title: Beaumont felon charged with federal firearms violations

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont convicted felon has been charged with federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Charles Terrance Leaven, 39, was named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime. The indictment alleges that on March 11, 2024, Leaven was found in possession of a firearm in Beaumont. Further investigation revealed Leaven had been previously convicted of a felony and prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). If convicted, Leaven faces up to life in federal prison. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Beaumont Police Department; and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Two Charged in Investigation into Importation and  Distribution of Misbranded Drugs

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – Two individuals have been charged in U.S. District Court in Providence in an ongoing investigation into the introduction of a misbranded drug imported from India and distributed in Rhode Island and elsewhere in the Northeast without FDA approval, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Court documents reflect that Jitender Behl, 74, of East Greenwich, RI, imported hundreds of thousands of pills from India that contained the pharmaceutical ingredient sildenafil citrate (sildenafil). Sildenafil is an active ingredient in FDA-approved prescription drugs prescribed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Behl allegedly repackaged the pills, marketed them as being an all-natural dietary supplement for erectile dysfunction under the brand names of “JMY” which stands for “Just Me & You,” and distributed them to a wholesale distributor, Noor Inc., in Providence. To date, law enforcement has seized more than 130,000 imported sildenafil pills and tablets, more than 650 grams of imported sildenafil soft gel capsules, and approximately 21,700 empty Mylar bags allegedly used for packaging the illicit product. Court records detail that JMY’s website indicated that Noor Inc. was the sole U.S. wholesale distributor of “JMY.” Noor sold JMY to retail outlets in the Northeast, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts. FDA undercover agents allegedly purchased packages of “JMY” from retail outlets. JMY’s list of ingredients did not include the active pharmaceutical ingredient sildenafil and instead listed purported ingredients such as “White Willow Bark” and “Korean Ginseng,” among others. The FDA notes that sildenafil can be particularly harmful to persons taking heart medications containing nitrates because the active ingredients can interact with the nitrates and lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Behl, arrested today on charges of, among others, receipt in interstate commerce of misbranded drugs and introducing misbranded drugs, made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was released on unsecured bond. Mahr Ahmed, 58, of Attleboro, MA, owner of Noor Inc., has been charged by way of an information filed on July 23, 2025, with introduction of misbranded drugs, to which court documents reflect Ahmed has agreed to plead guilty . A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan. The matter was investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations Rhode Island Task Force, Warwick Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, and United States Customs and Border Protection. ### behl_affidavit.pdf behl_criminal_complaint.pdf mahr_ahmed_information.pdf mahr_ahmed_plea_agreement.pdf


title: Armed alien, illegally living in Nacogdoches, indicted on federal firearms violation

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

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Nacogdoches, has been charged with a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Antonio Hernandez-Perez, 47, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that on January 30, 2025, Hernandez-Perez possessed a firearm while being an alien illegally in the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). If convicted, Hernandez-Perez faces up to 15 years in federal prison and deportation. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Carter. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: 73rd Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Case

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Hussein Mohamed Farah, the executive director of New Vision Foundation, a non-profit located in St. Paul, Minnesota, was charged by information with one count of wire fraud for his role in the $300 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. As is detailed in the information, Farah used his New Vision Foundation to participate in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme by operating two purported food distribution sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. He submitted phony meal count sheets and attendance rosters to support New Vision’s claims. In all, between February 2021 and January 2022, New Vision Foundation received approximately $2.7 million for meals purportedly served to children. These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.


title: Founder Of Tornado Cash Crypto Mixing Service Convicted Of Knowingly Transmitting Criminal Proceeds

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today the conviction of ROMAN STORM, a co-founder of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer that facilitated more than $1 billion in illegal transactions, for willfully conspiring to operate a money transmitting business that moved more than $1 billion in dirty money. The defendant was found guilty following a four-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla. “Roman Storm and Tornado Cash provided a service for North Korean hackers and other criminals to move and hide more than $1 billion of dirty money,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “The speed, efficiency, and functionality of stablecoins and other digital assets offer great promise, but that promise cannot be an excuse for criminality. Criminals who use new technology to commit age old crimes, including hiding dirty money, undermine the public trust, and unfairly cast a shadow on the many innovators who operate lawfully. This Office and our partner agencies are committed to holding accountable those who exploit emerging technologies to commit crime.” As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial: STORM was one of the three founders of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer that allowed its customers to engage in untraceable transfers of cryptocurrency. The defendant and his co-conspirators created the core features of Tornado Cash, paid for critical infrastructure to operate Tornado Cash, promoted Tornado Cash, and made millions of dollars in profits from operating Tornado Cash. Tornado Cash advertised to customers that it provided untraceable and anonymous financial transactions, and STORM continued to provide this service with knowledge that Tornado Cash was transmitting large volumes of criminal proceeds. As proven at trial, STORM was personally aware of numerous instances in which criminals transmitted proceeds of criminal exploits using Tornado Cash, totaling more than $1 billion in criminal proceeds. The transmission of such large sums of criminal proceeds benefitted the operations of Tornado Cash and STORM’s profits from running it. Ultimately, STORM and his co-founders were able to cash out more than $12 million in profits from the illicit money transmitting business. STORM designed Tornado Cash to generate profits for himself and his co-founders and continued to operate the business with knowledge that he was transmitting criminal proceeds. This included his knowing transmission of hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal proceeds from the Ronin hack, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) publicly attributed to the sanctioned North Korean cybercriminal organization, the Lazarus Group. STORM continued to transmit these hacked funds even after the public attribution of the hack to the Lazarus Group. * * * STORM, 36, of Auburn, Washington, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thane Rehn, Benjamin A. Gianforti, and Ben Arad, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mosley, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Olivia Sebade and Dean Iannuzzelli.


