title: U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI Announce Five-Count Indictment in Violent Crime Spree on Navajo Nation

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Rydell Happy for his alleged involvement in a violent crime spree on April 24, 2024. Happy , who was already in custody awaiting trial on a second-degree murder charge, now faces charges for first degree murder, two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. According to court documents, on April 24, 2024, Happy , 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly shot John Doe in the head with a revolver and then repeatedly beat his head with a baseball bat, resulting in Doe's death. The indictment further alleges that on the same day, Happy assaulted Jane Doe with a revolver and discharged the firearm during the incident. The indictment further alleges that Happy , who was previously convicted of domestic violence, is prohibited from possessing firearms. If convicted of the current charges, Happy faces a mandatory life sentence or death for the first-degree murder charge, and 10 to 15 years for the other charges. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI 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 United States Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case. This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners. The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components. Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. This prosecution upholds the Department’s mission to the unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of Indigenous victims and their families.


title: Long Island Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Jose Saez, Jr., a pastor at a church located in Brentwood, New York, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Saez, Jr., faces a minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years in prison. John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea. “The defendant’s sexual exploitation of minors, both in person and online, is horrific, and he now faces at least 15 years in prison for his unspeakable crimes,” stated United States Attorney John J. Durham. “That he held a position of trust and responsibility as a pastor of a local church makes his conduct even more reprehensible. Protecting vulnerable children from predators like this defendant will always be a priority of this Office.” Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Suffolk County Police Department for their work on the case. “The defendant not only admitted to sexually abusing young children, but also discussed his church and his congregants as targets of additional abuse. His sustained exploitation of children—in person and online—is clear, and this plea is a step forward on the road to justice for his victims. Children are among the most vulnerable in our communities, and the FBI will stop at nothing to make sure they are protected and the monsters who would do them harm are put behind bars,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies. As set forth in court filings and today’s plea proceeding, Saez used an encrypted messaging service to engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors and with a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (the UC). In August of 2023, Saez had online conversations with the UC. During those conversations, the defendant stated that he had sexually abused an infant, that his “sweet spot” was molesting children between the ages of 11 and 15, and that he was able to find his younger victims at “church.” Pursuant to a court-authorized search, FBI agents recovered numerous images and videos of child pornography from the defendant, which he had solicited from minors. The defendant also admitted to law enforcement officers that he encouraged a minor to produce child pornography and send it to him. This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 . Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by the defendant is asked to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 212-384-1000. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Misorek and Adam R. Toporovsky are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Dejah Turla. The Defendant : JOSE SAEZ, JR. Age: 29 Brentwood, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-480 (JMA)


title: Slidell Doctor Charged With Health Care Fraud

component: Criminal Division

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ROBERT TASSIN, M.D. (“TASSIN”) , age 64, of Slidell, Louisiana, was charged March 10, 2025 with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1347 and 1349, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic (“CGx”) tests. According to the bill of information, TASSIN worked as an independent contractor for several purported telemedicine companies. From approximately February through September of 2019, TASSIN , through the purported telemedicine companies, allegedly signed doctors’ orders for CGx tests for Medicare beneficiaries he never saw, spoke to, or otherwise treated. As a result, it is alleged that TASSIN ‘s orders resulted in over $6.6 million in false and fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare, of which Medicare reimbursed over $2 million. To conceal and perpetuate the fraud, TASSIN allegedly made several false and fraudulent statements in support of the orders he submitted, including falsely certifying in medical records that the CGx tests were medically necessary for the patients’ treatment. In exchange for electronically reviewing patient charts and ordering CGx tests, it is alleged that TASSIN was paid a set fee per doctor’s order, typically $30, totaling $106,757. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, TASSIN faces up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Kelly Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for the Eastern District of Louisiana, are prosecuting the case.


title: Three Former St. Louis Area Residents Admit $229,000 Pandemic Fraud

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – Three former residents of the St. Louis area pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted fraudulently obtaining $229,000 in loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brianna L. Bell-Maple, 24, Jemyla A. Bell, 39, and Leiah A. Vaughn, 23, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Each defendant admitted participating in a scheme to fraudulently apply for 12 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from March 2021 to August 2021. Each defendant applied for four loans. The loan applications were nearly identical and sought the maximum loan of $20,833 for a sole proprietorship. Each application was filed in the name of a nonexistent women’s clothing store, and falsely claimed the store earned $121,003 in 2019. Bell-Maple, Bell and Vaughn also submitted falsified tax forms. Eleven of the loan applications were approved, yielding a total of $229,163. PPP loans were intended to aid small businesses in paying and retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bell-Maple used PPP loan money to lease a new apartment in April of 2021. Bell-Maple and Vaughn moved in. The three spent more loan proceeds on personal expenditures such as shopping, dining, cash withdrawals, and electronic transfers to friends and family. On May 5, 2021, Vaughn and Bell-Maple spent $5,200 on a purebred puppy. Two days later, Bell-Maple and Bell each purchased a vehicle from the same car dealership. Bell-Maple, Bell, and Vaughn submitted 11 applications for loan forgiveness on Aug. 9, 2021, falsely claiming that they spent the PPP money on payroll. The loan forgiveness applications were approved based on their false claims. The three, who now live in Fresno, Calif., are scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Each of the defendants has agreed to a money judgment equal to the total value of fraudulently obtained PPP loans. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.


title: Highland Park Resident Indicted on 10 Counts of Drug, Firearm, and Motor Vehicle Charges

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Highland Park, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotics, firearms, and motor vehicle laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The 10-count Superseding Indictment named Keeshon Grier, 28, as the sole defendant. According to the Superseding Indictment, from in and around October through November 2024, Grier possessed with the intent to distribute and did distribute quantities of mixtures and substances containing heroin, fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, metonitazene, cocaine, and crack cocaine. The defendant is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of multiple prior felonies, including on federal and state drug trafficking offenses. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. The Superseding Indictment additionally charges Grier with the knowing possession of stolen vehicles that have crossed a state boundary. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 25 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $25 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: NC Department of Transportation Employee Pleads Guilty to the Sale of Dangerous Counterfeit Car Airbags

