title: Bronx Woman And Queens Man Plead Guilty To Participating In Murder Plot That Killed Innocent Bystander

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today that KARL SMITH, a/k/a “Pacavell,” and CHELSEY HARRIS, a/k/a “Ms. Chinn,” have pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul E. Engelmayer for their role in orchestrating a shooting that killed Clarisa Burgos, an innocent bystander. HARRIS pled guilty on June 26, 2025, and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 6, 2025, and SMITH pled guilty yesterday and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2025. Two other defendants, DAJAHN MCBEAN, a/k/a “Jeezy Mula,” a/k/a “Freeze,” and JULISSA BARTHOLOMEW, a/k/a “Trophy,” a/k/a “Tactical Mommy,” have been charged and are awaiting trial. “Karl Smith and Chelsey Harris participated in an elaborate plot to murder their victim, setting him up to be shot multiple times at several locations across New York City in December 2023,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “During one of those shootings, an innocent bystander, Clarisa Burgos, was tragically killed. Thanks to the hard work of the prosecutors in this Office and our law enforcement partners, Smith and Harris will now be held to account for this heinous crime. We and the NYPD are committed to making our streets safer and will tirelessly fight against gun crime.” “This wasn’t random gunfire – it was a calculated plot to carry out a murder on New York City streets, and an innocent woman paid the price,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “It’s a stark reminder of how reckless, calculated violence puts innocent New Yorkers in the line of fire. I commend our detectives and federal partners for their unrelenting work to take violent criminals off the streets and hold them accountable.” As alleged in public court filings, statements at public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case: In December 2023, MCBEAN was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York (“MDC Brooklyn”), awaiting sentencing for directing a separate gang-related shooting in January 2017. While in federal custody, MCBEAN feuded over social media with another person (“Victim-1”). MCBEAN then used a contraband cellphone from inside MDC Brooklyn to conspire with SMITH and HARRIS, who were at liberty in the community, to lure Victim-1 to various nightclubs in New York City where MCBEAN had arranged for gunmen to kill Victim-1. MCBEAN paid SMITH and HARRIS through intermediaries, including BARTHOLOMEW, for their roles in this scheme. The plot to kill Victim-1 resulted in two shootings. First, on December 24, 2023, MCBEAN and his co-conspirators lured Victim-1 to a nightclub (“Club-1”) in Queens, New York. Outside Club-1, gunmen shot and struck Victim-1’s car multiple times but missed Victim-1. Second, on December 26, 2023, MCBEAN and his co-conspirators tried again to kill Victim-1, this time luring him to a different nightclub (“Club-2”) in Queens. At MCBEAN’s direction from within MDC Brooklyn, gunmen again fired on Victim1’s car when it was parked outside Club-2. The bullets struck Victim-1 multiple times, but Victim-1 survived. The bullets also struck and killed Clarisa Burgos, who was seated in Victim-1’s car. Clarisa Burgos was twenty-eight years old. * * * SMITH, 27, of Queens, New York, and HARRIS, 24, of the Bronx, New York, each pled guilty to stalking resulting in life threatening bodily injury and death, which carries a maximum term of life in prison. SMITH also pled guilty to aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of the plot to kill Victim-1, which carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison. HARRIS additionally pled guilty to aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm in furtherance of the plot to kill Victim-1, which carries mandatory minimum term of five years in prison. The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the work of the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force and the NYPD. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations’ El Dorado Task Force for their assistance in the investigation. He added that the investigation is ongoing. This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Andrew Chan, Dominic Gentile, and Timothy Ly are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Lenexa tax preparer sentenced to prison

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas tax preparer was sentenced to 36 months in prison for filing false income tax returns for his clients leading to a tax loss of more than $1.5 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). According to court documents, Hophine Bwosinde, 61, of Lenexa, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in fraud and false statements. From 2018 through 2022, Bwosinde used his tax preparation business to file fraudulent tax returns on behalf of his clients. He either inflated legitimate business expenses or claimed losses related to fake businesses. Bwosinde also falsely reported negative income on clients’ returns. As a result, their incomes were significantly underreported to the IRS, which either reduced the amount of taxes clients owed or led them to receive refunds to which they were not entitled. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Former Trial Attorney Erika V. Suhr of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas prosecuted the case. ###


title: Grand jury charges Columbus man with money laundering $1M in business email scam proceeds

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Federal agents arrested a Columbus man Tuesday on charges alleging he received and laundered more than $1 million in proceeds of a business email compromise scam. A federal grand jury charged Benjamin O. Alexander, 42, with 29 counts of money laundering crimes. According to the indictment, Alexander laundered proceeds from a scheme related to a contract for personal protective equipment (PPE) for a health-care provider in response to COVID-19. In June 2020, workers at the health-care provider received email messages purporting to be from the contracted safety-equipment supplier and requesting payments be sent to a new bank account. It is alleged that the new bank account where the health-care provider was directed to send payments was one controlled by Alexander in the name of a business he established in April 2019 called BOA Building Maintenance and Cleaning Services LLC. As a result of the business email fraud scheme, four ACH transfers were sent to Alexander’s bank account totaling approximately $1.1 million. Alexander then allegedly made multiple financial transactions to conceal the source of the money. Conspiring to commit money laundering and committing concealment money laundering are both crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Monetary transaction money laundering carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. # # #


title: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Woman for Defrauding Pool Business Customers

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment on July 16, 2025, charging a Louisville woman with engaging in a scheme to defraud customers of her pool installation business, Davenport Extreme Pools and Spas Inc. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Office, made the announcement. According to the indictment, Tracy Davenport, 50, was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud, 5 counts of money laundering, and 1 count of bankruptcy fraud. The indictment alleges Tracy Davenport, and others working at her direction, engaged in a scheme to induce customers into signing a contract for a pool installation and paying a large down payment up front. Tracy Davenport then used those funds for purposes other than what was agreed upon. The defendant will make her initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at a later date. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-CI, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and the United States Trustee’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Elver is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Justice Department Publishes Proposed Rule to Grant Relief to Certain Individuals Precluded from Possessing Firearms