title: Founders Of Samourai Wallet Cryptocurrency Mixing Service Plead Guilty

body_text: Attorney for the United States, Acting Under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, Nicolas Roos; Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Harry T. Chavis, Jr.; and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced today the guilty pleas of KEONNE RODRIGUEZ and WILLIAM LONERGAN HILL, the co-founders of Samourai Wallet (“Samourai”), a cryptocurrency mixer that facilitated more than $200 million in illegal transactions. RODRIGUEZ, the Chief Executive Officer of Samourai, and HILL, the Chief Technology Officer, pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to operate a money transmitting business that transmitted crime proceeds from, among other things, illegal dark web markets, cyber intrusions, a spear phishing scheme, and schemes to defraud multiple decentralized finance protocols. RODRIGUEZ and HILL pled guilty on July 30, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote. “The defendants created and operated a cryptocurrency mixing service that they knew enabled criminals to wash millions in dirty money, including proceeds from cryptocurrency thefts, drug trafficking operations, and fraud schemes,” said Attorney for the United States Nicolas Roos. “When criminals exploit cryptocurrency technology for illicit purposes, it undermines the public trust and unfairly burdens legitimate cryptocurrency companies that are committed to operating lawfully. This Office and our partner agencies are committed to holding accountable those who exploit emerging technologies to launder crime proceeds.” “Rodriguez and Hill admitted to operating a money transmitting business that transmitted crime proceeds, essentially ‘washing’ more than $200 million in ‘dirty’ money for criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI, Harry T. Chavis, Jr. “They did not just facilitate this illicit movement of money, but also encouraged it. Special Agents with IRS-CI New York and IRS-CI LA’s Cyber units worked with our federal and international law enforcement partners in this investigation that detailed the company’s clear disregard for the rule of law. Even with all the ‘washing’ in this scheme, no one was clean in these transactions.” “Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill's guilty pleas prove their cryptocurrency mixing service–Samourai Wallet–was designed to conceal criminal financial transactions and launder millions of dollars of dirty money,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “The FBI is committed to bringing to justice anyone who uses technological innovation to facilitate illicit activity.” According to court documents and admissions: Beginning around 2015, RODRIGUEZ and HILL began developing Samourai, a mobile application that was designed and operated as a service for transmitting criminal proceeds. The defendants engineered Samourai around two services specifically intended to conceal the nature of illicit transactions. The first, a Bitcoin mixing service known as “Whirlpool,” coordinated batches of Bitcoin exchanges between groups of Samourai users. Through this process, the original source of particular Bitcoin holdings became obscured within the blockchain’s transactional record, effectively preventing law enforcement agencies and cryptocurrency exchanges from tracing funds back to their origins. The second service, called “Ricochet,” enabled users to introduce additional and unnecessary intermediate transactions—known as “hops”—between sending and receiving addresses. This feature served a similar obfuscation purpose, making it substantially more difficult for monitoring entities to establish connections between cryptocurrency transfers and potential illicit activities. The scale of these operations proved considerable: from Ricochet’s launch in 2017 and Whirlpool’s inception in 2019, more than 80,000 Bitcoin—valued at over $2 billion when calculated using contemporaneous exchange rates—passed through these services. Samourai collected a fee for both services, estimated to be over $6 million in revenue based on Bitcoin’s value at the time each fee was earned. RODRIGUEZ and HILL actively promoted Samourai’s utility for concealing criminal proceeds. Their communications reveal a clear understanding of Samourai’s illegal applications. In a WhatsApp exchange, when asked to explain the concept of “mixing,” RODRIGUEZ described the process as “money laundering for bitcoin.” HILL similarly marketed Samourai as a transmittal service for criminal proceeds on Dread, a darknet forum dedicated to discussing illegal marketplace activities. In one exchange on that platform, a user asked about the most “secure methods to clean dirty BTC” to make it “untraceable, clean” and ensure the user would “never get caught.” HILL responded by writing that “Samourai Whirlpool is a much better option” than a competitor service to “clean dirty BTC.” The defendant’s own marketing materials acknowledged that customers would include “Dark/Grey Market participants” moving proceeds from “illicit activity.” The defendants’ conduct extended beyond passive facilitation to active encouragement of criminal activity. In June and July 2020, RODRIGUEZ and HILL tracked in real time the flow of crime proceeds from a widely publicized hack of a prominent social media platform. Rather than reporting the criminal activity or attempting to stop it, both defendants publicly and privately expressed their intent and desire that the hackers use Samourai’s Whirlpool service to move the crime proceeds of the hack. That encouragement included a July 16, 2020 Twitter exchange: after a third party encouraged the “lovely hackers” of the social media platform to “use @SamouraiWallet whirlpool to mix out once you are done collecting or decide to take profits” in order to “protect you from being found,” RODRIGUEZ responded by personally encouraging the hackers to “feed” and “send” the crime proceeds into Samourai’s Whirlpool. When the hackers used a different cryptocurrency mixing service to launder the proceeds of the hack, RODRIGUEZ and HILL expressed their disappointment on social media. * * * RODRIGUEZ, 36, of Harmony, Pennsylvania, and HILL, 67, a U.S. national who was arrested in Portugal, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate a money transmitting business knowing the business transmitted crime proceeds, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. As part of their plea agreements with the Government, RODRIGUEZ and HILL agreed to forfeit $237,832,360.55. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Mr. Roos praised the investigative work of IRS-CI and the FBI. He also acknowledged the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Europol, the Portuguese Judicial Police, the Procuradoria-Geral da República, the Icelandic Police, and the FBI Field Office in Pittsburgh for their assistance in the investigation of this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance to secure the July 2024 extradition from Portugal of HILL. This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, David R. Felton, and Cecilia Vogel are in charge of the prosecution.


