title: Baltimore County Business Owner Sentenced to 20 Months in Federal Prison for Bribery

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Today, U.S. District Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 52, of Harford County, Maryland, to 20 months in federal prison for conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and federal program bribery. A federal jury found Kacher guilty on May 21, 2024, after a seven-day trial. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) – Mid-Atlantic Field Office. As detailed in trial testimony, the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Incorporated (MdBC) was a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to work with internet-service providers to offer broadband internet service to underserved and unserved areas in Maryland. Public and private entities could join the cooperative and gain access to the broadband infrastructure that MdBC installed for a fee. William Patrick Mitchell served as president and chief executive officer of MdBC, which was located in Salisbury, Maryland. Kacher was the president and owner of Bel Air Underground, Inc. (BAU), a company that was principally located in Baltimore County, Maryland. BAU frequently acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC. From 2014 to 2018, MdBC paid BAU more than $11 million for broadband network-related work. Approximately $7.9 million of the $11 million was for work installing and improving a fiber-optic broadband connection from NASA Wallops Island to Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to enhance the communications capacity between those locations. The trial evidence showed that from at least 2014 to 2018, Kacher provided Mitchell with financial benefits, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator owned by Mitchell. Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence, including for the construction of a pole building on Mitchell’s property. The defendant gave these items to Mitchell in exchange for the work that MdBC was subcontracting to BAU. On October 7, 2024, Judge Gallagher sentenced Mitchell to one year and one day for his role in the scheme. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and DCIS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Christine Goo who prosecuted the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #


title: Sean Kingston and His Mother Convicted of Fraud

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Last week, Kisean Paul Anderson aka Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, were convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud, for their scheme to defraud luxury merchandise vendors of over $1,000,000 in property. From April 2023 to March 2024, Anderson reached out to his victims on a social media platform seeking to purchase valuable, high-end merchandise. After negotiating a deal, Anderson would invite the sellers to one, if not more, of his high-end homes in the Broward County area. During these meetings, he utilized his celebrity status to lull the victims into a false sense of security by promising to place his victims and their products in social media promos, or by name-dropping high-profile celebrities as potential referral clients. When payment was due for the merchandise, Anderson or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts that had been obtained by Turner as purported payment for the luxury merchandise, which included a bullet-proof Escalade, watches and a 232-inch LED TV. When the funds never cleared, because the receipts were fake and no money had ever been transferred from legitimate accounts, the victims became suspicious, and despite numerous phone calls or text messages to Anderson and Turner, the victims were either never paid or only paid after filing a lawsuit or after law enforcement became involved. A sentencing hearing for Anderson and Turner is set for July 11 before U.S. District Judge David Liebowitz. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for each count. U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) made the announcement. USSS Miami and BSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Anton and Trevor Jones prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-60126. ###


title: Asphalt Contractor to Pay Nearly $1.3 Million to Settle Claims that it Falsified Quality Test Results

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Anderson Brothers Construction Company of Brainerd LLC, a construction and paving company located in Brainerd, Minnesota, has agreed to pay $1,295,610 to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act and the Minnesota False Claims Act from 2017 through 2022 by routinely and knowingly falsifying test results to make its paving material appear to be higher quality than it was and submitting those falsified results to the government in seeking payments for road paving in Minnesota. The United States and the State of Minnesota alleged that, as a condition of payment for federally funded road paving contracts, Anderson Brothers was required to perform certain quality tests of its paving material and submit the results to the government. The United States and the State of Minnesota further alleged that Anderson Brothers falsified the results and submitted them to the government to receive financial incentives for superior quality paving material and avoid deductions for lower-quality material. As a result of those false test results, the United States and the State of Minnesota alleged that the government funded payments to Anderson Brothers for unearned incentives and Anderson Brothers avoided financial deductions that would have occurred had Anderson Brothers submitted truthful test results. Of the $1,295,610 civil settlement, the United States will receive $660,761 and the State of Minnesota will receive $634,849. “Protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud and abuse is one of our top priorities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “The submission of false claims for federally funded government contracts will not be tolerated. This settlement should serve as proof that we will actively investigate this conduct whenever it occurs and will hold to account any company that fails to bill accurately for the products provided.” “Today’s settlement reinforces the fact that companies doing business with the government must fully comply with federal regulations and contractual obligations,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Licari, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “When fraudulent conduct like this undermines the integrity of highway paving putting the safety of the travelling public at risk, it’s our job, together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, to put an end to it.” The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Kacie Dixon, a former Bituminous Mix Technician at Anderson Brothers. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Dixon v. Anderson Brothers Construction Company of Brainerd, LLC., Civil Action No. 22-cv-02078 (D. Minn.). The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a joint effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota with assistance from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The U.S. Government also received significant assistance in this matter from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The matter was investigated by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Danielle Rowan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Fuller and Adam Hoskins for the District of Minnesota. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.


title: Waterbury Man Guilty of Firearm Offense Related to Gun Trafficking Operation

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced a federal jury in New Haven today found LUIS PEREZ, 46, of Waterbury, guilty of a firearm offense related to an extensive gun trafficking investigation. According to court documents, statements made in previous court proceedings, and evidence presented during the trial, in May 2023, members of the FBI Waterbury Safe Streets Task Force conducted three controlled purchases of a total of nine firearms, and one controlled purchase of cocaine, from Perez. An expanded investigation revealed that Perez was acquiring numerous firearms, most of which were purchased by straw purchasers from licensed gun dealers in Kansas and then shipped through the U.S. Mail to a stash location maintained by Perez’s associate, Algelly Diaz, in Hartford. Perez then sold the firearms, which included assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to others throughout Connecticut. Perez and Diaz are previously convicted felons who cannot lawfully purchase or possess firearms. The investigation further revealed that, between August 2020 and May 2023, one of Perez’s co-conspirators purchased at least 73 firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Deerfield, Kansas. Perez and Diaz were arrested on May 19, 2023. On that date, investigators executed search warrants at locations in Connecticut, Kansas, and California. A search of Perez’s residence and vehicle revealed nine firearms; more than 200 rounds of ammunition; distribution quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl/heroin; items used to process and package narcotics for street sale; and more than $7,000 in cash. In addition, a search of Diaz’s residence revealed approximately 90 rounds of ammunition, and a search of a package that was shipped to Diaz and seized from the mail stream revealed an additional three firearms. The jury found Perez guilty of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On March 19, 2025, Perez pleaded guilty to the other nine counts of the indictment in which he was charged, including one count of firearms trafficking conspiracy, three counts of firearms trafficking, two counts of mailing nonmailable firearms, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Perez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Perez has been detained since his arrest. Diaz pleaded guilty and, on February 4, 2025, was sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment. Three others charged as a result of this investigation also pleaded guilty and await sentencing. This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Connecticut State Police; and the Waterbury, Meriden, Hartford, Manchester, East Hartford, West Hartford, and Chino (Calif.) Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Christopher J. Lembo through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this case.


