title: Lawyer Charged with Attempted Extortion of Former Client and Client’s Son Over Alleged $500,000 Debt

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Joshua Nass, an attorney licensed to practice in New York, with attempted Hobbs Act extortion for enlisting an individual to threaten and force a former client and his son into paying Nass $500,000. Nass was arrested yesterday and will make his initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and charge. “As alleged, Nass plotted the violent extortion of one of his own clients and hired an individual to ‘do anything and everything” to force the client’s son to pay for services,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “It will always be a priority of our Office to hold accountable those abusing a position of trust by violating the laws and oaths they have been sworn to support.” “Rather than honestly representing his client, Joshua Nass allegedly chose to shake him down by hiring an enforcer to extort payment. The FBI prioritizes crushing violent crimes offenses and extortion schemes,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. As alleged in court filings, starting in early January 2026, Nass recruited an individual (Individual) to force a former client (John Doe 1) and his son (John Doe 2) to pay Nass $500,000 that Nass claimed he was owed for services he purportedly rendered on behalf of John Doe 1. Nass provided the Individual with a phone number and addresses associated with John Doe 2, and Nass instructed the Individual to visit John Doe 2 at his home in an effort to intimidate John Doe 2 into paying Nass. Nass paid the Individual $3,000 in cash in exchange for Individual’s efforts to force John Doe 2 to pay Nass. Additionally, Nass told the Individual to “do anything and everything” to force John Doe 2 to pay the defendant. Between January 2026 and March 2026, Nass contacted the Individual several times to plan meetings and discuss methods by which the Individual could extort payment by John Does 1 and 2 of the debt purportedly owed to Nass. Nass and the Individual discussed the Individual physically assaulting John Doe 2, or forcing John Doe 2 into a car with masked men and threatening him to make someone in John Doe 2’s family pay Nass. On one occasion, Nass told the Individual that, if John Doe 2 rebuffed an attempt to pay, the Individual could not be a “human being” with John Doe 2. Nass agreed to pay the Individual at least $15,000 for his continued efforts at extorting John Does 1 and 2, with a $5,000 up-front payment and the remainder after John Doe 2 paid Nass. The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Nass faces up to 20 years in prison. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Victor Zapana, Anna L. Karamigios and Kamil R. Ammari are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Danielle Barber. The Defendant : JOSHUA NASS Age: 34 Charleston, South Carolina E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-54


title: Mexican Firearms Smuggler Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison, $15,000 Fine in Del Rio

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

body_text: DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 180 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. According to court documents, Jose De La Cruz-Cardoza, 52, of Piedras Negras, provided a negative declaration for firearms, ammunition, or currency over $10,000, during an outbound inspection at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on July 12, 2025. A Customs and Border Protection search of his vehicle revealed eight handguns and 19 magazines. USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979 Cruz-Cardoza stated he would be paid between $150 and $200 for each firearm he smuggled to Mexico. He further stated that he had smuggled firearms to Mexico on approximately 10-12 previous occasions. Cruz-Cardoza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms in September. On July 16, 2025, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, together with the San Antonio Police Department and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, executed a search warrant for the San Antonio residence of co-conspirator and illegal alien Reymundo Hernandez-Nino. A total of 24 firearms were immediately recovered, to include handguns, AR-15 style assault rifles, and a shotgun. ATF also recovered more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition from the residence and multiple sets of body armor. Based on other evidence obtained during the investigation, ATF determined that the weapon, ammunition and accessories were bound for a Mexican drug cartel. “My office remains committed to prosecuting the most serious criminal conspiracies, particularly those benefiting Mexican drug cartels,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Great things happen when aggressive prosecutors are combined with federal law enforcement agencies determined to disrupt and ultimately dismantle criminal organizations without concern for which agency ultimately gets the credit. This case is the model for how a Homeland Security Task Force should work.” USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979 "The illegal trafficking of firearms to Mexico directly fuels cartel violence and threatens the safety and communities on both sides of the border,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel. “ATF remains committed to working with our federal, state, local, and international partners to identify and disrupt firearms trafficking networks and hold those responsible, accountable.” Co-defendant Francisco Cardoza Jr. pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera pleaded guilty to the same charge on Feb. 23 and is pending a sentence hearing. Hernandez-Nino and Kenia Lizbeth Montelongo both pleaded guilty to two counts each on Feb. 26 and are awaiting sentencing. ATF and ICE are investigating the case with assistance from state and local partners. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner is prosecuting the case. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America . HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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. USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979 Additional La Santa Muerte (Saint Death) statues inside Reymundo Hernandez-Nino’s San Antonio residence, where law enforcement executed a search warrant on July 16, 2025. La Santa Muerte is a spiritual icon found among members of various Mexican drug cartels. ###


title: Two Maryland Residents Admit to Drug Trafficking in the Eastern Panhandle

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Maryland residents have admitted to selling illegal narcotics in Berkeley County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. Terrell Antonio Henderson, 34, of Halethorpe, Maryland, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base. According to court records and his plea agreement, Henderson conspired with others to traffic drugs from Baltimore to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The investigation culminated in a controlled buy at a parking lot in Spring Mills, where law enforcement witnessed the transaction. A subsequent search of Henderson’s vehicle uncovered the buy money, additional drugs, and various drug paraphernalia. In a separate matter, 31-year-old Elisa Owens of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Owens acted as a distributor for a trafficking ring operating between Hagerstown and Berkeley County, West Virginia. Following a period of surveillance, officers conducted a traffic stop and a probable cause search of her vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of cocaine. Henderson and Owens each face up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. Investigative agencies include the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown, Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Maryland State Police; the Hagerstown Police Department; and the Washington County (MD) Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided. Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.


