title: ZACHARY MAN SENTENCED TO 175 MONTHS IN  FEDERAL PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

component: USAO - Louisiana, Middle

body_text: United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Thomas Mills V, age 59, of Zachary, Louisiana, to 175 months in federal prison following his conviction for possession of child pornography. A jury trial had commenced before Mills entered his guilty plea. The Court further sentenced Mills to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment. In addition to the term of imprisonment, the Court imposed restitution in the amount of $45,000 and ordered him to register as a sex offender upon his release. According to admissions made during his plea, on or about October 22, 2018, officers with the Zachary Police Department were dispatched to an area on Highway 19 in reference to a suspicious vehicle. An anonymous caller advised that an unknown male was parked in an alley behind a party store. Upon arrival, officers approached the entrance of the alleyway and encountered Mills, who was the driver and sole occupant of a 2008 Honda Fit. Mills exited the vehicle and initially told officers that he was cleaning his car behind the buildings. He then advised he was using the internet to send emails. Mills presented officers with his Louisiana driver’s license, which indicated that he was a resident of Baton Rouge and a registered sex offender. Because Mills initially told officers that he lived in Zachary but was registered as a sex offender in Baton Rouge, officers believed that he was possibly in violation of state sex offender registration laws. Mills was observed acting nervously when speaking with the officers. Despite officers requesting him to remain in front of one of the patrol vehicles as they attempted to verify his information, Mills was observed moving towards his vehicle and was ordered to return to the front of the patrol unit on three separate occasions. While officers were questioning him about the address discrepancy, they approached his vehicle and observed a laptop computer in plain view on the driver’s side floorboard and a USB storage device on the front passenger seat. Officers initiated a criminal history check on Mills, which revealed he had a previous federal felony conviction for possession of child pornography in 2012. After learning this information, Mills was asked if he was on probation. He responded affirmatively, identified his probation officer and provided their contact information. Officers also verified that the 2008 Honda Fit was registered to Mills. While on scene, officers contacted the probation officer and learned that Mills was in violation of his conditions of supervised release by possessing a computer and computer components such as USB storage devices. The probation officer requested that officers seize the electronic devices in his possession. After securing Mills inside of the unit, officers recovered approximately nineteen electronic devices from his vehicle. The nineteen devices seized from Mills were sent to a forensic examiner with U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services for forensic analysis. The analysis revealed approximately 1,325 pictures and 6 videos depicting child exploitation images. In 2013, Mills was sentenced to 62 months of imprisonment for his 2012 conviction for possession of child pornography. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, Zachary Police Department, and U.S. Probation and Parole, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eli J. Abad. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSC .


title: GEORGIA WOMAN SENTENCED TO AN ADDITIONAL  TWELVE MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON AFTER FAILING  TO SURRENDER FOR SERVICE OF SENTENCE

body_text: United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Thanh Hoa Thi Bui, also known as Xena Bui, age 43, formerly of Valdosta, Georgia, to serve an additional twelve months in federal prison following her conviction for failing to surrender for service of a previously-imposed federal sentence. The Court further sentenced Bui to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment. Bui was previously convicted in 2024 of wire fraud and making unlawful monetary transactions. In that case, she was found to have embezzled more than $1.6 million from her employer, a small business located on North Sherwood Forest Drive in Baton Rouge, where she worked as a bookkeeper. Over a three-year period from September 2017 through November 2020, Bui used her access to the company’s bank account to make hundreds of fraudulent transactions, which she used (among other things) to pay the electricity and gas for a large chicken farm that she maintained in Mississippi and to make payments to a company in Covington, Louisiana, to which she owed money for real estate that she had purchased. Bui took extensive steps to conceal her scheme, and as she obtained proceeds from the scheme, she would quickly move the funds through her bank accounts, withdraw the funds in cash, and make other transactions, including at local casinos. The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, with valuable assistance from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana State Police. U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Bui in November 2024 to serve 63 months in federal prison and to pay restitution of approximately $1.69 million to her victim. At the time of her sentencing, she was not in custody. Based on representations made by Bui to the Court regarding her health, the Court allowed her to remain released, subject to the existing conditions, but ordered her to surrender to the United States Bureau of Prisons to begin serving her sentence before 2:00 p.m. on February 10, 2025. When Bui did not report to prison as ordered, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) immediately initiated an investigation into her whereabouts. On February 26, 2025, she was charged in a criminal complaint with failing to surrender for service of her sentence. On March 20, 2025, the USMS located Bui at a casino and hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and arrested her. A few days later, she was charged in an indictment with failure to surrender. In September 2025, Bui pled guilty to the new charge, and the sentence imposed today, by law, will run consecutive to the existing 63-month federal prison sentence from the previous case. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alan A. Stevens, who also serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.


title: Nine Illegal Aliens Charged with Immigration Related Criminal Offenses in the Southern District of Florida

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones announced today that a federal grand jury in Miami has separately charged nine illegal aliens with various immigration related criminal offenses. Lazaro Gaddiel Flores-Arita , 24, of Honduras, was indicted after he was apprehended on Jan. 20 in Monroe County for allegedly possessing a firearm and ammunition as an unlawful alien (Case No. 26-cr-10003). If convicted, Flores-Arita faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Medinel Joseph , 28, of Haiti, was charged by information with attempted illegal entry into the U.S. after coming ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 (Case No. 26-cr-20038). If convicted, Joseph faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison. According to the indictments, the following defendants are charged with unlawfully reentering or attempting to reenter the U.S. after prior removals: Wendy Esmeralda Ponce-Hernandez , 30, of El Salvador, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2020 (Case No. 26-cr-20046); Yolander Ceeald Bish , 27, of Jamaica, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2025 (Case No. 26-cr-20045); Jean Woodley Franezy , 25, of Jamaica, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2022 (Case No. 26-cr-20044); Guillermina Carolina Pimentel Lara , 30, of the Dominican Republic, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2023 (Case No. 26-cr-20042); Sandro Boror-Rivera , 51, of Guatemala, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2009 and 2020 (Case No. 26-cr-20034); Juan Carlos Rafael Avila , 36, of Mexico, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2022 (Case No. 26-cr-20032); and Rafael Corona-Mendez , 46, of Mexico, was found in Miami-Dade County in December 2025 after being deported in 2012 (Case No. 26-cr-20033). Illegal reentry after deportation carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Corona-Mendez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison based on prior convictions, qualifying him for an increased maximum sentence. Rafael Avila and Boror-Rivera each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison based on allegations of prior aggravated convictions, qualifying for an increased maximum sentence. The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. The cases are being prosecuted by the newly formed Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats. BICE Deputy Chief Yvonne Rodriguez-Schack, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson Dering, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Roca Shaw, Tanner Stiehl, Vanessa Terrades, and Jeffrey Pierce are prosecuting the cases. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov . ###


title: Antero Resources Corporation Agrees to Settlement to Reduce Health Harming Emissions in West Virginia and Ohio