title: Portland Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Using Instagram to Sexually Exploit Children Online

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison Thursday for using Instagram, a social media platform, to persuade children to produce and send him sexually explicit images of themselves. Solomon Dean Cook, 21, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison and ten years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $103,000 in restitution to his victims. According to court documents, in January 2022, the parent of a victim in Portland called the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) to report that an Instagram user had persuaded their child to produce and share a sexually explicit photo. The user threatened to distribute the image if the child did not continue producing and sending more images. During follow-up interviews with investigators, the victim identified a second child in Portland that Cook victimized. Federal agents traced two Instagram accounts to Cook and learned that he posed as a “sugar daddy” online by offering large amounts of money to entice children into sending him sexually explicit photos. Once the victims agreed, Cook’s demands for sexually explicit materials escalated and he threatened to release images of the victims if they did not comply with his demands. Investigators learned that between November 2021 and May 2022, Cook exploited three minor victims in this manner. On May 11, 2022, Cook was arrested after agents executed a federal search warrant on his residence. During the search, Cook confessed to enticing the reporting victim into producing a sexually explicit image and to exploiting additional victims in the same manner. Investigators also searched Cook’s phone and found sexually explicit images of five minor victims and several adult victims. On June 7, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Cook with sexual exploitation of children, attempted sexual exploitation of children, and receiving and possessing child pornography. On September 4, 2024, Cook pleaded guilty to three counts of enticing a minor online and one count of possessing child pornography. This case was investigated by FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF). It is being prosecuted by Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov . The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation. Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Hamden Man Admits Trafficking Narcotics in Southwestern Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CHRISTIAN PICHARDO, also known as “Swerve,” “Craig,” and “Bobby Shmurda,” 30, of Hamden, pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense. According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department identified Pichardo as a significant distributor of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, crack, and narcotic pills in southwestern Connecticut. During the investigation, investigators intercepted calls and text messages between Pichardo, his associates, and their drug customers over court-authorized wiretaps, and made controlled purchases of narcotics from Pichardo and his associates. On July 17, 2024, a grand jury in Bridgeport returned a superseding indictment charging Pichardo and seven alleged co-conspirators with controlled substances offenses. Pichardo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and quantities of cocaine, heroin, and other opioids, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26. Pichardo has been detained since his arrest on August 5, 2024. This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Kenneth L. Gresham through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Missouri Man Admits Child Pornography Offense

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri, on Friday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices and in a cloud account. Davie John Metzger, 55, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted possessing 369 images of child sexual abuse material on a flash drive, 24 images on a hard drive, 211 in an online cloud storage account and 343 on a cell phone. Metzger’s conduct had triggered three CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The June 30, 2023, tip was triggered when he uploaded an image depicting a girl between the ages of 3 and 7. A subsequent court-approved search of his online account revealed photos that he’d surreptitiously taken of women and girls in public places. Metzger is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. The crime carries a mandatory minimum prison term of five years and a maximum of 20 years. The FBI and the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Dealing Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, And Other Drugs

component: USAO - Michigan, Western

body_text: GRAND RAPIDS – Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew B. Birge today announced that Willie David Lark, 53, of Benton Harbor, Michigan, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and quantities of cocaine and cocaine base. During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker observed that Lark had been engaged in “crimes of escalating seriousness” ever since his first drug-related conviction in the 1990s. Lark was previously convicted of drug trafficking and served more than twenty years in state prison for assault with intent to murder. Following a release from custody, Lark returned to drug dealing. An investigative task force executed a search warrant on Lark’s home and found a safe containing over 188 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” over 100 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and xylazine, over 70 grams of cocaine, and over 31 grams of cocaine base. Investigators found additional evidence inside the house that proved Lark intended to sell these drugs. Weeks later, when police approached Lark to arrest him, they found him in possession of more fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine. A federal grand jury charged Lark with two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. Following a trial in December of 2024, a separate jury convicted Lark of both offenses. “Multiple offenders, such as Willie Lark, willingly put lives at risk throughout Michigan and, more specifically, Berrien County,” remarked Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He added, “The men and women of the DEA will continue to bring drug traffickers like him to justice to keep our communities safe.” According to the Centers for Disease Control (see here ), in 2023 at least 107,543 people died from drug poisoning across the United States, which is near the all-time high of 111,029 deaths in 2022. In Michigan, at least 2,931 people died from drug poisoning in 2023. Approximately 75% of the 2023 drug poisoning deaths across the United States were due to fentanyl. While 2024 data shows the number of deaths has started to decline, the number remains high. Learn more about the dangers of xylazine, a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer, here . The following services are available for people experiencing addiction, or their friends and loved ones: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, www.samhsa.gov/find-support/in-crisis . Cope Network (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, St. Joseph, and Van Buren Counties), 269-580-8290, www.copenetwork.org . The Grand Rapids Red Project (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Kent and Muskegon Counties), 616-456-9063 (Kent County), 231-563-6865 (Muskegon County), www.redproject.org . The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has a webpage that identifies county-by-county services. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Michigan State Police, and the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin J. Hakes prosecuted it. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. # # #


title: Kansas Doctor Admits Accepting Kickbacks to Commit Health Care Fraud

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A medical doctor from the Kansas City, Kansas area on Friday admitted accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to order medically unnecessary health care for thousands of patients. Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of health care fraud. He admitted that from 2017 until 2020, he conspired with health care companies and others to order medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, pain creams and genetic tests for thousands of patients in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. Dr. Roethle contracted with multiple health care companies as a telemedicine doctor. Using electronic portals to review patient information and documents, Dr. Roethle ordered health care services for patients without evaluating them or their actual medical needs. He did not have a prior doctor-patient relationship with the telemedicine patients and admitted providing no follow-up care after ordering the health care services. Dr. Roethle was typically paid about $30 for each of his fraudulent orders. He admitted receiving payments of $674,000 from five companies. He also admitted that Medicare paid out at least $1.5 million while relying on his fraudulent orders. At the time of Dr. Roethle’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will argue that the total loss due to the health care fraud is between $7 million and $9.5 million. Dr. Roethle was licensed to practice in 22 states during the time of his crime and worked primarily as an anesthesiologist. The trial of Dr. Roethle, of Leawood, was scheduled to begin Monday. His sentencing is set for July 17. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman and Justin Ladendorf are prosecuting the case.


title: Federal Indictment Charges Two Men With Assaulting and Robbing U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier in Chicago