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man pled guilty today to importing thousands of counterfeit car steering wheel airbags into the Raleigh area over the past two years. The counterfeit airbags were sold locally and to online buyers through Facebook Marketplace. According to court documents and other information presented in court, Mateen Mohammad Alinaghian, 31, imported approximately 2,500 counterfeit air bags into Raleigh between May 2022 and April 2024. Alinaghian imported steering wheel airbags with counterfeit markings of Honda, Chevrolet, General Motor, and Toyota, from a supplier in the United Kingdom. Alinaghian then sold the counterfeit airbags to unsuspecting customers using Facebook Marketplace. Alinaghian used the Facebook Marketplace seller profile of “Matt AutoParts” or “Medo Smith” to advertise and sell the counterfeit airbags. Alinaghian is currently employed as an engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation. According to testing done by Honda, General Motors, and Toyota, the steering wheel airbags obtained and sold by Alinaghian were not manufactured by the car companies, and often included materials of lesser quality. In testing, the counterfeit airbags often malfunctioned, either not fully inflating or inflating late – posing a potentially serious risk of injury to the vehicle driver. The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. The investigation included a search of Alinaghian’s house, which resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 counterfeit airbags, and multiple seizures by Customs and Border Control of in-bound packages from the United Kingdom containing counterfeit airbags en route to Alinaghian. “In this case, the defendant put profit over safety by selling counterfeit airbags that had the potential to put drivers in harm’s way if the airbags malfunctioned during a collision,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “I’m so proud of the cooperation on display by this investigative team, which included partnering with our state, federal and international colleagues, and will hold Mr. Alinaghian responsible for his illegitimate enterprise.” “Airbags are critical life-saving devices that are designed and produced to protect motorists. Counterfeit airbags pose a serious threat to the safety of consumers,” said Cardell T. Morant, special agent in charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “HSI actively collaborates with its law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that seek to exploit global commerce and threaten legitimate supply chains.” “The sale of counterfeit air bags that are not regulated or tested to ensure they meet federal safety standards puts drivers and those on our nation’s roadways at serious risk,” said Greg Thompson, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Region. “Today’s guilty plea is the result of an unwavering commitment to safety demonstrated together with our law enforcement, prosecutorial, and agency partners.” “Selling and using counterfeit car airbags can have dangerous consequences,” said N.C. Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall. “Our strong partnerships with the brand holders and law enforcement was crucial to uncovering this serious threat and taking them off the market may have saved lives.” After identifying that Alinaghian was importing the counterfeit airbags from a source in the United Kingdom, HSI contacted law enforcement abroad. As a result, a search warrant was executed on September 19, 2024, by the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PICU). PICU officers searched two residential and one business address and seized a total of 500 counterfeit airbags and an estimated £140,000 in cash. Three men were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to distribute counterfeit goods. The investigation is still ongoing . According to a consumer alert published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three people in the U.S. were killed and two people suffered injuries from September 2023 to July 2024 as a result of their vehicles being fitted with substandard replacement airbags. Individuals who suspect they purchased a counterfeit airbag should consult their brand’s dealership or a reputable mechanic to determine if the parts need to be replaced, and report it to their local Homeland Security Investigations office or submit an online complaint to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . If you have reason to believe that you are a victim the defendant’s conduct, either because you believe you received a counterfeit airbag from the defendant, or if you believe that you were injured or incurred costs as a result of the defendant’s conduct, please contact HSI at 919-677-6392. Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the guilty plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones. The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the N.C. Secretary of State Trademark Enforcement Division or Anti-Counterfeit Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Haughton prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-00013-FL. ###


title: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Felon for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Distributing Heroin and Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment on October 16, 2024, charging a local man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, U.S. Marshal Gary B. Burman of the Western District of Kentucky, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement. According to the indictment, Joseph Abbott, 39, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. On September 5, 2024, Abbott possessed a Glock, model 22, .40 caliber handgun and ammunition. Abbott was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses. On January 12, 2015, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (heroin) 2 grams or more and tampering with physical evidence. On June 11, 2010, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (cocaine) while in possession of a firearm, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon (2 counts), promoting contraband in the first degree, illegal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree (cocaine) (2 counts), receiving stolen property over $300 (2 counts), and tampering with physical evidence. On March 27, 2006, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Abbott was convicted of illegal possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and receiving stolen property over $300 (2 counts). The defendant made his initial court appearance this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by the US Marshals Service with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia P. Gomez is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Designer Drug Distributer Sentenced to 36 Months in Federal Prison

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Shelvin Jovan Barnes, 33, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute illegal designer drugs. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Division. Barnes, aka “Nuke,” pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute ADB-BUTINACA, attempted possession with intent to distribute N,N-dimethylpentylone; and unlawful possession of a firearm (intrafamily offense). In addition to the 36-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan ordered Barnes to serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, the government’s investigation into Barnes began as part of a broader investigation into the shipment of narcotics and precursor chemicals from China. HSI seized a package on May 8, 2024, addressed to a residence on the 300 block of L Street, Southeast. The package contained 122 grams of N,N-dimethylpentylone or “dipentylone,” also known as “Boot.” Before delivering the package, law enforcement removed the dipentylone and replaced it with a sham substance. After an undercover agent delivered the package to Barnes’ residence, law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered several bags of bulk mixtures containing powder and rock-like substance. Some of these gallon-sized bags were marked with the word “Booka”, which Barnes admitted was similar to the synthetic drug “K2.” Subsequent lab testing found that there was approximately 1,195 grams of ADB-BUTINACA, kept in various zip-lock bags labeled with the weight of the drugs. In addition to the drugs, agents also recovered several items often associated with drug manufacturing, including a digital scale, protective gear such as industrial gas masks and rubber gloves, a 35-pound box of tea leaves, and 16 gallons of Acetone. Agents also recovered a loaded Beretta 9mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition under the mattress in Barnes’ bedroom, along with several boxes containing more powder and rock-like mixtures. At the time of his arrest, Barnes was on probation stemming from a misdemeanor assault case and had been ordered not to possess a firearm just weeks prior to being arrested. This case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie and Trial Attorney Ernesto Alvarado. 24cr231


title: Dartmouth Woman Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling from Multiple Employers

