title: Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Laundering Pandemic Loan Money

body_text: A Cedar Rapids man who laundered over $20,000 in fraudulently obtained government loan moneys during the COVID-19 pandemic was sentenced on April 23, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison. Joshua Brandon Johnson, age 34, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, formerly of Elkhart, Indiana, received the prison term after a December 1, 2025, guilty plea to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted that, in June 2021, he received $20,208 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan proceeds. The PPP was a forgivable loan program that Congress enacted in 2020 to help small businesses that were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson’s fraudulent PPP loan application falsely stated that he was a barber who had earned nearly $100,000 in 2020. In his fraudulent PPP loan application, Johnson instructed that the PPP money be deposited into a bank account that he controlled in Cedar Rapids. By 10:00 a.m. on the morning of the deposit of the fraudulently obtained government money into his account, Johnson withdrew $20,000 in cash. Johnson later admitted that he quickly withdrew the PPP loan money in cash because he owed child support and knew the money could be garnished from his account. Between 2021 and 2024, Johnson was in and out of prison in Indiana for failing to meet his child support obligations. Johnson spent the remainder of the PPP loan money on fast food, at gas stations, and for home food delivery. In August 2021, Johnson submitted a false application to have the government loan forgiven, falsely stating that he had spent the $20,208 from the loan on “Payroll Costs.” When federal agents asked Johnson why his PPP loan application had false statements about his purported income as a barber, Johnson replied he was just “shootin’ [his] shot.” Johnson is a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history in Iowa and Indiana. Johnson’s prior convictions include resisting law enforcement, theft, domestic-abuse assault, possession of controlled substances, and nonsupport of a dependent child. Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Johnson was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $20,208 in restitution to the United States Small Business Administration. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. Johnson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 19, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-CR-53-LTS. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Federal Judge Sentences Johnston County Social Services Employee for Stealing Over $100,000 from SNAP

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Shermeca McCrary, a Wayne County woman, to 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and to pay a Forfeiture Money Judgment of $102,000 for her role in a scheme to steal more than $100,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and managed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and county Division of Social Services. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division . The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. “We proudly join the President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud in prosecuting this case. This office will continue to hold accountable anyone who steals any of our taxpayer funded programs. This SNAP fraudster has learned the lesson – Cheaters.Never.Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. Inmate McCrary used her position and privileges as a Johnston County Social Services case worker, to unlawfully access the SNAP accounts of qualified individuals and stole $102,000 in government funds to her own personal benefit and use. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II sentenced the defendant. The USDA OIG, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Johnston County Department of Social Services Program Integrity, are investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-275-M.


title: New Orleans Man Indicted for Felon in Possession of a Firearm

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – On April 16, 2026, BRANDON JOSEPH (“JOSEPH”) , 41, from New Orleans, was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to the indictment, on or about March 2, 2026, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, JOSEPH , knowing that that he had been previously convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, was found in possession of a firearm. JOSEPH faces up to fifteen years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. 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). U. S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Federal Authorities Complete Largest Racketeering Prosecution in District History Against Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced today the conclusion of the federal prosecution of the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico (SNM) prison gang following the conclusion of recent sentencing hearings. Spanning over a decade, the investigation and subsequent litigation resulted in state and federal charges against 178 members and associates. Originating in the New Mexico state prison system following the 1980 prison riot, SNM functioned as a violent racketeering enterprise operating both inside correctional facilities and in communities throughout New Mexico, maintaining power through murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation. SNM operated under a "blood in, blood out" philosophy, members were required to commit acts of violence to gain entry into the gang. The federal prosecutions, conducted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) statute, successfully resolved decades of such violence. Example of SNM tattoo Example of SNM tattoo The investigation employed extensive and long-term investigative techniques, including more than 110 undercover drug and firearm purchases, dozens of confidential human sources, and court-authorized wire intercepts. Investigators uncovered a coordinated criminal enterprise involving SNM and affiliated gangs that trafficked fentanyl and methamphetamine both inside correctional facilities and in communities across New Mexico, while using violence and intimidation, including targeting suspected cooperators, to maintain control. Highlights of the investigation and litigation include: 156 individuals federally indicted for 325 overt acts between 1980-2024. Federal authorities successfully charged and convicted members of 13 murders committed both inside and outside state facilities. These include the 2001 cold-case strangulations of two inmates in state facilities and the 2007 and 2014 killing of two inmates SNM leadership suspected to be cooperators. 🔗 🔗 Authorities disrupted a 2015 conspiracy to assassinate the then-Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Corrections Department and high-ranking members of the New Mexico State Police in retaliation for the conviction of SNM associate Michael Paul Astorga for the murder of BCSO Deputy Jim McGrane. 🔗 In October 2022, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of the gang’s leaders, affirming the government’s application of federal racketeering laws to prison-based criminal enterprises. 🔗 Six jury trials resulting in nine convictions. 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 12 SNM members sentenced to life in prison: Anthony Ray Baca , Jody Rufino Martinez , Robert Padilla , Angel DeLeon , Joe Gallegos , Edward Troup , Carlos Hererra , Anthony Cordova, Arturo Arnulfo Garcia , Billy Garcia , Daniel Sanchez, and Sam Silva. $1.8 million in cash, 1.1 million fentanyl pills and 160 pounds of methamphetamine seized during the execution of 16 federal search warrants on September 1, 2022. Cash, drugs and firearms seized on September 1, 2022 “This case required years of patience, discipline, and persistence from prosecutors, agents, and staff who stayed with it to the end,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “It was difficult work, but it was necessary work, and this office saw it through.” "It is impossible to overstate the enormity of this investigation. For more than a decade, our team and partners stayed committed to dismantling violent crime and delivering justice for the victims and communities most impacted by this gang's violence," said Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Division. "Protecting the American people remains the highest priority of the FBI. I want to thank not only the Albuquerque FBI Special Agents and support staff who worked on this investigation, but also the U.S. Attorney's Office, and every other agency who saw this case through to the end." The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office Violent Gang Task Force (VGTF) investigated the cases with assistance from the New Mexico Department of Corrections, New Mexico State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Metropolitan Correction Center, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department, FBI’s El Paso, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and Knoxville divisions, Drug Enforcement Administration’s Albuquerque District Office and the Las Vegas (NM) Police Department. The Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the cases.