title: Union County Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: GREENVILLE, S.C. — Dezmond Tobias Tucker, 31, of Union, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in October of 2023, investigators with the Union Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration caught Tucker selling fentanyl pills in an undercover drug purchase. Tucker was previously connected to the sale of fentanyl to a 20-year-old Spartanburg woman who died from a fentanyl overdose in December of 2022. Tucker also forfeited a firearm that was recovered when agents executed a search warrant at the home where he was living in March of 2024. United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Tucker to 131 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Union Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen prosecuted the case. ###


title: FEDERAL FELON PLEADS GUILTY TO GUN CHARGES RELATED TO SHOOTOUT AT CARTER-HOWELL-STRONG PARK

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Joseph C. Williams, 63, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “When President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to marshal the full resources of the Department of Justice toward protecting our communities from violent criminals, this defendant was precisely the type of serial, violent felon they had in mind. My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases until our communities are safe from thugs like this.” Court documents reflect that on November 19, 2024, the defendant was stopped for traffic violations while riding an electric bicycle on the roadway. During the traffic stop, the police officer observed a firearm barrel sticking out of the defendant’s shorts. The officer handcuffed the defendant and then removed the firearm. The defendant subsequently bonded out of jail and, on April 11, 2025, the defendant was involved in a gunfight in broad daylight at Carter-Howell-Strong Park in Tallahassee. During the shootout, the defendant was shot in the foot and sought medical attention at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Law enforcement found blood and a firearm in the backseat of the defendant’s girlfriend’s car. The firearm ballistics matched shell casings recovered from the park shooting. The defendant was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple felony convictions, including four state convictions for armed robbery and federal convictions for Armed Bank Robbery and Using and Carrying a Firearm during and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. The defendant faces at least 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, at sentencing. The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain. Sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2026, at 9:00 at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle. 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. As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


body_text: Dominican Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Methamphetamine CONCORD – A Dominican man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to drug offenses, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces. Ariel Castillo-Solano a/k/a Jose Antonio Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Samantha Elliot scheduled Castillo-Solano’s sentencing for June 18, 2026. According to the court documents and statements made in court, beginning in early 2024, the DEA began an investigation into an unknown individual who was selling multiple-ounce quantities of methamphetamine in the Rochester, New Hampshire area. During the investigation, a DEA cooperating source (or “CS”) communicated with the defendant, Ariel Castillo-Solano. At the time, Castillo-Solano, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was using the identity of Jose Antonio Santiago, an American citizen from Puerto Rico. Between October 21, 2024 and January 10, 2025, the DEA, using a CS and a DEA undercover Task Force Officer, negotiated several sales totaling more than five pounds of methamphetamine from Castillo-Solano. Between January 10, 2025 and January 23, 2025, Castillo-Solano arranged to sell the undercover officer an additional 15 pounds of methamphetamine, about 21 ounces cocaine, and 40 grams of fentanyl. They agreed to a purchase price of $69,000. On January 24, 2025, Castillo-Solano met the undercover officer in a parking lot in Seabrook, where Castillo-Solano stated that his “brother,” later identified as Joel Castillo-Soto, would be arriving in an Uber to deliver the product. Thereafter, Castillo-Soto arrived and delivered the methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to the undercover officer, at which point the DEA arrested both Castillo-Solano and Castillo-Soto. The charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance carry a sentence of up to 20 years’ incarceration, not less than 3 years of supervised release, and a fine up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: TALLAHASSEE MAN RECEIVES 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR TRAFFICKING METHAMPHETAMINE

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Paul Anthony Hart, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, consecutive to an existing Georgia sentence for trafficking in cocaine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The citizens of the Northern District of Florida deserve safe, drug-free streets, and President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward dismantling the drug trafficking networks that have plagued our communities for far too long. I am proud to continue delivering on that promise with yet another successful prosecution and lengthy prison sentence for this peddler of poisonous drugs.” Court documents reflect that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been investigating the defendant’s methamphetamine trafficking activity. On April 2, 2025, DEA observed the defendant traveling from Dothan, Alabama into Tallahassee, Florida. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on the defendant’s vehicle to arrest him for an active warrant out of Georgia. During the traffic stop, deputies found over 100 grams of methamphetamine, along with a set of digital scales. “Trafficking methamphetamine in the Pan Handle continues to be an all too frequent occurrence,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar. “I’m proud of our agents and law enforcement partners with Leon County Sheriff’s Office for bringing this criminal to justice.” The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: CALIFORNIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO DRUG DISTRIBUTION CONSPIRACY IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Manuel Alejandro Palomino Amador, 33, of San Diego, California, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of a multi-state coalition of our state and federal law enforcement partners, this significant drug trafficking network has been dismantled, and this successful prosecution ensures this defendant will face full accountability for flooding our streets with deadly drugs in the Northern District of Florida. The Homeland Security Task Force was established by President Donald J. Trump to eradicate the threats to our citizens’ safety posed by the foreign cartels and transnational criminal organizations pumping violence and deadly drugs into our communities, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our streets safe and drug-free.” Court documents reflect that investigators identified the defendant as a significant supplier of methamphetamine from Southern California to the Northern District of Florida. Upon learning of a methamphetamine shipment bound for North Florida, agents surveilled the transaction in San Diego. Thereafter, law enforcement stopped the buyer as he was returning to his home in Banning, California, searched his vehicle and discovered 35.9 kilograms of methamphetamine. Later that day, law enforcement stopped the defendant as he was driving his own vehicle and discovered 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine and $51,166 in U.S. currency. Agents also located a key to a storage facility that led to the discovery of an additional 36.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and 4,037 grams of fentanyl. Amador faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II. The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and the Escondido Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Crownpoint Man Pleads Guilty to Strangulation and Assaulting Officer