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Dartmouth woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from two different employers. Jasmyne Botelho, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 20 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Botelho was also ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture orders of $443,122.59. In September 2024, Botelho pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Botelho was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. Between September 2017 and April 2020, Botelho stole at least $280,000 from one employer. Specifically, Botelho directed payments purportedly intended for the company’s vendors to bank accounts she controlled and used company funds to make payments on personal credit cards and an auto loan. To hide her scheme, Botelho falsified the employer’s books and records to make it appear as though the payments had in fact been sent to legitimate vendors rather than to Botelho. Between May 2022 and December 2023, Botelho improperly inflated her payroll from a second employer by more than $160,000. She concealed her scheme by manipulating this employer’s payroll and accounting software to hide her inflated payroll and phony “reimbursements” she paid herself. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Beresford Man Sentenced to Over 33 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Beresford, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on March 10, 2025. Theodore John Jungbauer, age 61, was sentenced to 33 years and four months in federal prison. When released, he will be on supervised release for life. He was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution to several victims of the child pornography he possessed and distributed and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released from federal prison, Jungbauer will be required register as a sex offender. Jungbauer was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 12, 2024. The conviction stemmed from Jungbauer receiving and distributing child pornography over the dark web from December 13, 2021, through August 24, 2023. While living in South Dakota, Jungbauer’s illegal online activity came to the attention of law enforcement in Australia. Australian officials contacted Homeland Security Investigations when they discovered Jungbauer was trying to share his library of child pornography over the dark web. His library included 3,695 files (images and videos) of child sexual abuse materials. 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 . This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. Jungbauer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Missouri Sex Offender Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a registered sex offender who was caught with child sexual abuse material to 14 years in prison. Charles R. Hamilton, 66, of Chesterfield, had 1,288 image files and 185 video files containing child sexual abuse material on his phone. In May of 2023, law enforcement officers in Alabama identified a Kik social media account that was being used to distribute child sexual abuse material. They traced the account to Hamilton, a convicted sex offender. When investigators interviewed Hamilton on May 25, 2023, he consented to a search of his phone. Investigators later found images of child pornography matching those distributed via the Kik account. A forensic examination found that Defendant had used Kik, Instagram and Telegram accounts to receive and transmit child pornography. Hamilton pleaded guilty in August to one count of possession of child pornography. The FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.


title: Mexican national sentenced for trafficking methamphetamine through East Texas

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Audivier Martinez-Gomez, 24, of Oaxaca, Mexico, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale on March 11, 2025. According to information presented in court, on June 18, 2024, Martinez-Gomez was identified as the passenger in an eastbound vehicle stopped on Interstate-10 in Beaumont for speeding in a construction zone. Martinez-Gomez and his wife, who was the driver of the vehicle, gave conflicting stories about their travel, and were unusually nervous during the interaction. Consent was given to search the vehicle, and law enforcement located THC edibles in the passenger compartment. In the trunk, law enforcement located large garbage sacks containing multiple bags of crystal methamphetamine totaling 29.6 kilograms. This case was investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn. ###


title: Two Men Convicted of Drug Trafficking in Monongalia County

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal jury convicted two individuals for their roles in a drug trafficking organization that was distributing illegal drugs in North Central West Virginia. Frank Brown, 35, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Rex Jenkins, 32, of Southfield, Michigan, were each convicted of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and the distribution of methamphetamine. Jenkins was convicted of two additional counts involving the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. The jury heard evidence that the two men were a part of the drug trafficking organization, supplying large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Morgantown, West Virginia. Brown and Jenkins each face up to 20 years for each count. They will be sentenced at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley and AUSA Christie UTT are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States. This case was investigated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force consists of members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; the Morgantown Police Department; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Star City Police Department. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies and eliminates the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Federal Courthouse Security Officers

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Sarasota, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of assaulting federal officers, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Steven M. Seitz pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on July 9, 2024, Seitz entered the Joseph F. Weis Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh looking for the Central Intelligence Agency and refused several requests from Courthouse Security Officers to leave the building. When officers attempted to escort Seitz from the building, Seitz unlawfully and forcibly assaulted, resisted, and opposed the officers, which resulted in bodily injuries to at least two of the officers. Judge Coville scheduled Seitz’s sentencing for July 10, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Seitz remains detained pending sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Protective Service and United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Seitz.


title: Jefferson County man sentenced for federal firearms violation

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

body_text: BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Arthur man has been sentenced to prison for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Christopher Dante Karo, 34, pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale on March 11, 2025. According to information presented in court, on April 3, 2024, Karo was observed during a drug transaction in Port Arthur by law enforcement. After driving away from the scene with two minor passengers, Karo was stopped for speeding. During the stop, Karo did not have a driver’s license and was asked to step out of the vehicle and stand in front of the patrol car. Officers observed a bottle containing what appeared to be PCP under their patrol car where Karo was standing, and determined from video evidence that Karo had dropped the bottle during the traffic stop and kicked it under the patrol car. A search of Karo’s vehicle revealed a pistol under the driver’s seat. The firearm had an extended magazine with 17 rounds of ammunition and had previously been reported stolen out of Port Arthur. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by the Port Arthur Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn. ###


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced to 12 Months After Unlawfully Reentering the United States

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A Guatemala national was sentenced today for unlawfully reentering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Hilario Lucas Mendoza, 42, for Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Judge Hill ordered Mendoza to serve 12 months imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release. According to court documents, Mendoza was arrested by the Tulsa Police Department for domestic assault and battery. While completing his intake during booking, officers discovered that Mendoza was in the United States illegally. Court records show that from 2003 through 2006, Mendoza was arrested four times in Tulsa County for driving under the influence. In 2005, Mendoza was arrested for physically assaulting his girlfriend. In 2009, he was deported twice to Guatemala for unlawful reentry. Mendoza will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris prosecuted the case.


title: Connecticut Man Sentenced to 37 Months for Fentanyl and Crack Cocaine Trafficking in Burlington, Vermont

