim A and Young drove to a nearby gas station, Victim A went inside the gas station and locked herself in the bathroom in order to call a friend for help. Shortly afterwards, Victim A abandoned her vehicle and called 911. Responding officers located the car, found Young sleeping inside, and took him into custody. During the subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located the black and white Adidas bag with a silver Taurus nine-millimeter handgun inside. Young’s DNA was matched to DNA that was found on the gun. After Young was taken into custody, he contacted Victim A and was captured on recorded jail calls attempting to obstruct Victim A from participating in the criminal case against him. Because Young has multiple prior felony convictions for domestic assault, aggravated robbery, burglary, and fourth degree assault, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Following a three-day trial before Judge Eric C. Tostrud in U.S. District Court, a jury found Young guilty on one count of illegal possession of a firearm. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Rochester Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead and David B. Green prosecuted the case.


title: Blaine Man Pleads Guilty In FBI White Powder Hoax Case

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Blaine man has pleaded guilty to two counts of False Information and Hoax, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on June 30, 2020, Oleg Petrashov, 45, mailed a manila envelope containing a brown and tan powder to the FBI Field Office in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. On November 4, 2022, Petrashov mailed a second envelope containing a white powder to the same FBI Field Office. Both mailings were examined for explosive and biological agents resulting in significant disruptions at the FBI Field Office, requiring the temporary relocation of employees, implementation of decontamination protocols, and deployment of special agent bomb technicians. Petrashov admitted to FBI agents in April 2023 that he sent the letters and that he made them appear to be from a family member with whom he had a personal dispute, intending to trigger an investigation of that individual. Petrashov pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Laura M. Provinzino to intentionally conveying false or misleading information that could reasonably be perceived as a biological agent or explosive. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley M. Endicott for the District of Minnesota and Patrick Cashman of the National Security Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Manhattan Franciscan Friar Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Fraud Related To Fake Medical Charity In Beirut, Lebanon

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that PAUL BIELECKI, a/k/a “Paul HRH Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” a Manhattan-based Franciscan friar, was sentenced to five years in prison for perpetrating a multi-year scheme to obtain donations for a fake medical charity purportedly operating in Beirut, Lebanon. BIELECKI previously pled guilty to wire fraud on November 11, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti, who imposed today’s sentence. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Paul Bielecki exploited his position as a friar to defraud hundreds of innocent victims. He faked a charity to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then used these stolen funds to live the high life. But Bielecki’s days of luxury and lies are over. Let today’s sentence be a lesson to all — if you abuse your position of trust to take advantage of others, you will be held accountable.” According to the Complaint, Information, public court filings, and statements made in court: BIELECKI is a friar in the Capuchin Order, a Catholic order of priests and brothers, based out of a friary in New York City. BIELECKI engaged in a fraudulent scheme related to fake medical clinics he claimed to operate in Lebanon. Specifically, for nearly a decade, BIELECKI fraudulently raised money from victims by falsely claiming that he operated two medical clinics in Lebanon and was raising money for medicine, medical equipment, baby incubators, food, and an ambulance for those clinics. BIELECKI also lied to victims by falsely stating that he was a physician, vascular surgeon, cardiac surgeon, and/or general surgeon, who had earned multiple Ph.D. degrees, and by falsely claiming to have been badly injured—and his fake clinics badly damaged—by a widely reported August 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. BIELECKI reached victims by fraudulently soliciting donations at church masses and through other church events, by appearing as a guest or through advertisements on radio programs and online podcasts, and through various other means, including campaigns on crowdfunding websites. Through his scheme, BIELECKI fraudulently obtained more than $560,000 in donations from more than 350 victims for his fake medical clinics. Despite taking a vow of poverty as a friar in the Capuchin Order, BIELECKI used the donations he fraudulently received to fund lavish personal spending, including first-class travel, a $334.40 per month membership at a luxury gym chain, multiple trips to the Hamptons, numerous meals at high-end restaurants, and aesthetic plastic surgery costing thousands of dollars. If you believe you are a victim of fraud perpetrated by BIELECKI, please contact Special Agent Sean Smyth, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (914) 993‑1900 or by following the instructions available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/report-crime. * * * In addition to the prison term, BIELECKI, 48, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to pay forfeiture of $563,448, and ordered to pay restitution. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Division. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the New York Field Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance in the investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levander and Ryan W. Allison are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Former U.S. Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of Postal Orders