title: ILLEGAL ALIEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ATTEMPTING TO ENTICE OR PERSUADE A MINOR TO ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Mauricio Morales-Gonzalez, 24, of Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the relentless efforts of our incredible law enforcement partners, another child predator is behind bars and the community is safer. It is one of our most important duties to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from the predations of these sick individuals, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to sexually exploit our children.” Court documents reflect that between April 10, 2025, and April 12, 2025, detectives of the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, participated in a joint undercover operation in Leon County focused on identifying individuals using the Internet to exploit children in a sexual manner. During the operation, investigators identified Morales-Gonzalez, an adult male who was soliciting minors for sex through an online website. Morales-Gonzalez believed he was going to be engaging in sexual activity with a minor when he drove to a meeting location where he was met by law enforcement and immediately arrested. Morales-Gonzalez faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years’ imprisonment up to life imprisonment, followed by five years to life of supervision upon release. The case involved a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen. Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2025, at 10:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . This case is also part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Federal Prisoner Sentenced to Additional Prison Term for Possession of Contraband

component: Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – Darell Reed, 35, who is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Illinois (FCI-Pekin), was sentenced on August 5, 2025, to 15 months’ imprisonment and a special assessment of $100 for possession of a prohibited object in prison. This sentence will be served consecutive to the federal sentence Reed is already serving for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the government presented information that, on March 10, 2024, Reed, an inmate at FCI-Pekin, was visited at the prison, and that an object was transferred between the visitor and Reed. Reed was then monitored and personnel ultimately recovered two small orange balloons that contained 30 orange pieces of film, wrapped in cellophane. The strips were identified as containing Suboxone, and buprenorphine, Schedule III controlled substances, which are prohibited in the prison. The statutory penalties for possession of contraband by an inmate are not more than five years imprisonment, to be served consecutive to the existing term of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, a mandatory special assessment of $100, and not more than three years supervised release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.


title: Amite Man Guilty of Kidnapping Resulting in Death and Transporting a Minor in Interstate Commerce to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DANIEL WAYNE CALLIHAN (“CALLIHAN”) , age 37, a resident of Amite, Louisiana, pled guilty today before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to a two-count Superseding Indictment charging him with kidnapping resulting in death, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a) (Count One), and transporting a minor in interstate commerce with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(a) (Count Two). CALLIHAN was previously charged for his crimes in a federal complaint on June 14, 2024, and has remained in federal custody since that time. “Today’s resolution ensures that Daniel Wayne Callihan, will be held accountable for his heinous and atrocious crimes,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson. “This successful prosecution is the result of the significant collaboration by local, state, and federal agencies across Louisiana and Mississippi. Their collective dedication and hard work ensured that Mr. Callihan will now face justice.” "The FBI is committed to relentlessly pursuing violent predators and our hearts go out to the families of these victims," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. "Every law enforcement partner who worked on this case was determined to deliver justice for the Brunett family and the people of Tangipahoa Parish. The FBI thanks the U.S. Marshals Service, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the Jackson Police Department for their efforts to make sure Daniel Callihan will never do anything like this again." According to court documents, on or about June 12, 2024, CALLIHAN was present inside the Loranger, Louisiana residence of Adult Victim 1, who lived with her two daughters, Minor Victim 1 (a four-year-old female) and Minor Victim 2 (a six-year-old female). While present in the residence, CALLIHAN stabbed Adult Victim 1 more than fifty times, resulting in her death. After killing Adult Victim 1, CALLIHAN kidnapped Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 using Adult Victim 1’s 2012 Chrysler 200 automobile, bearing a Louisiana license plate, and drove to McComb, Mississippi. CALLIHAN , with Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 still in the car, then returned to Amite Louisiana, where he picked up Co-Conspirator 1. CALLIHAN then drove Adult Victim 1’s car to a residence in Jackson, Mississippi located in the 3900 block of Boozier Drive. On either the evening of June 12, 2024, or early on June 13, 2024, CALLIHAN and Co-Conspirator 1 engaged in sexual battery with Minor Victim 2. CALLIHAN intended that Minor Victim 2 would engage in criminal sexual activity, namely violations of criminal laws of the State of Louisiana, including La. Rev. Stat. 14.81 and La Rev. Stat. 43.1, and the State of Mississippi, including Miss. Code § 97-3-95 and Miss. Code § 97-5-23, at the time he transported Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 from Louisiana to Mississippi. Thereafter, on June 13, 2024, while at the Boozier Drive property, CALLIHAN purposely suffocated Minor Victim 1 to death by holding Minor Victim 1 closely against his chest. Later on June 13, 2024, after Adult Victim 1’s body was discovered, federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities began an investigation. The investigation determined the location of both CALLIHAN and Adult Victim 1’s car. A search of the Boozier Drive property led to the discovery of a pit on the property. Law enforcement officers discovered Minor Victim 1’s body and Minor Victim 2 in the pit. After being taken into custody and waiving his Miranda rights, CALLIHAN admitted to stabbing Adult Victim 1 to death and kidnapping Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 in Adult Victim 1’s vehicle. CALLIHAN further admitted that he and Co-Conspirator 1 transported Minor Victim 1 and Minor Victim 2 to Mississippi, where he and Co-Conspirator 1 committed sexual battery on Minor Victim 2, and he smothered Minor Victim 1 to death. CALLIHAN’s admission that he and Co-Conspirator 1 committed sexual battery on Minor Victim 2 was corroborated in a voluntary, post- Miranda statement Co-Conspirator 1 made to law enforcement authorities. As part of the resolution of this matter, the Government has agreed that should the Court accept the defendant’s plea of guilty to the Superseding Indictment, the Government will not seek the death penalty with regard to Count One. Consequently, for Count One, CALLIHAN faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For Count Two, CALLIHAN faces a mandatory minimum of (10) ten years in prison, and up to life in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For each count, CALLIHAN also faces at least (5) five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and the obligation to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Africk has been scheduled for November 19, 2025. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the sentence for Count One may run either concurrent or consecutive to the sentence imposed for Count Two. Further, any sentence or portion thereof may run either concurrent or consecutive to any sentence imposed in any other jurisdiction, including, but not limited to, the 21st Judicial District Court (Louisiana), State of Louisiana v. Callihan , Case No. 2401198, and Hinds County (Mississippi) Circuit Court, State of Mississippi v. Callihan , Case No. 24-466. The terms of CALLIHAN’s plea are not contingent upon the disposition of any case or sentence imposed in any matter pending in any other jurisdiction. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the great support provided by the United States Marshals Service, the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office, the Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney’s Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the Jackson (Mississippi) Police Department. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson also commended the exceptional work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana Victim/Witness Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, and Sarah Dawkins, of the Violent Crime Unit, are in charge of the prosecution. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . * * *


title: Beaumont man and woman charged with federal carjacking violation

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man and woman have been charged with federal violations related to a June 2025 carjacking in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Jason Lee Smith, 28, and Joanna Kyle Glover, 33, were named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas. The indictment alleges that on June 28, 2025, Smith, armed with a firearm, and Glover forcefully took a vehicle from another person. Smith and Glover were both charged with carjacking and Smith was also charged with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). If convicted, the defendants face up to 15 years in federal prison for the carjacking violation. Smith also faces up to life in federal prison for the firearms charge. This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Beaumont Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Mexican national, illegally living in Beaumont, indicted on immigration violation

component: USAO - Texas, Eastern

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Beaumont, has been charged with an immigration violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Enrique Guevara-Camargo, 51, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. The indictment alleges that on July 2, 2025, Guevara-Camargo was found in the Eastern District of Texas after having been previously deported. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). If convicted, Guevara-Camargo faces up to 2 years in federal prison and deportation. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration & Customs Enforcement. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Jackson. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: EMT From Salem Arrested for Child Pornography Offenses

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – An emergency medical technician (EMT) from Salem was arrested and charged today for allegedly receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Connor McAuliffe, 34, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and count of possession of child pornography. The defendant was arrested at his residence this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for Aug. 12, 2025. According to the charging document, in January 2025, as a result of a collateral criminal investigation conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria, South Africa in late 2023, McAuliffe was allegedly identified as an active member in a large-scale private encrypted messaging group dedicated to the trading of CSAM and comprised of over 1,000 members from around the world. Further investigation allegedly identified McAuliffe as a member in at least 14 other different large-scale chat groups on that one chat application dedicated to sharing CSAM. It is alleged that McAuliffe’s cellphone was seized during a March 2025 search of his residence. A forensic review of the device allegedly revealed that McAuliffe was a member of approximately 100 chats on multiple messaging applications dedicated to sharing CSAM. The chats allegedly had titles such as “Boys Planet,” “Boys of Eden,” “boys video,” “10 to 16 years hot boys,” and “Chicos ninos y adolescentes cp” – which translates to “Boys, children and adolescents CP.” A subsequent review of the device’s media files allegedly revealed that McAuliffe had downloaded and stored approximately 1,500 images and 50 videos depicting CSAM. A number of the files allegedly depicted the rape, abuse or exploitation of minor boys who appeared to be approximately nine to 11 years old. According to the charging document, McAuliffe currently holds an active paramedic certification with the Massachusetts Office of Health & Human Services and is employed by an emergency services company as an EMT. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five 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. Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov . United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Salem Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: Bloomfield Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: Criminal Division

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Bryan DiGirolamo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, announced that BRANDON C. TYSON, 29, of Bloomfield, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to drug and firearm offenses. According to court documents and statements made in court, Tyson’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for drug and assault offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. An ATF investigation revealed that, in May 2021, Tyson unlawfully possessed a Glock 20, 9mm pistol. Also, between May 2023 and March 2024, Tyson conspired to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Tyson was arrested on state charges on March 27, 2024, after a search of his residence revealed approximately 1.7 kilograms of cocaine and $16,700 in cash. Tyson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and a quantity of fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29. Tyson has been detained since his federal arrest on September 19, 2024. This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police, and the Bloomfield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Dearington and Sean P. Mahard, and Trial Attorney Brian P. Leaming from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. This prosecution is a part of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Hartford, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) programs.


title: Lynn Man Arrested for Drug Conspiracy and Armed Robbery

body_text: BOSTON – A Lynn man was arrested today in connection with an alleged years-long drug conspiracy and a January 2023 armed robbery of a drug distributor, during which the defendant and another individual allegedly stole approximately $24,000 in drug trafficking proceeds intended for the purchase of a kilogram of cocaine. Harvey Rodriguez, a/k/a “Big Opp”, 29, of Lynn, was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of conspiracy interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery). Rodriguez was arrested this afternoon and was ordered detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. According to the charging documents , Rodriguez was a participant in a multi-year drug conspiracy taking place in the Lynn area and on the North Shore of Massachusetts. As described in the court papers, Rodriguez is alleged to have conspired with numerous other distributors including those he supplied, and others who have been previously charged with federal drug offenses, including Vincent Caruso, a/k/a “Fatz” , Lawrence Michael Nagle, Jr. , and Schuyler Oppenheimer, a/k/a “SK” . This years-long drug conspiracy is alleged to have involved the manufacture of counterfeit prescription pills, and the sale of entire kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl through Lynn and Massachusetts. Over the course of the federal investigation, Rodriguez is alleged to have distributed cocaine and methamphetamine to a cooperating witness and confidential informant on four occasions. Rodriguez is also charged with participating in an armed robbery of a drug customer. According to the charging documents, on Jan. 30, 2023, a drug transaction was scheduled to take place at an apartment in Woburn, during which an associate of Rodriguez was to deliver a kilogram of cocaine in exchange for approximately $24,000. It is alleged that, during the transaction, Rodriguez and Claudio Melo entered the apartment and pointed semiautomatic pistols at the drug customer before taking the $24,000 in cash. According to the charging documents, the $24,000 cash was proceeds of drug trafficking activities the drug customer was engaged in, which had been paced in an unmarked soft black lunch box on a table. Rodriguez and Melo then allegedly forced the drug customer to open a safe in his bedroom, which was empty. Shortly thereafter, both robbers allegedly departed with the $24,000 cash. The charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery provides for a maximum penalty of up to 20 years, up to 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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Salvadoran national unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. pleaded guilty today to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Rigoberto Hernandez Mancia, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for Oct. 29, 2025. In June 2025 , Hernandez Mancia was indicted by a federal grand jury. Hernandez Mancia was deported from the United States on July 31, 2024. Sometime after his July 2024 removal, Hernandez Mancia illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Former Amarillo Employee Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Embezzling HUD Program Funds