title: Individual Sentenced to 18 months in Prison for Conspiracy to Defraud de United States and Theft of Government Property

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States District Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll sentenced Nomar J. Mimbs-Machiavelo to 18 months in prison with $219,159.00 in restitution ($18,114.00 to the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (related to PUA benefits) and $201,045.00 to the Puerto Rico Treasury Department (related to Business Interruption Grant benefits/bribery scheme), announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. According to court documents, Nomar J. Mimbs-Machiavelo engaged in a scheme to defraud the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources by which he applied on two occasions for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits using false social security numbers. From June through July 2020, defendant Mimbs-Machiavelo willfully and knowingly stole Unemployment Insurance benefit payments to which he was not entitled, having a value of approximately $18,114. In addition to the above, from January 2021 through May 2021, Mimbs-Machiavelo conspired with public officials at the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (PRDT) to defraud the United States. As part of the conspiracy, the defendant bribed employees from the PRDT with money and free meals in exchange for privileged access to the Internal Revenue Unified System (“SURI” for its Spanish acronym) taxpayer information. With that SURI information, the defendant then submitted fraudulent applications to the Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program which provided assistance from the U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Relief Fund to eligible small businesses. In total, PRDT disbursed an approximate total of $492,045 into bank accounts because of the defendant’s fraudulent BIG program applications. Of the approximate total of $492,045, $148,000 are directly traceable to privileged information compromised by PRDT employees who modified the SURI authentication credentials of taxpayers for Mimbs-Machiavelo. Mimbs-Machiavelo was arrested on May 23, 2023. On April 3, 2025, the defendant plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and theft of government property, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 641. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Puerto Rico Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Vanessa D. Bonano-Rodríguez from the Social Security Administration prosecuted the case under the supervision of the Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Section. ###


title: Skiatook Man Found Guilty by Federal Jury for Threatening to Kill Federal Agents

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury convicted a Skiatook, Oklahoma man for making multiple posts on X threatening to shoot, kill, and gun down federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Logan Christopher Murfin, 26, was convicted of five counts of Threatening to Assault and Murder Federal Law Enforcement Officers with Intent to Impede, Intimidate, Interfere, and Retaliate and five counts of Interstate Communication with a Threat to Injure. “Threatening to kill hard-working federal law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “In the Northern District of Oklahoma, we will prosecute those who do to the fullest extent that federal law allows.” “This verdict underscores the seriousness with which threats against federal agents are treated. In the past year, we have seen a significant increase in violence, including death threats and assaults, toward our personnel. We will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who attempt to intimidate or harm federal officers are held accountable,” said Travis Pickard, HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge. “This outcome sends a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated.” According to evidence presented at trial, agents with Homeland Security Investigations received an intelligence report in October 2025 flagging threatening posts made on X about “gunning down” and shooting ICE agents. The threats were posted under the username, “Azulenq.” Agents obtained search warrants to identify the user making these public online posts. The data collected from the search warrants was presented to the jury, which identified the X account user Azulenq as Murfin. The investigation showed that he was posting threatening messages from his home in Skiatook. Murfin was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025. After being arrested and Mirandized, Murfin spoke with agents and stated he was angry and “pissed off” at ICE agents and admitted to making the posts on the X account. The jury heard a recording of the interview at trial. Some of the exhibits presented to the jury and included with this press release show that Murfin's posts were in response to other users' posts about ICE agents' activities in the community, including arrests and enforcement of federal law. Public posts made by Murfin: October 18, 2025: Need too start shooting these “just following orders” pigs. Ice agents are reenacting ww2 nazi germany and its not acceptable. Only good ice terrorist is buried 6 feet under. October 17, 2025: Every ICE agent needs shot between the eyes “just following orders” isn’t acceptable and they already exposed they are human garbage. October 17, 2025: Every ice gestapo needs too be shot. 2nd amendment right too carry everyone should stay armed and when these terrorists come by just kill them. They don’t deserve too live after “just following orders” we aren’t reliving ww2 germany. They don’t want due process so show em September 28, 2025: Nah but we as US citizens should be gunning down these domestic terrorists. All ice gestapo can not use the “just following orders” excuse. If you’re complicit in this act you’ve gotta be executed for this act. September 28, 2025: ice gestapo agents need to either be executed publicy. “just following orders” is not a valid excuse in modern days Prior to trial, Murfin was on bond. He was taken into custody after the jury found him guilty and sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Scaife and Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case. Exhibits Presented to the Jury:


title: Five Charged with Trafficking Cocaine Through the Mail from Puerto Rico

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI, and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, today announced that the following five individuals have been charged by indictment with offenses related to the trafficking of cocaine through the U.S. Mail from Puerto Rico to Connecticut: EDGARDO CASTRO PEREZ , 36, of Tolland, Connecticut, and San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico ROSELYN OSORIO-SOTO , 38, of Tolland, Connecticut, and San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico EDGAR CASTRO PEREZ , 27, of Hartford JUAN JOSE TORRES-ORTIZ , 42, of Hartford ENRIQUE ARROYO-ROBLES , 28, of Hartford As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in June 2025, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was coordinating the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut through the U.S. Mail. Typically, Osorio-Soto and Edgardo Castro Perez mailed the cocaine parcels from post offices in Puerto Rico to various addresses in central Connecticut. Torres-Ortiz collected the packages and transported them to secondary locations where Edgar Castro Perez and Arroyo-Robles stored them until the cocaine was distributed further. Members of the organization used residences on Merlot Way in Tolland and Woodland Drive in Hartford to store narcotics, drug paraphernalia, cash, and firearms. During the investigation, investigators identified at least 12 suspicious parcels shipped to Connecticut and seized and searched four parcels, each of which contained multiple kilograms of cocaine. It is further alleged that on September 17, 2025, Torres-Ortiz picked up a parcel after it had been delivered to an address in Middletown and drove to Hartford where he transferred the parcel to Edgar Castro Perez, who then drove to the residence in Tolland. Investigators stopped Castro Perez in the driveway of the residence and seized the parcel, and found that it contained approximately three kilograms of cocaine. On that date, a court-authorized search of the Tolland residence revealed four automatic firearms, three semi-automatic handguns, gun magazines, ammunition, and $133,292 in cash. A search of the Hartford residence revealed a loaded .45 caliber handgun. The five defendants were originally charged by federal criminal complaint. Arroyo-Robles was arrested on March 31, 2026; Edgardo Castro Perez, Osorio-Soto, and Edgar Castro Perez were arrested on April 1, 2026; and Torres-Ortiz was arrested on April 2, 2026. Arroyo-Robles possessed a distribution quantity of cocaine and $2,321 in cash at the time of his arrest. On April 8, 2026, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment charging each of the defendants with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted of this charge, based on the quantity of drug attributed to each defendant, Edgardo Castro Perez, Osorio-Soto, and Torres-Ortiz face a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; Edgar Castro Perez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years; and Arroyo-Robles faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also charges Edgar Castro Perez and Torres-Ortiz with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 500 grams or more of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, and Arroyo-Robles with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of cash and firearms seized during the investigation. Osorio-Soto, Edgar Castro Perez, Torres-Ortiz and Arroyo-Robles were arraigned on April 22, 2026, entered pleas of not guilty, and are released on $50,000 bonds. Edgardo Castro Perez, who has been detained since his arrest, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Hartford federal court. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The Task Force includes members from the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Wethersfield, and Newington Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reed Durham. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Alleged Guatemalan Drug Kingpin With $10 Million Reward Arrested in San Diego