body_text: BOSTON – A former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to embezzling over $18,000. Christine Hedges, 47, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2025. In March 2024, Hedges was indicted by a federal grand jury. Hedges began working for USPS around 2020, most recently as a Lead Sales & Service Associate in Brockton. From approximately October 2021 to August 2023, Hedges engaged in a scheme to steal USPS funds for her personal use. As part of this scheme, Hedges generated, for her own use, no-fee money orders without a customer physically present at her customer window and which a customer did not request. Hedges also stole cash from her USPS workstation and often attempted to conceal her theft by replacing the cash with these fraudulent money orders. During the relevant period, Hedges generated approximately 64 fraudulent no-fee money orders. Of those no-fee money orders, 11 were made out to her boyfriend or a family member. From on or about Aug. 1, 2023 to on or about Aug. 14, 2023, video surveillance from above Hedges’ workstation showed Hedges on at least one occasion removing cash from her assigned drawer and putting it in her pocket. In all, Hedges stole approximately $18,939 in postal funds. The charge of theft of government money provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Leader Of $23 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Pleads Guilty

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JUNYI LIU, a/k/a “Jenny,” pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently bill insurance providers for acupuncture and physical therapy services that were unnecessary or never performed at medical offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. LIU, a licensed acupuncturist and leader of this scheme, pled guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Junyi Liu led a fraud scheme in which she and her co-conspirators bilked Medicare and other insurers out of millions of dollars by submitting fraudulent claims for acupuncture and physical therapy services. Liu took advantage of our health care system—and abused her licensing as an acupuncturist—and she now awaits sentencing for her crime. This Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to detect and dismantle fraud schemes, including schemes that seek to siphon money from our health care system.” According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the plea agreement, and statements made in court: Between 2018 and 2021, LIU, a licensed acupuncturist, operated medical offices (the “Offices”) from which LIU and her partners fraudulently billed Medicare and other insurance providers (collectively, the “Insurance Providers”) for physical therapy and acupuncture services that were not rendered in the manner represented or not rendered at all. During the scheme, LIU partnered with other licensed medical professionals, including licensed physical therapists and at least one other licensed acupuncturist (collectively, the “Partners”). The Partners’ roles in the scheme typically included: allowing the Offices to use their enrollments with the Insurance Providers to submit to the Insurance Providers materially false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement for physical therapy and acupuncture services that were not rendered in the manner represented or were not rendered at all; creating materially false medical documentation, which stated that certain physical therapy and acupuncture services had been rendered, when such services in fact were not rendered in the manner represented or were not rendered at all; and contributing financing for the Offices, including for the payment of cash kickbacks to patients (the “Paid Patients”) to induce those patients to provide their insurance information and receive medically unnecessary and/or non-existent services at the Offices. LIU and certain of the Partners also agreed to give kickbacks, including cash and expensive wine, to employees of Insurance Providers to enable the scheme to continue. In furtherance of the scheme, LIU employed receptionists, cashiers, marketers, financial and billing personnel, acupuncturists, massagists, and other personnel. The cashiers distributed tens of thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks to the Paid Patients. In some instances, these Paid Patients visited the Offices, signed in, and received unnecessary physical therapy and acupuncture services. In other instances, the Paid Patients visited the Offices, signed a sign-in sheet and other documents, and then left without receiving any services at all. In yet other instances, the Paid Patients did not visit the Offices at all and instead signed sign-in sheets and other documents brought to them elsewhere. Regardless of whether the Paid Patients received any services or even visited the Offices at all, the conspirators used the Paid Patients’ insurance information to fraudulently bill the Insurance Providers for unnecessary and/or never rendered services. While LIU and her Partners were defrauding the Insurance Providers of millions of dollars, from April 2020 through September 2021, LIU also engaged in a scheme to obtain COVID-19 unemployment benefits for herself and a family member (the “Family Member”) by fraudulently submitting and causing to be submitted to the New York Department of Labor materially false online applications and certifications for COVID-19 benefits. Among other things, the applications and/or certifications represented that LIU was unemployed when she continued to operate the Offices for all or nearly all of this period and that LIU’s Family Member was unable to work because of COVID-19 during a five-month period when the Family Member was in China. In connection with her guilty plea, LIU agreed to pay back the misappropriated COVID-19 unemployment benefits received by her and the Family Member. * * * JUNYI LIU, 70, of Great Neck, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. As part of her plea agreement with the Government, LIU agreed to pay $23,855,425 in restitution to the Insurance Providers and $40,075 to the New York State Department of Labor. She additionally agreed to forfeiture of $15,368,171. In addition to LIU, NOEMI ALGODON, MOHAMED ELMANDOUH, GERARD ESTRELLA, RAMON GARCIA, III, HENLER DATU TAHIL, JONATHAN LAQUI, and MITZY BALDOVINO have also pled guilty in connection with their participation in the health care fraud scheme. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s New York Office and the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the New York State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, for their assistance. This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy V. Capozzi and Jerry Fang are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Former Law Student Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Georgia, Middle