body_text: A former Amarillo city employee was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $121,000 from a federal program that provided housing for homeless individuals, announced Acting United States Attorney Nancy E. Larson. Vanessa Robinson, 35, was a Grant Manager for the City of Amarillo from 2013 to January 2024 in Amarillo’s Community Development Department. In this role, she was responsible for distributing funds supplied by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help homeless or near-homeless citizens in Amarillo, Texas with housing costs. This program paid market-rate rents to landlords willing to house those who needed assistance. Robinson communicated with Amarillo property owners who were willing to lease their properties through the program, assisted in completing lease agreements, coordinated physical inspections of their properties, and assembled payment voucher packages. Court documents reflect that for approximately five years, from July 2019 to September 2024, Robinson embezzled from the program by various means. She posed as a program recipient and took steps to live rent-free for more than two years, including enlisting a co-conspirator—another former employee who participated in a similar scheme—to act as Robinson’s case worker and communicate with Robinson’s landlord. The twenty-five months of Robinson’s rent-free living cost the program $34,673. Robinson admitted that she also created fraudulent lease agreements and a fictitious landlord, using her husband’s identity, to receive funds from HUD’s Emergency Services Grant. Additionally, she filled out fraudulent applications in family members’ names to enable them to receive housing assistance. In total, Robinson caused the program to spend $121,325 on Robinson’s fraudulent applications, leases, and vouchers. In March 2025, Robinson pled guilty to an information charging her with conspiracy to embezzle from a federally-funded program. On July 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk sentenced Robinson to 18 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay restitution of $121,325.21 to the City of Amarillo. Separately, former City of Amarillo employee Amy Dixon pled guilty to a similar conspiracy charge in June 2024 for embezzling more than $465,000 from the same HUD-funded program. Dixon was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in October 2024 and ordered to pay restitution of $465,511.65 to the City of Amarillo. “These defendants abused trusted positions within the City of Amarillo to steal from federal funding intended for residents experiencing significant financial hardship and homelessness,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson. “This breach of the public trust will not be tolerated, and we are proud of our law enforcement partners’ work in seeing justice done in this case.” “The defendants in this case embezzled funds from a program meant to help disadvantaged residents in their area. They abused their positions as city employees for personal gain at the expense of their community,” said FBI Dallas Specia Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI would like to thank HUD-OIG for partnering with us to hold these individuals accountable for defrauding a federal program funded by taxpayer dollars.” “This sentencing demonstrates our continued commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars and holding individuals accountable for the misuse of federal funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Lawler with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to pursue those who exploit public trust for personal gain.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Amarillo Resident Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Frausto prosecuted the case.


title: Coralville Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to a Drug Trafficking Charge

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A Coralville, Iowa, woman who was found in possession of thousands of fentanyl pills was sentenced on August 5, 2025, to seven years in federal prison. Ashley Crystal Wachs, age 36, from Coralville, Iowa, received the prison term after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances on February 19, 2025. In a plea agreement, Wachs admitted that she was responsible for the transportation of thousands of fentanyl pills from Seattle, Washington, into Coralville and the surrounding areas, where she distributed the fentanyl pills. The evidence at the guilty plea established that on September 4, 2024, officers with the Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop on Ms. Wachs’ vehicle and seized over 250 grams of fentanyl, 109.58 grams of flurofentanyl, and 71.96 grams of ice methamphetamine. During the guilty plea, Ms. Wachs admitted she intended to distribute most of the controlled substances seized from her vehicle. Wachs was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Wachs was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Wachs is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and investigated by the Johnson County Drug Task Force and Iowa State Patrol. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-98. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Irish citizen indicted for sadistic exploitation of a child

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 36-year-old Irish national has been charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of coercion and enticement of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The charges allege in September 2022, Matthew Liam Johnstone coerced a minor into filming and photographing herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct including acts of sadism. If convicted, Johnstone faces up to life in prison. All charges also carry a possible $250,000 maximum fine. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit - Criminal Investigative Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman and Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's CEOS leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page . For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page . An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.


title: Mexican national, illegally living in Pollock, indicted on immigration violation

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Pollock, has been charged with an immigration violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Jose de Jesus Pineda-Torres, 43, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. The indictment alleges that on July 11, 2025, Pineda-Torres was found in the Eastern District of Texas after having been previously deported three times. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). If convicted, Pineda-Torres faces up to 10 years in federal prison and deportation. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Jackson. A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for  Straw Purchasing Firearms

body_text: A man who bought two firearms, and attempted to buy a third, for other people was sentenced on August 5, 2025, to more than one year in federal prison. Jason Henry Tetter II, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 21, 2025 guilty plea to making a false statement during the attempted purchase of a firearm. Information from sentencing showed that, in 2024, Tetter bought two firearms for Daquavion Williams, who was a marijuana user and who could not buy the firearms himself because he was not 21 years old. Tetter, a marijuana user himself, lied about his drug use and who the real purchaser of the firearms was on the forms accompanying the firearm purchases. One of the firearms was for Williams, and the other was for Williams’s associate. Both firearms were recovered by law enforcement. Williams’s firearm was used to shoot a victim in the knee in Waterloo on August 10, 2024. Five days later, Tetter attempted to buy another firearm for someone else involved in the shooting. Williams was subsequently charged with firearm offenses and is currently pending sentencing. Tetter was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Tetter was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. 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. Tetter was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Marion Police Department, and the Waterloo Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-0103. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of a City Store