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Alleged Guatemalan drug kingpin Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, aka “Don Dario,” who is accused of being the leader of a transnational criminal organization known as Los Huistas, has been arrested in San Diego. Molina-Lopez made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday, April 24, 2026. Los Huistas is a drug trafficking organization primarily based in the Huehuetenango region of Northwest Guatemala that borders Mexico and is engaged in a massive cocaine trafficking operation. Molina-Lopez was charged as part of Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala, and the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego. The investigation targeted Molina-Lopez, the Los Huistas organization, and its suppliers. High-level cocaine traffickers were targeted in a massive probe involving multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and a number of federal districts. The indictment returned on January 29, 2019, charges Molina-Lopez with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel. In March 2022, the U.S. Department of State announced that it was offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Molina-Lopez. This award was offered under the U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP). More than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the NRP and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) since 1986. The Department has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the NRP in close coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other U.S. government agencies. Simultaneously in March 2022, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated the Los Huistas Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) and Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 for drug trafficking that threatens the people and security of the United States and Guatemala. “Cartel leaders don’t get to write the end of their stories. We do,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “And once again, the final chapter for a man alleged to be one of the world’s most notorious and prolific cocaine traffickers is here in the Southern District of California.” “This operation demonstrates the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Force and our partnerships with agencies across the United States and Guatemala,” said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego. “HSI and our law enforcement partners were able to dismantle a major transnational criminal organization responsible for trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and threatening the security of both nations. This operation underscores the importance of a whole-of-government approach and the relentless commitment of HSI and our partners to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law.” At Friday’s hearing, the defendant entered a not guilty plea. A motion hearing/trial setting is scheduled for May 11, 2026, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari. DEFENDANT Case Number 19-cr-0327-DMS Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez 61 Huehuetenango, Guatemala aka “Don Dario,” aka “Molis” SUMMARY OF CHARGES International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, 963 Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 853 Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel – Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503(b), 70506 Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala HSI Attaché Mexico City Mexico Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) U.S. Coast Guard Drug Enforcement Administration Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) U.S. Department of State This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: New Orleans Man Convicted for Possessing Over 1,200 Grams of Crack and 3 Loaded Guns

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – STEVE BANKS (“BANKS”), age 50, of New Orleans, pled guilty on April 22, 2026 before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to court documents, law enforcement searched BANKS’s apartment on October 21, 2024, and seized over 1,200 grams of crack cocaine, items used to manufacture and weigh crack cocaine, over $12,000 in cash, 3 loaded guns, ammunition, and identifying information for BANKS. The guns included: (1) Zastava Model ZPAP85, 5.56 millimeter semi-automatic rifle, fully loaded with live ammunition in a 30 round magazine, (2) a stolen Glock Model 22, 40 millimeter, semi-automatic pistol, with a loaded extended magazine, and (3) Glock Model 17Gen5, nine-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, loaded with a standard magazine. BANKS pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the Indictment. Count 1 charged BANKS with possession, with intent to distribute, cocaine base, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). Count 2 charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Count 3 charged him with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). For Count 1, BANKS faces at least 10 years up to life years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years up to life of supervised release. For Count 2, he faces up to fifteen (15) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. For Count 3, he faces a minimum of 5 years in prison, up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed on the defendant, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 5 years of supervised release. As to each count, he also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution. 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: Prolific Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker extradited from Italy

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON - A 34-year-old citizen of the People’s Republic of China is set to appear in Houston federal court on a nine-count indictment related to his involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021. Xu Zewei (徐泽伟) was extradited April 25 and has now made his initial appearance in Houston federal court. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing set for April 30 at 10:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett. Certain of those computer intrusions allegedly are part of the HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Other intrusions targeted U.S. COVID-19 research during the height of the pandemic. Xu is charged along with Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, who is also a PRC national. According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s Shanghai State Security Bureau directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security, according to the charges. When Xu conducted the computer intrusions, he allegedly worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. Powerock was one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government, according to the allegations. “Today, Xu Zewei will stand in a federal courtroom to answer for crimes that struck at the heart of American science and security — allegedly stealing COVID-19 research from our universities when the world needed it most,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. “We have pursued this moment across years and continents, and the message this office sends today is the same one we sent when we first unsealed this indictment: we will work to protect the American people.” “The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from U.S. businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court.” “The extradition of Xu Zewei demonstrates the FBI's reach extends well beyond U.S. borders,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI's Cyber Division. “Xu will now answer for his alleged role in HAFNIUM, a group responsible for a vast intrusion campaign directed by China's Ministry of State Security that compromised more than 12,700 U.S. organizations. He is one of many contractors the Chinese government uses to obscure its hand in cyber operations, and others who do the same face the same risk. The FBI thanks our Italian law enforcement colleagues, especially the Polizia Postale, whose partnership led to Xu's arrest in Milan and his extradition to the United States.” According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment and testing. Xu and others allegedly reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, the charges alleges that on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university, according to the indictment. Xu allegedly later confirmed for the SSSB officer that he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes. The charges further allege that beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely used Microsoft product for sending, receiving and storing email messages. Their alleged exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.” In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. Throughout March 2021, Microsoft and other industry partners released detection tools, patches and other information to assist victim entities in identifying and mitigating this cyber incident. Additionally, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a Joint Advisory on Compromise of Microsoft Exchange Server on March 10, 2021. However, by the end of March 2021, hundreds of web shells remained on certain U.S.-based computers running Microsoft Exchange Server software. In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States made vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors. In July 2021 , the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS. Among the victims of Xu’s alleged exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were another university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. The indictment alleges that these web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang allegedly worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, the indictment alleges that on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the other university’s network. Later, on or about Feb. 28, 2021, Xu allegedly updated a SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer, according to the charges. The indictment alleges that unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms allegedly included “Chinese sources,” “MSS” and “HongKong.” As described in the July 2025 announcement of charges against Xu, the PRC uses an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach results in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third parties. Xu is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count; conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. Zhang Yu remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The FBI’s Houston Field Office is conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Mark McIntyre for the Southern District of Texas and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and extradition from Italy of Xu. The United States thanks the Government of Italy for its assistance extraditing Xu to the United States, including the Cyber Division of the Italian National Police for its valuable assistance. Note : View the indictment in U.S. v. Xu Zewei et al. here .