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted two men for allegedly assaulting and robbing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Chicago. KYLER REESE and CHAUN ALLEN robbed the mail carrier on Nov. 16, 2022, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The pair arrived at the robbery scene in a stolen vehicle they had obtained the day before, the indictment states. Reese got out of the vehicle, pointed a gun at the mail carrier, and demanded the carrier’s USPS keys and mail bag, the indictment states. The firearm was equipped with a “switch” device, making it capable of firing multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Reese and Allen then fled in the stolen vehicle. The indictment charges Reese, 21, and Allen, 22, both of Chicago, with conspiracy, robbery of a mail carrier, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges are punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life. Reese was arrested this week in Arizona. A detention hearing for Reese is set for April 7, 2025, in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Allen was arrested last month in Chicago and has been ordered to remain detained in federal custody pending trial. The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sushma Raju. “U.S. Postal Service employees delivering mail to the American people must be allowed to do so safely and securely,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Individuals who use violence against postal carriers to gain access to the public's mail must be held accountable.” “This indictment is another example of the roles Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners play in protecting Postal Service employees and customers,” said Inspector-in-Charge Mendonça. “As Postal Service employees continue to play an integral role in our communities, we are clear in our resolve to aggressively investigate anyone who brings harm to these invaluable public servants.” The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. reese_et_al_indictment.pdf


title: Brooklyn Man Charged with Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Cocaine Base and Fentanyl

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on April 3, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Dontayveus Thomas, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, with conspiracy to manufacture and to distribute cocaine base and to distribute fentanyl, as well as possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl. Thomas’s arraignment occurred earlier today before United States Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein. He is currently being held pending further proceedings in this matter. According to court records, on February 25, 2023, members of the Winooski Fire Department responded to a fire alarm and found evidence of narcotics manufacturing in a Winooski apartment. The firefighters called law enforcement, who obtained a warrant to search the residence. Pursuant to the search warrant, police found evidence of narcotics manufacturing in the apartment. They also found approximately 398.3 grams of cocaine, approximately 179.4 grams of cocaine base, and over 130.382 grams of fentanyl. Additional investigation confirmed that Thomas was involved in the manufacturing of cocaine base and the possession of the drugs found in the apartment. The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Thomas is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Thomas faces up to a maximum of 40 years of imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum of 5 years of imprisonment, if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Winooski Police Department. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Banker. Thomas is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Marches into April with 259 New Immigration Cases

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 259 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 28 through April 3. Among the new cases, Mexican national Miguel Angel Torres-Segura resided illegally in San Antonio and was arrested March 28 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges that Torres-Segura participated in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that transported illegal aliens using tractor trailers, carrying out at least 19 human smuggling events and leading to the apprehension of more than 900 aliens between May 2021 and June 2022. Torres-Segura allegedly communicated with high-level leaders and organizers and assisted the HSO by transporting aliens and preparing tractor trailers for transport. Torres-Segura has multiple convictions, including two illegal entries in 2009 and 2010 and an illegal re-entry in 2011. He was convicted again for illegal re-entry on March 26 following an October 2024 arrest and has now been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. On March 26, 2025, in Presidio County, Texas, Miguel Andres Aguilar , a citizen and national of Mexico, was found in the United States illegally after having been preciously deported. Aguilar was removed in February 2017 through San Ysidro California. Border Patrol Agents had determined Aguilar had been deported from the US on four prior occasions. On March 31, 2025, at the Camino Real International Bridge II in Eagle Pass, Texas, Customs and Border Protection Officers conducting outbound operations observed a black semi-automatic pistol in the luggage being carried by Roman Lagunas-Nazario. Lagunas, a permanent resident alien, advised officers that he lives in Mexico and was in the US to visit family in Houston. He admitted being hired to transport the firearm to Mexico for $100. Lagunas was charged with smuggling goods from the United States and faces imprisonment for up to 10 years. On March 27, 2025, Victor Alfonso Cruz-Garcia was charged with illegal reentry after deportation in Del Rio, Texas, after being arrested by US Border Patrol Agents. Cruz had been previously removed from the US on two occasions and was previously convicted of second degree murder. Customs and Border Protection Officers at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry arrested Juan Sebastian Cortez-Calzada on March 26, 2025. Cortez was taken to Passport Control Secondary where record checks confirmed that he is a native and citizen of Mexico with no legal right to enter the United States. Record checks further revealed that Cortez was deported to Mexico on February 22, 2012, through the Port of Laredo, Texas. Additionally, Cortez has a felony conviction for a controlled substance prior to his removal. Ronald Keith Henderson Jr . was arrested near Eagle Pass, Texas on Sunday, March 27, 2025. The driver of a gray Chevrolet Malibu, he was stopped near the Kickapoo Reservation in Eagle Pass. Three subjects in the vehicle were determined to be illegally present in the United States and freely admitted to had just crossed the Rio Grande River. Henderson admitted to conspiring with unknown subjects to transport aliens further into the United Staes. Carlos Heliberto Solares y Solares , a Guatemalan citizen, traveling in a Chevrolet Malibu with California plates entered a checkpoint in Hudspeth County Texas on March 28, 2025. Solares told agents he was traveling from Los Angeles to Houston to visit his daughter. From Statements made by Solares, it was determined he was without immigration documents allowing him to remain in the United States legally. During an interview with Border Patrol Agents, Solares was asked if he knew he had been ordered removed by a judge and needed to leave the United States in which Solares stated “yes.” Solares was ordered removed by an immigration judge on December 05, 2007. Solares had been previously convicted for cruelty to the elderly and domestic violence in 2021 and 2022. In an area known as Rusty’s Canyon approximately 31 miles east of Fort Hancock Texas, LeonelaAlejandra Prado-Sanchez was apprehended attempting to conceal herself in the brush. Prado was determined to be a native and citizen of Honduras without immigration documents allowing her to be in the United States legally. Prado had previously been removed from the United States to Mexico on February 5, 2025 through Santa Teresa, New Mexico. On April 1, 2025, Mexican national Gabriel Gonzalez Carillo was arrested in Hudspeth County 31 miles from Fort Hancock Texas Point of Entry. Gonzalez told agents that he would be paid to be a foot guide and that he was obtaining routes and other information via messages from an unknown smuggler in Mexico. Gonzalez and other illegal aliens were found attempting to conceal themselves in the brush in an area known as Rusty’s Canyon. Kelvin Sauceda-Reyes , a passenger on a Greyhound Bus that entered an immigration inspection lane in Hudspeth County was placed under arrest on March 30, 2025. Sauceda, a citizen of Honduras, handed Border Patrol Agents and expired immigration document. Further search by agents revealed fraudulent Social Security Card and a fraudulent Lawfully Permanent Resident card in his wallet. After questions, Sauceda admitted he purchased the documents for $70 USD. Luis Alberto Escobedo-Duenas was found approximately 2.8 miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry in Fort Hancock, Texas. Escobedo is a citizen and national of Mexico who had previously been removed from the US on seven prior convictions and had been previously convicted of illegal entry in El Paso, Texas in 2008, on federal drug trafficking charges in Alpine, Texas in 2012 for which he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, on Indiana state marijuana dealing charges in 2015 for which he was sentenced to two years imprisonment in 2017, on Indiana state resisting law enforcement charges for which he was sentenced to one year imprisonment also in 2017, and was sentenced in 2018 to 13 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release after his 2012 supervised release was revoked. Escobedo was arrested and charged in federal court in El Paso with illegal reentry after deportation. Eduardo Garcia-Gutierrez will face illegal reentry after deportation charges in El Paso, Texas, after he was arrested at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. Garcia presented himself for entry indicating he wanted to travel to California. Garcia admitted that he did not have entry documents and was a citizen of Mexico who had previously been removed from the US. Records checks revealed that Garcia had been previously removed on nine prior occasions, with the last being in 2023. Criminal records check revealed Garcia had been convicted of transportation/sale of narcotics in 1994 for which he was sentenced to three years imprisonment, possession of narcotics and use of false citizenship documents in 1996 for which he was sentenced to three years imprisonment and was sentenced on four occasions for probation violations from 2018 to 2023. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A convicted felon who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced today to more than nine years in federal prison. Trajuan Laroy West, age 28, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 14, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. On January 3, 2024, Iowa State Patrol Troopers stopped a vehicle that West was driving for speeding. During the traffic stop, a Trooper located marijuana and a gun in the vehicle. The slide of the gun had been reported stolen out of Arkansas. West was prohibited from possessing firearms based on three prior felony drug-related convictions as well as a prior misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence. West was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. West was sentenced to 112 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results West is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, the Waterloo Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-2029. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Former Traveling Nurse Sentenced to Prison for Tampering with Morphine