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) announced a proposed settlement with Antero Resources Corporation resolving alleged Clean Air Act and West Virginia Air Pollution Control violations involving the company’s oil and gas production operations in West Virginia and Ohio. Under the proposed consent decree, Antero will undertake various projects to assess, modify, and improve monitoring and maintenance of vapor control systems at 242 of its oil and gas production facilities located in West Virginia and Ohio. These compliance projects, estimated to cost approximately $5.8 million, will result in a reduction of more than 1,100 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions annually. Antero agreed to pay a $3.8 million civil penalty, divided between the United States and the state of West Virginia, a co-plaintiff in this case. “Today’s settlement demonstrates the Justice Department’s renewed commitment to common-sense, even-handed enforcement of the Clean Air Act,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “I applaud Antero for taking responsibility to settle these important claims in a way that promotes the public interest and secures cleaner air.” “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia is proud to have partnered with the State of West Virginia in reaching this settlement,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey for the Northern District of West Virginia. “This settlement exemplifies how a reasonable application of the Clean Air Act can benefit the citizens of West Virginia without posing an undue burden on continued oil and natural gas production.” “This settlement demonstrates how coordinated enforcement among state and federal partners promotes accountability, reduces harmful emissions, and delivers meaningful environmental results,” said WVDEP Secretary Harold Ward. “The WVDEP and its Division of Air Quality thank everyone involved and are proud to finalize an agreement that brings cleaner air directly to West Virginians through the measures established today.” This settlement resolves Antero’s failure to comply with federal and state requirements to capture and control air emissions from oil and gas production facilities in West Virginia and Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WVDEP identified the alleged violations through field investigations conducted in 2017 and 2019. As a result of these violations, Antero released VOCs into the air instead of capturing and controlling the emissions using specially designed equipment. Under the settlement, Antero will take the necessary steps to ensure that its systems to control pollutants from atmospheric storage tanks are adequately designed and properly operated and maintained. Antero’s selected compliance plan includes an innovative automated response when the required tank pressure or combustion control device pilot monitor indicates that there may have been a release of VOCs into the atmosphere. The response system includes an alert to company representatives and temporarily ceases production operations associated with the over-pressured tank or unlit combustion control device. Once the pressure level falls back to normal or when the combustion control device is relit, production will restart. The settlement also requires a third party to verify Antero’s compliance with the agreement. These actions will significantly reduce harmful emissions from the company’s oil and gas operations. Antero is also undertaking two VOC emission reduction projects to mitigate the environmental and public health harm attributable to their violations. First, it will permanently plug and remediate orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells in West Virginia as part of a $1.5 million project conducted over a period of three years. Second, it will enhance its well unloading operations so that gas that is periodically vented into the atmosphere can be recovered or routed to a control device. Antero Resources Corporation is a publicly traded company headquartered in Denver and engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of natural gas, natural gas liquids, and oil properties in the Appalachian Basin. It holds more than 500,000 acres of natural gas, natural gas liquids, and oil properties in this area, primarily in the Marcellus and Utica Shales. The consent decree was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and is subject to a 30-day comment period. The complaint and the proposed consent decree are available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees . Attorneys with ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia are handling this matter.


title: Fruitland man sentenced for assault

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Fruitland man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for an assault that left the victim with severe injuries. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court records, on May 6, 2025, Kyle Kee , 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, intentionally struck the victim with his fists. As a result, the victim suffered an orbital floor fracture, nasal bone fractures, and facial disfigurement. Kee pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon his release from prison, Kee will be subject to three years of supervised release. 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 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 Aaron Jordan is prosecuting the case.


title: Colombian Transnational Robbery Crew Member Pleads Guilty to $5 Million Dollar Organized Jewelry Theft Ring in Miami

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew in Miami pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a series of robberies of and thefts from jewelry couriers that targeted high-end retailers and resulted in losses exceeding $5 million dollars. Defendant Leroy Ortega, also known as “El Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants indicted as part of an operation against South American theft groups operating in the Southern District of Florida. The 11 defendants were each convicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation of a Colombian South American Theft Group targeting jewelry salespersons in South Florida and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in three indictments and an information that charged robberies and money laundering activity from September 2019 to July 2021. “This transnational theft crew came to the United States to steal from American businesses and preyed upon unsuspecting, hard-working citizens who were just trying to do their jobs as jewelry couriers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Leroy Ortega played an integral role with other already convicted defendants to execute sophisticated, high-value robberies that caused millions of dollars in losses. The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute organized theft networks and hold to account those individuals who participated in them at all levels.” “These defendants operated as part of a coordinated South American theft group that targeted hardworking jewelry couriers and sales professionals transporting high-value diamonds, watches, and other merchandise,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They followed their victims from jewelry exchanges, used fraudulent identification to rent vehicles, and relied on force and violence to steal valuable inventory. Those who commit organized robberies in South Florida will face federal prosecution and significant prison time. We will continue dismantling theft crews that threaten the safety of our community and the integrity of our marketplace.” “Eliminating these brazen South American Theft Groups reinforces the FBI’s mission of ensuring public safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “With our hardworking special agents, analysts, and professional staff triaging leads and sharing threat intelligence with law enforcement partners around the world, we’ve been able to efficiently and effectively disrupt these criminal groups.” According to court documents, Ortega was part of a group that forcefully took jewelry and other property from victims they believed were in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida. To commit the robberies, defendants rented vehicles using false identification documents to follow jewelry salespersons from the International Jewelry Exchanges or the Seybold Jewelry Building. They would then rob victims of the jewelry that they were transporting, sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure victims’ compliance. Ortega admitted that he committed two robberies. On Oct. 16, 2019, Ortega and his co-defendants identified a person they believed was carrying a case of jewelry. In fact, the victim was not a jewelry courier but rather a professional photographer who had been photographing jewelry. Following the victim to a shopping center, co-defendant Allan Lucas, 33, of Miami, pushed the photographer and Ortega grabbed the photographer’s case, which contained photography equipment and a computer. The photographer chased Ortega and Lucas to their get-away car. When the photographer tried to open the car door to get his case back, Ortega reversed the car, causing injury as the photographer was thrown to the ground. Then, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and his co-conspirators, including defendants Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, and Edwin Castillo, 45, of Pembroke Pines, robbed a jewelry salesman of approximately $125,000 of assorted jewelry. Ortega and his co-conspirators followed the salesman to his business in Miami Beach. As the salesman sat in the vehicle, Ortega approached and smashed the salesman’s windows while another co-conspirator took the salesman’s backpack containing the jewelry. When the salesman tried to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the salesman’s door shut trapping him inside the vehicle. To conduct the robbery, defendant Carlos Morales, 47, of Miami rented a vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license. Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Defendants convicted under this Operation, in addition to Ortega, include: Allan Lucas, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison; Diana Grisales Basto, 41, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 97 months in prison; Carlos Morales, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; Giovanni Cardenas, also known as“El Mono,” 40, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 110 months in prison; Andres Barahona Poveda, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison; Edwin Castillo, who was sentenced to 108 months in prison; Demian Gonzalez Contreras, 30, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 74 months in prison; Victor Fabian Valenzuela, 39, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison; Hernando Rodriguez Mahecha, also known as “Nando,” 42, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; and Mark Simon, 57, of New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison. The FBI Tampa Field Office is leading the investigation of the case with valuable assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami Beach Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office, Boynton Beach Police Department, Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Jewelry Security Alliance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance. Trial Attorneys Lakeita F. Rox-Love and Christopher D. Usher II of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Career Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison  for Trafficking Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man with an extensive criminal history who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced February 12, 2026, to 19 years in federal prison. Otis Lamont Foy, Jr., age 29, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 17, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine after having been convicted of a serious drug felony. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that between February and April 2025, Foy and others distributed over three pounds of methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area. An individual cooperating with law enforcement made multiple methamphetamine purchases from Foy. Law enforcement officers searched Foy’s residence and found marijuana, cash, and drug paraphernalia. Foy was a career offender, who had previously been convicted in 2016 of felony domestic abuse assault impeding normal breathing or circulation of blood, and in 2020 of felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Foy was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Foy was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Foy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-03016. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Indian National Pleads Guilty To Plotting To Assassinate U.S. Citizen In New York City