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Crownpoint man pleaded guilty in federal court to strangling a woman and attacking a tribal police officer with a taser. According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Jason K. Thompson , 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attempted to strangle Jane Doe. Law enforcement responded to the domestic violence call and attempted to take Thompson into custody. During a struggle with a Navajo Nation Police Department officer, Thompson grabbed the officer’s taser and deployed it against him with the intent to injure him. Thompson was then handcuffed and placed in the back of an NPD patrol unit. He later kicked out a window of the unit and escaped, but NPD officers recaptured him that night. Thompson pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon. At sentencing he faces up to 10 years in prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.


title: Ohio Man Indicted For Possessing Contraband In Prison

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sharion Motley-Lipscomb, age 29, of Cleveland, Ohio, was indicted on March 10, 2026, by a federal grand jury on one count of possessing contraband in prison. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Motley-Lipscomb, an inmate at Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill, possessed a weapon, specifically a four-inch piece of plexi-glass sharpened to a point with a cloth handle on January 17, 2016, in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney James M. Buchanan is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Jury Finds D.C. Man Guilty of Armed Kidnapping of Case Worker

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Thomas Venable, 59, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury yesterday of charges stemming from an incident where he held his case worker hostage in his apartment in September 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Venable was found guilty of one count of armed kidnapping, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of threatening to kidnap or injure a person, and related weapons offenses on March 12, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026, before Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe. According to the government’s evidence, on September 29, 2025, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Venable was in his home located in the 5400 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Venable had secured his apartment with assistance from “Friendship Place,” an organization that helps homeless people get back on their feet. The victim, Venable’s case worker, had stopped by Venable’s apartment for a monthly check-in, as he had done for the past six months. The victim knocked on Venable’s door for their scheduled check-in when Venable answered the door, holding a metal pole. Venable believed Friendship Place had been taking his Bitcoin and failing to help him with his bedbug infestation. Venable refused to allow the victim to leave until the victim called his supervisor. The victim called, but his supervisor did not answer. Enraged, Venable picked up an axe. The victim tried to leave, but Venable ordered the victim to “sit the f**k down” and that there was “no way you're leaving this apartment unless it’s in a million little pieces.” Venable told the victim, “I’m going to jail or I’m going to hell, and I’m not going back to jail.” After a tense negotiation, the victim’s supervisor called him back and convinced Venable to let the victim go. Venable was arrested the next day and has been in custody since. Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Augustin Horner. 2025 CF3 012651


title: Saline County man sentenced to 9 years for receiving child sexual abuse material

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Saline County man to 9 years’ imprisonment after he admitted to receiving child sexual abuse material. James Troy Martin, 51, of Carrier Mills, pleaded guilty to two counts of receipt of child pornography. “These are not just images. They are real children enduring horrific acts of sexual abuse and exploitation. Every download, share, or receipt of child pornography revictimizes those innocent children, prolonging their trauma and fueling a marketplace built on their suffering,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Those who participate in this trade are complicit in the ongoing rape and torment of kids who deserve protection, not the perpetuation of their victimization.” According to court documents, Martin received at least two images of child sexual abuse material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in Saline County between February and April 2024. “This sentencing sends a clear message: those who exploit children by receiving child sexual abuse material will be held accountable,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge, Matthew Scarpino. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting children and pursuing justice for victims. HSI will continue to work with our partners to ensure offenders face the consequences of their actions.” Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sanders prosecuted the case.


title: Eleven Indian Nationals Charged with Visa Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – Eleven Indian nationals have been charged in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. The following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud: 1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.; 2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.; 4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.; 5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.; 6. Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.; 7. Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.; 8. Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 9. Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; 10. Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and 11. Mitul Patel, 40, unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass. Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston earlier today. Rameshbhai Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested and made their initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. They will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. According to the charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere. It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to claim falsely that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U non-immigration status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” are alleged to have each paid Patel to participate in the scheme. In turn, Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery. Patel, the “robber,” and the getaway driver were previously charged and convicted . The 11 defendants charged today are alleged to have either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.” The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, the Western District of Washington, the Northern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Missouri, and the Eastern District of Kentucky; FBI’s New York, Seattle, Louisville, Cleveland and St. Louis Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Boston, Dedham, Hingham, Malden, Marshfield, Randolph, Somerville, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Dominican National Previously Convicted of Drug Trafficking Offense Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that YUNIOR BENAVIDES, 49, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2009, Benavides and others were charged with federal offenses related to their participation in a Hartford area narcotics distribution conspiracy. He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment and, in November 2013, was deported to the Dominican Republic. Benavides subsequently illegally reentered the U.S. On March 6, 2026, HSI agents stopped a car in West Hartford in connection to a drug trafficking investigation. Benavides, the driver of the car, was identified as being unlawfully present in the U.S. and was taken into custody. Benavides appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained. If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Benavides faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Illegal Alien and Convicted Felon Sentenced to More than 15 Years in Prison for Trafficking Cocaine Across US-Mexico Border

body_text: CLEVELAND – A Mexican national has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally entering the United States and then trafficking kilogram-quantities of cocaine in Northeast Ohio. Jaime Ortega-Urquidi, 63, was sentenced to 188 months (15 years and 6 months) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in November 2025 to the following charges: Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, with Notice of Prior Serious Drug Felony Conviction; and Illegal Reentry of Alien Following Removal, with Notice of Prior Aggravated Felony Conviction. According to court documents, on May 28, 2025, Lorain police officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Ortega-Urquidi was a passenger. During the stop, a drug detection K-9 alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found cocaine weighing approximately two kilograms. Officers also seized more than $29,000 in cash. During further investigation into Ortega-Urquidi, law enforcement discovered he was part of an organization that smuggled kilograms of cocaine across the US-Mexico border. The organization then shipped the cocaine from Texas to Ohio, where Ortega-Urquidi distributed it to local drug dealers in the city of Lorain. Investigators also learned that Ortega-Urquidi was in the United States illegally at the time of his arrest. He was previously removed in October 2017, after serving a sentence for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, the Lorain Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station, and the Elyria Police Department. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney James Lewis for the Northern District of Ohio. 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, and to protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Added 250 New Immigration Cases This Week in Western District of Texas