title: Charlotte Company Agrees to Pay Nearly $1.2 Million to Resolve Allegations It Improperly Obtained a PPP Loan

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Okaya Shinnichi Corporation of America (Okaya), a steel tubing manufacturer located in Charlotte, has agreed to pay $1,196,421.68 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by providing false information to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today. This settlement resolves allegations that Okaya misrepresented that it was a small business with less than 300 employees among all affiliates on its application for a second round PPP loan of $478,568.67. Instead, the lawsuit alleged, Okaya was the jointly held U.S. subsidiary of two Japanese corporations, and had multiple affiliates worldwide, totaling well over the 300-employee limit for second round PPP loans. This matter arose from a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam lawsuit is captioned U.S. ex rel. Verity Investigations, LLC v. Okaya Shinnichi Corporation of America ; W.D.N.C. Case No. 3:25-cv-232. The government’s investigation was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Johnson. Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability


title: Felon sentenced to more than a decade in prison following Buckhead shootout and robbery of mail carrier

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA – Maximo Fitzhugh has been sentenced to 10 and a half years in federal prison for a pair of violent crimes, one of which resulted in a gun battle in the Buckhead district of Atlanta. “After threatening to shoot up a women’s clinic, Fitzhugh held a postal worker at gunpoint and endangered the lives of other citizens when he brazenly robbed a mail carrier and instigated a lunch-hour shootout in one of Atlanta’s most active business districts,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to cooperation between our office, federal agents, and our state and local partners, a dangerous, violent criminal is off the street and behind bars, where he belongs.” “Threatening mass violence and then carrying out an armed robbery that escalated into a public shootout is the kind of dangerous conduct that puts entire communities at risk,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes and the FBI’s commitment to working with our partners to hold violent offenders accountable.” “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to keeping the U.S. mail, its employees, and customers safe,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division. “This sentencing is the culmination of exceptional teamwork between our local and federal law enforcement partners along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The swift response by responding officers and their ongoing support were instrumental in making this a successful investigation. Ensuring the safety of our employees is a top priority, Postal Inspectors will continue to thoroughly investigate any robberies of our employees.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: on April 9, 2024, Fitzhugh called an Atlanta women’s clinic and told the employees to evacuate because he was planning to “shoot the whole place up.” The clinic locked its doors until FBI agents and Atlanta Police Department officers responded and secured the area. Approximately four months later, just after noon on August 1, 2024, Fitzhugh robbed a mail carrier who was delivering mail near the high-end Buckhead Village shopping center. During the robbery, which was captured on surveillance video, Fitzhugh pointed a handgun at the carrier and threatened to kill her. A passerby who witnessed the robbery unfolding drew his own handgun, yelled at Fitzhugh to stop, and fired at him. As a result, Fitzhugh hid behind a parked car, fired his handgun in the air, and fled the area. Fortunately, no one was injured. Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to identify Fitzhugh as the robber, and the FBI took him into custody on August 19, 2024. On April 24, 2026, Maximo Fitzhugh, 25, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to serve 10 years, six months in prison to be followed by five years on supervised release. On October 25, 2025, Fitzhugh pled guilty to one count of communicating interstate threats and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise K. Peters prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Boise Cascade Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Violating the Lacey Act for Its Role in a Timber Trafficking Scheme