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The Acting United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jahking Allah, also known as “Stop Sign,” 45, of Quaker Hill, Connecticut, was sentenced on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to 37 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Allah had previously pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and crack cocaine. According to court records, Allah sold cocaine base to a cooperating subject in Burlington on two dates in January 2024. Then, on January 19, law enforcement executed a search warrant at 195 St. Paul Street, Apt. A, where Allah was staying. Within the apartment, law enforcement found seven handguns, three of which had previously been reported stolen. This seizure was among the largest number of pistols that the Burlington Police Department has recovered during a single search warrant execution. Also within the apartment were numerous quantities of cocaine base and fentanyl, and multiple digital scales. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Burlington Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cate. Allah was represented Assistant Federal Public Defenders Emily Kenyon and Steve Barth. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Cleveland Man Pleads Guilty to Driving to New York to Sexually Exploit 14-year Old Girl

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: CLEVELAND – David P. Greulich, 61, of Cleveland, has pleaded guilty to driving more than 400 miles across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, to child exploitation, to transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and to possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), also referred to as child pornography. According to court documents, in February 2024, Greulich started communicating with a 14-year old victim living in Jefferson County, New York, on the Snapchat cellphone application. After chatting through the app’s messaging function for several weeks, the defendant drove from his home in Cleveland to New York and picked up the victim from her home on April 20, 2024. He then took her to a hotel where he kept her for two days while he violently and sexually abused her which he recorded on a digital device. Greulich drove across state lines from Ohio to New York a second time on May 11, 2024, to again engage in illicit sexual conduct with the same victim. He took video and photographs of the victim which he later emailed to himself. During a federal search warrant execution of Greulich’s home in Cleveland, investigators obtained several electronic devices which were found to contain CSAM, including a cellphone with more than 100 images of the victim by herself as well as with the defendant. Upon further investigation, an additional 14 sexually explicit video files of the victim were found in his personal cloud storage account. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 23, 2025. The maximum sentence varies per count. The defendant faces a maximum combined term of imprisonment of 180 years. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Cleveland Office, with assistance from the Jefferson County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Kane and Segev Phillips .


title: Foreign-Owned Company To Pay Nearly $2 Million To Resolve Improper Paycheck Protection Program Loan

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced today that Monofrax LLC, which is located in Falconer, New York, has agreed to pay $1,977,119 to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for which it was not eligible. Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to American businesses suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible small businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the SBA. Regulations provided various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of employees and restrictions for foreign-owned companies. In 2021, Monofrax obtained a second draw PPP loan through a Michigan bank. At the time of its loan application, Monofrax was ultimately owned and controlled by a private equity firm registered in Germany. Through common ownership and management, Monofrax was affiliated with multiple other companies worldwide. The United States contends that Monofrax was ineligible for the second draw loan because, together with its affiliates, it had more than 300 employees, in violation of the PPP rules in effect at the time Monofrax obtained the funds. “PPP loans were intended to help small businesses in the United States, and not large companies owned by foreign entities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie A. Beck for the Eastern District of Michigan. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s continued commitment to hold accountable those businesses and individuals who obtained COVID-19 relief funds that they didn’t deserve.” This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Gentner from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel. Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.


title: Western District of Texas Files Nearly 250 Immigration Cases in First Week of March

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 240 new immigration-related criminal cases between March 3 and March 9—up from 153 the week prior. Of the 240 defendants, more than 160 are charged with illegally re-entering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent crimes and prior immigration offenses. More than 60 face charges of illegally entering the country, six cases involve various instances of human smuggling, and the remainder relate to other immigration crimes. Among those charged during this week were a Mexican national, who was arrested in El Pasoon criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry. Clemente Galvez-Alapisco has been deported twice before, most recently June 28, 2022 after he was convicted for indecency with a child. He was also convicted of illegal re-entry in July 2019 and sentenced to five months and 11 days confinement. If convicted, Galvez-Alapisco faces up to 10 years in prison. Also in El Paso, Mexican national Salvador Arellano-Quintero was allegedly found approximately 1.5 miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. legally. He had been previously deported six times, the most recent being through Calexico, California on Jan. 30, 2015. Arellano-Quintero has an extensive history as a convicted felon, including a 2013 case in Santa Maria, California, in which he was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, threatening crime with intent to terrorize, preventing/dissuading a victim/witness, and assault with a deadly weapon. In 2002, Arellano-Quintero was convicted in Santa Barbara, California, for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant and sex with a minor under the age of 16. On March 3, a U.S. Border Patrol agent observed several individuals climb over the border fence in San Elizario, allegedly led by Mexican national David Alexis Herrera-Ramirez . A criminal complaint alleges Herrera-Ramirez was responsible for guiding illegal aliens into the U.S. and communicating with other co-conspirators over WhatsApp to arrange for pickup and further transport. Herrera-Ramirez is charged with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens. In San Antonio, the U.S. Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force arrested Pedro Ruiz-Cisneros inside his residence on March 4. A criminal complaint alleges Ruiz-Cisneros was previously removed from the country five times as an aggravated felon—as early as April 1994 and as recently as June 2018. Ruiz-Cisneros was convicted in 1990 of second-degree robbery and sentenced to five years confinement. Less than one year later, he was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to eight years confinement. Ruiz-Cisneros was later convicted three times of illegal re-entry and sentenced to a total of 133 months in federal prison between 2007 and 2016. Jaime Aguilar-Guerrero was arrested on March 3 by local law enforcement in Belton for public intoxication. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement determined Aguilar-Guerrero was a Mexican national who had been previously removed from the United States in July 2016. Additionally, on April 11, 1996, Aguilar-Guerrero had been sentenced to seven years confinement for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle. He was transferred into federal custody and faces up to 10 years in federal prison, if convicted for illegal re-entry. A Mexican national was arrested near Dryden on March 6, after he was previously removed through Del Rio as recently as Jan. 21. Miguel Diego-Mateo has been deported from the U.S. six times and has two DUI convictions in addition to two convictions for illegal re-entry. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 years for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy and Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bryce A. LaNear, 27, Springfield, Mo., was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Brian C. Wimes today to 15 years in federal court following his guilty plea and convictions for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine as well as distribution of cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The Court also ordered the forfeiture of $7,950 seized from LaNear that were proceeds of LaNear’s drug distribution activity. As LaNear admitted in his plea agreement, from April of 2017 to October of 2019, he conspired with others to distribute cocaine and more than 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine as well as possessing firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy. On April 19, 2017, LaNear was arrested in possession of cocaine and methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to other persons as well as five firearms which he possessed in furtherance of his drug distribution activity. LaNear also sold cocaine to undercover Springfield, Missouri, police officers in August, September and December of 2017. On April 11, 2018, members of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield Police Department executed a search warrant on LaNear’s residence and discovered additional amounts of methamphetamine and another firearm. In May of 2018, Springfield Police Officers seized additional amounts of methamphetamine and another firearm from LaNear. The investigation concluded with the seizure on October 2, 2019, of over 5 kilograms of methamphetamine from one of LaNear’s codefendants. In total, LaNear was responsible for the distribution of over 9 kilograms of methamphetamine and over 3 kilograms of cocaine in the Springfield, Missouri, area. This case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert and Assistant United States Attorney Cameron Beaver. It was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department. Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Sentencing in Las Cruces Firearm Possession Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for being a prohibited possessor of a firearm and ammunition, following an investigation into drug trafficking allegations. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, in early 2023, the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force and Las Cruces Police Department began investigating Gabriel Lionel Garcia , 20, for his involvement in violent crime and drug trafficking. On February 15, 2024, law enforcement attempted to stop Garcia 's vehicle, but he fled recklessly. After a pursuit, Garcia was detained at his residence. A search of his vehicle uncovered an AR-15 style rifle, ammunition, including a 60 round drum magazine, approximately 787 grams of suspected marijuana, and $2,244 in cash. Garcia admitted ownership of the rifle and drugs, stating he was prepared to fire when first encountered by law enforcement. Garcia , who is an illegal user of controlled substances, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. Upon his release from prison, Garcia will be subject to three years of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office and Las Cruces Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case.