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 250 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 6 to March 12, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, sex crimes, numerous DWIs, theft, and multiple prior removals. Among the new cases, Fredy Alberto Guevara-Maldonado , an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested near Eagle Pass after allegedly resisting arrest and kicking a U.S. Border Patrol canine in the head. A criminal complaint alleges that Guevara-Maldonado subsequently reached for the USBP canine handler agent’s weapon and forcefully grabbed the agent’s genital area. The Honduran national is charged with assault on a federal officer. Congo national Stephane Mujinga Elonga was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Court documents indicate that Elonga was deported to Canada through Champlain, New York in 2019. He was convicted in 2015 for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, and in 2016 for both Driving Under the Influence and escape. Elonga allegedly entered the U.S. in January 2023 through Maine. Convicted felon Rene Lima-Morales , an illegal alien from El Salvador, was arrested by USBP agents near Maverick on March 7. Lima-Morales has been previously removed from the U.S. twice. In 2013, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault. He has also been convicted of burglary of habitation, having a fictitious license plate, burglary of a vehicle, and property theft. Honduran national Eduardo Henrrique Castron was arrested near Maverick on March 9. He was previously deported to Honduras in June 2025, following a 2023 conviction and four-year prison sentence for second-degree criminal sexual conduct in Wyoming. Henrrique Castron has also been convicted for controlled substance use, domestic violence, and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license. In the El Paso area, Mexican national Charbel Majluf Vargas-Felix was allegedly found to be the foot guide for a group of five illegal aliens who crossed the Rio Grande River on Tuesday. Using surveillance equipment, a USBP agent observed the group running across Texas Highway 20 nearly two miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Vargas-Felix and his group of smuggled aliens were then encountered attempting to conceal themselves inside a water drain. According to a criminal complaint, Vargas-Felix stated that he was to guide the group to a pick-up spot on Interstate Highway 10 and would be paid $200 per illegal alien. He is charged with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens. Honduran national Santos Gabriel Bustillo-Zelaya aka Santos Gabriel Gonzalez was released from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday and turned over to the custody of ICE Enforcement Removal Operations. He had been jailed in Bexar County for assault causing bodily injury of a family member and possession of a controlled substance. In addition to those offenses, Bustillo-Zelaya’s criminal record includes six prior convictions for improper entry to the U.S. by an alien, one conviction for illegal re-entry, a DWI, and convictions for failure to identify, resisting arrest, and evading arrest. On March 7, ICE ERO agents in Bexar County arrested Mexican national Sergio Lugo-Rodriguez aka Juan Lugo-Godines during a traffic stop in which he was a passenger. Lugo-Rodriguez was previously removed from the U.S. in 2014, following a 2013 conviction for failing to stop and render aid resulting in injury or death. He was also convicted in 2008 for a DWI in Bexar County. In Austin, Mexican national Juan Jose Esparza Garcia was charged with illegal re-entry. Esparza Garcia who has three prior removals, was found in the Travis County Jail and has been previously convicted of three DWIs, along with theft and improper entry into the U.S. Benigno Granados Manzano , also an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin and has three DWI convictions in his criminal record. He was also convicted of improper entry in 2015 and has been previously removed from the U.S. three times. Mexican national Ivan Perez-Saldana was found in the Travis County Jail, where he was in custody after being convicted of domestic assault causing bodily injury. Perez-Saldana was last removed from the U.S. in 2011, following a conviction for improper entry. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the 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. 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: Former USPS employees plead guilty to stealing mail and committing PPP loan fraud

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA – Former mail recovery clerk Daniqua Clark has pleaded guilty to stealing cash, gift cards, and other items from the mail while working at the Atlanta Mail Recovery Center and fraudulently obtaining two pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and former mail recovery clerk Deneeka Ferguson has pleaded guilty to participating in the mail theft scheme. “Clark abused the public’s trust by stealing thousands of dollars of items from the mail and obtaining two fraudulent PPP loans for a non-existent business while serving as a federal employee,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and hold accountable government employees who compromise their integrity and violate the public’s trust for their own personal gain.” “This guilty plea sends a strong message to any U.S. Postal Service employee who decides to violate the public’s trust in this manner," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who steals U.S. Mail and attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.” According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2023 and 2024, Daniqua Clark and Deneeka Ferguson worked as mail recovery clerks at the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the official “lost and found” department for undeliverable and non-returnable mail for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Between May 2023 and February 2024, Clark worked with Ferguson to steal items from the mail at the Mail Recovery Center. Clark and Ferguson exchanged text messages identifying specific items from the mail to steal and discussing how to steal and conceal the theft of those items, including U.S. currency. During an interview with law enforcement agents on November 19, 2024, Clark admitted to stealing items from the mail both on her own and with Ferguson. Searches of Clark’s U.S. Postal Service locker and personal car led to the recovery of various stolen items, including gift cards, fragrances, and a pill container in the name of an unknown individual. In an interview with law enforcement agents on February 18, 2025, Ferguson admitted to helping Clark steal mail and receiving stolen mail from Clark in exchange for her help. The investigation further revealed that Clark fraudulently obtained two PPP loans, totaling $36,402, for a non-existent business. To support her application for the loans, Clark submitted a fake income tax document. The funds from the loans were deposited in the same Atlanta-based bank account into which Clark received her salary from the USPS. Clark used those funds for personal expenses, not payroll expenses as required for PPP loans. Daniqua Clark, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit mail theft, one count of mail theft, and two counts of wire fraud. Deneeka Ferguson, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia pleaded guilty to five counts of obstruction of mail. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for June 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Robinson Jr. is prosecuting the case. On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the Department’s resources in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Memphis Woman Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison on Gun and Methamphetamine Distribution Charges