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: The Boise Cascade Company (Boise Cascade) pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for a felony violation of the Lacey Act for its role in a timber trafficking scheme to evade countervailing and anti-dumping duties. Boise Cascade was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,382,000, representing twice the gross profits it derived from the illegal wood at issue in this case, and implement a compliance plan. Boise Cascade is the third federal criminal enforcement action to come out of this large-scale duty evasion scheme. “As I made clear at last week’s TIMBER Working Group Roundtable event hosted by ENRD, we must thwart efforts of foreign bad actors who engage in illegal timber mining to finance other illicit and dangerous activities,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “Boise Cascade’s guilty plea is a significant step toward ending illegal timber shipments from entering our country, thereby bolstering American security and safeguarding American citizens from threats of transnational criminal organizations.” “Boise Cascade either knew about or was willfully blind to the illegal importation of the plywood they were purchasing from Horizon Plywood,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This scheme defrauded taxpayers of import duties and undercut law-abiding competitors by importing and selling between $25 million and $65 million worth of plywood products. By purchasing these illegal imports, Boise Cascade helped perpetuate the scheme.” “Trade fraud is not a paperwork violation. It is theft from the American taxpayer and an attack on lawful American commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Boise Cascade knowingly profited from illegally imported timber and helped sustain a scheme designed to evade millions in duties owed to the United States. Today’s guilty plea and sentence make clear that companies that turn a blind eye to fraud in pursuit of profit will be held accountable. Our Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect honest businesses, American markets, and the integrity of our trade system.” “Homeland Security Investigations is dedicated to protecting U.S. economic interests and enforcing laws that safeguard our natural resources,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration between federal agencies to disrupt illegal importation schemes and hold responsible parties accountable. HSI will continue to pursue those who seek to profit by circumventing U.S. laws and regulations.” Boise Cascade is a publicly traded company with a distribution center in Pompano, Florida. Boise Cascade purchased wood from Horizon Plywood (Horizon), whose principals, Noel and Kelsy Quintana, were sentenced in February 2024 for conspiracy and Lacey Act violations based on their illegal importation of hardwood plywood. Horizon employee Marta Angelbello was also sentenced after pleading guilty to making a false statement in a declaration related to her role in the scheme. According to court filings, during the sales years of 2018 through 2021, Boise Cascade’s Pompano location purchased hardwood plywood from Horizon, totaling more than $30 million. Beginning in approximately 2019, Boise Cascade purchased, received, sold, and transported hardwood plywood from Horizon knowing (including actions manifesting willful blindness) that hardwood plywood was illegally imported from China. The importation was illegal because Horizon smuggled the wood and violated the Lacey Act by falsifying import declarations for hardwood and softwood plywood. Boise Cascade knew that Horizon had previously tried to hide the origin of the wood that it imported. For example, Horizon transshipped products from China to Malaysia, where it moved product into new containers, and then from Malaysia to the United States. Boise Cascade knew or should have known the plywood purchased from Horizon was sourced from China. Boise Cascade was also aware the United States executed a search warrant at Horizon’s warehouse in South Florida in January 2021, and despite knowing that Horizon was under federal investigation, Boise Cascade still placed at least 10 new orders for birch plywood in the two weeks following the search warrant and received the orders. HSI investigated the case with support from Customs and Border Protection. Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian Harris and Elizabeth Hannah for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, ENRD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here .


title: Prolific Chinese State-Sponsored Contract Hacker Extradited from Italy

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: Note : View the indictment in U.S. v. Xu Zewei et al. here . Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 34, of the People’s Republic of China was extradited to the United States this weekend and appeared today in U.S. District Court in Houston on a nine-count indictment related to his involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021. Certain of those computer intrusions allegedly are part of the HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Other intrusions targeted U.S. COVID-19 research during the height of the pandemic. Xu is charged along with Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, who is also a PRC national. According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security. When Xu conducted the computer intrusions, he allegedly worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. (Powerock). Powerock was one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government. “The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from U.S. businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court.” “Today, Xu Zewei will stand in a federal courtroom to answer for crimes that struck at the heart of American science and security — allegedly stealing COVID-19 research from our universities when the world needed it most,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. “We have pursued this moment across years and continents, and the message this office sends today is the same one we sent when we first unsealed this indictment: we will work to protect the American people.” “The extradition of Xu Zewei demonstrates the FBI's reach extends well beyond U.S. borders,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI's Cyber Division. “Xu will now answer for his alleged role in HAFNIUM, a group responsible for a vast intrusion campaign directed by China's Ministry of State Security that compromised more than 12,700 U.S. organizations. He is one of many contractors the Chinese government uses to obscure its hand in cyber operations, and others who do the same face the same risk. The FBI thanks our Italian law enforcement colleagues, especially the Polizia Postale, whose partnership led to Xu's arrest in Milan and his extradition to the United States.” According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university. Xu later confirmed for the SSSB officer that he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes. The charges further allege that beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely-used Microsoft product for sending, receiving, and storing email messages. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.” In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. Throughout March 2021, Microsoft and other industry partners released detection tools, patches, and other information to assist victim entities in identifying and mitigating this cyber incident. Additionally, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a Joint Advisory on Compromise of Microsoft Exchange Server on March 10, 2021. However, by the end of March 2021, hundreds of web shells remained on certain U.S.-based computers running Microsoft Exchange Server software. In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States made vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors. In July 2021 , the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS. Among the victims of Xu’s alleged exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were another university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. The indictment alleges that these web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions, under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the other university’s network. Later, on or about Feb. 28, 2021, Xu updated a SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer. Unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms included “Chinese sources,” “MSS,” and “HongKong.” As described in the July 2025 announcement of charges against Xu, the PRC uses an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach results in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third parties. Xu is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count; conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud, and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Zhang Yu, remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The FBI’s Houston Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McIntyre for the Southern District of Texas and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and extradition from Italy of Xu. The United States thanks the Government of Italy for its assistance extraditing Xu to the United States, including the Cyber Division of the Italian National Police for its valuable assistance. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Chesapeake nurse pleads guilty to taking medications intended to treat patients in pain

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake woman pled guilty on April 24 to obtaining controlled substances by fraud. According to court documents, from January 2023 to March 2024, Michelle Kollmar, 56, was a Registered Nurse working at a healthcare facility. Among Kollmar’s responsibilities was treating patients suffering from, among other afflictions, sickle-cell anemia or who were in cancer comfort care. These patients had patient-controlled analgesia pumps to dispense medication when they were in pain. Kollmar used patients' personal identifying information to access Omnicells, which are automated prescription drug dispensing machines, and diverted vials of hydromorphone. She would later replace the vials in the Omnicell with syringes, including with doses that were about to expire. Kollmar also accessed the Omnicell when she was off work and should not have been in the hospital. Multiple videos showed Kollmar diverting and replacing hydromorphone vials in Omnicells. Lab analysis revealed that some of the replacement syringes did not contain any hydromorphone and were found to be mostly water, while one was suspected of being diluted Dilaudid. During the investigation Kollmar tested positive for hydromorphone, though it was not prescribed to her, and admitted that she used the hydromorphone she had taken. Kollmar is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27 and faces up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge is 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-103.


title: Washington, D.C. Woman Sentenced for Role in HSTF  Multi-Million Dollar Money Laundering Conspiracy Case