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A former traveling nurse was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for tampering with morphine at a local rehabilitation facility. Loralie LaBroad, 55, of Hampton, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick to three months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release during which she is prohibited from practicing as a registered nurse or any other work with access to prescription medication or other controlled substances. In November 2024, LaBroad pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product. LaBroad was charged by an Information in September 2024. LaBroad worked as a registered nurse for over 30 years, licensed in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In 2021, LaBroad voluntarily surrendered her New Hampshire nursing license following an investigation by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing after being fired from a rehabilitation center in Derry, N.H. as a result of allegations that she had tampered with morphine bottles. After surrendering her New Hampshire license, LaBroad continued to practice under her Massachusetts license. From December 2021 through at least May 12, 2022, LaBroad was employed as a traveling nurse through a healthcare staffing company and was assigned to various nursing and rehabilitation facilities throughout Massachusetts. Several of these Massachusetts facilities also began to suspect that LaBroad was diverting morphine from patients because of her consistent access to the bottles of morphine and evidence of tampering (i.e. bottles that were leaking or appearing to be the wrong color). Several of these bottles were tested and came back at significantly diluted concentrations. In the spring of 2022, LaBroad was assigned to work at a nursing and rehabilitation center in Danvers. LaBroad had access to morphine because she was charged with treating multiple patients who had been prescribed morphine for relief of their pain. In April 2022, the rehabilitation center contacted law enforcement after a nurse noticed a bottle of morphine was wet and leaking. Administrators at the facility reviewed other bottles of morphine on other medicine carts and identified three additional bottles that appeared to have been tampered with because the color of the bottle was lighter than expected or the bottle had puncture holes in the seal. Laboratory tests confirmed all bottles were diluted to varying degrees. LaBroad had been assigned to the medicine carts containing these bottles of morphine approximately two days before they were discovered. Following these suspected incidents of tampering, law enforcement undertook a “controlled operation” to determine whether LaBroad was tampering with the bottles of morphine. On May 12, 2022, prior to LaBroad’s next shift, law enforcement worked with the Danvers rehabilitation center administrators to review and photograph the bottles of morphine on the cart to be assigned to LaBroad. The cart included two bottles of morphine assigned to the same patient – one of which was fully sealed before LaBroad’s shift and the other was opened, from which investigators took a control sample. LaBroad was the only individual with access to the medicine cart for the duration of her shift. At the end of LaBroad’s shift, law enforcement seized the two bottles of morphine before they could be dispensed to the assigned patient. It was discovered that the previously sealed bottle was a different color, leaking and showed evidence of multiple puncture holes. Laboratory testing results confirmed that both bottles of morphine had been tampered with and diluted. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Robert H. Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.


title: Former Sun Prairie Teacher Sentenced to 14 Years for Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Matthew Quaglieri, 37, formerly of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 14 years in prison for possessing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 25 years of supervised release. Quaglieri pleaded guilty to this charge on January 13, 2025. In October 2022, law enforcement responded to a middle school in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, regarding a complaint that Quaglieri was recording students as they were using the urinals in the school bathrooms. Agents searched Quaglieri’s iPad and found videos of at least 39 minors using the urinals. Quaglieri admitted that he had been recording boys in the school bathrooms at the middle school for four to five years. At sentencing, Judge Conley characterized Quaglieri’s conduct as predatory and abhorrent and further found it was a profound violation of Quaglieri’s position of trust at the school. Judge Conley also found that nothing Quaglieri said at sentencing showed that Quaglieri had an understanding about his conduct. The charge against Quaglieri was the result of an investigation conducted by the Sun Prairie Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Glinzak and Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case. This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Westminster Man Found Guilty of Drug Trafficking and Firearms Crimes in Federal Court

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – A federal jury has found Rodney Gaines, 35, of Westminster, Maryland, guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base and to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of distribution of cocaine. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the verdict with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MDSP); Sheriff James T. DeWees, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Thomas Ledwell, Westminster Police Department. During the two-and-a-half-week trial, the Government presented evidence of Gaines’s cocaine and crack-cocaine distribution activities in Westminster, Maryland. Investigative methods included wiretaps, initially approved in state court and later federal court, in which law enforcement recorded and monitored Gaines’s phone conversations and text messages. Wiretapped calls revealed Gaines arranging sales of cocaine to various customers. During the conversations, the cocaine was referred to in coded phrases such as “powder,” “8-balls,” “balls,” and the “sister,” among other terms. Law enforcement also seized quantities of cocaine from Gaines’s customers after sales were conducted. The wiretaps also showed that Gaines sold cocaine in conspiracy with numerous accomplices, including people who he directed to deliver cocaine to customers; prepared the crack cocaine by “cooking” powder cocaine into crack; and hid drugs at various locations including burying the drugs in wooded areas around Westminster. Near the end of the investigation, law enforcement recovered more than $250,000 in cash in apparent drug proceeds from a storage unit that was acquired by another member of the conspiracy. The jury found that the conspiracy involved 280 grams or more of cocaine base. Evidence at trial also proved that Gaines’s activities and the activities of his conspiracy involved firearms. During late January 2022, the wiretap showed that Gaines attempted to acquire two firearms — a 9mm handgun and a 40-caliber handgun — from an accomplice. However, law enforcement intercepted the firearms, along with ammunition and ammunition clips, from the accomplice before the guns found their way to Gaines. Gaines is facing up to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum term of 10 years for the narcotics conspiracy offense. The other counts are each punishable by up to 20 years. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, MDSP, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and Westminster Police Department for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai N. Everett and Michael C. Hanlon who are prosecuting the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Man Pleads Guilty to November 2024 Armed Carjacking and August 2022 Armed Robbery