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: WASHINGTON — President Trump directed the Department of Justice to address the ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens—all of them. Federal law disables the firearms rights of many citizens who have been convicted of crimes without regard to whether they actually pose a threat of violence. But federal law also empowers the Attorney General to restore Second Amendment rights to individuals who are not “likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety.” Today, the Department of Justice submitted to the Office of the Federal Register a proposed rule regarding the exercise of the Attorney General’s authority under 18 U.S.C. 925(c) to grant relief to individuals who are otherwise precluded from possessing firearms. "For too long, countless Americans with criminal histories have been permanently disenfranchised from exercising the right to keep and bear arms—a right every bit as constitutionally enshrined as the right to vote, the right to free speech, and the right to free exercise of religion—irrespective of whether they actually pose a threat," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "No longer." The proposed rule will provide citizens whose firearm rights are currently under legal disability with an avenue to restore those rights, while keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminals and illegal aliens. Ultimate discretion to grant relief will remain with the Attorney General, and she will exercise that discretion on a case-by-case basis in light of all available facts and evidence that bear on an individual’s application. But absent extraordinary circumstances, violent felons, registered sex offenders, and illegal aliens, in particular, will remain presumptively ineligible for relief. "General Bondi’s support of the rebooted 925(c) program is consistent with President Donald J. Trump’s promise to the American people to support the beautiful Second Amendment," said U.S. Pardon Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. "My team and I are developing a 925(c) program landing page with a sophisticated, user-friendly platform for Americans petitioning for the return of their gun rights, which will make the process easier for them." The Justice Department welcomes comments from communities that could be affected by a final rule including law enforcement, victims’ advocates, elected officials, and individuals who would like to apply to have their gun rights restored. Because this proposed rule is intended to create a fair and thoughtful system to evaluate applications for the restoration of firearms right, the Justice Department recommends that individuals seeking the restoration of their firearm rights review and comment on the proposed process rather than submit applications at this time. View the proposed rule as it was submitted to the Office of the Federal Register HERE . An official copy will be published next week.


title: Tennessee man sentenced to prison for operating investment scheme

body_text: KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Tennessee man was sentenced to 71 months in prison after being convicted of running a $1.9 million Ponzi scheme. According to court documents, Alcides Roman, 66, of Lebanon, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Roman defrauded victims in Kansas, New York, Texas, and in Canada by soliciting their participation in purportedly high-yield investment programs. In truth, these investment opportunities were fraudulent. Roman did not invest the funds and failed to redeem the investments upon the victims’ requests. Rather, he left the funds in bank accounts he controlled and used the money for his own and others’ benefit. Roman induced victims to make additional or larger investments by making payments to them, ostensibly as returns on investment. Those payments, however, were from the same victim’s prior principal investments or another victim’s investments. Roman used funds from the scheme to pay for his personal living expenses, to buy vehicles and land, and to send money to numerous foreign and domestic companies. The total known loss to victims was $1,977,857. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan J. Huschka prosecuted the case. ###


title: Exceptional Student Education Assistant Indicted For Transporting And Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Marrell Dion Speights (32, St. Petersburg) with receipt, transportation, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted on all counts, Speights faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison and will be required to register as a sex offender. According to the indictment and criminal complaint, Speights transported, received, and possessed visual depictions of children under the age of 12 being sexually abused. On June 19, 2025, Speights attempted to enter the United States at the Tampa International Airport from a Canadian flight that was returning from a trip to Japan. He was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who reviewed his cellphone and found images of CSAM in the hidden photos feature. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Tampa. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit. 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 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Gloucester drug trafficker sentenced to five years in prison for firearms offense

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

body_text: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Gloucester man was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on July 15, 2024, Kyle Jacob Buquor, 26, parked a pickup truck in the area of Market Drive and entered a store. While Buquor was inside the store, a K9 positively alerted for narcotics in the truck as law enforcement conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle. Buquor was detained when he returned to the vehicle. During a probable cause search of the vehicle agents recovered a handgun, three loaded magazines, an empty magazine, 11.5 grams of methamphetamine, and various items indicative of drug trafficking. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath 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. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-56.


title: St. Petersburg Felon Sentenced To Over 17 Years For Possessing Ammunition

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Wayne Lamar Davis (55, St. Petersburg) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Davis was found guilty following a bench trial in March 2025. According to statements made in court, Davis committed a traffic infraction while driving two young children to school on the morning of March 8, 2024. When the St. Petersburg Police Department officer who conducted a traffic stop attempted to detain Davis, Davis violently resisted, slipped out of his shirt and shorts, and fled on foot in his underwear. The officer apprehended Davis after a brief foot chase, locating a loaded firearm in a bag that Davis had retrieved from his vehicle. Davis received an enhanced sentence pursuant to the Armed Career Criminal Act based on prior state convictions for robbery, aggravated assault, and resisting an officer with violence and a prior federal conviction for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan. 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: Auburn Man Charged with Federal Program Fraud Makes His Initial Appearance in Court

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On Friday, July 18, 2025, Cesar Campos-Reyes, 52, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Auburn, Alabama, made his initial appearance in federal court following his arrest earlier this week, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. On July 15, 2025, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies executed search warrants at multiple properties associated with Campos-Reyes after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with four counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. These charges stem from an alleged scheme involving federal program fraud. In total, law enforcement searched 14 locations across six Alabama counties—Autauga, Baldwin, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lee, and Macon. Eight of the 14 locations were restaurants. During today’s hearing, Campos-Reyes pleaded not guilty to all charges. A federal magistrate judge set the trial date for November 3, 2025, and scheduled a detention hearing for July 23, 2025, to determine whether Campos-Reyes will remain in custody pending trial. He is currently being held by the United States Marshals Service. If convicted on all counts, Campos-Reyes faces up to 30 years in federal prison and significant financial penalties. There is no parole in the federal system. As part of Tuesday’s enforcement actions, three Mexican nationals—Luis Miguel Campos-Reyes, Isaac Fernandez-Lopez, and Marco Antonio Guzman—were also arrested and face federal charges. Luis Campos-Reyes and Fernandez-Lopez were each charged with harboring and unlawfully employing aliens, an offense punishable by up to one year in prison. Guzman was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. All three are scheduled for their initial appearances in court later this afternoon. An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The July 15 operation and resulting charges are the culmination of a coordinated investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Additional support was provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Department of Corrections, United States Marshals Service, and the police departments of Auburn, Opelika, Prattville, and Wetumpka, as well as the Elmore, Lee, and Macon County Sheriff’s Offices. Significant operational support was also provided by the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force, a joint enforcement initiative led by the FBI and HSI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle R. Turner and John J. Geer III.