body_text: MACON, Ga. – A former law school student who possessed more than 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his cell phone and uploaded on cloud-based storage was sentenced to serve more than six years in prison for his crime. Gregory Gallagher, 37, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 78 months in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $169,649.12 in restitution to the victims by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on March 26. Gallagher will also be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. The defendant previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on April 22, 2024. There is no parole in the federal system. “Children who experience the horror of being sexually abused are continually traumatized each and every time the image or video of the heinous act is viewed. These images are permanent and cause harm well beyond the moment they were originally captured,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Our office, working alongside our law enforcement and community partners, will pursue federal prosecution against child predators caught viewing, uploading or sharing child sexual abuse material on the internet.” “This conviction is a victory for justice and a warning to those who prey on children—we will find you and you will face the full force of the law,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “Together, HSI and our law enforcement partners will remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard communities and ensure that those who exploit children are held accountable.” "Today’s conviction reflects the relentless efforts of law enforcement to protect children from exploitation and hold offenders accountable,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “The GBI remains steadfast in its commitment to using all available resources to prevent child abuse and bring justice to the victims of these horrific crimes." According to court documents and statements referenced in Court, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received five Cybertip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) between May and August 2021 from a cloud infrastructure company of suspected child sexual exploitation associated with a cell phone number. The subsequent investigation led to Gallagher, who was a Mercer Law School student at the time; agents executed a search warrant of the account in January 2022 and found subfolders belonging to Gallagher that contained 38 videos and 1,970 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), also known as child pornography. Another folder containing files uploaded from Gallagher’s cell phone had two videos and 3,389 images of more CSAM. Agents executed search warrants at Gallagher’s residences in Macon and Marietta on March 29, 2022. Agents discovered that Gallagher’s cell phone had 97 videos and 5,749 images of children being sexually assaulted and abused, including very young children and toddlers. These cases were 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.


body_text: WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced the disruption of an ongoing terrorist financing scheme through the seizure of approximately $201,400 (based on current value) in cryptocurrency held in wallets and accounts intended to benefit Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya (Hamas). The seized funds were traced from Hamas fundraising addresses, purportedly controlled by Hamas, that were used to launder more than $1.5 million in virtual currency since October 2024. The action was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Sue J. Bai head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the Albuquerque Field Office. As alleged in court documents, a group chat claiming association with Hamas on an encrypted communications platform provided Hamas supporters, worldwide, with a changing set of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses. Supporters were encouraged to donate money to those addresses. Those funds were sent into an operational wallet and laundered through a series of virtual currency exchanges and transactions by leveraging suspected financiers and over-the-counter brokers. More than a million dollars were raised and laundered using the laundering system and the virtual currency accounts described in the affidavit. “Hamas is responsible for the deaths of many U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we will use every legal tool at our disposal to stop their campaign of terror and murder,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “These seizures are but one illustration of the determination of this office and the Department of Justice to shut off the flow of funds to this group, and to locate every cent intended to support their activities, no matter what form it takes.” “At Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction, the Department of Justice is committed to dismantling Hamas using every tool at our disposal,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Countering terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority. By successfully disrupting access to these funds, we have weakened their ability to function,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Bujanda, of the Albuquerque Field Office. “This success demonstrates that financial warfare is a critical component to fight terrorism. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people and pursue justice by depriving terrorist organizations of the resources they need to continue their illicit activity.” Included among the assets seized were cryptocurrency addresses valued at approximately $89,900, and three additional accounts containing cryptocurrency valued at approximately $111,500. These accounts were registered in the names of Palestinian individuals living in Turkey and elsewhere. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albuquerque Field Office in coordination with the FBI Counterterrorism Division (CTD) and Cyber Division (CyD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal Chawla for the District of Columbia, Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery for the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, and Trial Attorney Jessica Joyce for the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. signed_warrant_package_redacted.pdf