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Khyrie Brown, 25, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gerald J. Pappert to 36 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and full restitution, for his role in the armed robbery of a North Philadelphia dollar store. Brown was charged by indictment in July 2024 with robbery which interferes with interstate commerce (Hobbs Act robbery) and pleaded guilty in March of this year. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, on November 6, 2023, at approximately 6:30 p.m., he and three other males entered a dollar store on the 2800 block of Ridge Avenue. One of the males approached the counter and pretended to purchase multiple items. At that same time, one of the other males pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun, pointed it at the store clerk and told the clerk to open the safe. Two of the robbers jumped the counter, while the other two circled around the counter, where Brown then removed a cash drawer from the safe and carried it out of the store. All four males entered a waiting getaway vehicle and fled the scene with approximately $3,000 in coins and U.S. currency. Responding Philadelphia police officers tracked the group to the area of 30 th and Gordon streets, where a police K9 located Brown hiding in an abandoned property on the 2300 block of North 30 th Street. This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Zaleski.


title: Dallas man convicted in federal drug trafficking conspiracy

body_text: SHERMAN, Texas – A Dallas man has been found guilty of federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Deldrick Damond Lewis, 40, was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III on August 6, 2025. According to information presented in court, Lewis was identified as a methamphetamine supplier during an investigation of drug trafficking activities in the Grayson County area. Lewis sold approximately 490 grams of methamphetamine during a drug trafficking transaction. Additionally, prosecutors presented evidence at trial that included Lewis’ social media accounts, text messages, and other evidence from his cellular phones. At sentencing, Lewis faces up to life in federal prison. The statutory maximum sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. This case was investigated by the FBI, Texoma Narcotics and Violent Crime Task Force, Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, Sherman Police Department and the Dallas Police Department SWAT Team. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Smith and Stevan Buys. ###


title: Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally  Reentering the United States After Being Deported Three Times

body_text: A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to more than three months in federal prison. Fidel Ramos-Ramos, age 38, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 13, 2025, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. At the guilty plea, Ramos-Ramos admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Ramos-Ramos was previously deported in 2012, 2014, and 2017. In January 2024, Ramos-Ramos reentered the United States in Texas illegally. On April 18, 2025, immigration officials learned Ramos-Ramos had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Black Hawk County Jail following his arrest on a state arrest warrant. Ramos-Ramos was previously convicted in the District of Arizona of illegally entering the United States, served 30 days in prison and was deported. Ramos-Ramos was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. He was sentenced to 98 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-cr-2023. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA


title: Would-be smuggler of three-year-old child sentenced to 36 months in federal prison

body_text: LAREDO, Texas - A 25-year-old Laredo woman has been sentenced for conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor alien to the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before finding Salma Galilea Veliz guilty April 15 after a two-day trial. U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Veliz to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. “We may never know who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully smuggled across the border. What is certain, however, is that no child’s safety or well-being has a price tag. The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties,” said Ganjei. “Also, a word of warning - if you put a child, even if it’s your own, into the hands of smugglers, you will be prosecuted. Return home to them; don’t endanger your children by placing their lives in the hands of people you don’t know.” Law enforcement first encountered Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo Nov. 14, 2024, with a three-year-old male. She presented a Texas birth certificate and claimed the minor was her son, later admitting he was not and that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Veliz claimed she did not know the boy’s name or where she was taking him, just that a person known as “Malandro” was bringing him to her. Veliz planned to have the boy assume her biological son’s identity to smuggle him into the United States in exchange for $2,500. During trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding his true identity, which included the minor child’s original birth certificate indicating Mexico as his place of birth. Testimony also revealed there was no record in existence pertaining to the minor child that would indicate he had ever been authorized to enter the United States. The defense attempted to convince the jury the boy had claims to citizenship through an unidentified father. However, evidence revealed the minor is a Mexican citizen and had no claim to enter the county. The jury ultimately found Veliz guilty as charged. She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of State and Department of Health and Humans Services - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.


title: Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Eleven Years in Federal Prison for Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of Firearms

body_text: A prohibited person who possessed firearms was sentenced today to eleven years in federal prison. Kyler Goettsch, age 28, of Cedar Rapids, received the sentence after a May 31, 2024, guilty plea to one count of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms. At the plea hearing, Goettsch admitted that, in November 2023, he possessed two pistols after having been convicted of four felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Goettsch was arrested after a brief standoff in which he failed to obey officers’ commands and officers had to draw their weapons. Goettsch was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Goettsch was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. 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. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is CR 24-16. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.


title: Grand Jury Charges Irishman for Sadistic Exploitation of a Child

body_text: A grand jury in the Southern District of Texas returned an indictment today charging Matthew Liam Johnstone, 36, of Ireland, with numerous offenses stemming from his sadistic online exploitation of a child. According to court documents, in September 2022, Johnstone sexually exploited a minor in the Southern District of Texas by coercing her into filming and photographing herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including acts of sadism. Johnstone is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. If convicted, Johnstone faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. All charges also carry a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas, and Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of FBI Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, Criminal Investigative Division, is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.


title: Mississippi Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearm as a Previously Convicted Felon

component: USAO - Mississippi, Northern

body_text: Greenville, MS – A Mound Bayou man was sentenced today to over six years in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. According to court documents, Dennis Coleman, 44, previously pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. He was sentenced today by Chief Judge Debra M. Brown of the U.S. District Court to 74 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal upon the conclusion of sentencing. “Keeping firearms out of criminals’ hands is always going to be a focus of this office,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “Thanks to the Cleveland Police Department, the Bolivar County S.O. and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, this community is now safer for citizens and families due to the concerted efforts of our law enforcement partners.” “This sentencing sends a clear message that those who repeatedly break the law and endanger others will be held accountable. Keeping firearms out of the hands of convicted felons is critical to protecting our communities,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “I commend the collaborative efforts of all agencies involved for their work in bringing this case to justice.” This case was investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cleveland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Mims prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Brooklyn Park Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Children