title: Phone Scammers Falsely Claiming to be from U.S. Attorney’s Office

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri is alerting the public of imposter scams involving individuals claiming to represent the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Previously, scammers have provided false badge numbers and claimed to have found your phone number in the contacts lists of a rescued human trafficking victim. The scammers are known to request funds through a mobile payment app. Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information like actual names of federal prosecutors and federal office addresses. They also spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Remember that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will never ask you to purchase a gift card or give out a credit card number. If you are a victim of one of these scam calls, please report the incident via https://www.ic3.gov/ .


title: Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry after Deportation

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025. Javier Cruz-Martinez, 29, was sentenced to time served and ordered to be removed from the United States. Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025. Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony. 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). This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case. Cruz-Martinez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Columbia Rapper Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Money Laundering

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Malik Jahlil Bell, 28, a/k/a “Leek Obama,” of Columbia, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for bank fraud, money laundering, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Bell was the leader of a fraud ring that called themselves “Swiperz Only.” Bell and his co-defendants learned to exploit a customer service benefit from banks that provided “provisional credits” to accounts when a customer reported fraudulent activity. These “provisional credits” were temporarily applied to the accounts while the bank investigated the disputed payments or reports of fraud. Bell and the “Swiperz Only” ring concocted a scheme that allowed them to make multiple withdrawals of these “provisional credits” from ATM machines, leaving the accounts with large negative balances. Bell and the “Swiperz Only” brazenly flaunted their crimes, frequently posting pictures and videos on social media sites of huge stacks of cash, opulent jewelry and firearms. Bell personally posted multiple music videos referencing the “Swiperz Only” scheme and advertising it to others. Evidence presented during Bell’s guilty plea and sentencing showed that the fraud ring shared a large home, decorated with custom “Swiperz Only” logos. The logo depicts a man standing in front of an ATM with a duffle bag filled with cash. The group also purchased custom diamond jewelry of the “Swiperz Only” logo and frequently wore “Swiperz Only” branded clothing. United States District Mary G. Lewis sentenced Bell to 108 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. He was ordered to repay $238,652.87 in restitution to the victim bank. This case was investigated by United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Armed Career Criminal Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced Reshay Rashard Nelson (45, Tampa) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Nelson pleaded guilty in April 2025. According to court documents, officers from the Tampa Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Nelson on April 10, 2023. A search of Nelson and his vehicle resulted in the discovery of an ounce of cocaine, a scale, and a loaded firearm. Nelson received an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act based on his prior felony convictions for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, obstructing an officer with violence, possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, and trafficking in cocaine. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David P. Sullivan. 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: Arizona drug trafficker sentenced to over seven years in prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – An Arizona man was sentenced on July 15 to seven years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and distribution of pills containing parafluorofentanyl and fentanyl. According to court documents, three controlled buys were conducted in February and March 2022, Matthew Stuart Powlowsky, 35, sold meth and counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and parafluorofentanyl, which he shipped by mail from Arizona to Virginia. In all, the Powlowsky sold 86.48 grams of meth, which forensic analysis showed was 95% pure. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stephen Farina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Mastandrea prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-151.


title: Diamond District Fence Pleads Guilty in Connection with Large Scale Stolen Property Operation

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive stolen property that had been transported in interstate commerce. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge William F. Kuntz. When sentenced, Nezhinskiy faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment as well as restitution of approximately $2,500,000, and forfeiture of more than $2,500,000. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) announced the guilty plea. “The defendant’s criminal conduct, purchasing items stolen from homes and businesses nationwide, provided a vital market for South American Theft Groups and other criminals to sell the proceeds of their crimes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to ensuring that those who facilitate the victimization of people and businesses are brought to justice.” “For more than five years, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy established a demand for stolen merchandise, which allowed South American Theft Groups to profit from repeated burglaries,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “His purchases perpetuated a ripple of criminality targeting residences and business across the country. The FBI will never tolerate any individual who provides economic support to other criminal actors to continue their illicit operations in our city.” “This defendant ran a black-market pipeline, buying stolen luxury goods from organized theft crews that targeted homes and businesses,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “It was a deliberate operation that helped professional burglars prey on innocent people. Today's guilty plea sends a clear message: If you profit off stolen property, we will find you and dismantle your operation. I want to thank our detectives and federal partners for their work on this case.” “Thanks to the hard work of our Detective Division, working closely with our local and federal partners, the residents of Nassau County can rest easy that we have shut down another criminal group that set out to victimize innocent people,” stated Nassau County Police Commissioner Ryder. “Let this be a message to the South American Theft Groups and anyone who chooses to work with them: our detectives will find you and bring you to justice if you prey on the good people of our County.” According to court filings and statements the defendant made at today’s guilty plea, between approximately 2020 and 2025, the defendant conspired with his co-defendant, Juan Villar, and others, to receive and purchase stolen property, including jewelry, watches, handbags, and assorted luxury items that had been stolen outside of the state of New York and transported into New York. Nezhinskiy and Villar regularly served as “fences” for South American Theft Groups, burglary crews based out of South America, who traveled around the United States committing burglaries, typically targeting wealthier neighborhoods or jewelry vendors, and stealing luxury accessories like watches, jewelry, and handbags. Nezhinskiy and Villar’s operation, which consisted of purchasing stolen property from these crews for cash, provided an essential market for the stolen goods, perpetuating the dangerous criminal activities of the burglary and theft crews composed largely of foreign nationals. As detailed in court filings and the guilty plea, evidence linked Nezhinskiy and Villar to thefts around the country, including at least two dozen residential or commercial burglaries across the United States between 2019 and 2025. Additionally, between October 2022 and January 2024, an undercover detective conducted seven controlled sales of purported stolen property, including high-end handbags and luxury accessories, to Nezhinskiy or Villar, or both, at their business location on 47 th Street in Manhattan’s Diamond District. During these controlled sales, the undercover detective provided the defendants with items that the undercover told the defendants had been stolen, and received cash in exchange for the stolen goods. Simultaneous with the defendant’s arrest in February 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the location in the Diamond District where Nezhinskiy and Villar operated a pawn shop and seized large quantities of suspected stolen property, including dozens of high-end watches and jewelry. Law enforcement also recovered large quantities of cash and marijuana. A search warrant was also executed at storage units belonging to Nezhinskiy in New Jersey where an additional cache of suspected stolen property was found. From inside Nezhinskiy’s storage units, law enforcement recovered large quantities of luxury goods and clothing, including high-end handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork, and power tools consistent with those commonly used in burglaries and opening safes. On June 16, 2025, Villar pled guilty to conspiring to receive stolen property that had been transported in interstate commerce and is pending sentencing. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division and the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Maffei, Katherine P. Onyshko, and Sean M. Sherman are in charge of the prosecution. The Defendants : DIMITRIY NEZHINSKIY Age: 43 North Bergen, New Jersey JUAN VILLAR Age: 48 Queens, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-40 (WFK)