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Demonta King, 18, of Chevy Chase, MD, pleaded guilty today for carjacking a taxicab driver at knifepoint in November 2024 and robbing another victim at gunpoint in August 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). King pleaded guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of armed carjacking and one count of armed robbery. The Honorable Jennifer Di Toro scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2025. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1:50 a.m., on November 18, 2024, in the 5000 block of Fort Totten Drive, NE, King, while armed with a knife, approached the victim, a taxicab driver, who was standing approximately five feet from his taxicab. King announced a robbery and said, “Give me everything,” and ordered the victim to hand over his keys. King then stabbed the victim in the hand causing him to drop the keys. The defendant picked up the keys and took the victim’s taxicab, along with his phone, driver’s license, bank cards and other personal items. Officers later spotted the victim’s vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed, in the 500 block of Chillum Road in Hyattsville, MD, when the defendant crashed and exited on foot. Police gave chase and stopped the defendant. In a separate incident, according to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:45 a.m., on August 26, 2022, in the 100 Block of Gallatin Street and 1st Place NE, King approached a different victim, brandished a firearm, took the victim’s backpack and cell phone, and then struck the victim in the face with the firearm and fled. King was 16-years-old when he committed this offense and was prosecuted as an adult under Title 16. King was placed under arrest at the scene of the armed carjacking and has been in custody since his arrest. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Green.


title: Lubbock Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a 10-year-old Child

component: USAO - Texas, Northern

body_text: A man who sexually abused a child for over two years was sentenced to life in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. Alec Mendoza, 26, of Lubbock, Texas, was indicted in May 2024. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to enticement of a minor and was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix. According to court documents, Mendoza first met the victim, “Jane Doe” and Doe’s mother at a party in 2020 when Doe was 10 years old, and Mendoza was 22 years old. Mendoza began messaging Doe online and on Valentine’s Day 2021, Mendoza began sexually abusing Doe. At the time, Doe was 11 years old, and Mendoza was 23 years old. Soon after Mendoza began abusing Doe, Mendoza moved into Doe’s family home. For the next two and a half years, Mendoza had sexual intercourse with Doe approximately 30-50 times. Mendoza would also send messages to Doe discussing sex and would remind Doe to delete her messages. In December 2023, Mendoza was caught sending text messages to Doe in the middle of the night from his bedroom down the hall. Doe’s mother confronted Mendoza about the messages and Mendoza admitted to having an ongoing sexual relationship with Doe. At sentencing, the government noted that following his conviction, Mendoza agreed to take a polygraph examination. Mendoza failed the polygraph. In his post-polygraph interview, Mendoza confessed to also sexually abusing a second child. A search warrant of Mendoza’s phone also revealed Mendoza to be in possession of 20 videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mendoza admitted to law enforcement to receiving and distributing CSAM over the Internet. At sentencing, Judge Hendrix told Mendoza that he could not “capture with words the trauma you caused that will last for lifetimes.” In imposing a life sentence, Judge Hendrix said: “I have to make a lot of difficult decisions. This is not one of them.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the Lubbock Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted the case.


title: Malibu Man Found Guilty of Defrauding Investors Out of Over $20 Million via False Claims about Celebrity App’s Business Performance

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Malibu man has been found guilty by a jury of defrauding investors out of more than $20 million by lying to them about his technology company’s financial performance related to a software application designed to help celebrities and social media influencers monetize their brand endorsements, the Justice Department announced today. Bernhard Eugen Fritsch, 63, was found guilty late Thursday of one count of wire fraud. According to evidence presented at a nine-day trial, Fritsch was the founder and CEO of StarClub Inc., a Santa Monica-based tech company. From 2014 to 2017, Fritsch raised more than $20 million from investors to build out the company’s app, also known as StarSite, claiming celebrities and influencers would use the technology to post content on social media sites such as Facebook. At the same time, the app would deliver advertising content and share ad revenue with the celebrity poster. While pitching the StarClub offering to investors, Fritsch made several false and fraudulent claims, including that StarClub was on the verge of entering commercial deals with, or obtaining investments and buyout offers from major media companies such as Disney; that StarClub had earned $15 million in revenue in 2015; and that StarClub’s current investors included major media companies and a global investment banking firm. Fritsch also claimed he would use the investors’ money to build out StarClub’s channels and technology and for general corporate purposes. Instead, Fritsch used much of the investor money to enrich himself and support his luxurious lifestyle, including by purchasing luxury cars such as a McLaren and a Rolls-Royce, fixing up his yacht, and renovating his Malibu mansion, located near Carbon Beach. Law enforcement seized the yacht, McLaren, and the Rolls-Royce and they are subject to forfeiture proceedings. One victim invested more than $20 million in StarClub over the course of two years, based on Fritsch’s false statements. This victim also introduced Fritsch to other victims who invested millions of additional funds in the company. Prosecutors estimate that Fritsch caused at least approximately $25 million in victim losses because of his scheme. The jury found Fritsch not guilty of a second wire fraud count. He remains free on bond. United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer is expected to schedule a sentencing hearing to occur in the coming months. Fritsch faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The FBI investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Monica E. Tait, Sarah S. Lee, and Joseph L. De Leon of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.


title: Texas Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of a Means of Identification of Another Person in Connection with Violation of Federal Law

component: Department of Justice

body_text: GULFPORT – A Houston, Texas, man was sentenced today to three years of federal probation and ordered to pay $51,294 in restitution for the federal felony offense of Knowingly Possessing Identification of Another Person in Connection with Wire Fraud. According to court documents, Jay Brisco, age 26, was sentenced in Gulfport. Bisco pleaded guilty to the felony offense on October 22, 2024. In March 2020, an investigation by Walmart Global Investigations was initiated when a victim reported that someone fraudulently opened a cell phone account in his name, without his consent. The initial findings found that the account was opened at a Walmart store in Gulfport. In March 2020, Walmart sold cellular phone contracts for a variety of phone carriers including AT&T and Verizon. Walmart used the services of a third-party company, named “The Revenue Optimization Company” (referred to as TROC), to assist with phone and phone contract sales. TROC staffed Walmart stores with TROC employees who assisted with phone purchases and applications for phone contracts, and who were compensated, in part, by commissions. Brisco was a TROC employee at Walmart Store Number #969 in Gulfport, and he received identification information of customers which he used to complete and process cellular phone contract applications. Brisco would complete an application on behalf of a legitimate customer and then was complicit with a fraudulent application using a different name, but with the real customer’s identity information being used in the second contract. Brisco submitted the second phone application, knowing it was fraudulent. Walmart Global Investigations reviewed surveillance video and phone contract records which revealed that Brisco knowingly processed fraudulent phone applications containing the personal identity information of victims. Walmart security personnel notified law enforcement and the case was investigated by the Gulfport Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service which has jurisdiction over credit card other financial fraud. Brisco confessed to his part in a criminal conspiracy involving others who also were prosecuted in other jurisdictions in Texas and the Southeastern United States. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Patrick A. Lemon, praised the investigative work of the United States Secret Service, the Gulfport Police Department and Walmart Global Investigations. Lemon and Kyle Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge for the United States Secret Service in Jackson, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.