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Roman Rozhavsky, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Terrance C. Cole, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced that NIKHIL GUPTA, a/k/a “Nick,” an Indian national, pled guilty to all three counts contained in the Second Superseding Indictment, charging him with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder a U.S. citizen in New York City. GUPTA pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29, 2026. “Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “He thought that from outside this country he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice. Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people.” “Nikhil Gupta was a key participant in a murder-for-hire plot against a U.S. citizen, a murder that was prevented thanks to the actions of U.S. law enforcement,” said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky. “The U.S. citizen became a target of transnational repression solely for exercising their freedom of speech. The message from the FBI should be clear—no matter where you are located if you try to harm our citizens we will not stop until you are brought to justice.” “It is often a slippery and dangerous slope from drug trafficking to deadly violence, as demonstrated by the murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by international narcotics and weapons trafficker Nikhil Gupta,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “This case is a stark reminder of the ruthless lengths criminals will go to in order to further their illegal enterprises. I commend the men and women of DEA’s New York Task Force Division for their outstanding investigative work successfully foiling Gupta’s assassination plot. Let there be no doubt: DEA remains steadfast in its mission to protect America. We will continue to leverage our superior investigative expertise and unmatched intelligence capabilities to dismantle the drug trafficking networks that threaten our safety and well-being of our communities.” “At the direction and coordination of an Indian government employee, Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a United States citizen on American soil, facilitating a foreign adversary’s unlawful effort to silence a vocal critic of the Indian government,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI will continue to aggressively defend the homeland against any foreign adversaries who target our citizens for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.” According to the allegations contained in the Second Superseding Indictment, other public court documents, and statements made in court: In or about 2023, GUPTA worked together with others in India and elsewhere, including, as alleged in the Second Superseding Indictment, co-defendant VIKASH YADAV, who was at relevant times an Indian government employee, to plot the assassination of an attorney and political activist (the “Victim”) on U.S. soil. [1] The Victim, who is a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a U.S.-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India. The Victim has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the Victim and his separatist organization from India. GUPTA is a citizen and was a resident of India, and he has described himself as an international narcotics and weapons trafficker in electronic communications with YADAV and others. YADAV was employed by the Government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. In or about May 2023, YADAV recruited GUPTA to orchestrate the assassination of the Victim in the United States. At YADAV’s direction, GUPTA contacted an individual whom GUPTA believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA (the “CS”), for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the Victim in New York City. The CS introduced GUPTA to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the “UC”). YADAV subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by GUPTA, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the Victim. On or about June 9, 2023, YADAV and GUPTA arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, YADAV provided GUPTA with personal information about the Victim, including the Victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the Victim, and details about the Victim’s day-to-day conduct, which GUPTA then passed to the UC. GUPTA thereafter provided YADAV with regular updates on the assassination plot, including surveillance photographs of the Victim. GUPTA directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but GUPTA also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin on or about June 20, 2023. On or about June 18, 2023, approximately two days before the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar was an associate of the Victim, and, like the Victim, was a leader of the Sikh separatist movement and an outspoken critic of the Indian government. On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, GUPTA told the UC that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.” GUPTA also added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was “now no need to wait” on killing the Victim. On June 30, 2023, GUPTA was arrested in the Czech Republic and subsequently extradited to the United States. * * * GUPTA, 54 of India, pled guilty to murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s New York Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s New York Field Office. Mr. Clayton also thanked the DEA’s Special Operations Division, the DEA’s Vienna Country Office, the FBI’s Prague Country Office, the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and the Czech Republic’s National Drug Headquarters for their assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Czech authorities to secure the arrest and June 2024 extradition of Gupta. This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit, Violent Organizations and Crime Unit, and Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexander Li are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and A.J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. [1] YADAV has been charged in the Second Superseding Indictment but has not yet been arrested in connection with those charges.