title: Tokio, ND Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for  Involuntary Manslaughter and Child Neglect

component: USAO - North Dakota

body_text: Fargo – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl announced today that Tierra Lynn Scott, age 31 from Tokio, ND, was sentenced before Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, United States District Court for the District of North Dakota, to 168 months in federal prison – the statutory maximum of 96 months for Involuntary Manslaughter and 24 months consecutive on each of the three Child Neglect counts in Indian country. Judge Welte also sentenced Scott to serve three years of supervised release following her incarceration and to pay restitution for funeral-related expenses. On August 17, 2024, law enforcement responded to a residence in Fort Totten, North Dakota, where an adult male was later pronounced dead. The investigation revealed the man had been struck and run over by a motor vehicle driven by Scott. Scott had no driver’s license and was under the influence of intoxicating liquor and in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia and Scott was backing and otherwise driving recklessly, and without due care for the rights and safety of others. The investigation further revealed Scott had three minor children in the vehicle with her at the time. “In August 2024, a man lost his life due to the negligence of Tierra Scott,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “She also placed three minor children at risk, driving with them while under the influence of alcohol and in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. The FBI will work together with our law enforcement partners to ensure our community is safe for all, especially for children.” “This was an entirely preventable death which was tragically witnessed by others, including children who were in and outside the defendant’s vehicle, all who have no doubt been traumatized,” said Acting US Attorney Jennifer Puhl. “Sadly, in recent years law enforcement has responded to increased incidents of alcohol-impaired driving deaths on the Spirit Lake Reservation. I hope this sentence serves as a reminder of the severe legal consequences for individuals who choose to drive under the influence and will deter that behavior.” This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lori H. Conroy. # # #


title: Spree of Violent Robberies Nets Previously Convicted Killer  an Additional 42 Months in Federal Prison

body_text: WASHINGTON – Glenn Dolford, 32, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 42 months in federal prison for his role in a spree of Hobbs Act offenses that included the violent robberies in June 2020 of a Maryland pharmacy and a Maryland phone store, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Dolford pleaded guilty on February 28, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to two counts of interference with interstate commerce by threat or violence. In addition to the prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered three years of supervised release. Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office. Dolford was previously convicted in 2023 of second-degree murder while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and assault with a deadly weapon for killing one man and shooting two others on Super Bowl Sunday in February 2020. For those crimes he was arrested in June 2020 and sentenced in June 2023 to more than 22 years in prison. According to court documents, on June 8, 2020, Dolford and three co-conspirators traveled from the District to a CVS Pharmacy in Nottingham, Maryland. As one subject stayed in their car, Dolford and two others entered the store. As a store employee was attempting to run away from the subjects, Dolford threw him to the floor, punched him in the head, and held him down with his foot on the employee’s back. Dolford’s two co-conspirators demanded narcotics and ordered another employee to empty the safe and hand over his phone and wallet. Dolford and the co-conspirators fled in a silver VW Jetta with $1,000 worth of hydrocodone and the one employee’s personal items. On June 9, 2020, Dolford and two co-conspirators traveled from the District to a T-Mobile store in College Park. Dolford forced the store employees to the back of the store as another conspirator said “give me all the phones or I’ll kill you.” Dolford and his co-conspirators fled the store in a silver VW Jetta with phones valued at about $20,000. Investigators determined Dolford rented the silver Jetta on May 28, 2020, from Enterprise Rent-a-Car. In June 2023, Dolford was indicted in U.S. District Court on Conspiracy and Hobbs Act robbery charges for his involvement in the June 8 and 9 robberies. Co-defendant Floyd Neal, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on July 17, 2024, to more than 157 months in prison for his role in a rash of 2021 gunpoint robberies of pharmacies in Maryland and Virginia. Co-defendant Ashawntea Henderson, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Feb. 18, 2025, to 52 months in federal prison for participating in an early morning robbery of a drug store at the Jersey Shore. During the May 2020 robbery, he and his co-conspirators jumped the counter, overpowered the night pharmacist, stole thousands of prescription narcotics, and then – as they attempted to flee to the District – crashed into a responding police cruiser. This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer, Kyle McWaters, Sarah Martin, and Josh Gold. 23cr190


title: Smithfield man sentenced to over two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm

body_text: NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Smithfield man was sentenced yesterday to two years and four months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on May 25, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Ahmod Keshawn Finney, 24, and placed him in custody pursuant to outstanding state arrest warrants. While Finney was being detained, officers observed and recovered a loaded handgun from the vehicle. The handgun was stolen and was equipped with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device. As a previously convicted felon, Finney cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Col. Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf 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. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-86.


title: Mexican National with Ties to the Jalisco Cartel Sentenced to 19 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking in Hundreds of Pounds of Fentanyl, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine in Eastern Washington and Montana