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – Charles Anthony Forame, IV, 33, of Brooklyn Park, Maryland, pled guilty today, to federal child sexual exploitation charges. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Jaymi Sterling, State’s Attorney for St. Mary’s County; Anthony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County; Robert H. Harvey, State’s Attorney for Calvert County; Anne Colt Leitess, State’s Attorney for Anne Arundel; Sheriff Steven A. Hall, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff Troy D. Berry, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff Ricky Cox, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Amal E. Awad, Anne Arundel County Police. According to the guilty plea, Forame used his Snapchat account to meet teenage girls online. Forame then coerced the victims to provide him with explicit images, or in some instances, sexual acts in person. Forame, told the girls he was 19 to get them to interact with him. He often promised to provide vapes or marijuana in exchange for explicit images or sex acts. If the victims attempted to end the arrangement, Forame threatened to expose their images. The victims, ages 13-16, were middle-school and high-school students. Forame faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release. Sentencing is set for Monday, November 24, at 9:30 a.m. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI, St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office, Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who is prosecuting the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Kalispell woman sentenced to prison for fraud

body_text: MISSOULA – A Kalispell woman who embezzled almost $500,000 from a local company was sentenced today to 14 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Rita Ann Pierce, 59, pleaded guilty in March 2025 to wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The government alleged in court documents that Pierce Manufacturing is a family-owned business that began in 1974. The company began as a welding shop but morphed into a manufacturing shop. This case arose because Pierce Manufacturing was unable to figure out why it was not making any money. The company ordered an audit, which uncovered that Rita Pierce was embezzling money. When stealing the money, Pierce was the bookkeeper. She covered the fraud by entering fraudulent names in the ledger and making the transactions appear legitimate despite the money flowing into her private bank account. The investigation determined Pierce embezzled approximately $496,881.03 during a four-year span, which was between 2016 and 2020. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Mexican National Sentenced to 130 Months in Prison after Alien Smuggling Leads to Death

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jorge Adan Fontes-Garcia, 26, an illegal alien from Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced on August 5, by United States District Judge James A Teilborg to 130 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. On May 20, Fontes-Garcia pleaded guilty to Bringing an Illegal Alien to the United States Unlawfully Resulting in Death. The sentence also addressed Fontes-Garcia’s violation of federal supervision, which the Court imposed after his prior conviction for Reentry of an Illegal Alien. On August 23, 2023, Fontes-Garcia acted as the foot guide, leading a group of eight aliens across the Mexico-United States border into southern Arizona. United States Border Patrol apprehended all but one of the illegal aliens in the open desert approximately 19 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. The remaining alien was found by Border Patrol agents shortly thereafter, already deceased due to excessive heat exposure. “This case demonstrates that human smugglers often have little regard for those entrusted to their care,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “My message to those trying to cross the border illegally is that their actions are not just a violation of the law, they can also lead to tragic consequences.” “Human smuggling results in numerous deaths every year as smugglers are more concerned with profit than the lives of the people they are smuggling,” said Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre, Yuma Sector Border Patrol. “This sentence sends a clear message to anyone considering smuggling foreign nationals into the country – ‘if you do, we will arrest you, and you will be held accountable.’” This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBERS: CR-23-01322-PHX-JAT, CR-22-00992-PHX-JAT RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-130_Fontes-Garcia # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Mexican man pleads guilty to illegal reentry

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: MISSOULA – A man from Mexico accused of being in the United States illegally admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The defendant, Eduardo Heriberto Mendoza-Almanza, 40, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien. Mendoza-Almanza faces 10 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen DeSoto presided. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for December 10, 2025. Mendoza-Almanza was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents that Mendoza-Almanza was arrested on April 6, 2025, in Belgrade, Montana, after an officer stopped him for driving with no license plate light after dark. He was identified with his Mexico driver’s license. His driving privileges were suspended in Montana and revoked in New Mexico. He also had numerous active warrants. He was arrested for driving without a license. Mendoza-Almanza has been removed from the U.S. on eight prior occasions: March 6, 2006 February 2, 2007 February 22, 2007 February 25, 2007 May 11, 2007 January 11, 2008 June 18, 2011 September 5, 2023 He was convicted of felony illegal reentry in Montana Federal Court, District of Montana, Missoula Division, on March 15, 2023. He was sentenced to time served and removed. There is no record he applied for or was granted permission by the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to return to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). XXX


title: CEO and President of Hawaii Shipbuilding Company Sentenced for $29M Investment Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Hawaii

body_text: HONOLULU – A formerly married couple was sentenced yesterday for their roles in a more than decade-long scheme to defraud hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars in connection with Semisub Inc. (Semisub), a Hawaii-based company. Curtiss E. Jackson, 72, of Honolulu, Hawaii, was sentenced to thirteen years in prison, and Jamey Denise Jackson, 62, currently of Cochester, Connecticut, and formerly of Honolulu, was sentenced to two years in prison. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Curtiss Jackson and Jamey Denise Jackson, who were respectively Semisub’s CEO and President, falsely told investors for years that the prototype vessel, Semisub One, was “weeks” or “months” away from beginning operations. The defendants also solicited funds based on false statements that Semisub had entered into agreements or developed relationships with government agencies and a private investment firm to build and sell a fleet of “Semisubs” for tens of millions of dollars — among other misrepresentations. As a part of the scheme, the defendants used investor funds to pay for luxury residences in Hawaii and California, a Mercedes-Benz automobile, luxury vacations, psychics, and marijuana. Curtiss Jackson also sent a death threat to Jamey Denise Jackson during the investigation, in the form of a link to an online video entitled “Death of FBI Informants” containing graphic clips from The Sopranos television series depicting the deaths of several characters who had cooperated with the FBI. Curtiss Jackson further obstructed an official proceeding by attempting to flee the United States’ territorial waters aboard the Semisub One, which was subject to criminal forfeiture proceedings, on the day before his bond revocation hearing. In May 2024, Curtiss Jackson was convicted by a jury of securities fraud, conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, witness tampering, and obstructing an official proceeding while on pretrial release. In January 2023, Jamey Denise Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group; and Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Seattle Field Office made the announcement. The USPIS and IRS-CI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Matthew Reilly and Jennifer Bilinkas of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Aislinn Affinito for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case.