title: Serial Burglar Gets 80 Months in Prison for Multiple Burglaries  in 2025

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Vernon Daniels, 60, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today, to 80 months in prison, on charges stemming from the burglaries of multiple organizations in Northwest, from February until April 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro. Daniels pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary and one count of attempted second-degree burglary in Superior Court on August 29, 2025. The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced Daniels to the prison term to be followed by three years of supervised release. According to the government’s evidence, on April 1, 2025, at approximately 8:21 p.m., Daniels entered through the garage of Monument Advocacy, located at 975 F Street Northwest. After gaining access to the building, Daniels stole three laptops and other property valued at approximately $6,857 before exiting the building. Furthermore, on April 6, 2025, Daniels entered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, located at 1722 I Street Northwest, at approximately 11:30 a.m. Once inside, the Defendant stole two laptops. Surveillance showed the Defendant fleeing the scene. Police recovered a latent fingerprint that matched the Defendant’s from the scene. Daniels previously was convicted of burglaries in 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2016, and 2022. Daniels was arrested on June 11, 2025, and has been in custody since. Joining in the announcement was Inspector General Cheryl L. Mason of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Inspector General Mason commended those who investigated the case from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged Assistant United States Attorney Emmanuel Hampton, who prosecuted the case. 2025 CF3 006539; 2025 CF3 006541


title: Jamaican citizen pleads guilty to wire fraud for sweepstake scam that defrauded elderly victim of more than $550,000

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Tacoma – A Jamaican citizen pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to wire fraud for his lottery scheme that cost an elderly victim more than $550,000, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, was arrested in Jamaica on August 21, 2025, and arrived in the Western District of Washington for arraignment on October 23, 2025. Carty will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright on May 14, 2026. According to records filed in the case, Carty first contacted the 73-year-old Vancouver, Washington victim in 2020. He posed as an employee of Publisher’s Clearinghouse and claimed the victim won $22 million and a car in the lottery, but that she needed to pay taxes and fees to access her winnings. He convinced the victim that the FBI was recording the call and told her she was not to tell anyone about the big win. Between August 2020 and February 2024, he convinced the victim to send more than $550,000 to various money couriers throughout the United States, who ultimately sent the money to Carty in Jamaica. Carty’s requests for cash started small and grew over time. He had the victim remove small amounts of cash from her accounts and send them to a U.S. location via FedEx. Carty told the victim the money was lost or stolen and demanded more. Carty told the victim to borrow against her home so she could send more money. Carty convinced the victim to sell her home to cover additional “costs and fees” to claim her prize. In all, Carty stole more than $550,000 from the victim by having her mail the money to various couriers in the U.S. Carty was relentless in contacting the victim using various phone numbers and texting programs. He contacted her thousands of times throughout the fraud. When she tried to cut off contact, he tried sending tow trucks, and pizza deliveries, and asked her landlord for a welfare check to try to get back in touch with the victim. Carty was indicted in November 2024. Following his August 2025 arrest in Jamaica, Carty consented to extradition to the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica has a page devoted to lottery scams based in that country. Find it here . The bottom line: You never should pay to receive a prize and any request for advance fees is a scam. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 41 months in prison and the defense is free to recommend any sentence. Judge Cartwright is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law. The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Watts Staniar and David T. Martin. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Carty.


title: Bahamian National Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Kenthen Lavardo Swain (26, The Bahamas) was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry by an aggravated felon. Swain previously pled guilty on November 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Swain is a citizen and national of The Bahamas. On or about May 26, 2025, Swain was found by immigration authorities in the Manatee County Jail following an arrest for battery on a law enforcement officer. Prior to being found, Swain had been removed from the United States on three prior occasions and had not received permission to reenter the United States. Swain has previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including for possessing controlled substances with intent to sell. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang. 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: Western District of Texas Federal Prosecutors File 255 New Immigration Cases

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 255 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sexual assault, violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals. Among the new cases, Mexican national Luis Soto-Leyva attempted to enter the United States through the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry (POE) in El Paso on Oct. 1, 2024. That encounter led him to an improper entry conviction. Soto-Leyva was detained again in February 2026, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers observed him crossing the U.S.-Mexico border west of the Paso Del Norte POE. A criminal complaint alleges that Soto-Leyva stated he had been an alien smuggler for approximately four years, making an average of $1,000 to $3,000 per week. He is now charged with one count of alien smuggling and one count of illegal re-entry. Brenda Nina Sanchez-Felix , who maintains a Lawful Permanent Resident Card, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents after agents located her pickup truck pulled over with a flat tire on TX-20. The maroon vehicle allegedly matched what a camera had captured near suspected alien activity eight miles west of the Tornillo POE. A criminal complaint alleges that agents noticed fresh wet mud on the trim of the vehicle door and several muddy footprints leading away from vehicle, leading the agents to discover nine individuals hiding in the brush. Eight of the individuals stated they were in the U.S. illegally, while one stated he was a U.S. citizen. In September 2025, Sanchez-Felix was convicted of alien smuggling and sentenced to two years of probation. Convicted felon Marco Antonio De La Vega-Macias , a Mexican national, was found approximately half a mile west of the Bridge of the Americas POE in El Paso on Feb. 9. He was removed from the U.S. for the fourth time on Sept. 29, 2023, following his second illegal re-entry conviction. De La Vega-Macias has a prior conviction for engaging in sexual contact with a minor and multiple theft charges. In San Antonio, Mexican national Abraham Hermilindo Gallegos-Mendez was charged with one count of alien in possession of a firearm. On Feb. 9, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers conducted a traffic stop on a sedan. A criminal complaint alleges Gallegos-Mendez exited the front passenger door of the vehicle and ran. The troopers apprehended him a short distance from the initial stop and conducted a search of the front passenger area where Gallegos-Mendez had allegedly been sitting in the vehicle. The complaint alleges that the troopers located a blue jacket containing a loaded 9mm handgun. Mexican national Leonel Nazario Ramos-Guerrero was arrested near Maverick on Feb. 7 and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently deported for the seventh time on Oct. 29, 2025. His criminal record includes illegal re-entry, two convictions for assault causing bodily injury, assault on a law enforcement officer, and resisting an officer. Zeferino Turrubiates-Ramos , also a Mexican national, was arrested near Val Verde on Feb. 8 and charged with illegal re-entry. He was recently deported on Nov. 17, 2025—also for the seventh time. He was convicted in 2017 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and in 2018 for illegal re-entry. In 2021, he was found to have violated previously imposed conditions of probation. Mexican national Ruben Villela Briones was taken into ICE custody on Feb. 6, after serving two years in the Travis County Jail for a stalking conviction. Briones has been previously removed from the U.S. three times with three additional voluntary returns. His criminal record also includes two assault convictions, resisting arrest, and illegal re-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: Providence Man Arrested for Transporting Child Pornography

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Providence man arrested and charged for allegedly transporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mark Huynn, 39, of Providence, R.I., was charged by criminal complaint with one count of transporting child pornography. Huynh was arrested on Feb. 12, 2026, and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later that day. According to the charging documents, in 2025, Huynh was arrested at Boston Logan Airport entering the country with an active arrest warrant out of Rhode Island. Searches of Huynh’s electronic devices at the airport revealed multiple files consistent with CSAM. The charge of transporting child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit in Boston is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former Hulbert Schools Encumbrance Clerk Sentenced For Theft Of Federal Funds