body_text: U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley sentenced 30-year-old Kristain Harris, of Memphis, Tennessee, to 120 months imprisonment on each of three counts of distribution of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine (“ice”) and one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (“ice”), all to be served concurrently. She must also serve five years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearing on March 10, 2026, the government presented information that beginning in June 2024, a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) purchased methamphetamine from Harris in Peoria, Illinois. Unbeknownst to Harris, each of the purchases was recorded. In total, ATF purchased a total of 597.7 grams of ice methamphetamine from Harris. During one of the purchases, Harris also sold a 9 mm pistol to the confidential informant. Harris was indicted in September 2024 and pleaded guilty in October 2025. The statutory penalties for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum five-year term of supervised release. Distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine requires a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of five to 40 years’ imprisonment, followed by a minimum four-year term of supervised release. The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Illegal Alien Arrested for Possessing Fentanyl Meant for Distribution in Tulsa

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A criminal complaint was unsealed charging an illegal alien with possessing fentanyl with the intention of distributing it after previously being deported. In January, Juan Lopez Olvera, 25, a Mexican national, was pulled over for a traffic violation in Tulsa. When officers approached the vehicle, they could smell marijuana and asked the driver to step out of the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a large bag of white powdery substance. A laboratory test determined that the substance was fentanyl. While officers booked Lopez Olvera into jail, they discovered that he was deported in February 2024 and has not lawfully returned to the United States. The complaint shows that Lopez Olvera is charged with Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute and Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: United States Arrests Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader Charged in Chile With Criminal Association, Extortion and Kidnapping Resulting in Homicide

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Venezuelan national and illegal alien Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas, 40, has been arrested at the request of the Government of Chile so that he may be prosecuted on seven charges stemming from his alleged role as a leader of “Los Piratas,” the primary Chilean cell of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA). Chile accuses Gamez Salas, who was arrested Wednesday, of directing multiple extortions and kidnappings on behalf of TdA, one of which resulted in the highly publicized murder of a former Venezuelan military officer. This arrest brings Gamez Salas, who also has criminal convictions in the United States for human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation, one step closer to facing justice in Chile after illegally attempting to seek refuge in the United States. “This illegal alien from Venezuela is an alleged leader of the foreign terrorist organization TdA,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “While in the United States, he was convicted of human smuggling and is accused by Chile of heinous violent crimes. This man is a clear public safety threat and should never have been in this country but reentered the United States illegally under the Biden Administration. The Justice Department, along with our federal and international partners, will continue to put safety and security first.” “Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas’s arrest for purposes of extradition is evidence of the strong and ongoing cooperation between the United States and our foreign partners to combat transnational crime, dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua and hold members accountable for their heinous criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens. Thanks to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which worked extensively with Chilean authorities over the last year to obtain the facts and evidence necessary to initiate these extradition proceedings.” “Our country must never become a refuge for criminal illegal aliens who are senior members of foreign terrorist organizations,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “We will continue to work closely with our overseas law enforcement partners to ensure this defendant will face justice in a Chilean courtroom.” Gamez Salas, also known as “Adrian Rafael Gamez Finol” and “Turko,” is accused of overseeing the criminal activities of Los Piratas in Chile. According to Chilean authorities, he planned and coordinated kidnappings, homicides, extortions and other offenses on behalf of the TdA affiliate, which included instructing subordinates to obtain necessary resources to execute the offenses, and ensuring that financial resources generated for Los Piratas were transferred abroad. Chile is seeking Gamez Salas’s extradition so that he may stand trial for one count of criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide and one count of kidnapping for extortion, arising from separate crimes against multiple victims. As set forth in the United States’ complaint for provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, Chile alleges, among other things, that Gamez Salas, acting under the supervision of senior TdA leadership, directed and planned the February 2024 kidnapping and murder in Santiago, Chile, of a former Lieutenant in the Venezuelan military. According to Chile, members of Los Piratas arrived at the victim’s apartment building in the middle of the night armed with firearms and in a car equipped with a blue light in an apparent attempt to impersonate officers of the Chilean Investigative Police. After using a battering ram to force entry into the victim’s apartment, the perpetrators handcuffed the victim and forcibly removed him from the building and into a car. Around one week later, in response to a tip from a witness, authorities discovered the victim’s body by drilling into the concrete floor of a makeshift dwelling in a housing development elsewhere in Santiago, Chile. The victim’s body was found covered in lime, concealed inside a suitcase, buried in concrete more than three feet deep and sealed beneath a concrete slab. An autopsy determined that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, and the victim’s body showed signs of suspension by the upper extremities, lesions consistent with torture and partial postmortem dismemberment. Testimony obtained in the Chilean investigation revealed that the victim’s kidnapping and murder was allegedly ordered by leaders of TdA and directed to be paid for from outside of Chile. Additionally, in an intercepted conversation, Gamez Salas allegedly told other Los Piratas members that he had been assigned “from above” the task of coordinating and executing the crime. In support of its other charges against Gamez Salas, Chile also alleges that he played a leading role in an April 2024 deadly armed confrontation that killed a Chilean police officer; February and June 2024 kidnappings for extortion; and a March 2024 attempted kidnapping, among other offenses. In 2023, Gamez Salas was removed from the United States to Venezuela for having entered the United States illegally. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States and was prosecuted for human smuggling by the Val Verde County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. He was convicted in February 2025, after which he was indicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegally reentering the United States. He pled guilty to the illegal reentry charge in April 2025 and was serving his prison sentence in the Central District of California when he was arrested on the extradition warrant. Gamez Salas is also subject to an order of removal to Venezuela, which does not extradite its own nationals. On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gamez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody to its custody in the Central District of California. He appeared on Wednesday for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick for the Central District of California and was remanded into custody. The extradition matter for Gamez Salas is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Lulejian for the Central District of California and Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Ruxandra Barbulescu of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Previously, in September 2025, the United States extradited to Chile another alleged TdA member, Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, who was charged in Chile with multiple offenses arising from this same kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan Lieutenant. That extradition matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.