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – A Washington, D.C., woman learned her fate in federal court today, in connection with a multi-million-dollar money laundering scheme. Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Lorena Perez Herrera, 29, to two years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiring to engage in a large, multi-member, money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Judge Maddox ordered Herrera to pay $1,473,125.58 in restitution. Herrera, who pled guilty to participating in the money laundering conspiracy in March 2025, admitted that nearly $1.5 million in money laundering occurred pursuant to her direct participation in the conspiracy. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) – Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge George Golliday, Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General (EPA-OIG). According to court documents, beginning in 2020, and continuing into November 2023, Herrera conspired with multiple individuals to launder proceeds of a large-scale wire fraud. The co-conspirators engaged in various financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the wire-fraud proceeds, while carrying out the conspiracy. The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, including an environmental trust, urban redevelopment program, medical center, transportation and logistics company, school district, college, and county government, among others. Herrera and her co-conspirators worked with each other to create limited liability companies to serve as shell entities; open bank accounts and/or cause bank accounts to be opened in the name of shell entities; and receive and launder fraud proceeds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland previously charged 14 defendants in connection with the money laundering conspiracy. Thirteen have pled guilty. Faizou Gnora, 28, previously of Alexandria, Virginia, remains a fugitive from justice. In connection with this prosecution, Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, 39, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Emily Gil Arias, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland; Fatoumata Boiro, 32, of Largo, Maryland; Lawrence Ogunsanwo, 33; Lakeisha Parker, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland; Martin Ogisi, 37, of Severn, Maryland; Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, 31, of Silver Spring, Maryland; and Kevin Colon, 34, of Curtis Bay, Maryland, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Additionally, Yahya Sowe, 42, of Silver Spring, Maryland, Victor Killen, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, Gedeon Agbeyome, 31, of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Areal Harris, 27, of Hanover, Maryland, previously pled guilty, admitting to conspiring to commit money laundering. Agbeyome also admitted engaging in aggravated identity theft and Parker acknowledged engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of their plea agreements, Gift and Sowe admitted that they served as managers or supervisors of the money laundering conspiracy. The overall conspiracy involved more than $20 million of money laundering, involving more than 15 different victim entities. The District Court previously sentenced: Killen to 63 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $7,070,656.46, and a $3 million forfeiture order Agbeyome to 72 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, along with restitution of $2,938,424.65, and a $2.8 million preliminary order of forfeiture Ogunsanwo to 40 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $5,648,816.23 Parker to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release and restitution of $8,306,930.95 Ogisi to 33 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $11,077,044.17 Colon to 27 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release and restitution of $2,515,159.63 Harris to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $3,159,482.83 Ndjouandjouaka to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release and restitution of $733,941.48 This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI); the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); the United States Marshals Service (USMS); the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (W/B HIDTA); the Maryland State Police (MSP); the Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and the Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HSI-led Document and Benefit Fraud/Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, and thanked IRS-CI and EPA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes praised the Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance. She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Bijon A. Mostoufi, and Jared M. Beim, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for her assistance. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #


title: Jay Bryant Pleads Guilty as Accomplice to the Murder of Run-Dmc’s Jason Mizell, Also Known as “Jam Master Jay”

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Jay Bryant, also known as “Bradshaw Dewitt,” “Jason Robinson,” “Morgan Bryant,” “Deshawn Sadler,” “Jay Sadler” and “Big Jay” pleaded guilty to the October 30, 2002, firearm-related murder of Jason Mizell, also known as “Jam Master Jay,” a member of the famed hip hop group Run-DMC. The plea proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg. When sentenced, Bryant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and up to 20 years in prison. This sentence also applies to separate narcotics trafficking and firearms charges to which Bryant already pleaded guilty and that were accepted by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan on December 2, 2023. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF New York), and Jessica S. Tish, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the guilty plea. “More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant’s role and today he finally admitted his guilt,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The prosecutors in our Office and our law enforcement partners never give up, no matter how long it takes, in the pursuit of justice for the victim and the victim’s family.” Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the NYPD Intelligence Division, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Queens County District Attorney’s Office, Columbia Borough Police Department in Pennsylvania, and the Dominican Republic National Police for their work on the case. “Justice in the murder of Jam Master Jay has been pursued with determination and resolve for more than two decades. The defendant’s role in facilitating access for the killers was integral to this crime,” stated ATF New York Special Agent in Charge DiGirolamo. “Today’s guilty plea reflects the dedication of law enforcement and prosecutors who never stopped working to bring accountability for the victim and his family. We are grateful for the partnership of ATF NY’s Joint Firearms Task Force–Long Island, ATF Philadelphia Allentown Office, NYPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.” “The defendant’s guilty plea reflects the relentless work of NYPD detectives to hold criminals accountable, no matter how much time has passed,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Jason Mizell was brutally murdered over 20 years ago, but thanks to our investigators, along with our partners at the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, this case was never forgotten, and those who are responsible are now being held accountable.” As alleged in court filings, between the 1990s and 2002, separate from his music career, Mizell was involved in arranging for the sale of kilogram-quantities of cocaine in the Eastern District of New York and elsewhere. In August 2002, Mizell acquired approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment from a supplier. The cocaine was intended to be distributed in Maryland by co-defendants Karl Jordan, Jr., Ronald Washington, and other co-conspirators. A dispute between Washington and one of the co-conspirators in Baltimore resulted in Mizell cutting Washington and Jordan out of the Maryland drug deal worth almost $200,000. Following this betrayal, Washington and Jordan continued in the larger narcotics conspiracy until they ultimately cut out Jason Mizell by murdering him on October 30, 2002. On October 30, 2002, Mizell was present at his recording studio, “24/7,” located on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. At approximately 7:30 p.m., Bryant entered the building containing the recording studio and opened a locked fire escape exit door to allow Jordan and Washington to enter the building without being seen by Mizell. Jordan and Washington entered the recording studio, armed with firearms. Washington pointed his firearm at an individual and demanded she lay on the floor, and Jordan approached Mizell and fired two shots at close range, striking Mizell once in the head and killing him. The second shot struck another individual in the leg. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek, Miranda Gonzalez, and Andrew D. Wang are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Samantha Schroder. The Defendant : JAY BRYANT (also known as “Bradshaw Dewitt,” “Jason Robinson,” “Morgan Bryant,” “Deshawn Sadler,” “Jay Sadler” and “Big Jay”) Age: 52 Far Rockaway, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-305 (S-2) (LDH)


title: Former Iowa Nonprofit Program Director Pleads Guilty to Theft from a Federal Funds Recipient