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rebecca Deanne Morehead, age 55, of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, was sentenced to twelve months and one day in prison for one count of Theft or Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds. The Court also ordered Morehead to pay $178,758.16 in restitution. The charge arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Education – Office of Inspector General (OIG). On November 21, 2024, Morehead pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, between June of 2019 and October 26, 2021, while serving as the Encumbrance Clerk and Activities Coordinator for the Hulbert Public School District, Morehead issued herself payroll and miscellaneous payments to in excess of her contracted and authorized salary with no legitimate purpose. Morehead issued these payments with the assistance of then-Treasurer Leslie Shannon Mack. Together, their combined actions resulted in an ultimate loss to the Hulbert Public School District exceeding a half million dollars. On December 11, 2024, Mack was sentenced to twelve months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $372,808.09 in restitution. “I’m proud of the work of OIG Special Agents and our law enforcement partners for holding Ms. Morehead accountable for her criminal actions,” said John Woolley, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Central Regional Office. “This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who intentionally steals or misappropriates Federal education funds: you will be caught and held accountable for your unlawful actions.” “The OSBI appreciates the great work conducted by the United States Department of Education, as well as our local law enforcement partners, who assisted us throughout this investigation. Protecting our school districts against these type of crimes is critical across all of Oklahoma. We want to thank everyone who stepped up and helped obtain justice in this case,” said Hunter McKee, Public Information Manager with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. “The defendants’ misappropriation of public funding stole opportunity out of the pockets of students and families of the Hulbert Public School District,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “This sentence and restitution stand as a warning that crimes against the public trust will be investigated and prosecuted.” The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Morehead will self-report on March 13, 2026, to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Traster and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Staubus represented the United States.


title: New Castle Man Involved in Puerto Rico-Sourced Cocaine Trafficking Operation Pleads Guilty to Narcotics and Firearm Charges

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and firearm laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Daniel Feliciano, 49, pleaded guilty to six counts before Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab on February 12, 2026. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between October 2022 and March 2024, Feliciano conspired with others to distribute cocaine throughout Western Pennsylvania, specifically in the New Castle area. In addition to the conspiracy charge, Feliciano pleaded guilty to distributing and/or possessing with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine on three different dates, as well as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes. On March 14, 2024, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Feliciano’s New Castle residence, where they seized approximately 150 grams of cocaine and cocaine base in the form commonly known as crack, multiple digital scales that contained or later tested positive for cocaine residue, an assortment of drug packaging materials, nearly $2,000 in cash, three cell phones, three firearms, and various calibers and quantities of ammunition and loaded and unloaded magazines that totaled more than 2,400 rounds. The firearms included two 9mm semi-automatic pistols—one loaded with approximately 10 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber, and that was accompanied by a similarly loaded second magazine, and the second firearm loaded with a magazine capable of holding approximately 31 rounds of ammunition and containing 14 rounds—and a .40 semi-automatic pistol that contained 13 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber, that was accompanied by three magazines, each loaded with between 12 and 18 rounds. Investigators determined that Feliciano possessed these firearms to protect his product, his profits, and his person in relation to his drug trafficking crimes. Feliciano was convicted in 2002 of an aggravated assault felony in Puerto Rico, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. Feliciano was one of 17 defendants from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania; Puerto Rico; and Youngstown, Ohio, indicted in March 2024 in this case, which saw members of the conspiracy transporting drugs from Puerto Rico to Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere for distribution (read the Indictment news release here ). Feliciano was the last of the defendants to plead guilty. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Lawrence County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Drug Task Force, and United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation in this case, with significant assistance from the New Castle Police Department, Ellwood City Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and United States Department of Agriculture. Lawrence County is one of six Western Pennsylvania counties officially designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. The county received its HIDTA designation in July 2022, allowing it to receive dedicated federal resources to coordinate federal, state, and local governments in fighting drug trafficking and abuse. 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.


title: DEA Supervisor Arrested and Charged in Bribery Conspiracy and Visa Fraud

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Meliton Cordero, a Supervisory Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, was arrested yesterday in Washington D.C. and charged in a complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in connection with his role in a bribery and U.S. visa fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “This individual was entrusted by the American people to faithfully execute his duties and represent the American Government abroad as a leader within the DEA,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Instead, he is alleged to have broken the law, squandered this special trust and undercut the President’s immigration priorities. This behavior by any government official is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” Cordero, 47, has been assigned for six years to the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. He is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and visa fraud. According to the charging documents, Cordero allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for assisting foreign nationals with securing a nonimmigrant visa which would allow them to visit the U.S. for a temporary period. “The alleged actions do not reflect the thousands of DEA professionals who serve honorably every day dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities at home and abroad,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to professionalism, transparency, and the rule of law.” In one instance described in the charging documents, Cordero met with a foreign national and provided them with a passport and visa allowing travel to the United States in exchange for cash. During his assignment at the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Cordero expedited at least 119 visa applications, at least one of which is alleged to have been fraudulent, often coaching individuals in preparation for their visa interview with U.S. Consular Officers. A complaint is a document that explains the charges against a defendant. The complaint is not evidence of a crime. All defendants in criminal cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations - Newark Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations – Santo Domingo, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 26mj32


title: Mexican National Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Using a Vehicle to Assault, Resist, Oppose, Impede, Intimidate, or Interfere With a Federal Agent

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Cristian Geovanni Rojas Benitez, 37, a Mexican national who overstayed his visa and remained illegally in the United States, was sentenced today to 14 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with an officer of the United States, while using a deadly or dangerous weapon — specifically, a motor vehicle — while the officer was engaged in the performance of official duties. Rojas Benitez was charged by indictment in August of last year and pleaded guilty in October. During his plea hearing, the defendant admitted that he intentionally drove his pickup truck in the direction of a federal agent. As detailed in court filings and statements, on the morning of June 23, 2025, that Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") agent and other federal officers were attempting to locate Rojas Benitez and take him into administrative custody after he had violated conditions of his immigration release, including a 2024 conviction in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas for false identification to law enforcement, operating a vehicle without ignition interlock, knowing and intentional possession of a controlled substance, and driving an unregistered vehicle. Based on information they had received, the federal officers surveilled a residence in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. At approximately 8:30 a.m., a man matching the description and photograph of Rojas Benitez exited the residence and got into a pickup truck. When the defendant started to drive away, the federal officers quickly conducted a vehicle stop. Rojas Benitez did not comply with the federal officers’ commands to get out of the vehicle or roll down his window. During this encounter, the HSI agent moved to the front of the vehicle to maintain visibility of the driver. The law enforcement officers told Rojas Benitez that if he did not comply, his window would be broken, and when Rojas Benitez continued not to comply after multiple warnings, one of the federal officers broke the rear driver’s side window of the truck. The defendant then put the vehicle in drive and drove over the sidewalk in the direction of the HSI agent, who had to push off the truck with his hand and jump out of way to avoid being struck. The defendant also narrowly avoided hitting a passing school bus. Rojas Benitez then fled the state and was ultimately located by the U.S. Marshals Service on July 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 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 case was investigated by HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.