title: Readout: Justice Department Hosts Roundtables to Address Competition Issues in the Entertainment Industry and Unfair Practices in the Labor Market

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division hosted two roundtables today to meet with key stakeholders and market participants to discuss competition issues in the entertainment industry and to identify harmful labor market conduct and how these impact American workers. In the first roundtable discussion, Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater convened members of Teamsters Local 25 and Local 804 and legal experts. Roundtable participants shared their personal stories and detailed ways that non-compete agreements, no poach agreements and other forms of unfair practices impact their livelihood. Legal experts, worker advocates and labor economists provided their insightful perspective and strategies to protect American workers. In the second roundtable discussion, Assistant Attorney General Slater heard from market participants, advocates and policymakers about unfair practices in the live entertainment market. Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater meets with members of Teamsters Local 25 and Local 804 Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater meets with market participants, advocates, and policymakers in the live entertainment market


title: Mexican National Sentenced To 15 Months In Federal Prison For Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara today sentenced Herman Vazquez-Padilla to 15 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after committing an aggravated felony. Vazquez-Padilla was found guilty on December 23, 2024. According to court documents, Vazquez-Padilla, an alien and citizen of Mexico, reentered the United States without obtaining permission, after removal, following a conviction of an aggravated felony. Vazquez-Padilla was convicted of conspiracy to transport one hundred or more illegal aliens on September 19, 2012. He was ordered removed on June 7, 2021, and was removed on November 10, 2021. Sometime after November 10, 2021, Vazquez-Padilla voluntarily and illegally reentered the United States. Vazquez-Padilla did not receive the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. On August 28, 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers found Vazquez-Padilla in Hillsborough County, Florida. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges Over 200 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona This Week

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 29, 2025, through April 4, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona has brought immigration-related criminal charges against 204 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 83 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 107 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 13 cases against 14 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Recent matters of interest include: United States v. Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda : On April 2, 2025, Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a Mexica national, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States. In 2023 through his arrest in May of 2024, Hernandez-Mosqueda coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens to the United States. Many of the illegal aliens were coached by Hernandez-Mosqueda to illegally enter the United States and claim asylum under false pretenses. Case No. CR-24-00820-PHX-KML. United States v. Gabriel Santiago-Ramirez : On April 1, 2025, Gabriel Santiago-Ramirez was driving a silver SUV near Kingman, Arizona. A United States Border Patrol agent, while driving behind the SUV, observed the SUV pull off onto the shoulder of the road on Interstate 40 (I-40). The driver, Santiago-Ramirez, later identified as being in the United States illegally, fled across I-40 into the desert. Border Patrol arrested three illegal aliens inside the SUV and followed Santiago-Ramirez's foot signs into the desert, arresting him for Transportation of Illegal Aliens. Santiago-Ramirez was charged by criminal complaint on April 3, 2025. Case No. 25-MJ-01441-JFM. A criminal complaint and criminal indictment are simply methods by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raise no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. CASE NUMBERS: CR-24-00820-PHX-KML 25-MJ-01441-JFM RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-050_April 4 Immigration Enforcement # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Mexican National Sentenced For Illegal Reentry  Into The United States

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Richard A. Lazarra has sentenced Julio Cesar Paniagua (55), a Mexican national, to 37 months in prison for illegal reentry into the United States by a Removed Alien. Paniagua pled guilty on January 13, 2025. According to court documents, in 2011, Paniagua was convicted of a narcotics distribution conspiracy, and following a sentence of incarceration, was removed from the United States on December 3, 2015. Later in 2018, Paniagua attempted to illegally reenter the United States and was charged, convicted, and incarcerated. Later that year, he was once again removed from the United States. At some point thereafter, he illegally reentered the United States and was found to be living in Dade City, Florida on November 18, 2024. This case was investigated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.


title: Ponte Vedra Man Indicted For Conspiracy To Traffic Firearms And Controlled Substances


title: Man Under Indictment in Heroin OD Case Sentenced to 51 Months for Illegal Machinegun Possession

body_text: A Fort Worth man who was on deferred adjudication for dealing the heroin that killed a 21-year-old in 2013 was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. Brennan Trainor Rodriguez, 33, was indicted in October 2024 and pled guilty in December 2024 to illegal possession of a machinegun. He was sentenced on April 4, 2025, to 51 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. According to court records, Mr. Rodriguez was charged on June 7, 2013, with injecting heroin into a 21-year-old man who suffered a fatal overdose. He admitted to causing the man’s death and was placed on 10 years of deferred adjudication beginning on Nov. 26, 2014. Conditions of his community supervision prohibited him from possessing firearms. On Aug. 6. 2024, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance call from Mr. Rodriguez’s former girlfriend, who told police that the defendant had been stalking and harassing her since their breakup. She also reported that Mr. Rodriguez frequently shot guns, including one that fired fully automatic. The following week, Mr. Rodriguez was arrested for stalking. In searching his home, law enforcement found nine firearms, including a Smith & Wesson rifle equipped with a machinegun conversion device, commonly known as a “switch” or “auto sear.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division – Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Fort Worth Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric B. Chen prosecuted the case.


title: Judge Sentences Maryland Man to Prison Term for Killing Woman Retrieving Personal Items from His Girlfriend’s Apartment

body_text: WASHINGTON – Amard Jefferson, 26, of Ft. Washington, MD, was sentenced today, to 27 years in prison, for the August 2021 murder of 20-year-old Kendall Brown and obstruction of justice for trying to convince his girlfriend to tell authorities that she killed Kendall Brown – not him, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). On December 20, 2024, a jury found Jefferson guilty of second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license and obstructing justice. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt ordered Jefferson to serve three years of supervised release. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 4:28 p.m., on August 7, 2021, in the 3000 block of Nelson Place, Southeast, Ms. Brown and two others went to the apartment of Jefferson’s girlfriend to retrieve personal items that one of them left behind after moving out of the apartment. While there, a verbal argument occurred. Jefferson, who was not initially involved in the verbal argument, escalated the argument by introducing and reaching for his firearm and threatening the women that he was going to “call his men.” Shortly thereafter, and without cause or justification, the defendant shot Ms. Brown. After locking the victim into the apartment, the defendant fled with his girlfriend. As he fled the crime scene, he stashed the murder weapon -- a black 9mm ghost gun – in a drainpipe a few blocks away. Jefferson continued his efforts to prevent legal accountability a few days after his arrest when he attempted, through text messages and phone calls from the D.C. Department of Corrections, to convince his girlfriend to affirmatively and falsely take blame for the murder. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Han, Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman, Meredith McGarrity, Lashone Samuels, and Lisa Minott, Victim/Witness Advocate Christie Bloodworth, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Security Specialist Robert Cephas, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Shanika McCullough, and Maenylie Watson, Special Agents Matthew Fox-Moles, Eric Pauta, and Sean Ricardi. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Kukowski, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Clark and Stephanie Dinan, who prosecuted the case.