title: Department of Justice to Return $470,735 to Victims of Cryptocurrency Investment Scheme

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced today that the Department of Justice will return about $470,735 to two Maine victims of a cryptocurrency investment scheme. According to court records, more than $800,000 belonging to the victims was transferred to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by criminal actors in 2022. The FBI seized 470,773 USDT (Tether)—a form of cryptocurrency equivalent in value to the dollar—traced to the victims’ payments. The U.S. Attorney’s Office subsequently filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging these proceeds were traceable to wire fraud and were involved in money laundering offenses. The U.S. District Court ordered the proceeds to be forfeited to the United States, which is now providing the funds to the two victims. The U.S. Attorney’s Office warns that cryptocurrency investment schemes are all too common. In many cryptocurrency investment schemes, scammers engage in social engineering to steal a victim’s funds. Scammers often use a fake identity and cold-contact a victim through messaging apps, social media, dating apps, or other platforms. Scammers may pretend to have contacted the wrong number but then continue communicating with the victim. The scammers establish a relationship and build trust with the victim by continuing to message over days, weeks, or months. Frequently, the scammers then make up a fake investment opportunity or an emergency to induce the victim to send payments in cryptocurrency. Scammers may convince the victim to use fake websites or apps to “invest” in cryptocurrency, and will often coach the victim through the “investment” process and show the victim fake returns on their “investment.” Rather than investing money on a legitimate platform, the victim is tricked into sending cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by the scammers. If the victim tries to withdraw money from the fake site or app, the victim is often told to pay additional fees or taxes—but the scammers do not return the victim’s funds after the fake fees or taxes are paid. For more information about cryptocurrency investment schemes, please visit https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230824 . If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of a cryptocurrency scam, in addition to reporting to your local police department, you should immediately submit a report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or contact your local FBI Field Office. The FBI handled this case. The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets.


title: Connecticut Man Arrested, Charged with Assaulting a Federal Officer and Failing to Report Arrival to the US

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: A Manchester, Connecticut man was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer and failing to report his arrival and present for inspection on February 22, 2026. As alleged in the criminal complaint, Devin Austin Bishop , 29, drove at high speed across the bridge from Campobello Island, Canada into the U.S., at one point veering into the outbound lane to travel into Lubec. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officer who was on duty at the Lubec Port of Entry pursued Bishop in an agency vehicle. Bishop got out of his car on a road in Lubec. He forcibly assaulted and resisted the officer when the officer attempted to arrest him, grabbing for the officer’s firearm. During the struggle, the firearm discharged but no one was hit. The officer was eventually able to take Bishop into custody with the assistance of a passing motorist. If convicted, Bishop faces up to eight years in prison on the assault charge and one year in prison on the failure to report charge. The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Davenport Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Federal Prison for Gun Charges

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced March 12, 2026, to 90 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. According to public court documents, Cedrick Dequn Willingham, 39, fled from officers in Bettendorf, after they attempted to stop his vehicle. During an August 2024 search of Willingham’s residence, officers located a firearm, a drum magazine, and many rounds of ammunition. Willingham is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his felony convictions, including a 2025 conviction in the Iowa District Court for Scott County for possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense. After completing his term of imprisonment, Willingham will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Scott County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Correctional officer sentenced to 10 years for trafficking meth in federal prison

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A correctional officer has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Martel Devante Gilliam, 22, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 11, 2026. According to information presented in court, in March 2024, Gilliam, a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont, was identified as a source of supply for illegal drugs at the prison. On March 8, 2024, after Gilliam reported to work, a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics on Gilliam’s vehicle during an open-air sniff. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine; 28 grams of cocaine; 459 grams of synthetic marijuana; vacuum sealed packages of tobacco and marijuana; $5,700 cash; and a pistol. 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. This case was investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Prisons, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James. ###


title: Lewiston Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Child

body_text: COEUR D’ALENE – Michael Benjamin Hendren, 35, of Lewiston, Idaho, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for attempted sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. According to court records, as part of their efforts to combat exploitation of children online, investigators with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) in Colorado ran undercover profiles pretending to be minors on a social media application in May of 2024. A user, later identified as Hendren, initiated contact with two separate undercover investigators at JCSO during this time. In both conversations, Hendren repeatedly solicited sexually explicit materials from the purported minors and sent them sexually explicit images of himself. The same month, Hendren chatted on the same social media application with an investigator from the Evesham Township Police Department in New Jersey, who also maintained an undercover social media profile on the application to combat online child exploitation. In that chat, Hendren again attempted to persuade the purported minor to produce sexually explicit materials for him. Hendren chatted with a fourth user, who was not an uncover law enforcement officer, on the same social media application. Hendren sent sexually explicit images of himself and attempted to persuade the user to produce sexually explicit images for him. Following a thorough investigation, law enforcement identified the fourth user as a fifteen-year-old girl. They discovered that Hendren had engaged in sexually explicit conversations with several other purported children on the online messaging application. Chief United States District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford ordered that Hendren be placed on supervised release for 10 years following completion of his prison sentence. Hendren will be required to register as a sex offender because of this conviction. U.S. Attorney Davis commended the collaboration of the Lewiston Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Moscow Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Evesham Township Police Department, the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney April Smith prosecuted this 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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: Helena man sentenced to over 11 years in prison for trafficking meth and fentanyl