title: Savannah Woman Sentenced to 2 Years Imprisonment for  Defrauding Local Law Firm

body_text: Savannah, GA: A federal judge has ordered a local woman to be confined for 24 months and to pay back nearly $180,000 in restitution after she spent years stealing from her employer. Robin Stell, age 55, of Savannah, GA, was charged in August 2025 with one count of Wire Fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap. On February 13, 2026, following a guilty plea, Stell was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, by the Honorable R. Stan Baker, Chief Judge for the Southern District of Georgia. “This defendant abused the trust placed in her by a local law firm and its clients and betrayed that trust for her own personal benefit,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Crimes like this harm not only the direct victims, but also the public’s confidence in the honesty and integrity of the legal profession. We are committed to holding those who commit such breaches of trust accountable.” According to court documents and in court testimony, Stell was the office manager of a local law firm from 2021 to 2024. During that time, she routinely used company credit cards to make unauthorized purchases for her own use and benefit, to include booking cruises and other vacations, purchasing concert tickets, and spending tens of thousands of dollars on Amazon. In total, Stell defrauded the local firm of nearly $180,000. “When company insiders abuse the trust that their institutions place in them, they will be held accountable,” said Brad Snider, FBI Georgia Supervisory Senior Special Agent who leads the Savannah Resident Agency. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to root out financial fraud.” This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.


title: Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Over 14 Years Imprisonment for Distributing Fentanyl

component: USAO - Georgia, Southern

body_text: STATESBORO, GA: A Toombs County resident with two prior drug trafficking convictions has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl. Frank Jamal Rashad Curry, age 36, of Toombs County, GA, was charged in May 2025 with three counts of distribution of a fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), said U.S Attorney Margaret E. Heap. On February 4, 2026, following a guilty plea, Curry was sentenced to 155 months of imprisonment by the Honorable J. Randal Hall, District Court Judge for the Southern District of Georgia. Curry was sentenced to an additional, consecutive 18 months for committing the crimes while on supervised release. “Fentanyl is a horrific and deadly drug. Holding those who distribute it accountable is profoundly important to keeping our community safe.” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Georgia will continue to prosecute those who profit from this deadly substance.” According to court documents and in court testimony, Curry, who was being supervised by the United States Probation Office for a prior drug-trafficking conviction, distributed pressed fentanyl pills over the course of several months in 2024. “This investigation targeted a repeat drug trafficker who continued distributing fentanyl despite prior convictions and federal supervision,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “By holding Frank Jamal Rashad Curry accountable, we are reinforcing our commitment to stopping the flow of fentanyl into Georgia communities. The GBI will continue working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to investigate and dismantle fentanyl distribution networks.” This case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.


title: Georgia Resident Sentenced for Scheme to Steal from Federal Employees’ Retirement Accounts

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a LaGrange, Georgia woman for her role in a scheme to steal funds from federal employees’ Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) retirement accounts. On February 11, 2026, a federal judge sentenced 31-year-old Tekia Sade Peay to 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Peay previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. There is no parole in the federal system. “This scheme targeted the retirement savings of hardworking employees, including accounts belonging to elderly and deceased individuals,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Exploiting the identity of someone who has passed away is not a victimless crime. Families should be focused on grieving for their loved one, not discovering that their loved one’s identity has been stolen and their retirement savings depleted. These sentences reflect the seriousness of this conduct and our commitment to protecting employees and their families from financial exploitation.” “The sentencing in this case holds the defendant accountable for orchestrating an account takeover scheme that targeted elderly and deceased Thrift Savings Plan annuitants,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Scalzo, of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Electronic Crimes Unit. “The FDIC OIG will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who target our Nation’s most vulnerable, and threaten to undermine the integrity of our Nation’s financial system.” “This sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to holding accountable those who use their positions of trust to steal other people’s hard-earned money to line their own pockets,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division. “We work with our partner agencies every day to identify and bring to justice those who fraudulently access government systems.” According to court records, in August 2023, the FBI received information regarding fraudulent TSP transactions conducted by an individual identified as Tekia Peay, who was employed by a company that provided recordkeeping services for the TSP. An investigation revealed that Tekia Peay exploited her knowledge of TSP call center procedures to gain unauthorized access to victims’ online TSP accounts. Using account holders’ personal identifying information, Tekia Peay established online access to accounts without the owner’s knowledge or consent, including accounts belonging to elderly and deceased individuals. After establishing and verifying online access using the victims’ personal identifying information, Tekia and a co-conspirator made unauthorized changes to the accounts and requested disbursements. The fraudulently obtained funds were deposited into bank accounts controlled by Peay. Throughout the course of the scheme, Peay attempted to steal a total of $76,544.03 from TSP account holders but ultimately succeeded in obtaining $21,508.32. In addition to her term of imprisonment, the court ordered Peay to pay $21,508.32 in restitution to the recordkeeping company that formerly employed her, as the company had previously reimbursed the TSP account holders for their losses. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General’s Electronic Crimes Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle R. Turner and Megan A. Kirkpatrick prosecuted the case.


title: Miami Man Charged in Connection with Grandparent Scam and Failure to Appear

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on January 23, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Otmane Khalladi, 33, of Miami, Florida, with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to launder monetary instruments, and failure to appear. Khalladi entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on Friday, February 13, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Khalladi be detained during the pendency of this matter. According to court records, Khalladi is alleged to have participated in a conspiracy involving a “grandparent scam” and is further alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of that scam. He was initially arrested in Miami, Florida, in April 2023, and was released on a $100,000 bond. Khalladi failed to appear for a court hearing in December 2024, and was detained in Mexico by Mexican immigration authorities and removed to the United States. The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Khalladi is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Khalladi faces up to 60 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors. First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, as well as Customs and Border Protection, and recognized the contributions of the FBI in assisting with locating Khalladi in Mexico. The prosecutors are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nate Burris and Michelle Arra. Khalladi is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth. 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 Vermont comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Diplomatic Security Services, the Internal Revenue Services-Criminal Investigation, and state and local partner agencies, with prosecutions being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.