title: Non-U.S. Citizen Charged with Voting and Passport Fraud

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A South Florida man has been charged with federal crimes after using false identity documents to apply for a U.S. passport and registering to vote (and voting) in multiple U.S. general elections using a fraudulent identity. The man, Ashley R. Rivers, 64, of Margate, Fla., is not a U.S. citizen. According to the allegations in the indictment: Rivers submitted a U.S. passport application in 2016 under a fictitious name using fraudulent identity documents, including a fraudulent birth certificate. In 2020, Rivers registered to vote with the Broward Supervisor of Elections using the same fraudulent identity. Rivers voted in both the 2020 and 2024 U.S. general election, even though he is not a U.S. citizen, says the indictment. Rivers made his initial appearance on yesterday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. If convicted, Rivers faces up to 25 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Conklin of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Miami Field Office, made the announcement. The DSS Miami Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Killoran is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under 25-cr-60066. ###


title: Talihina Resident Sentenced For Illegally Possessing Firearm And Ammunition

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jerad Daniel Abbott, age 39, of Talihina, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. The charge arose from an investigation by the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On October 15, 2024, Abbott pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on May 4, 2023, law enforcement discovered Abbott in possession of one 9mm Luger caliber semi-automatic pistol and a round of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Abbott 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 Jarrod A. Leaman and Edith A. Singer represented the United States.


title: Illegal Alien Charged with Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: OXFORD, MS– A Mexican national, illegally in the United States, was ordered detained by a Federal Magistrate Judge on Tuesday after he was arrested last week on a criminal complaint related to his alleged possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Adolfo Raul Vasquez-Santana, 32, of Southaven, Mississippi, downloaded and shared videos that depicted the sexual abuse of children, some of whom appear to be younger than thirteen years of age. Vasquez-Santana is charged with the receipt or distribution of those images using the internet. If convicted of these charges, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Vasquez-Santana was investigated initially by the Southaven Police Department responding to a tip that they received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He had been arrested and charged by the Southaven Police Department, but prior to his prosecution for these offenses in state court, he was released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal from the United States. The Department of Homeland Security charged the defendant with the federal offenses at issue in the complaint. U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi made the announcement. Joyner said, “The Department of Justice will fully prosecute any alien that violates the laws of our great country. Possession of child sexual abuse images leads to further abuse of the most vulnerable members of our society: our children. The DOJ will do everything in our power to protect them and to that end, I appreciate the Southaven Police Department for their thorough investigation of this matter.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Armed Greenville Fentanyl Distributor Sentenced to 11 Years

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – Ernest Russell Early, Jr., of Greenville, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for an armed robbery and for possessing fake oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl. Early, 37, pled guilty to the charges on August 21, 2024. According to court documents and other information presented in court, on August 19, 2023, Early entered the Falkland Mini Mart located on South Main Street in Falkland. He approached the clerk at the back of the store and brandished a black pistol. He then compelled the clerk to return to the register and demanded that he hand over all the money. When the clerk opened the register, Early grabbed $1,500, exited the store, and entered a black Nissan Sentra with New Jersey plates. The cashier followed him outside and was able to obtain a partial license plate number. Pitt County Sheriff’s Deputies responded and located the suspect's vehicle, initiating a pursuit. After initially evading the deputies, Early crashed the car and fled on foot. Deputies were able to collect fingerprints from the vehicle, which had been reported stolen, and later confirmed that the prints matched Early's. Early remained at large until he was spotted by a detective from the Greenville Police Department on December 8, 2023. The police arrested Early on active warrants in a parking lot in Greenville. During the arrest, they seized 103 counterfeit oxycodone pills and a .40 caliber handgun from his pockets. The pills were subsequently tested and found to contain fentanyl. Early’s criminal history features three state felony convictions and fifteen misdemeanor convictions. In 2013, he was convicted in Wake County Superior Court of common law robbery. Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, and Greenville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Jake D. Pugh prosecuted. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-0025-M. ###