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter announced that Luis Esquivel-Bolanos (a/k/a “Colorado”), age 45, of Guerrero, Mexico was sentenced on multiple drug trafficking and firearms charges. Esquivel-Bolanos was found guilty on April 16, 2025, following a jury trial. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Esquivel-Bolanos to 19 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Based on court documents and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, in January 2023, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified Esquivel-Bolanos as a member of a drug trafficking organization, which had flooded the Eastern District of Washington, including the Oroville area and the Colville Indian Reservation, with methamphetamine and fentanyl. The organization spread as far as central Montana, where many of the illegal drugs were being sold on Tribal land, including on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Rocky Boy’s, Fort Belknap, and Flathead Reservations. Within Eastern Washington, the organization was run by Esquivel-Bolanos and his co-defendant, Erubey Arciga Medrano. Esquivel-Bolanos was directly below Medrano, who previously pled guilty to his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. The organization used threatening tactics to maintain control over their drug-distribution activities. In one instance, the organization threatened that the Jalisco Cartel, who supplied drugs to Esquivel-Bolanos and his associates, would kill a confidential informant, who was strip searched when the informant was accused of being a “snitch.” On a separate occasion – not long before police were able to intervene and shut down the organization – Esquivel-Bolanos and others arranged for members of the organization to go to the home of a person suspected of stealing more than thirty pounds of methamphetamine from the organization and to threaten to kill that the suspected thief. On April 19, 2023, BIA, DEA, the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, and other Federal, State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement, executed a series of federal search warrants at a number of homes in rural Okanogan County, near Oroville, Washington. In total, investigators seized approximately 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills (to include Mexi-blues and rainbow-colored pills), approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 6 pounds of heroin, and more than 2 pounds of cocaine. The BIA, DEA, and their partners also seized approximately 12 firearms. Many of these drugs were obtained inside a trailer, where Esquivel-Bolanos was living at the time. “This case involved one of the largest drug seizures ever in rural Washington. Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos’s organization was major source of illegal narcotics across Washington and Montana. These drugs caused serious harm across our region and especially in our tribal communities.” stated Acting United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “Thanks to countless hours of work and coordination between prosecutors in my office and federal, state, and tribal law enforcement, this drug network was dismantled and Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos was held accountable for his actions.” “The Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement takes great pride in the relationships it has built with tribal, federal, state, and local agencies across the nation,” said BIA-DDE Deputy Associate Director Tom Atkinson. “Together, we remain committed to safeguarding communities and upholding tribal sovereignty through coordinated enforcement efforts. The sentence handed down in this case reflects the gravity of the individual’s actions. This organization has impacted countless lives across reservations and surrounding communities—both within and beyond Indian Country.” “Mr. Esquivel-Bolanos pedaled poisonous fentanyl, meth, and cocaine on behalf of a now-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization threatening violence and death to control his turf,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “He richly deserves the lengthy sentence he received in this case and I am proud that DEA and our partners at BIA and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force could deliver justice on behalf of our community.” This case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of transnational drug trafficking and related offenses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for these drug related offenses in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force. The investigation team was assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Okanogan County Sheriff, Colville Tribal Police Department, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. The Eastern Washington cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nowles H. Heinrich, former Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker, and Contractor Echo D. Fatsis. Twenty-seven defendants were charged and convicted through a parallel prosecution handled by AUSAs and support staff in the District of Montana. 2:23-cr-00047-TOR


title: High School Teacher Arrested for Alleged Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: WACO, Texas – A Belton High School teacher was arrested Thursday on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of visual depictions of sexual activities by minors. According to court documents, Pietro Victor Giustino, 39, allegedly possessed and attempted to possess child sexual abuse material, including depictions of minors engaged in sexual intercourse. Giustino made his initial appearance in a federal court in Waco today and, if convicted, faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Belton Police Department, and with cooperation from the Belton Independent School District. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Gloff 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 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 and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Smithfield man pleads guilty to possessing over 150 improvised explosive devices and an unregistered short barrel rifle

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A Smithfield man pled guilty today to possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle and possession of an unregistered destructive device. According to court documents, on July 31, 2021, Brad Kenneth Spafford, 36, was admitted to an emergency room with a completely amputated right thumb, partially amputated right middle and index fingers, hearing loss, and scalp lacerations. Spafford falsely told the hospital his injuries were caused by fireworks. An investigation later revealed that Spafford’s injuries resulted from his misfire of a launcher at a family member’s rural property where Spafford routinely detonated explosives he made. On Dec. 17, 2024, law enforcement arrested Spafford for possession of an unregistered short barrel rifle. Immediately following Spafford’s arrest, law enforcement searched his Smithfield property and vehicles. Agents recovered an unregistered short barrel rifle and ammunition compatible with the rifle. Agents also found approximately 155 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that appeared to be homemade pipe bombs. Some of the IEDs had handwritten identification on them, including “lethal” and “concussion.” Among the IEDs analyzed were propellant capabilities consistent with use in a launcher and IEDs capable of causing property damage, personal injury, or death. Investigators also recovered bomb-making equipment, along with riot gear, Tannerite, two empty grenade canisters, an improvised mine, precursor chemicals for explosive materials, and numerous rounds of homemade ammunition. Spafford is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18 and faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Dominique Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea. The Suffolk Police Department, Norfolk Bomb Squad, Virginia State Police, Isle of Wight County Fire Rescue, and Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation, with continued support from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Norfolk. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca Gantt and Luke Bresnahan are prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-3.


title: Kansas City Men Charged in String of Bank and Business Robberies Across Kansas City Metro Area

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On July 16, 2025, Makih A. Hall, 21, and Lazaro Medina-Lopez, 29, were charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of bank robbery, in a now-unsealed federal indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri. Hall is also charged individually in a separate count for attempted Hobbs Act robbery, with Medina-Lopez also charged individually in a separate count for attempted bank robbery. The indictment alleges that between June 1, 2024, and June 14, 2024, Hall and Medina-Lopez jointly robbed, or attempted to rob, various banks, credit unions, and businesses across the Kansas City area. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. Under federal statutes, if convicted, each count of conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery, bank robbery, or attempted bank robbery, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, and the Independence, Missouri Police Department. Operation Take Back America This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Weekly Immigration Caseload Dips Below 200 in Western District of Texas