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: GREAT FALLS – A Helena convicted of selling methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced Wednesday to 136 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said. Michael Wayne Hagman, 40, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement intercepted a package in February 2025 containing two pounds of methamphetamine and destined for Hagman’s residence. They searched that residence on February 28, 2025, and seized a large quantity of methamphetamine and fentanyl, $39,704 in U.S. Currency, and several firearms. During an interview with law enforcement on March 20, 2025, Hagman admitted he was receiving meth and fentanyl from a co-conspirator and distributing the drugs in the Helena area. The co-conspirator would sometimes front Hagman drugs to sell. Hagman said he sold fentanyl powder for the same price he paid for it and his source compensated him with user amounts of the drug. He also discussed the purchase and sale prices of meth, fentanyl, and M30s (fentanyl pills) and admitted he resold the meth at a higher price to make a profit. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force, Helena Police Department, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Dulce Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – After a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Herbert Ben, Jr. of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse. At trial, the United States presented witness testimony showing that Ben, Jr. , 57, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, molested two young girls, both under 12, between 2016 and 2022. The United States also presented testimony that Ben, Jr. molested another high-school-age female in approximately 2019 as she babysat Ben, Jr. ’s stepdaughters. Finally, the United States presented evidence that from roughly 2010 to 2012, Ben, Jr. molested another young female relative while she was in elementary and middle school. For these actions, jurors found Ben, Jr. guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment. In addition to this prison sentence, Ben, Jr. will be subject to mandatory victim restitution for the full amount of a victim’s losses, which include medical services relating to physical, psychiatric, or psychological care. After serving his prison sentence, Ben, Jr. will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to a term of supervised release of between five years and life. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary C. Jones and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting these cases.


title: Mescalero Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a minor. According to court documents, between December 2019, and February 2021, Deverne Torres, Jr. , 45, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, performed multiple sex acts with Jane Doe, a minor who had not attained the age of 16. Torres pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. At sentencing he faces up to 15 years in prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Tanisha V. Henson and Kirk Williams are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is seeking other potential victims of Torres . Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs at (575) 464-4479.


title: Massachusetts Man Arrested and Charged with Making Threats

body_text: BOSTON – A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with making threats in interstate commerce. Alden Welch Ruml, 26, was charged with one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another. Ruml will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today. According to the indictment, on Feb. 28, 2026, Ruml allegedly sent an email to the victim’s email account. In that email, Ruml is alleged to have referred to the victim in obscene terms and stated that he would be “happy” when her face is “canoed by an assault rifle.” The charge of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Britain Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELI SAMUEL O’FARRILL-FERNANDEZ, also known as “Maple,” 48, of New Britain, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine. According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain. The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy. Investigators identified O’Farrill-Fernandez as a supplier of cocaine to Ortiz. On September 24, 2024, O’Farrill-Fernandez supplied Ortiz with approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and on October 12, 2024, he delivered four kilograms of cocaine to Ortiz at Supreme Automotive. O’Farrill-Fernandez, Ortiz, and other members of this drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024. In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles. A search of O’Farrill-Fernandez’s residence on Maple Street revealed numerous items used to process and package narcotics, including multiple metal press plates used for pressing narcotics into kilogram size bricks. O’Farrill has been detained since his arrest. On November 17, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Wilfredo Ortiz pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on March 9, 2026, was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment. This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.


title: Port Charlotte Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Tyler Kuhn (30, Port Charlotte) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven to 24 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. Kuhn pleaded guilty in December 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, in October 2019, Kuhn engaged in an online conversation with another individual. During the conversation, Kuhn produced a video and image of child sexual abuse material involving himself and a toddler. Kuhn distributed this video and image over the internet, to the individual to whom he was speaking. This case was investigated by the FBI – Tampa and Houston Field Offices, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures $23,500 Settlement on Behalf of Sioux Falls Child with Disability Denied Opportunity to Sing with Children’s Choir at Foreigner Concert

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that the United States has reached a Settlement Agreement with Counter Productions Inc. to resolve allegations that the company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) when it denied a Sioux Falls student, a member of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir who uses a wheelchair, the opportunity to perform with the classic rock band Foreigner during their August 2024 concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As part of the resolution, Counter Productions, Inc. agreed to pay the impacted family a sum of $23,500. In addition to securing monetary relief, the agreement requires Counter Productions Inc. to adopt new ADA compliance measures, including policies for future performances and ADA compliance training for its employees. Title III of the ADA prohibits places open to the public (such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, and stores) from discriminating against people based on a disability, or their association with someone with a disability, in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods or services offered. This agreement resolves allegations that staff with Counter Productions, Inc. refused to make reasonable accommodations for a member of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir who required the use of a wheelchair that would have allowed her to sing along with her friends as part of a special song that Foreigner had planned for the concert. The production company claimed that the concert staging area was too hazardous to permit her participation, despite various options proposed by staff at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, members of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir, and the parents of the child. As a result, the child and her family were not allowed to be part of the event. “I want to make clear that the band Foreigner was not responsible for this unfortunate situation and none of its members were even aware it was happening,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “This was a decision by the production company, and I’m glad it has agreed to this resolution. Most importantly, we are delighted that the Bauman family is now able to put this matter behind them. We have been so impressed by the courage and determination of this young woman, for whom a bright future awaits.” “We are grateful to the DOJ for its persistence in pursuing this Americans with Disabilities Act case to the point of an agreeable settlement,” said Christa Bauman, on behalf of her daughter and the rest of her the family. “We hope this case helps other people who live with a disability to feel seen, heard, valued and empowered to stand up for themselves.” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Weyer and Sharla Svennes investigated the underlying complaint and negotiated this resolution in collaboration with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The claims resolved through the Settlement Agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. The ADA was passed on July 26, 1990, over 35 years ago. The Act reaffirmed our nation’s continued commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the right to live, work, and fully participate in the community alongside their fellow citizens. More information about the ADA is available at the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (833)-610-1264 (TTY) and via the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov . ADA complaints may be filed by email to ada.complaint@usdoj.gov .