title: Stockton Man Sentenced to over 12 years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Walter Garcia-Ruiz, 37, of Stockton, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 12 years and seven months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced. According to court documents, between May 2019 and December 2020, Garcia-Ruiz joined a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine with Jesus Horacio Ramirez Hernandez, 37; of El Monte, and Stockton residents Fernando Aldama Tinoco, 51; Geovany Espinoza Norzagaray, 36; and Neftali Castillo Montes, 44. During this conspiracy, Montes sold an FBI confidential source more than 14 pounds of methamphetamine. Surveillance, wiretaps, and additional investigation uncovered Garcia-Ruiz, Norzagaray, Tinoco, and Hernandez as higher-level distributors. Garcia-Ruiz personally supplied at least 10.9 pounds of this methamphetamine. A search of a storage unit controlled by Tinoco resulted in the seizure of 33 pounds of methamphetamine, 7 pounds of cocaine, and 2 pounds of counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl. This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Customs and Borders Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case. Montes was sentenced on April 15, 2025, to five years in prison for his role in this conspiracy. Hernandez pleaded guilty for his role on June 24, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Mueller on Oct. 21, 2025. Hernandez faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. Charges are pending against co-defendants Tinoco and Espinoza. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendants Tinoco and Espinoza also face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.


title: Mexican National Sentenced to 54 Months for Illegal Reentry After Ten Prior Removals and Three Illegal Reentry Felony Convictions

body_text: HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Navor Salas Cruz, 52, of Mexico, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 54 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering and remaining in the United States. Salas Cruz pled guilty to the charge on April 4, 2025. According to court documents, Salas Cruz came to the attention of law enforcement after a 2024 Kauai arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. Between 1997 and 2020, Salas Cruz was removed from the United States to Mexico ten times. Salas Cruz has three prior driving while under the influence arrests and fourteen contempt of court arrests. In addition to his three prior federal convictions for illegally reentering the United States, Salas Cruz also has convictions for abuse of a household member, assault, violation of a protective order, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. At sentencing, Judge Watson indicated he did not believe Salas Cruz’s claim that he understood the importance of following laws, stating that it was “clear you do not respect our laws” given Salas Cruz’s “extensive criminal history.” Judge Watson noted that Salas Cruz has “learned precious little over the last 25 years” and his prior crimes have put the public at risk. “This prosecution and lengthy sentence deliver the clear message that when you come to Hawaii as an illegal alien and repeatedly violate our nation’s laws, you will be federally prosecuted and sentenced to a long period of imprisonment,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “We will not tolerate those who exploit our borders and endanger our citizens.” This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).


title: Cherokee Woman Charged For Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury On A Child In Indian Country

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Shawnenna Caroline Roland, 39, of Cherokee, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is facing federal charges for child abuse, child neglect, and assault in Indian country, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Carla Neadeau of the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to allegations in the three count bill of indictment, Roland intentionally assaulted a minor child resulting in serious bodily injury, including permanent and protracted loss and impairment of the child’s mental and emotional function. The Indictment further alleges that Roland showed reckless disregard for human life through a willful act and grossly negligent omission in the care of the child, resulting in serious bodily injury. Roland is in tribal custody awaiting transfer to the custody of the United States Marshals Service. The charges against her are merely allegations and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case. ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Shawnenna Caroline Roland, 39, of Cherokee, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is facing federal charges for child abuse, child neglect, and assault in Indian country, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Carla Neadeau of the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to allegations in the three count bill of indictment, Roland intentionally assaulted a minor child resulting in serious bodily injury, including permanent and protracted loss and impairment of the child’s mental and emotional function. The Indictment further alleges that Roland showed reckless disregard for human life through a willful act and grossly negligent omission in the care of the child, resulting in serious bodily injury. Roland is in tribal custody awaiting transfer to the custody of the United States Marshals Service. The charges against her are merely allegations and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.


title: Four Indicted In Asheville With Federal Charges Under Operation Take Back America

body_text: ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that a number of individuals are facing federal firearms and immigration charges under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime, repel the invasion of illegal immigration and achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Criminal indictments returned by the grand jury in Asheville charged the following defendants, among others: Justin Allen Owenby , 27, of Asheville, was indicted for the unlawful possession of a firearm. Owenby is alleged to have unlawfully possessed a Glock 48, 9mm pistol, knowing he had prior felony convictions. Gregory Lee Pettit , 51, of Candler, N.C., is charged with possession of a grenade, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Pettit is also charged with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user that is addicted to a controlled substance. William Stanley Ellwood , 38, of Cherokee, N.C., is charged with possession of a firearm silencer, which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. He is also charged with one count of receiving and possessing a silencer not identified by a serial number. Rafael Martinez-Reano , 35, of Rutherfordton, N.C., is charged with illegal reentry into the United States. Martinez-Reano was previously deported from the United States two times: on December 31, 2018, and on April 13, 2018, at or near Hildago, Texas. The charges in the indictments are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and Emergency Removal Operations, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolian Department of Public Safety Alcohol Law Enforcement, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their respective investigations that led to the charges. The cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville. The indictments 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 Neighborhoods (PSN). # # #


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced for Unlawful Reentry by a Removed Alien

component: Department of Justice

body_text: JACKSON, MS – A Guatemalan national was sentenced on August 1, 2025 to 4 months in prison for unlawfully reentering the United States after being removed from the country. According to court documents, Mario Armando Crisostomo-Crisostomo, 27, was found by law enforcement officials to be unlawfully present in the country on or about April 28, 2025 in Leake County during a traffic stop where he was driving without a license or insurance. Crisostomo-Crisostomo had previously been removed from the United States in 2018 following a conviction in the Southern District of Texas for illegal entry into the United States. Crisostomo-Crisostomo was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Patrick A. Lemon and Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Brian Acuna, Acting Field Office Director of ICE/ERO in New Orleans, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by Homeland Security investigations as part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ). Operation Take Back America is 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).