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 178 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 11 through July 17. Among the new cases, Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera was charged in a criminal complaint in Del Rio for trafficking in firearms. On June 12, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, assisting in a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigation, allegedly observed Montelongo-Loera transfer a plastic bag containing seven 9mm pistols to a non-immigrant alien co-conspirator at a parking lot in Eagle Pass. The criminal complaint states that HSI agents followed the co-conspirator to the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers allegedly located eight firearms concealed inside the vehicle during an inspection. Further investigation by ATF revealed that Montelongo-Loera allegedly purchased one of the pistols at a retail location in San Antonio. Also in the Del Rio sector, Mexican national Jose Elias Gavina-Vasquez was arrested on July 14 and charged with illegal re-entry. Gavina-Vasquez has seven prior deportations, and he was most recently deported to Mexico on Feb. 23, 2023. He has a prior felony conviction from June 2022 and a separate conviction for driving while intoxicated from March 2022. Mexican national and convicted felon Juan Antonio Torres-Moreno was also arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Torres-Moreno has three prior removals and a voluntary departure, the last being a deportation in 2019. The 2019 deportation resulted from his second illegal-re-entry conviction. He was sentenced to nine months confinement in that case. Sergio Villeda-Hernandez , also a Mexican national, was arrested in Eagle Pass on July 13 and charged with illegal re-entry after he was recently removed from the U.S. on March 18. Villeda-Hernandez is a convicted felon, having been sentenced to just over a year in prison in 2007 for a felony battery, possession of cocaine, and selling cocaine in DeSoto County, Florida. In El Paso, Mexican national Mario Humberto Sanchez-Hernandez was found less than a mile and a half west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. Sanchez-Hernandez was just removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time on June 21 through San Diego and was convicted in October 2024 for driving under the influence in Newark, New Jersey. Two brothers were arrested in El Paso, each charged with one count of alien smuggling. U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted an undercover operation that led them to meet Marcos Dominguez , who allegedly believed the agents were transporting two illegal aliens and were in need of a stash house. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Marcos exited his vehicle to assist with transferring one of the illegal aliens from the agents’ vehicle to his own. Marcos was then detained for further investigation and agreed to guide the agents to his residence. At the residence, the agents encountered Marcos’s brother, Andres Dominguez , who allegedly admitted that illegal aliens were present inside. Agents located four subjects determined to be illegal aliens. The illegal aliens were arrested and transported to the Ysleta Border Patrol Station. The investigation revealed that Marcos allegedly housed more than 40 illegal aliens at his residence, was paid $200 per day for his smuggling actions, and would split the earnings with his brother Andres, whom he said helped him house and transport the illegal aliens. In Austin, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Team (FOT) encountered Honduran national Jimmy Reinel Espinal-Mejia on July 16. Espinal-Mejia was convicted for illegal re-entry in May 2024 after being previously removed in January 2024. For that conviction, he was sentenced to 63 days confinement and removed in July 2024. Six years earlier, in 2018, Espinal-Mejia was convicted for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and sentenced to 12 years in prison. In Waco, a Mexican national was charged with illegal re-entry on July 17 when Temple Police responded to a vehicle collision in Temple and identified Eloy Hernandez-Ponce as one of the vehicle occupants. ICE identified Hernandez-Ponce as a previously removed alien who was last deported in March 2010 following a felony conviction for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in Houston. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025. Amador Cruz-Martinez, 31, was sentenced to time served. He will be deported once released from the custody of the U.S. Marshals. Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025. Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2015. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March of 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony. 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). This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.


title: Martin Man Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Federal Prison  for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Martin, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025. Aloysius Mousseau, 23, was sentenced to four years and eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Mousseau was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025. In November 2024, officers with the Rapid City Police Department found Mousseau with a pistol. Mousseau gave a false name and age to law enforcement. Mousseau had been convicted for crimes punishable beyond a year in prison. Possessing any firearm after such conviction is a felony offense. 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). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case. Mousseau was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Chinese national facing federal charges for posing as a federal agent to defraud a Belleville senior

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging a Chinese national for allegedly participating in an imposter scam and trying to defraud a Belleville senior out of more than $70,000. Zhigang Lian, 42, a Chinese national and lawful resident of La Puente, California, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. “Federal authorities will never call to demand your personal or financial information over the phone, notify you that you’re a victim of identity theft, ask you to send cryptocurrency or travel to your home to pick up money,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Scammers are preying on vulnerable victims through imposter scams, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office is using its full legal authority to hold offenders accountable.” According to court documents, Lian is accused of defrauding a 76-year-old Belleville resident. On June 13, the victim received a scam text message purporting to be from Apple and explaining a transaction was detected for $258. The victim called to dispute the transaction and began speaking with the scammers. “Criminal fraudsters are constantly devising new schemes aimed at intimidating innocent, often elderly, victims and scaring them into parting with their hard-earned money. If someone randomly contacts you and asks for money, do not give it to them and contact the proper authorities if they are persistent,” Acting Resident Agent in Charge David Bolin, of the U.S. Secret Service – Springfield Resident Office said. “Thank you to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Enforcement Group Special Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois for their work in pursuing this case and protecting unsuspecting victims from financial fraud.” The scammer referred the victim to the Federal Trade Commission due to a “severe problem,” and the victim began speaking with another member of the conspiracy posing as a federal agent. The faux agent told the victim their identity had been stolen, and they needed to withdraw all the money from their bank accounts to protect their assets. The victim withdrew $25,000 and handed over to a conspirator on June 17. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use. With the collaborative efforts of our federal law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others to enrich themselves. Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. Lian is accused of posing as a federal agent and picking up $45,000 from the victim on July 1. After the cash exchange, officers with the Illinois State Police took Lian into custody. An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury. Convictions for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud are punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment and fines up to $250,000. The U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are contributing to the investigation with support from the Illinois State Police Metropolitan Enforcement Group Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross is prosecuting the case.


title: Stanislaus County Mother-Son Duo Sentenced to Prison for Inmate Unemployment Insurance Claims Conspiracy

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Jaime Ornelas, 27, formerly of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to three years and one month in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution for conspiracy to commit mail fraud arising from fraudulently submitted unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced. On June 6, 2025, Jaime Ornelas’s mother and co-defendant Misty Ornelas, 48, of Turlock, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. According to court documents, beginning in June 2020, Jaime Ornelas and Misty Ornelas operated a scheme to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit claims to the California Employment Development Department (EDD). Jaime Ornelas, who was then-incarcerated at the High Desert State Prison in Lassen County, provided Misty Ornelas personally identifiable information of fellow inmates. Misty Ornelas then used that information to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit applications to EDD. The submitted applications misrepresented the eligibility of the inmates, including that they had last worked within the prior few months and had become unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fraudulent claims were worth more than $150,000. This case was the product of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation and EDD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Hee Chu and Denise N. Yasinow prosecuted the case. This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.


title: Federal Jury Finds Clearwater Man Guilty Of Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material Involving An Infant

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found William Jack Filing (29, Clearwater) guilty of receiving child sexual abuse material. Filing faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison and registration as a sex offender. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2025. According to evidence presented at trial, Filing was involved in an online chat with other others who discussed their desires to sexually abuse little boys. During the chats, Filing received videos of a child being sexually abused. Filing also expressed his desires to abuse children between the ages of one and four. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations–Tampa with substantial assistance from the Clearwater Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of Central Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Claire Favorit and Abigail King. 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 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Jury Finds Georgetown Law Professor Guilty of Assaulting His Wife and Obstructing Justice