title: Lehigh County Man Who Defrauded Victims of Nearly $2 Million Sentenced to Prison

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Chinedu Ekuma, 45, of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and $1,751,968 in restitution by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher yesterday for carrying out a scheme that defrauded victims of nearly $2 million through various internet scams. The defendant was charged by information and pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in November of last year. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from about August 2020 through March 2023, Ekuma was part of a scheme to defraud victims and to obtain money and property of these victims by materially false pretenses, representations, and promises. The victims were individuals and businesses that intended to make payments to businesses and individuals for personal and/or business reasons. Several of the victims were led to believe their money was being used for investment opportunities (which turned out to be nonexistent) and several more were victims of romance/friendship scams. Ekuma owned entities called Intelaris Solutions, LLC (“Intelaris Solutions”) and Verge Capital (“Verge Capital”), and opened several bank accounts in the name of these entities. He and others caused the fraud victims to send payments to the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, by falsely representing to the victims that those accounts were associated with the businesses and individuals who the victims intended to pay, when, in fact, the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts were controlled by Ekuma, and Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital had no legitimate relationship with any of the victims. After the fraud proceeds were received into the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, Ekuma transferred most of the fraud proceeds to other co-schemers and retained other amounts of the fraud proceeds for himself. As part of the scheme, the defendant and co-schemers created, or caused the creation of, fraudulent documentation that falsely represented that Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital were entitled to payments from the victims. In total, the scheme resulted in victims losing over $1.75 million and attempted to cause an additional approximately $650,000 in losses. This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber.


title: Jacksonville Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual Activity

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Adeis Jonathan Francis (25, Jacksonville) has been charged by indictment with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Francis faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the indictment and other court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in Jacksonville and Pensacola using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user “Jay” exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised “Jay” that the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay,” who was subsequently identified as Francis, asked the “child” if “she” was ok talking with him, and requested the “child” to send him photos. On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and texted, “I can show you how to have sex ...” Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the “child” in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis boarded a bus in Jacksonville and rode to the vicinity of the “child’s” purported residence, where he was arrested by FBI agents. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Garryowen man sentenced for vehicular death on Crow Indian Reservation

body_text: BILLINGS – A Garryowen man who caused the death of his female passenger in a motor vehicle crash was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said. Cade Cleatus Birdinground, 20, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of involuntary manslaughter. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided. The government alleged in court documents that at approximately 4:30 A.M. on May 18, 2024, police responded to a motor vehicle crash on Highway 384 near Hardin, Montana on the Crow Reservation. There, police located a truck that had gone off the road and was partially submerged in the Big Horn River. Upon recovering the vehicle from the river, police discovered the body of a deceased female on the floorboard in the passenger seat area. Police learned Birdinground had been taken in by neighbors near the scene of the crash. He had the key to the truck in his pocket and was intoxicated. Birdinground’s blood alcohol content was 218 mg/dL at 6:00 a.m., approximately 90 minutes after the crash. Through the investigation, witnesses identified Birdinground as the driver. Police learned Jane Doe was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Witnesses reported Birdinground was driving recklessly and crashed the truck. The Montana Highway Patrol conducted a crash investigation and confirmed the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road and crashed down an 18-foot embankment into the river. An autopsy revealed Jane Doe’s cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was an accident related to being a passenger in a motor vehicle collision into a river. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The BIA, FBI, Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Mexican National With Multiple Felony Convictions Charged For Illegally Reentering The United States

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national who has multiple drug-related felony convictions made his initial court appearance Thursday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country. Elvin Francisco De La Rosa-Alvarez is charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe. According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, De La Rosa-Alvarez is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported on June 13, 2013, and reentered the United States illegally. On February 25, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Team took De La Rosa-Alvarez into custody after he was encountered in Las Vegas, Nevada. De La Rosa-Alvarez has two separate drug trafficking convictions from 2010, one from Mineral County, Nevada and a second from Clark County, Nevada. De La Rosa-Alvarez was also convicted in 2022 in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada, for Conspiracy to Violate Uniform Controlled Substance Act, and High-Level Possession of Controlled Substance. On February 9, 2022, De La Rosa-Alvarez was sentenced to 24 to 60 months in custody and ordered to self-surrender on February 11, 2022. De La Rosa-Alvarez failed to surrender and there is an active warrant for his arrest in that case. If convicted, De La Rosa-Alvarez faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Acting Field Office Director Ruben Levya made the announcement. The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case. Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form . 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. A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ###


title: Hillsborough County High School Teacher Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Firearms to Trinidad-Based Transnational Criminal Organization

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Shannon Nicole Samlalsingh (47, Temple Terrace) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to make false statements to a firearms dealer. The court also ordered Samlalsingh to forfeit the firearms purchased as a result of the offense. Samlalsingh pleaded guilty on June 20, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Samlalsingh, then a Hillsborough County high school teacher, bought seven firearms for a Trinidad-based transnational criminal organization. Samlalsingh falsely stated on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms that those firearms were for her. In actuality, Samlalsingh gave the firearms to members of the transnational criminal organization. Those individuals then smuggled the firearms into Trinidad. On April 21, 2022, Trinidad authorities seized a shipment from the United States containing two punching bags and other goods at Piarco International Airport. Concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes. Samlalsingh had purchased four of the seized firearms: a SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Ruger-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Attaché, Caribbean, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transnational Organized Crime Unit and Special Investigations Unit), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.