title: Virginia company, owner, and senior employee sentenced for illegally exporting millions of dollars of U.S. technology to Russia

component: National Security Division (NSD)

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eleview International Inc., Oleg Nayandin, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, of Vienna, Virginia, were sentenced today for conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act. According to court records, between approximately February 2022 and June 2023, Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company that operated a freight consolidation and forwarding business; Nayandin, the owner, president, and CEO of Eleview; and Borisenko, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of Eleview’s freight forwarding business, conspired to illegally export goods and technology from the United States to Russia by transshipping them through three countries bordering or near Russia. Eleview, Nayandin, and Borisenko operated an e-commerce website that allowed Russian customers to order U.S. goods and technology directly from U.S. retailers, who shipped the items to Eleview’s warehouse in Chantilly. They then consolidated the packages before shipping them to the Russian customers, often using other freight forwarders as intermediaries. After the Department of Commerce imposed stricter export controls in response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nayandin and Borisenko, on behalf of Eleview, coordinated shipments of items to purported end users in Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan that were ultimately destined for end users in Russia. To facilitate these illegal exports, they made numerous false statements to other freight forwarders about the end users and ultimate consignees of the items in these shipments. In the Turkey scheme, Eleview exported 23 shipments of telecommunications equipment to a false end user in Turkey that was intended for a Russian telecommunications company that supplied the Russian government, including the Federal Security Service. The telecommunications equipment that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Turkey scheme had military applications, including use by the Russian military to create and expand communication networks. In the Finland scheme, Eleview exported 83 shipments of goods to Russia through Eleview’s e-commerce website to a false end user in Finland that neither purchased nor sold goods. Before consolidating the packages into larger pallets for shipment to Finland, Eleview affixed to each package a label with a Russian postal service tracking number so that the Russian postal service could easily ship the package to the customer in Russia. The goods Eleview exported illegally as part of the Finland scheme included items that the Department of Commerce has identified as particularly significant to Russian weaponry, including the same type of electronic component found on Russian “suicide” drones used to destroy Ukrainian tanks and jets. In the Kazakhstan scheme, Eleview exported approximately 52 shipments of goods to Russia through an entity in Kazakhstan that advertises its ability to deliver goods to Russia. The goods that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Kazakhstan scheme included controlled, dual-use items. Eleview was ordered to pay a fine of $125,000 and sentenced to three years of probation that included requirements to submit biannual compliance reports and mandate export-control training for its employees. Nayandin was sentenced to three years in prison. Borisenko was sentenced to a year in prison. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gavin R. Tisdale and Sehar F. Sabir and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda St. Cyr and Dave Peters for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-46.


title: 22-Year-Old Carolina Man Arrested for Child Exploitation

component: USAO - Puerto Rico

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Jadhiel Andrés Cedeño-Gómez, a 22-year-old man from Carolina, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. On February 12, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Cedeño-Gómez. According to court documents, from December 2025 to February 2026, Jadhiel Andrés Cedeño-Gómez used a cellphone, online instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 7-year-old male minor to engage in sexual activity. Cedeño-Gómez was also found to possess and receive child pornography material on his cellular device. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation. If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; (2) receipt of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and (3) possession of child exploitation material - a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov . To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ### complaint_child_exploitation_2-12-26.pdf


title: Mount Vernon Man Sentenced To 160 Months In Prison For Sex Trafficking A Minor

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that RAI THOMAS, a/k/a “Bandz,” was sentenced today to 160 months in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and use of interstate facilities to promote sex trafficking and prostitution. In October 2025, THOMAS was convicted at trial before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed today’s sentence. “Rai Thomas preyed on a child for profit, advertising her to strangers on the internet and selling her for sex again and again so he could enrich himself,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “New Yorkers want child sex traffickers off our streets, never to return. Today’s lengthy prison sentence is indicative of this Office’s commitment to continuing to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to remove sex traffickers like Thomas from our streets and communities.” According to the allegations in the Indictment and the evidence at trial: Between January and February 2022, THOMAS trafficked Minor Victim-1 to engage in commercial sexual activity across multiple hotels within the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York. Minor Victim-1 had been living in a children’s group home at the time that THOMAS trafficked her. THOMAS facilitated and benefited from the scheme in numerous ways, including by enticing Minor Victim-1 to engage in commercial sex; coordinating the transportation of Minor Victim-1 to hotels; reserving the hotel rooms in which she engaged in commercial sex; facilitating the advertisement of Minor Victim-1 on the internet to customers for commercial sex; and profiting from the sex trafficking scheme. * * * In addition to the prison term, THOMAS, 31, of Mount Vernon, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and the New York City Police Department. The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary, Kaiya Arroyo, and Jorja Knauer represented the Government at trial, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Gabriela Salerno, Samantha Olsen, and Shannon Becker.


title: Justice Department Opens Investigation into Lincoln Memorial University for Discrimination Against Jewish Students

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: Yesterday, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched an investigation into Lincoln Memorial University to determine whether the university is engaged in discrimination against its Jewish students. Among other concerns, the investigation will determine whether the university’s DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is intentionally preventing Jewish students from completing their exams during the Spring semester. “This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to shutting down the concerning outbreak of antisemitism that has been spreading on college campuses since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When colleges and universities single Jewish students out for adverse treatment, they are in clear violation of our civil rights laws and of this nation’s promise of equal opportunity for all Americans.” “All students should be free to learn and train in environments free from discrimination,” said Paula M. Stannard, Director of the Department of Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR). “Antisemitism has no place in our nation’s educational or medical training institutions, and OCR will work to ensure that federal civil rights laws are fully enforced.” This investigation will be conducted pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Lincoln Memorial University receives substantial federal financial assistance and is therefore subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557. Title VI and Section 1557 prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Antisemitism can be a form of discrimination on the basis of race or national origin, according to federal precedent. Lincoln Memorial University is based in Harrogate, Tennessee, and its DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine has campuses in Knoxville, Harrogate, and Orange Park, Tennessee. Neither the Civil Rights Division nor the Office for Civil Rights has reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations.


title: Macomb County Man Sentenced to 10 Months for Threatening to Assassinate Michigan Governor and Shareholders of DTE Energy