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – A Colfax woman pleaded guilty on April 23, 2026, to theft from an Iowa nonprofit receiving federal funds. According to public court documents, Jodi Dyan Spargur-Tate, 55, was employed by Children and Families of Iowa (CFI) between 2015 and 2022. During her time as Program Director, Spargur-Tate submitted false and fraudulent reimbursement requests, including falsified invoices and receipts. Spargur-Tate used these payments for her own benefit and her family member’s benefit and not for the benefit of CFI or the program participants. Spargur-Tate is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2026, and faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. “Spargur-Tate stole money meant to help Americans find work. Her guilty plea proves we will relentlessly pursue fraudsters,” said U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito. “Game the system, and we will find you and hold you accountable.” United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The United States Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and the Des Moines Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Lubben prosecuted the case.


title: Seattle man sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for violent car-jacking spree

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 25-year-old Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to more than 27 years in prison for multiple counts of carjacking and using a firearm in a crime of violence, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Maar Teng Rambang was convicted in January 2026 of three counts of carjacking and three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence for the November 7, 2022, King County-wide crime spree. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun noted that these are “serious, terrible crimes” that resulted in serious physical injury to one of the victims and lasting psychological damage to all three victims. “This defendant violently threatened two people and shot a third and then drove at a high rate of speed recklessly throughout King County,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “It is just by luck that no one was killed in this crime spree. The mandatory minimum sentenced for this crime means this 27-year sentence is required and appropriate for this dangerous, violent conduct.” According to records filed in the case, the carjacking spree stretched from Kent, to Bellevue, to Redmond, to Seattle and ultimately back to Renton. Just before noon on November 7, 2022, Rambang confronted a woman sitting in her car outside the Kent East Hill Post Office. Rambang ordered the woman out of her car at gunpoint. Rambang drove the stolen car to the Bellevue Square Mall garage and fired his gun as he threatened another woman and demanded her vehicle. He drove that stolen BMW to Redmond and attempted to rob Amazon employees working at a delivery locker at a Whole Foods Market. Rambang then drove the BMW to the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle where he shot a man in the leg and stole his Jeep SUV. Officers tracked the Jeep to Kent and attempted to stop and arrest Rambang, but he fled at speeds of 90-100 miles per hour in areas of heavy traffic. Rambang drove across the median, drove the wrong way, and ran red lights. Ultimately, law enforcement in Renton was able to block the car and arrest Rambang. In the sentencing memo prosecutors wrote to the court, “Although the impacts of Rambang’s crime spree were extremely serious, it is fortunate that the results were not worse. Considering that he pointed a loaded gun at multiple victims and discharged it twice – and led police on a high-speed chase driving recklessly through busy streets – Rambang is fortunate that he is not being sentenced for felony murder, vehicular assault/homicide, and the like.” Rambang will be on three years of supervised release following his prison term. The case was investigated by the Kent, Bellevue, Redmond, and Seattle Police Departments with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco & Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Rachel Yemini.


title: Gloucester County Man Sentenced to 360 Months in Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County man was sentenced for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. Ian Dudley, 39, of Williamstown, New Jersey, was previously convicted by a jury of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and with six counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and/or fentanyl; before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court. On April 16, 2026, Judge O’Hearn sentenced Dudley to serve 360 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. According to the evidence presented at trial: From June 2023 through October 2023, Dudley conspired with Joseph Watson and others to distribute crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl in Camden County and Gloucester County. During the conspiracy, Dudley sold approximately 17.5 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and approximately one ounce of fentanyl to an undercover federal agent. U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Beau Kolodka, with the investigation. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph McFarlane and Josephine Park in Camden. 26-066 ###


title: Mother Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Interstate Violation of Protective Order Regarding Her Estranged Teenage Son

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Shana Gaviola, 39, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour to three years in prison for interstate violation of a protection order for causing her estranged teenage son to be taken against his will and transported from California to Missouri, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. On Dec. 9, 2025, following a five-day trial, a federal jury found Gaviola guilty. According to court documents and testimony at trial, in 2020, Gaviola’s then-16-year-old son began living apart from Gaviola with another family. He petitioned for emancipation from Gaviola and obtained a domestic violence protection order against Gaviola from the Fresno County Superior Court. The order prohibited Gaviola from harassing, blocking the movements of, or contacting her son in any way, including directly or indirectly. Despite the protection order, Gaviola made plans for her son to be forcibly transported from California to Missouri. On Aug. 21, 2021, individuals acting on behalf of Gaviola abducted the minor from an ice-skating rink in Fresno, handcuffed him, and forced him into a car. He remained in handcuffs for more than 24 hours while they drove to Stockton, Missouri. He was then held at a youth facility until his father was able to free him. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Fresno Police Department and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica M.A. Alegría and Heiko P. Coppola prosecuted the case. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the Eastern District of Missouri.


title: Venezuelan National Charged with Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Ocala, Florida – Yoandris Jose Ruiz Bello (32, Venezuela) has been charged by federal indictment with attempted production of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Ruiz Bello faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the indictment and evidence presented in court, on August 21, 2024, Ruiz Bello, believing he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl, asked the minor to produce a sexually explicit video of herself and send it to him. In fact, Ruiz Bellow was communicating with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Ruiz Bello is currently detained pending the resolution of the case. 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 is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. 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: Fugitive wanted for murder pleads guilty to attempted murder of federal officers at Springfield hotel