title: Honduran man arrested on immigration charges

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Wilmer Orlando Canelas-Najera, 44, a citizen of Honduras, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal reentry and taking action to prevent his departure from the United States, which carry a maximum penalty of four years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on April 1, 2025, the U.S. Border Patrol Anti-Smuggling Unit was conducting surveillance near the Marriott Hotel in Amherst, NY. Agents conducted a record checks on a pickup truck in the parking lot with Maryland license plates, which came back registered to “Canelas, Wilmer,” an illegal alien previously removed from the Unites States. Subsequently, two individuals, one matching the description of Canelas, were located in the parking lot. Agents approached and asked if one of them was named “Wilmer.” Canelas responded “Yes,” but after the agents identified themselves, Canelas shouted “Run!” Both individuals ran in opposite directions, attempting to flee the agents. The second individual was apprehended but Canelas was not at that time. In the early morning hours of the following day, Canelas was spotted on a floor of the hotel. When Canelas saw handcuffs in the hands of an agent, he approached the agent and pushed his hands before maneuvering around the agent and running into a hotel room and locking the door. Agents returned later that afternoon and took Canelas into custody. Canelas was ordered removed from the United States in 1997 but failed to appear at his immigration hearing. He was apprehended in March 2017, and removed from the country. Canelas was apprehended once again in September 2017 and ordered removed. 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. Canelas made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was ordered detained. The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge Martin B. Coombs. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Tallassee, Alabama Woman Sentenced to Nine and a Half Years in Prison for Federal Program Fraud

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On April 2, 2025, a federal judge ordered that 34-year-old Michelle Denise McIntyre, a resident of Tallassee, Alabama, receive a sentence of 114 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges related to grants received through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund program, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. Following her prison sentence, McIntyre will be on supervised release for three years. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which was directly administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), was established in March 2021 by the American Rescue Plan Act. The RRF was a financial assistance program designed to provide eligible restaurants with funding equal to their COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses. RRF recipients were not required to repay the funding as long as they used the funds for eligible expenses. According to her plea agreement, McIntyre admitted that, in May of 2021, she applied for RRF grants falsely claiming she began operating a catering business on December 16, 2019. In the application, McIntyre included false receipts and documents purporting to show food orders for the business. McIntyre’s false representations in her application and in supporting documents caused the SBA to award her grants totaling $131,478.76. Court documents indicate McIntyre did not use the funds for eligible expenses. Instead, McIntyre used the illegal proceeds to purchase a vehicle, among other unauthorized personal expenses. According to court records and statements made during her sentencing hearing, McIntyre was also responsible for fraudulently applying for Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advances, and additional RRF money on behalf of herself and others. All of these funds were intended to help struggling small businesses amidst the COVID-19 disaster. McIntyre operated a business where she charged up-front fees to file pandemic relief applications on others’ behalf, regardless of their eligibility. If an application was successful, she required her clients to pay her a portion of the money they received. All told, McIntyre caused losses to the Small Business Administration exceeding $700,000; and if all of her false applications had been funded, the SBA would have suffered additional losses exceeding $14 million. Restitution will be determined at a later date. “Fraud committed against federal programs is fraud against the American taxpayer,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “I commend the investigative agencies for their diligent work in this case. My office will continue to do its part in prosecuting those who seek easy profit at the expense of every hard-working United States citizen.” “Exploiting SBA’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund and COVID relief programs for personal gain is a serious offense that diverts critical resources away from legitimate small businesses in need,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite. “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.” “Five years after the enactment of the CARES Act, individuals who defrauded the programs intended to help Americans are still being held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s office will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who defrauded the programs under the CARES Act.” The Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the FBI Mobile Field Office investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Megan A. Kirkpatrick prosecuted.


title: Buffalo man arrested on gun and drug charges

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jeremy Hodge, 39, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on April 4, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Hodge’s Ernst Avenue residence and his vehicle. Investigators seized a loaded 9mm firearm, a loaded magazine, ammunition, quantities of suspected heroin and fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia. Hodge was arrested at the scene. He has three prior felony convictions and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. 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). Hodge made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was detained. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Oneida County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Leshawn Thomas, age 34, of Clayville, New York, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base and unlawfully possessing firearms. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement. As part of his guilty plea, Thomas, who had two prior felony convictions, admitted to possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 3.01 kilograms of cocaine and 268.14 grams of cocaine base in Oneida County, New York on or about April 28, 2023. He also admitted to possessing two loaded semi-automatic pistols. Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes ordered Thomas to serve an 8-year term of supervised release to follow his release from prison, and also ordered the forfeiture of the semi-automatic pistols. DEA investigated the case with the assistance of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NY DOCCS-Parole). Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey prosecuted the case. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .


title: United States Secures the Extradition from Canada, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Israel, Mexico, Spain and Thailand of Fugitives Wanted for Murder, Drug Trafficking, Child Sexual Abuse and Cybercrime in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minne