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Shon Hopwood, 50, of the District of Columbia, was found guilty today by a Superior Court jury on charges of assault, contempt, and obstruction of justice, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Hopwood was found guilty of three counts of simple assault, five counts of contempt, and two counts of obstructing justice. Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for September 18, 2025. “A D.C. jury is demanding accountability from the batterer who not only beat his wife but was on the faculty of Georgetown Law teaching criminal law,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “This D.C. jury wasn’t afraid to demand accountability no matter who the defendant is.” On September 21, 2023, the defendant, a Georgetown Law Professor and convicted felon, got into an ongoing verbal argument with his wife, the victim, in front of their children. The defendant then assaulted the victim when she attempted to retrieve her phone and purse from their shared bedroom by repeatedly pushing and physically throwing her out into the kitchen. The victim suffered multiple injuries, including several bruises on her body. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) only learned of the incident and injuries when, following a welfare check conducted at the home on September 24, 2023, it was discovered that the defendant had ordered the victim to remain in the basement and coached their children to lie about her whereabouts. Hopwood ran away from the house when he heard on an MPD officer’s radio that law enforcement had found the victim. Through additional investigation, MPD and USAO discovered a history of the defendant’s chronic emotional and physical domestic abuse to his wife stretching back several years. The defendant was also charged with, and found guilty of, assaulting the victim in April 2023 in addition to the September 2023 incident. A trial date in this case was initially scheduled for June 3, 2024, and the victim and the victim’s daughter failed to appear for that trial despite being subpoenaed by the government. An investigation involving law enforcement in multiple jurisdictions revealed that Hopwood had been contacting the victim in violation of the court’s pre-trial stay away order for several months and had been pressuring her not to cooperate with the government. This culminated in a scheme the defendant initiated, and worked with the victim to implement, that would keep the victim and their children out of the jurisdiction on the trial date in an attempt to get the case dismissed. The victim went along with the defendant’s instructions, fled the jurisdiction, and did not show up for trial (and kept her daughter away from trial). As a result of his actions, Hopwood was subsequently indicted on five counts of contempt and two counts of obstruction of justice in addition to the initial counts of misdemeanor assault. Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the United States Marshal Service, and the criminal investigators and investigative analysts from the United States Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monisha Rao and Katherine Ballou.


title: Eight Young Mob Gang Members Indicted in Memphis on Racketeering, Murder, Robbery, Firearm and Drug Charges

body_text: Larry Wilson, of Memphis, Tennessee, made his initial appearance in federal court today for his role in Young Mob (YM) , a violent street gang that allegedly commits crimes including murder, assault, arson, drug trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, and narcotics trafficking. Wilson is the last of eight Young Mob defendants charged to make his initial appearance related to this case. “As alleged, this gang shot and killed a member of a rival gang in a restaurant drive-through and robbed customers at gunpoint at another Memphis establishment, recklessly endangering innocent bystanders,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gang violence that spills into our community spreads fear and insecurity in our neighborhoods. The Criminal Division, in partnership with our federal and local law enforcement colleagues, remains steadfast in our pursuit of gangs that inflict senseless violence in our country.” “This gang engaged in numerous unlawful activities, including acts of extreme violence, which demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Through a coordinated effort, the ATF and its local, state, and federal partners worked tirelessly to dismantle the organization and ensure that its members are held accountable.” Larry Wilson, 35, Brian Lackland, 35, Paul Nelson, 32, Mohamed Samba, 25, Braxton Beck, 33, Edgar Smith, 39, Jerrod Cox, 32, and Cedric Jackson, 33, all Tennessee residents, were charged for their membership and association with YM. YM members signify their membership by wearing red and/or black clothing and jewelry with an “Eight Ball” or the letters YM or YMM. YM members and recruits are required to commit acts of violence to gain membership and maintain their status in the gang. On May 28, 2022, Samba and other, not-yet-identified, YM members, shot suspected rival KSBG gang members ─ murdering one and attempting to murder two others ─ in a McDonald’s restaurant drive-through in Memphis. After the shootings, YM members burned the stolen car used in the shooting. The indictment further alleges that on May 13, 2023, at Tug’s Casual Grill, a Memphis restaurant, Nelson, Cox, and another unnamed YM member robbed customers at gunpoint. The unnamed member was shot and killed. Nelson and Cox left the mortally wounded man in a nearby fire station parking lot and then drove their stolen vehicle to another location and burned it. The indictment also alleges that on March 17, 2024, Lackland and Beck attempted the murder of a suspected gang rival, which was thwarted in part due to police presence in the area. In addition, on June 11 and June 12, 2024, Lackland, Wilson, Beck, and Jackson attempted to rob customers at a Memphis tattoo shop before abandoning the scene because of police presence. Undeterred, the same group, along with Smith this time, returned to the tattoo shop after police left the area and robbed multiple customers. As alleged, YM receives money and income from drug trafficking, kidnappings, and robberies. Such funds are used for gang purposes, including obtaining weapons and narcotics and providing support for YM gang members, including those in prison serving time for various crimes. YM also receives money and income from various musical interests, with defendant Lackland being a well-known rapper who goes by the stage name “Stupid Duke.” YM members and associates are also separately charged as part of a drug conspiracy that was responsible for the distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Multiple members are also charged with various firearm offenses. If convicted, Lackland, Samba, Nelson, Smith, and Cox face a maximum penalty of life in prison. If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison, Beck faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison, and Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The ATF, Memphis Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and Memphis Police Homicide Unit are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Neal Oldham for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case. This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in Memphis. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: District of Arizona Charges 124 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from July 12, 2025, through July 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 124 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 62 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 54 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 7 cases against 8 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Recent matters of interest include: United States v. Arnold Perez : On July 12, Border Patrol Agents watched as a group of four suspected illegal aliens enter a Toyota RAV4 in the Coronado National Park. Agents initiated a vehicle stop, but the driver failed to yield and quickly accelerated to over 80 mph. Agents deployed a Vehicle Immobilization Device and successfully spiked the vehicle, but the driver continued driving with smoke coming from the front tires, lost control, and drove into a grassy field and through a barbed wire fence before coming to a stop. The driver, later identified as Arnold Perez, and two passengers ran from the vehicle. Agents apprehended Perez and the other subjects who ran, along with two additional individuals who remained in the vehicle. The four passengers were determined to be citizens of Mexico illegally present in the United States. Perez was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-02295] United States v. Luis Sahid Guanin-Manzaba : On July 13, Luis Sahid Guanin-Manzaba entered the primary inspection lane for the Interstate 19 Border Patrol Checkpoint in a Chevrolet Malibu. At secondary inspection, agents determined that the passenger in the Malibu was a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Agents then searched the trunk of the vehicle and discovered another individual who was also determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Guanin-Manzaba was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. [Case Number: 25-MJ-02338] United States v. Jasiel Antonio Moreno -Cuevas: On July 16, Jasiel Antonio Moreno-Cuevas was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Moreno-Cuevas had been previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Aid and Abet Impersonation of a United States Citizen, a felony, in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Moreno-Cuevas was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. [Case Number: 25-MJ-08369] These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-121_July 18 Immigration Enforcement # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Former Marine sentenced to 60 years for sexual exploitation of minor