title: 15 charged in scheme to defraud government aid programs

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – Fourteen Texas residents and one Louisiana woman have been indicted for participating in schemes using falsified documents to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and unemployment insurance benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The final five taken into custody are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m. Those include Brittany Garner-Richard, 38, Humble; Miguel Bell, 39, Port Arthur; Candace Booker and Andrea King, both 33 and of Beaumont; and Joshe Johnson, 34, Corrigan. A federal grand jury returned the 18-count indictment March 4. The charges allege Ebone Myrriah Mott, 37, Houston, conspired with others to falsify applications and claims to help them qualify for PPP loans and unemployment insurance benefits for which they were not otherwise eligible. Mott allegedly created fictitious companies, prepared falsified records and submitted the applications on behalf of co-conspirators. The charges allege they paid her for her assistance - approximately $200 up front and 10% of the payouts. The Small Business Administration relied on the fraudulent loan applications, insurance claims and falsified supporting records in the application process and the subsequent disbursement of loan proceeds or benefits, according to the charges. Mott is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 17 counts of wire fraud. In addition to Garner-Richard, Bell, Booker, King and Johnson, all others are also charged in the conspiracy and one or two counts of wire fraud. They were also taken into custody between March 23-26 and include Tiara Petties, 31, and Jennifer Petties, 32, both of Livingston; Kierra Patrice Chancey, 29, and Dekovan Williams, 28, both of Nacogdoches; Roy Shemeaker, 38, Dallas; Trakeesha Nishell Brown, 40, Lufkin; Veronica Moses, 40, Diboll, Travecia Hampton-Isabell, 37, Whitehouse, and Frankie Desiree Bogany 33, Vivian, Louisiana. PPP loans are a source of financial relief The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides. The CARES Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans who were suffering economic effects the COVID-19 pandemic caused. Unemployment insurance provides benefits to persons who are out of work due to no fault of their own and who meet other eligibility requirements of state laws. If convicted, each face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. The Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service, Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General and California Employment Development Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Day is prosecuting the case. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: New York Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Laundering Proceeds Of Fraudulent Schemes

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man was sentenced to two years in prison for laundering the proceeds of elder fraud and computer fraud schemes, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced. Hector Claveria 51, of Elmhurst, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court on March 26, 2025 following his guilty to Count Two of an Indictment charging him with international money laundering. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In early 2020, Claveria acted as a money mule for a fraudulent scheme by picking up numerous packages that contained cash that he knew were proceeds of illegal activity. He then laundered some of this money in June 2020 by wiring $20,000 from his U.S. bank account to a foreign bank account. These funds were the proceeds of two fraudulent schemes: The first was an elder-fraud scheme in which the perpetrators tricked elderly victims into believing that they owed money to various government agencies and companies, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators. The second was a computer-fraud scheme in which perpetrators tricked victims into believing that they owed money to a computer services company, and then into sending payments to locations identified by the perpetrators, purportedly at the direction of the computer company. At the time Claveria wired the funds to a foreign account, he knew that the transfer was designed to conceal and disguise the nature of the funds. In additional the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Claveria to three years of supervised release. Claveria was also ordered to forfeit $20,000. U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the Social Security Administration Office, of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chana Zuckier of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering and Recovery Unit and Jennifer Kozar of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. ### Defense counsel: Vinoo Varghese, Esq.


title: South Carolina Woman Sentenced For $1.7 Million Embezzlement Scheme

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kristin Turney, 54, of Catawba, South Carolina, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for embezzling more than $1.7 million from her employer, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Turney was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,754,204.13. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. “Turney was a trusted employee that pilfered money from an unsuspecting employer,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Her conduct was not a lapse in judgement; it was a prolonged and deliberate pattern of deceptive behavior that nearly destroyed a small business. Today’s sentence is a reminder that embezzlement is not a shortcut to riches, but a path to federal prison.” According to court documents, from 2016 to 2023, Turney executed a scheme to defraud her employer, a small, family-owned business, by embezzling more than $1.7 million. Turney was in charge of the company’s financial matters, including bank accounts, payroll, accounts payables and receivables, and tax filings. During the scheme, Turney misused her access and control over the company’s bank accounts and books and records to write herself company checks, which she then deposited into bank accounts she controlled. Turney made over 1,000 unauthorized bank deposits to herself totaling over $1.7 million. Court documents show that Turney covered up the fraud by making false accounting entries in the company’s books and records. She also provided fraudulent information to the company’s tax return preparer and lied to the company’s owner and employees. As a result of Turney’s embezzlement scheme, the company continues to be impacted by the defendant’s theft. On November 8, 2024, Turney pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She will be ordered to report the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.