title: Essex County Man Sentenced To 85 Months In Prison For Illegally Possessing Firearms And Ammunition

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. An Essex County, New Jersey, man with a previous felony conviction was sentenced to 85 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced. Ramad Moultrie, 23, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On Aug. 2, 2021, members of the Newark Police Department responded to a shooting at the Grace West Manor Complex on Irvine Turner Boulevard, where they located two victims with gunshot wounds. Surveillance video recorded Moultrie waving members of a crowd, including small children, out of his way before firing a gun towards the two victims. Three .45 auto caliber casings were recovered from the area where Moultrie discharged the firearm. A .45 caliber handgun, a 9 mm handgun, ammunition, and drugs were recovered when Moultrie was arrested at his residence. In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Moultrie to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney John Giordano credited special deputies of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; and officers of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division. ### Defense counsel: Christopher D. Adams, Newark, N.J.


title: DeForest Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to 3 Years Prison

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Braulio Martinez Salazar, 31, DeForest, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 3 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute cocaine. Martinez Salazar pleaded guilty to this charge on December 16, 2024. In late 2022 and early 2023, investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a cocaine trafficking organization operating in the DeForest and Madison area. Through intercepted phone calls and surveillance of Martinez Salazar, investigators learned that he was picking up a half kilogram of cocaine on June 1, 2023, to deliver to a customer of the organization in the Madison area. When Martinez Salazar was in route to meet the customer, he was stopped by a Dane County Sheriff’s deputy. During the stop, a narcotics dog alerted on the car and officers found the ½ kilogram of cocaine hidden in the car. From the investigation, officers believe the drug trafficking organization was distributing kilograms quantities of cocaine. In choosing a sentence, Judge Peterson balanced Martinez Salazar’s lack of criminal history or prior arrests with the fact that he was part of a substantial drug conspiracy that caused harm to the community. Judge Peterson concluded that the quantity of drugs involved in the case warranted a significant sentence. The charge against Martinez Salazar was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case. The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.


title: Dominican National Faces 10+ Years in Prison for Massachusetts-to-Bangor Fentanyl Trafficking

body_text: BANGOR, Maine : A Dominican national pleaded guilty to two counts in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy. According to court records, from August 2023 to June 2024, Alexis Mariano De Leon (aka Leon Leon) , 28, and coconspirators transported quantities of fentanyl from Massachusetts to Maine for distribution. The investigation showed that an individual known as “Leon Leon” was using a Facebook account and other means to arrange for fentanyl to be transported to the Bangor area. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arranged for several controlled buys and in June 2024 arranged a traffic stop of De Leon’s vehicle near Pittsfield with the assistance of the Maine State Police. More than a kilogram of a substance containing fentanyl was recovered from the vehicle. Investigators recovered additional evidence from De Leon’s Massachusetts residence, including a press for compressing powder into brick form. De Leon faces 10+ years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and five years to life of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The DEA investigated the case with assistance from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police. ###


title: Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun Offenses

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CHRISTOPHER DANCY, 35, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to drug and firearm offenses. According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 18, 2022, Dancy was arrested for violating his state parole. A search of an apartment where he was staying revealed a loaded Glock model 45, 9mm pistol, approximately 20 grams of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, and items used to process and package narcotics for distribution. On May 3, 2023, Hartford Police officers observed Dancy engaging in suspected drug activity in the area of Albany Avenue and Edgewood Street and seized a car that Dancy had occupied. On May 5, 2023, a search of the car revealed a loaded Glock model 26, 9mm pistol. Subsequent DNA testing of the pistol connected it to Dancy. Dancy’s criminal history includes state drug and firearm convictions. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Dancy pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled. Dancy has been detained since June 5, 2023. This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn .


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national pleaded was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for entering the United States after a prior removal. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Jorge Martinez-Urizar , 50, to time served. Martinez-Urizar had been detained since November. He will likely face deportation now that the case has concluded. Martinez-Urizar pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025. According to court records, in November 2024, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent conducted a records check on Martinez-Urizar. The check showed that he had been removed from the country on three prior occasions, most recently in July 2005, and that he had not filed any applications or petitions granting him permission to reenter or remain in the United States lawfully. Martinez was removed in 2005 after serving a 70-month sentence in Oregon for assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon. ICE investigated the case. ###


title: Madison Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Donald R. Spivey, Jr., 23, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 78 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Spivey pleaded guilty to this charge on December 18, 2024. On July 15, 2024, Spivey abused his partner after she kicked him out of the house. During this incident Spivey strangled her and then grabbed her phone preventing her from calling the police. Spivey also pointed a handgun at her and stole a Glock 19 9mm from her. Only July 17, 2024, police found Spivey sleeping in a stolen Jeep and tried to arrest him. Spivey drove off, causing officers to jump out of the way. Spivey then led police on a chase at speeds up to 115 miles per hour before he crashed, rolling the Jeep which landed on top of two vehicles in a driveway. Spivey then fled from the Jeep and was arrested with the assistance of a K9. Officers found the victim’s stolen Glock 19 9mm along Spivey’s path of flight and near the Jeep. Officers also found a Glock 20 10mm handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD) in the Jeep. Spivey is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms. Possession of an MCD, also known as a “switch,” is illegal. An MCD is itself considered a machinegun and converts a handgun to fire fully automatic. At sentencing, Judge Conley noted that Spivey’s criminal history started at a young age and included offenses where he assaulted the two mothers of his children, firing a handgun at one. Judge Conley observed that Spivey had served time in prison and was on state supervision when he once again engaged in domestic violence in this federal case, concluding that Spivey poses a danger to society. The charge against Spivey was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case. This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.


title: Gang-Affiliated California Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A California man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of firearms. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Lonnel Diggs (aka Cash, Cashiiso Runzitup), 40, to nine years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Diggs pleaded guilty on August 19, 2024. According to court records, in March 2022, Diggs, of Van Nuys, Calif., and a co-conspirator proposed to a couple who purchased crack cocaine from Diggs that they purchase firearms on the men’s behalf in exchange for cash and crack cocaine. The couple agreed and began traveling to gun shows and stores in Maine to make the straw purchases. At one of the gun shows, Diggs took photos of firearms and texted the images to the couple who then made the purchases and provided him with the firearms. Diggs was convicted in California for robbery in 2003 and for assault with a dangerous weapon on a peace officer in 2010 and is therefore precluded from possessing any firearms. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston Police Department. STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her. ###


title: Eight guilty in wide-ranging scheme to monopolize industry serving transmigrantes

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – Another individual has pleaded guilty in a long-running and violent conspiracy which involved price fixing, extortion and money laundering. Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez, 47, Brownsville, admitted to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He joins seven others who have entered guilty pleas for their various roles in a scheme to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios border region near Harlingen and Brownsville. Those convicted include the leader in the conspiracy - Carlos Martinez aka Cuate, 38, Mission – who had previously admitted to conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market as well as interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to do so and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Transmigrantes are individuals who transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the Mexican customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico. “Price fixing harms both the public and the business community,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Schemes like this artificially drive up prices, forcing consumers to pay more than they ordinarily would. At its core, such market collusion is nothing more than theft from consumers.” “These guilty pleas bring to justice individuals who used violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for essential services that Americans rely on to earn a living,” said Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the public by prosecuting violent criminals – including those who aim to corrupt America’s free markets.” “Today’s pleas reflect the relentlessness of the federal government’s pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that exploit international trade and the U.S. economy,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “This violent scheme was fueled by greed that undermined the safety and economic security of the border region; HSI has prioritized significant resources to protect the U.S. and our legitimate trade.” “These defendants tried to rule through fear, using threats, violence and intimidation to eliminate competition,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Their guilty pleas send a clear message that price fixing and market allocation are serious crimes, and we will hold those accountable who put profits over the law and fair commerce.” The co-conspirators fixed prices and monopolized the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services by requiring participants in the transmigrante industry to pay money into a “Pool” and dividing revenues among themselves. Market participants who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Pool members enforced the rules by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices, including by posting prices publicly on social media and monitoring whether agencies were paying into the Pool as required. Some involved in the scheme also conspired to force forwarding pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a fine for operating in the market outside of Pool rules. Conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies. Martinez was responsible for at least $9,500,000 in extortion payments. Martinez and Tapia Fernandez also laundered extortion proceeds. Cash obtained from the extortion conspiracy was deposited into bank accounts Martinez and his family controlled. Those deposits were made to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the proceeds. Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, 51, Mission, Roberto Garcia Villareal, 60, San Benito, Sandra Guerra Medina, 70, Rancho Viejo, and Mireya Miranda, 58, La Feria, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market. Calvillo, Villareal and Carlos Yzaguirre, 61, Mission, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion, while Juan Hector Ramirez Avila, 35, Brownsville, pleaded guilty to one count of structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements. As part of his plea, Martinez has agreed to forfeit four real properties and $375,000 in seized U.S. currency, pay a fine and full restitution to extortion victims.Guerra, Miranda, Calvillo and Villareal have also agreed to pay fines as part of their plea agreements. Three others charged – Rigoberto Brown, 40, Brownsville; Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, 72, Brownsville; and Diego Ceballos-Soto, 50, Mexico – are fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423). Conspiracies to allocate the market, fix prices or monopolize in violation of the Sherman Act carry up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum $1 million possible fine. Conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act and money laundering conspiracy carry possible prison terms of up to 20 years and maximum fines of $250,000 and $500,000, respectively, while structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements carries up to five years in addition to a $250,000 maximum fine. The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, HSI and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division and VCRS Trial Attorney Christina Taylor. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations .


title: Twenty-Seven Members of Little Rock Drug-Trafficking Organization in Custody Following Arrest Operation

component: USAO - Arkansas, Eastern

body_text: LITTLE ROCK—Twenty-seven defendants accused of distributing large amounts of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine, in central Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made a series of arrests in Pulaski County this morning as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Warner Benson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Little Rock Field Office, announced today’s arrests. According to a federal superseding indictment that was unsealed today following the arrests, the large-scale drug organization in central Arkansas is headed by Eric Dillard, 44, and Jimmie McDaniels, 49, both of Little Rock. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 27 of the 29 defendants listed in the indictment this morning. Dillard was already in federal custody based on a federal indictment filed against him on September 11, 2024. The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2025. The defendants were charged with a series of drug and gun crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A financial investigation also led to money laundering charges, including conspiracy, against six defendants. “The lethality of fentanyl requires our continued resolve to prioritize these types of investigations,” Ross said. “We will also keep our focus on other deadly drugs such as methamphetamine, which remains the most abused drug in our state, and cocaine, both of which were involved this case.” The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in September 2023. Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from Little Rock and surrounding towns. The investigation, which was headed by the DEA, involved numerous controlled purchases of fentanyl from members of the conspiracy, as well as the seizure of 19 firearms and approximately a pound of fentanyl. According to information learned throughout the investigation, it is believed this organization has trafficked hundreds of pounds of fentanyl to people in Arkansas. Additionally, during the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking fentanyl and layering profits through various channels to disguise the source of the proceeds. Throughout the investigation more than $100,000 in illegal proceeds was seized by law enforcement. “This morning’s arrest operation represents a significant blow to a criminal network that was flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Warner Benson. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these organizations and protecting the citizens of Central Arkansas from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.” This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Those arrested today will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney on Thursday. Today’s arrests are the result of a joint investigation between the DEA Little Rock District Office; DEA New Orleans Field Division, DEA Houston, FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, North Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Sherwood Police Department, Cabot Police Department, Arkansas Community Corrections, Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Postal Service; and the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge. # # # Additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at https://www.justice.gov/edar X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAO_EDAR


title: Bristol Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Vehicle Theft Scheme

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RYAN TESTA, 48, of Bristol, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a multistate identity theft and vehicle theft scheme that defrauded dozens of individuals and businesses out of more than $1 million. According to court documents and statement made in court, beginning in approximately September 2020, Testa’s co-conspirator, Tyshon Walker, obtained personal information stolen from residents of Connecticut and other states and used it to apply for vehicle loans at dealerships in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island for luxury and performance vehicles, motorcycles, an all-terrain vehicle, and a boat. Once the loan was approved by the dealership using the identity theft victim’s information, Walker would send “runners,” to pick up the vehicle utilizing a fictitious driver’s license that included the identity theft victim’s information and a photograph of the runner. The vehicle was then transported back to Connecticut for resale on Facebook Marketplace. In early 2023, Walker and his wife, Stephanie Perez, recruited Testa to be a runner. Between March and May 2023, at the direction of Walker and Perez, Testa used stolen identities to acquire at least nine vehicles with a total value of more than $500,000. Testa has been detained since May 16, 2023, after he was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the attempted theft of a vehicle connected to this scheme. On February 27, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Walker and Perez pleaded guilty to related charges. On March 6, 2025, Perez was sentenced to 14 months of imprisonment. Walker awaits sentencing. This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, the Hopkinton (R.I.) Police Department, the Westtown – East Goshen Regional (Pa.) Police Department, and the Washington Township (N.J.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Heather M. Cherry.


title: Eight Individuals Plead Guilty to Wide-Ranging Scheme to Monopolize Transmigrante Forwarding Industry, Fix Prices, Extort Competitors, and Launder Money

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that eight defendants have pleaded guilty for their conduct in a long-running and violent conspiracy to monopolize the transmigrante forwarding agency industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region near Harlingen and Brownsville, Texas. The three remaining defendants to the superseding indictment remain at large as fugitives. Transmigrantes are individuals who transport used vehicles and other goods from the United States through Mexico for resale in Central America. Transmigrante forwarding agencies are U.S.-based businesses that provide services to transmigrante clients, including helping those clients complete the customs paperwork required to export vehicles into Mexico. “The Criminal Division is committed to holding violent criminal organizations accountable in whatever markets in which they operate,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Transnational criminal organizations that use violence to dominate industries will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” “These guilty pleas bring to justice individuals who used violence and extortion to fix prices and monopolize the market for essential services that Americans rely on to earn a living,” said Director of Criminal Enforcement Emma Burnham of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the public by prosecuting violent criminals – including those who aim to corrupt America’s free markets.” “Price fixing harms both the public and the business community,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “Schemes like this artificially drive up prices, forcing consumers to pay more than they ordinarily would. At its core, such market collusion is nothing more than theft from consumers.” “These defendants tried to rule through fear, using threats, violence and intimidation to eliminate competition,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Their guilty pleas send a clear message that price fixing and market allocation are serious crimes, and we will hold those accountable who put profits over the law and fair commerce.” “Today’s pleas reflect the relentlessness of the federal government’s pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that exploit international trade and the U.S. economy,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “This violent scheme was fueled by greed that undermined the safety and economic security of the border region; HSI has prioritized significant resources to protect the U.S. and our legitimate trade.” According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Houston, defendants Carlos Martinez also known as “Cuate,” Pedro Antonio Calvillo Hernandez, Roberto Garcia Villareal, Sandra Guerra Medina, and Mireya Miranda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to fix prices and allocate the market for transmigrante forwarding agency services in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and one count of conspiracy to monopolize the same market in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The conspirators fixed the prices for transmigrante forwarding agency services and created a centralized entity known as the “Pool” to collect and divide revenues among the conspirators, limit competition from other agencies, and increase prices for their services. Market participants who were not part of the conspiracy had to join and pay into the Pool. Pool members enforced the rules of the Pool by monitoring whether forwarding agencies were charging the agreed-upon prices, including by posting prices publicly on social media, and monitoring whether agencies were paying into the Pool as required. Martinez, Calvillo, Villareal, and Carlos Yzaguirre pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion. Martinez also pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by extortion. The defendants conspired to force forwarding agencies to pay money to the Pool and to pay other extortion fees, including a “piso” for every transaction processed in the industry as well as a “fine” for operating in the market outside of Pool rules. The conspirators perpetrated acts of intimidation, coercion, and violence in furtherance of the antitrust and extortion conspiracies. Defendant Martinez was responsible for at least $9.5 million in extortion payments. Martinez and Jose de Jesus Tapia Fernandez also pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy, through which they laundered extortion proceeds. Cash obtained from the extortion conspiracy was deposited into bank accounts controlled by Martinez and his family, and those deposits were made to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. Juan Hector Ramirez Avila pleaded guilty to one count of structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements. Martinez agreed to forfeit four real properties and $375,000 in seized U.S. currency, to pay a fine, and to pay full restitution to extortion victims. Guerra, Miranda, Calvillo, and Villareal have also agreed to pay fines as part of their plea agreements. Rigoberto Brown and Miguel Hipolito Caballero Aupart, and Diego Ceballos-Soto were also charged in the superseding indictment and remain fugitives. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations . Conspiracies to allocate the market, fix prices, or monopolize in violation of the Sherman Act carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $1 million fine for an individual. Conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in violation of the Hobbs Act carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $250,000 fine. Money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum $500,000 fine. Structuring a financial transaction to evade reporting requirements carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, HSI, and the FBI are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Brittany E. McClure, Anne Veldhuis, and Michael G. Lepage of the Antitrust Division, Trial Attorney Christina Taylor of VCRS, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander L. Alum for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations .