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Extensive coordination and cooperation efforts between the United States Department of Justice and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand resulted in the extraditions last week of individuals alleged to have committed murder child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, and fraud. The fugitives extradited to the United States include: Roberto Avina-Casillas, 30, a Mexican citizen, was extradited from Mexico to stand trial in Franklin County, Ohio for murder, felonious assault and endangering children. Avina-Casillas evaded arrest for more than 11 years after he was accused of the Aug. 7, 2013 death of his former girlfriend’s 3-year-old son. Justin David Lanoue, 44, a Canadian citizen, was extradited from Canada to stand trial in Washington County, Utah, on charges filed against him in 2015 related to child rape and felony sexual abuse of a minor. The Washington County Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution. Dominik Rydz, 24, a Polish national, was extradited from Germany to stand trial in the state of Michigan, where he faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree and one count of unlawful imprisonment. On the night of Sept. 3, 2023, Rydz allegedly lured a woman away from her friends at a social gathering and proceeded to sexually assault the victim and would not let her leave. Rydz’s extradition was first sought from Poland, where he resided. While out on release from the Polish proceedings, Rydz travelled to Germany and was arrested there on an INTERPOL Red Notice. Olof Kyros Gustafsson , also known as “El Silencio,” 31, a Swedish national, was extradited from Spain to face conspiracy, wire and mail fraud, and money laundering charges in a 115-count federal indictment filed in the Central District of California alleging that he licensed the rights to use the name and persona of the late Colombian narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar and defrauded investors around the world by marketing and selling products — including flamethrowers and cellphones — that did not exist and that he never delivered to paying customers. Ardit Kutleshi , 26, and Jetmir Kutleshi , 28, both Kosovo nationals, were extradited from Kosovo to face identity theft, access device fraud, and money laundering charges in the Western District of Pennsylvania for their roles as the alleged administrators of the Rydox cybercrime marketplace, an illicit website dedicated to selling stolen personal information, access devices, and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud. The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania are handling the prosecution. Rene Javier Santos Alfaro, 53, a Honduran citizen, was extradited from Honduras to stand trial in the Southern District of Florida for drug trafficking offenses. Santos Alfaro is an alleged leader of a drug trafficking organization based in Honduras that was allegedly responsible for importing large quantities of cocaine from Honduras directly into Miami via commercial aircraft. Cristian Eduardo Garcia Jerez, 36, a Colombian national, was extradited from Colombia to face drug trafficking charges in the Northern District of Georgia. Garcia Jerez is alleged to have owned two cocaine processing laboratories and coordinated the manufacturing of cocaine in Colombia and the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia into the United States. Jose Guillermo Granja Rojas, 36, a Mexican national, was extradited from Colombia to face a money laundering conspiracy charge in the Northern District of Georgia. Granja Rojas was allegedly a money launderer for a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars of proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in the United States and transferred them to Mexico. DTO members directed the deposit of drug proceeds into accounts allegedly controlled by Granja Rojas, and Granja Rojas also allegedly traveled from Mexico to the United States to receive cash drug proceeds in person. Tien Vy Tai Truong, 46, an alleged leader of a transnational drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Thailand to face conspiracy to export methamphetamine charges in a 2024 indictment filed in the Central District of California. Truong is alleged to have engaged in negotiations with a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confidential human source to export about 200 pounds of methamphetamine from the United States to Australia for sale. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions along with the U.S. Marshals Service. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and Thailand for making these extraditions possible. An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the one-week period ending April 4, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 56 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326) 11 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324) 32 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions, with some of those convictions being for aggravated felonies, including convictions for solicitation of a child through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct, leaving the scene of an accident with fatality, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine In a significant case highlighting the use of fraudulent documents and the transportation of undocumented individuals, criminal charges were brought against Juanita Martinez , a U.S. citizen, and Aldo Arvizu-Chaparro , a Mexican national. Martinez entered the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico accompanied by Arvizu-Chaparro , who presented a falsified birth certificate and claimed to be a U.S. citizen. Martinez falsely asserted that Arvizu-Chaparro was her son. During secondary inspection, agents discovered that the birth certificate was fraudulent and confirmed that Arvizu-Chaparro did not have legal authorization to enter the United States. As a result, Arvizu-Chaparro is facing prosecution for using a false document, while Martinez is being prosecuted for transporting an undocumented individual. In a similar case, Abel Banuelos-Rojas is charged with using fraudulent identification to attempt entry into the United States. Banuelos-Rojas presented a U.S. passport card that did not belong to him and admitted during questioning that he is a Mexican citizen illegally residing in the United States. He further disclosed that he had assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen in 1983 by paying $150 for fraudulent identity documents. Banuelos-Rojas is being prosecuted for using a false passport, paralleling Arvizu-Chaparro 's case in terms of utilizing deceptive documentation to attempt illegal entry. The issue of smuggling undocumented individuals also arose in the case against Jose Manuel Castillo-Gastellum , a Mexican national charged with transporting illegal aliens. Castillo-Gastellum was apprehended while guiding six undocumented individuals through the desert in southwestern New Mexico. Among those he was guiding, two women were suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, necessitating emergency medical attention and hospitalization. Castillo-Gastellum 's criminal history includes prior apprehensions as both a drug mule and an alien smuggler during his juvenile years. He admitted to successfully smuggling ten undocumented individuals to the same location just days before his arrest in this case. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process. Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.


title: Washington Man Sentenced to Seventeen Years in Prison for  Murder on the Colville Reservation

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Steven Joseph Zacherle, age 38, to 204 months in prison for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country and Threats in Interstate Commerce. Judge Rice also imposed 5 years of supervised release and restitution payable to the Colville Confederated Tribes for the murder victim’s funeral expenses. According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing, on the evening of October 18, 2022, Zacherle was in a domestic dispute with his intimate partner (Victim 1) near a gas station on the Colville Indian Reservation. During the dispute, Victim 1 drove away from the area without Zacherle, who had gone inside a nearby store. When Zacherle realized Victim 1 had left him, he began calling and texting her, demanding she return, or he was going to “kill” and “hurt people.” About the same time as Zacherle was making these threats to Victim 1, Dion Boyd, an elder within the Colville Tribe, exited the nearby gas station. Zacherle and Mr. Boyd walked the same direction for a short distance. Zacherle then attacked Mr. Boyd, striking him in the head. Within minutes of that attack, Zacherle called Victim 1 and referenced the assault, bragging that he had knocked someone out. He then asked Victim 1 whether she wanted to see what Zacherle had done. Victim 1 reported that she could hear garbled breathing and snorting on the phone line. Shortly after the assault, Omak Police and first responders located Mr. Boyd, who was unresponsive and face down, bleeding from his head. Medical providers later determined Mr. Boyd was braindead and that Mr. Boyd would never recover from the injuries Zacherle inflicted. Mr. Boyd’s family spent the next twenty days at Mr. Boyd’s bedside in the hospital hoping for a miracle, but Mr. Boyd ultimately died as a result of the injuries sustained in the assault. The Medical Examiner determined Mr. Boyd suffered a severe brain hematoma and cracked skull because of the unprovoked attack. “My heart goes out to the Boyd family, who have suffered so much pain as a result of Mr. Zacherle’s unprovoked attack,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Barker. “My office is fully committed to working federal, state, local, and Tribal leaders to fully prosecuting violent crimes on Tribal land. The victims and survivors of these terrible crimes deserve nothing less.” At sentencing, MMIP AUSA Bree Black Horse explained “Mr. Boyd’s family and friends have uniformly described Mr. Boyd as a kind, generous person who helped raise his younger siblings and later his own children. Mr. Boyd also served his Tribe as an IT technician, ensuring Colville Tribal members living in rural areas could have cell service.” In recommending the Court impose a 17-year sentence, MMIP AUSA Black Horse explained “Mr. Boyd’s violent and senseless death at the hands of Zacherle has severely impacted the large family Mr. Boyd has left behind. And, Mr. Boyd is now among the disproportionate number of murdered Indigenous people and Mr. Boyd’s family has joined the ranks of too many other MMIP families throughout Eastern Washington and elsewhere.” “This appalling attack was truly senseless.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “Mr. Zacherle displayed a shocking disregard for the value of human life when he took his frustrations out on an innocent bystander, recklessly costing that person his life. The Colville Indian Reservation is a safer place with him off the streets.” This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners. The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components. Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse. 2:23-cr-00007-TOR