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A 40-year-old male from Center Line, Michigan, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for posting online threats to assassinate Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and making calls threatening shareholders of the DTE Energy Corporation, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced today. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. In January 2025, Steven Conway called a DTE Energy call center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and threatened to “hunt down” and “target for assassination” the shareholders and members of the energy company. A few days later, Conway posted threats to kill Governor Whitmer on an online dating website, claiming the governor was on a list “marked for assassination.” Conway has a prior conviction for threatening to kill a judge and police officers in Macomb County, Michigan. U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. White imposed the sentence following Conway’s guilty plea to two counts of communicating threats in interstate commerce and included a two-year term of supervised release for Conway. “Threats of political violence and retribution are an attack on the rule of law. We will protect our public servants and the regular citizens who make our country free and prosperous,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said. “Threats of violence of this nature, whether directed at a public officials, private citizens, or company shareholders, are serious crimes and will be treated as such," said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to intimidate, endanger, or coerce individuals through online platforms. We will continue to aggressively investigate these offenses and work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue those who make such threats, so they are held fully accountable under the law.” This case was investigated by the FBI’s joint terrorism taskforce with the assistance of Task Force Officers from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office,West Bloomfield Police Department and the Centerline Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Carr and Catherine Morris.


title: Two Men Sentenced for Their Roles in Mail Theft and Check Fraud Scheme

body_text: BOSTON – Two men were sentenced this week in federal court in Boston for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail. Imanol Rios-Franco, 26, of Canton, was sentenced by Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris on Feb. 10, 2026, to 35 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Rios-Franco was also ordered to pay $12,528 in restitution. In November 2025, Rios-Franco pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail. Brandon Baez, 23, of North Attleboro, was sentenced by Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris on Feb. 12, 2026, to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Baez was also ordered to pay $10,285 in restitution. In November 2025, Baez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail. From at least June 2023 until February 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators stole mail from USPS collection boxes, looking to steal checks. After they stole these checks, they washed the hand-written ink from the checks using commercially available chemicals. The checks were then re-issued to the co-conspirators or other bank accounts that they controlled. After the checks were fraudulently deposited, the defendants and their co-conspirators withdrew money from ATMs or bought money orders with those fraudulently obtained funds. A review of the co-conspirators’ cellphones revealed that they had collaborated to advance this criminal scheme. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge for the Boston Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston and Wellesley Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.


title: Boise Man Sentenced to 24 Months Incarceration for Possession of an Unregistered Improvised Explosive Device

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: BOISE – Jonathan W. VanCuren, 69, of Boise, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for Possession of an Unregistered Firearm (Improvised Explosive Device “IED”), U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. According to court records, on February 8, 2024, and again on February 10, 2024, law enforcement officers served search warrants on a residence occupied by VanCuren in Boise, Idaho. In both a wooden box and a metal box that belonged to VanCuren, law enforcement found a total of seven IEDs that each contained an explosive main charge, main charge container and initiation system. All seven IEDs were assembled and in operating condition. Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered VanCuren serve 2 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. VanCuren pleaded guilty to the charge on September 18, 2025. “We are thankful to our law enforcement partners who identified and investigated this threat to public safety,” commented U.S. Attorney Davis. “Their efforts led to a successful prosecution and a safe removal of IEDs from our community.” "Manufacturing explosives inside a home is not only illegal, but it puts the individual, their family, neighbors, and first responders at extreme risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “With one careless mistake, Vancuren’s blatant disregard for the law and public safety could have ended in catastrophe. The FBI and our state and local partners, who brought us into this investigation, will not tolerate those who threaten our community’s safety.” U.S. Attorney Davis made the announcement and commended the work of the Boise Police Department, including the Boise Police Bomb Squad, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather S. Patricco and David G. Robins prosecuted the case. ###


title: Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for 2020 Shooting of Girlfriend’s Former Friend

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Daniel Cary, 31, of Fort Washington, Maryland, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for charges stemming from the shooting of his then-girlfriend Chantel Stewart’s former friend in July 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Cary pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence on November 20, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Today, Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced Cary to serve nine years of incarceration, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Co-defendant Chantel Stewart, 34, also pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received a one-year suspended sentence. According to the government’s evidence, on July 22, 2020, as the victim was driving near 108 Atlantic Street SE, Stewart pulled her car up to the victim’s car and warned the victim, “he’s about to shoot you.” Cary, Stewart’s boyfriend, then pulled a mask over his face, got out of the passenger seat of Stewart’s car, and fired a semi-automatic weapon 5 times at the victim’s car. One shot went through the victim’s car door and struck her in the back. Stewart then drove Cary away from the scene. The victim, through sheer force of will, drove herself to the hospital, where she underwent multiple surgeries and survived. Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miles Janssen, who investigated the case; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Brower and Ella Gladman, who prosecuted the case; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Claire Hoover, who handled the case. 2021 CF3 002662 2021 CF3 002658


title: 38-Year-Old Man Who Murdered his Mother Sentenced to  26 Years in Prison

body_text: WASHINGTON – Seth Emmanuel Andrews, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court for strangling his mother, Hazel Evans, to death in Northeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. On November 26, 2025, a D.C. Superior Court jury convicted Andrews on one count of second-degree murder. Today, Judge J. Michael Ryan sentenced Andrews to 26 years in prison, the maximum recommended sentence under the D.C. Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, followed by five years of supervised release. The evidence at trial proved that on July 16, 2020, Andrews killed Evans by strangling her while she was inside of her bedroom at her home at 10 35 th Street, SE, Washington, D.C. The defendant was arrested on August 20, 2020. Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Coronado and Marybeth Manfreda, who prosecuted the case. 2020 CF1 006522


title: Plainfield, Vermont Man Sentenced to 2 years of Probation for Social Security Disability Fraud

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on February 10, 2026, John Cozza, 64, of Plainfield, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a two-year term of probation and ordered to pay $68,323.20 in restitution to the United States Social Security Administration. Cozza previously pleaded guilty to submitting false information in his application for Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) benefits. According to court records, Cozza stated in a March 2021 application for SSDI benefits that he had not been self-employed in 2020 or in 2021, through the date of his application. When Cozza submitted the application, he knew that information was false. In fact, Cozza had been working as a handyman through his businesses, J.C. Handy Man Services and Black Bear Building Services from 2019 through the date of his application (and continuing until at least 2023). There was ample evidence of defendant’s self-employment through his advertising of his businesses and his social media posts for those businesses. As a result of his false statements to the Social Security Administration, Cozza obtained $68,323.20 in SSDI benefits to which he was not entitled. First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations (SSA OIG-OI) and the Vermont State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Aliberti and Jason Turner. John Cozza was represented by Michael Shklar, Esq.