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 25-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison after his multiple convictions involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Derrick Alexander Barnum pleaded guilty April 11 to possession, distribution and production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. has now sentenced Barnum to a total of 720 months in federal prison. He received 360 and 240 months for the production and distribution convictions, respectively, as well as another 120 months for the possession of CSAM. They will all run consecutively for a total of 60 years in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information regarding the victim, who was only three at the time the exploitation began. The victim’s mother prepared and read from a victim impact statement which described how the minor victim needed counseling for the trauma Barnum caused and will live with his actions for the rest of their life. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted this case presents some of the worst, most horrible facts the court has ever seen and that the scars inflicted upon the young child are scars that last for a lifetime. The court will determine and order restitution at a later date. Barnum will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Barnum will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. “The defendant robbed this child of their innocence, not only by committing a pattern of vicious sexual assault, but also by publicizing videos of this abuse for the world to see,” said Ganjei. “While the sentence of 60 years will likely mean Barnum spends the rest of his natural life in prison, it still falls short of healing the scars he sadistically inflicted on the minor victim. A similar sentence awaits anyone who dares commit a comparable act.” “Derrick Barnum didn’t just commit a crime; he broadcast the torture of a child for the gratification of other abusers,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “This case is a brutal reminder of the hidden world we are fighting, where predators treat the sexual abuse of children as entertainment. FBI Houston agents and analysts pierced the veil of online anonymity and made sure Barnum faced justice. No one who commits crimes against children should believe they are beyond our reach.” The investigation began in July 2024 when authorities discovered Barnum’s posts in a CSAM trading room on an internet-based application. He posted multiple videos of himself with the victim and sought other users that engaged in similar conduct. Authorities conducted a search of Barnum’s residence and seized his electronic devices. A forensic examination revealed he had nearly 1000 images and 259 videos on his phone. All depicted minor victims engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including oral, anal and vaginal penetration, masturbation, sadistic and masochistic conduct and lewd and lascivious exhibition of genitals. Approximately 27 videos showed Barnum engaging in sexual activity with the victim. Barnum created and transmitted his videos showing the sexual exploitation of the victim to third parties on a social media platform. He also received a video from another adult male engaging in oral sex with a minor child. The FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franklyn prosecuted the case which 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 Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section 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 .


title: 213 charged in new cases related to SDTX’s continuing efforts to secure southern border

body_text: HOUSTON – In support of Operation Take Back America, the Southern District of Texas has filed another 210 cases in immigration and border security-related matters from July 11-17, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The cases include 14 involving human smuggling. A total of 101 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 89 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, sexual assaults, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and illegal fishing. The criminal complaints include four men found in the Rio Grande Valley area after being removed already this year. The charges allege Humberto Alvarez-Chio, Irvin Gonzalez-Silva and Miguel Angel Reyes-Garcia have prior convictions for illegal reentry, human smuggling and sexual assault of a child, respectively. Juan Cruz-Montiel served a sentence for burglary before his removal July 11, but authorities found him again near Hidalgo just four days later, according to the allegations. All three men could face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted. In McAllen this week, Lyford resident Jose Rodriguez Jr. was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for possessing images depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. Law enforcement originally arrested Rodriguez in connection with an alien transporting event. At that time, they seized his phone and discovered over 250 images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing Rodriguez’s prior conviction of aggravated sexual assault of a child, which involved tying up his 9-year-old victim before attempting to sexually assault her and tying up an eight-year-old witness. The court also heard he downloaded CSAM files on 20 separate occasions, beginning only six months after he was released from his 13-year sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of a child conviction. The court noted the need to protect the public from Rodriguez’s crimes and highlighted that Rodriguez had a complete lack of remorse for his actions. He had previously received 16 months for human smuggling conviction. “Those who sexually assault children, possess child sexual abuse material, or smuggle human beings like some sort of commodity are all imbued with a common trait: total disdain for the inherent value and dignity of a human being. The defendant here had a history of doing all three,” said Ganjei. “Fortunately, SDTX prosecutors were successful in advocating for the maximum possible sentence in this case, that of 20 years, so Mr. Rodriguez will now have two decades to reflect on his conduct. I thank the jury for their time and attention in this important case.” Euclides Vasquez-Hernandez faced a Corpus Christi federal jury for illegally reentering the United States. They heard that he had been removed in 2018, but authorities discovered him again March 7 in Robstown. Vasquez-Hernandez took the stand and ultimately admitted he reentered the country by crossing a river a few days after his removal. He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A Laredo jury convicted a South Carolina woman of transporting illegal aliens. Sharon Thompkins was the passenger in a blue tractor trailer as it approached Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint 29 near Laredo. An x-ray scan revealed anomalies in the vehicle, and authorities found four illegal aliens sitting side-by-side on the bed in the sleeper compartment. She had instructed them to sit there and closed the curtains in order to conceal them. The defense attempted to convince the jury Thompkins was merely present and did not agree to illegally transport aliens. The jury did not believe those claims and found her guilty. She faces up to five years in federal prison. Also of note was the sentencing of Sullivan City resident Carlos Alberto Salinas . He attempted to pick up 10 illegal aliens and approximately 100 kilograms of marijuana from the Rio Grande River. The court enhanced the sentence to 10 years after finding Salinas was responsible for smuggling over 75 aliens and fled to Mexico in an attempt to evade law enforcement. As part of the announcements this week was the sentencing of two Brownsville residents for smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a vehicle. Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa received 40 and 25 months, respectively. Law enforcement discovered three Vietnamese nationals in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra, dehydrated and sweating profusely. Monares and Rosa received increases in their calculated sentencing guideline range for placing the life of the aliens in jeopardy. Finally, a 47-year-old Mexican national was also sentenced for illegally reentering the United States for a fourth time. Arnulfo Olivares-Cervantes was first removed in 1999 and returned three other times. He has multiple felony convictions including attempted murder, narcotics trafficking and illegal reentry. Authorities discovered him again in Edinburg. He received a 46-month sentence. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood . Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.