title: San Diego Man Admits Guilt in Sending Hate-Filled Email with Death Threat

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 11, 2025 SAN DIEGO – George Joseph Wellinger II pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting he intentionally targeted a member of the LGBTQ community and threatened her with violence via email. According to his plea agreement, the defendant admitted that he intentionally selected this victim as the object of his threat based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, and because of the defendant’s animus toward members of the LGBTQ community. According to court documents, the victim was targeted after being interviewed for a KTLA news report about a hate-inspired murder in Lake Arrowhead in August 2023. According to the plea agreement, the threatening email called the victim “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too,” and included a link to the KTLA news report which featured the victim and others discussing the murder of a Lake Arrowhead business owner who had been gunned down for hanging a Pride flag in her business. The email continued: “We know what you look like and know where are you are....only a matter of time....Love it....get ur ghey on sister....scissor it up....we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!! On August 18, 2023, Laura Ann Carleton, a known ally to the LGBTQ+ community, was murdered for hanging a pride flag outside her store. Carleton was shot by Travis Ikeguchi, who fled the scene and was later shot and killed by law enforcement. On August 30, 2023, KTLA, a local Los Angeles news station, wrote an article about Carleton’s death. Wellinger pleaded guilty to Interstate Threatening Communication with a special finding that he targeted his victim because of her sexual orientation. Wellinger is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez. If you or anyone you know believes you have been the victim of a hate crime, please contact the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Jimenez and Alicia Williams are prosecuting this case. DEFENDANT Case Number: 24-CR-1591 George Joseph Wellinger II Age: 49 San Diego, CA CHARGE Transmitting a Threatening Communication - Title 18 U.S.C., § 875(c) Maximum penalty: Five years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes .


title: Savanna Police Officer Sentenced to 40 Years After First Guilty Verdict Obtained Under 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act Enhanced Penalties

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: A federal judge sentenced former Savanna Oklahoma Police Officer (SPD), Jeffrey Scott Smith, 35, to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop and obstructing justice by turning off his body-worn camera and dash camera in an effort to avoid recording the assault. This case represents the first sexual assault conviction and sentence under the 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that added enhanced penalties for civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct. Evidence presented at trial established that on Nov. 2, 2022, Smith, working his first solo shift for SPD, conducted a traffic stop of the victim, K.H., and her then-boyfriend, J.G. After running their licenses, Smith realized that J.G.’s license had recently expired. He had J.G. and K.H. get out of J.G.’s car to switch who was driving. Smith issued J.G. a speeding ticket, and then began asking personal questions, including how long they had been in their relationship. At this point, while still speaking to J.G. and K.H., Smith manually deactivated his SPD body worn camera (BWC). Smith then asked K.H. what she did for work. K.H. reluctantly admitted that she danced at a gentlemen’s club. Upon hearing K.H.’s answer, Smith asked to search J.G.’s car. During the search, Smith looked in K.H.’s purse and found a pre-rolled promotional marijuana cigarette from K.H.’s work. Rather than arrest her, or issue her a ticket, Smith walked back to his patrol car and manually deactivated his dashboard camera. Once the defendant had K.H. in his vehicle he sexually assaulted her. “Smith’s despicable acts traumatized the victim and soiled the reputation of the law enforcement community,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “The sentence imposed is just punishment, and I am thankful to the FBI, the OSBI, and the prosecutors for their exceptional work in holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.” “The entire law enforcement profession is disparaged when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve. That is exactly what Mr. Smith did on his first solo shift as a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “I am proud of the joint effort by the FBI, OSBI, and US Attorney’s Office to hold Smith accountable for his despicable actions. The sentence handed down today represents our commitment to pursuing justice for victims, and to protecting the reputation of those who wear the badge with integrity.” The Oklahoma City FBI Field Office investigated the case with the assistance of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Paladino and Clay Compton for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case.


title: Allston Man Charged with Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – An Allston man has been arrested and charged for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine, as well as ketamine and Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) – more commonly known as the “date rape drug” – out of his Allston home. Peter Schiepers, 32, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendant was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing set for March 14, 2025. According to the charging documents in November 2024, law enforcement received information that Scheipers was supplying methamphetamine in and around the Boston area. Between November 2024 and February 2025, a cooperating source conduced multiple controlled purchases allegedly from Scheipers. Specifically, it is alleged that on Nov. 25, 2024, Schiepers sold the cooperating source one ounce of methamphetamine and one vial of Butanediol (BDO), a GHB analogue. During the transaction, Schiepers allegedly discussed his background in cybersecurity and his use of anonymizing tools to mask his IP address when shipping drugs in the mail. Schiepers also allegedly directed the cooperating source to only communicate with him via the encrypted messaging application, Signal. Schiepers allegedly conducted another drug transaction out of his Allston residence on Dec. 16, 2024, during which he allegedly sold the confidential source 111 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine and approximately one gram of ketamine. In January 2025, it is alleged that Schiepers conducted a third transaction for another ounce of methamphetamine and one liter of BDO. Schiepers allegedly told the cooperating source that he received the BDO in Chinese shampoo bottles and that he also used an application that allowed him to anonymously send some shipments to hotels and convenience stores nearby. The charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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 Stephen D. Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department and the United States Postal Inspectors. Assistant U.S. Attorney John O. Wray of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.