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: DAYTON, Ohio – A Franklin County man who shot at law enforcement officials from inside a Springfield hotel room pleaded guilty today to attempted murder of federal officers. At the time of this latest crime, the defendant was a fugitive and had an active arrest warrant for aggravated murder out of Franklin County. Andre Jordan II, 35, of Reynoldsburg, surrendered after an hours-long standoff with law enforcement at the hotel on Aug. 14, 2025. His plea agreement includes a sentencing recommendation of 25 years in prison. According to court documents, in early August 2025, the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST), a federal task force, adopted the fugitive investigation of Jordan, which led officials to the Quality Inn in Springfield. SOFAST tracked Jordan to a room at the hotel and set up to apprehend him. Law enforcement announced their presence to Jordan, who then looked out the window of the room. Following additional announcements, Jordan fired a shot through the window toward the pool area in the vicinity of officers and federal agents who then retreated to take cover. Jordan then fired a round through the middle of the hotel door into the hallway where federal agents had been standing just moments prior. At the time Jordan discharged his firearm, there were three young children and two other adults in the hotel room with him. Hotel surveillance video shows the other adults and children fleeing the room before Jordan fired at least eight additional rounds through the connecting doors to the adjacent hotel room at an angle and direction where law enforcement officers had previously been positioned in the hallway. The Springfield Police Division SWAT Team responded to the scene and hostage negotiators established communication with Jordan. After several hours of hostage negotiation, Jordan surrendered without further incident and was taken into custody. Jordan was charged federally in August 2025. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; United States Marshal Michael D. Black; Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline H. Gentry. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth McCormick and Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Slidell Man Gets Nearly 10 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – JONATHAN SUAREZ (“SUAREZ”) , age 30, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 21, 2026 to 118 months in prison by Chief United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Vitter sentenced SUAREZ to eight (8) years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. SUAREZ will also be required to register as a sex offender. Further, Chief Judge Vitter ordered SUAREZ to pay $42,000 in restitution to the victims of his crime. According to the court documents, beginning in early 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agents investigated the purchase of files depicting the sexual exploitation of children over the internet. The investigation revealed that SUAREZ sent, and attempted to send, money via CashApp to accounts known to be used for the primary purpose of receiving funds in exchange for the transmission of CSAM on at least six occasions between February 2023 and August 2023. On April 10, 2025, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at SUAREZ’s residence, at which time they seized his Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. A forensic review of the phone identified at least 186 images and 853 videos, some as long as over 49 minutes, depicting the sexual victimization of children. The review also determined that SUAREZ downloaded, saved, and maintained his collection of CSAM on multiple dates between February 2023 and April 2025. SUAREZ saved the files in approximately 145 custom-made file folders with representative names describing the content. Some of the child victims depicted in the materials SUAREZ received were children as young as approximately two years old. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Criminal Division, is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: Stanislaus County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gonzalo Hernandez, 38, of Oakdale, pleaded guilty today to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, between Aug. 2, 2021, and Nov. 13, 2023, Hernandez produced sexually explicit surreptitious video recordings of a minor on at least 10 occasions and later distributed some of these images via social media. Hernandez knew the victim was under the age of 18. In March 2024, Hernandez, posing as 15-year-old-boy, used social media to persuade a second minor to produce at least one image of that minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and to send the sexually explicit image to Hernandez. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oakdale Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley D. Weger is prosecuting the case. Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Aug. 17, 2026. Hernandez faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison on each count, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.


title: Cartel Member Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 24, 2026, Jose Cardenas-Salcido (age 43) was sentenced to twenty-two years of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, by United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller. Judge Stadtmueller previously found Cardenas-Salcido guilty of the following crimes after a bench trial in January 2026: distributing at least 400 grams of fentanyl; unlawfully using a communication facility to commit a felony; attempting to obstruct justice using physical force; and attempting to corruptly persuade a witness to offer influenced testimony in an official proceeding. During the trial, witnesses described how Cardenas-Salcido supplied pills containing fentanyl to lower-level distributors selling in the Milwaukee metro area. Cardenas-Salcido and his collaborators sent their fentanyl through the mail before a shipment containing over 5,000 pills was intercepted by law enforcement in October 2022, and investigators later learned that Cardenas-Salcido was the source of those drugs. The evidence also showed that the defendant was an admitted member of the Sinaloa cartel, with familial connections to it. The government also proved that after Cardenas-Salcido was detained pending trial, he attempted to obstruct justice in multiple ways. First, the defendant offered to supply a fellow inmate with guns and drugs from the cartel if that inmate would provide the defendant with false exculpatory affidavits. Next, the defendant offered a cartel connection to a different inmate if that same inmate would kill the witnesses set to testify against him. Finally, the defendant attempted to intimidate the witnesses against him by sending threatening letters mentioning his cartel connections to the witnesses’ families. Evidence admitted during the trial included the photo below, which depict the fentanyl pills Cardenas-Salcido trafficked. In its sentencing commentary, the government emphasized the dangerousness of Cardenas-Salcido’s conduct, given fentanyl’s potency and the risk of violence associated with his crimes. While imposing sentence, Judge Stadtmueller noted that he had sentenced over 2,600 defendants in federal court and was accordingly quite familiar with the dangers posed by the defendant’s conduct, which was “totally antithetical to that which we expect from the average citizen.” The Court also noted Cardenas-Salcido’s association with both “the Sinaloa cartel” and local individuals “who are attracted to that lifestyle.” Judge Stadtmueller explained that while incarceration is expensive, a substantial sentence was necessary given the nature and circumstances of the defendant’s crimes. The Court noted that while fentanyl is not the most expensive drug available, it is “the most deadly” and responsible for the most overdose deaths in the community. The Court also underscored the “undeniable association between drug trafficking and the loss of innocent lives” and noted the very short period that had elapsed between the defendant’s release from his prior sentence in Arizona and the drug trafficking at issue in this case. Finally, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized the “critically important” need to protect the public from this defendant, describing this consideration as “front and center” of the Court’s sentencing analysis. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel stated, “Thousands of people in our state have died from fentanyl poisoning, and by 2021 was the leading cause of death for 18 to 45 year-olds. Those who bring this drug into our communities and profit off the death, destruction and violence associated with the fentanyl trade must be locked up.” “This investigation and sentence underscore the strength of coordination between federal, state and local partners in identifying and dismantling those responsible for distributing fentanyl," said John McGarry, assistant special agent in charge of DEA Milwaukee District Office. "The DEA will continue to prioritize these cases to disrupt supply chains and protect our communities from this deadly drug.” Chief Patrick Mitchell of the West Allis Police Department stated, “This sentence should serve as a warning to drug traffickers that the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin are unified in our efforts to hold individuals accountable for the destruction caused by drug trafficking.” “The sentencing of Jose Cardenas-Salcido sends a clear message in how critical a role the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners play in protecting American consumers from illegal narcotics being shipped via the U.S. Mail. U.S. Postal Inspectors are committed to continuing our work to dismantle drug trafficking operations to keep USPS customers and employees safe from drug traffickers who favor profit over human lives,” stated Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas Bucciarelli of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Chicago Division. This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Allis Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Knight. # # # For further information contact: Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero (414) 297-1700 Follow us on X