title: Ohio Woman Loses Life Savings in Cryptocurrency Investment Scam

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CLEVELAND – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio (USAO) has filed a civil complaint in forfeiture against 8,207,578 Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency, valued at more than $8.2 million. USDT is a virtual currency which are digital tokens of value circulated over the internet. Its transactions are publicly recorded on what is known as a blockchain. According to court documents, the FBI has identified 33 victims of an investment fraud scheme across the country, including a victim from Northeast Ohio residing in the city of Mentor. In total, victims lost approximately $4.9 million. Five more accounts have also been found to be affected and the FBI is attempting to identify the respective owners. The victims associated with the additional accounts have lost approximately $1,071,086. Investigators found that scammers initially contacted the victims through seemingly misdirected, or “wrong number,” text messages. The fraudster then gained the victim’s trust and affection using various manipulative tactics. Once trust was established with the victim, the fraudster would share how much success they, or someone they knew, had with investing in cryptocurrency. This personal testimonial lessened any uncertainties the victims may have had about virtual currencies and eventually had the intended effect to persuade the victim to proceed with the investment. The fraudster would then guide the victim, step-by-step, on how to open a legitimate cryptocurrency account, most often with a U.S. based virtual currency exchange such as Crypto.com or Coinbase. The scammer would walk the victim through the entire process of transferring money from their bank to the newly created cryptocurrency account. Next, the victim received instructions on how to transfer the purchased cryptocurrency assets to an online “investment platform,” which would turn out to be a fake site created by the fraudsters to look like a legitimate company. Information on the platforms promised lucrative returns which encouraged victims to invest further. However, once the victim transferred their funds to the “investment platform” they unknowingly handed over complete control and ownership of their funds to the scammer. The complaint also outlines that the perpetrators of such investment fraud schemes often allow victims to withdraw a portion of their “profits” early on in the scheme to build trust and reinforce their belief that the “investment platform” was legitimate. But as the scheme progressed, victims were unable to withdraw their funds and given excuses as to why they could not access their funds. For example, the fraudsters referred to a fake “tax” requirement, stating that taxes must be paid on the proceeds generated from the investment platform. Knowing that the scam would run its course soon, the fraudsters used last-ditch efforts to lie to victims that they had to pay a tax. Ultimately, victims were locked out of their account on the investment platform and lost their funds. A woman in Lake County, Ohio became the target of such a scam when she responded to a text on her phone from an unknown number in November 2023. She began sharing information via text with the person and the two bonded over topics such as hobbies and religion. Over a period of time, the victim followed instructions from her new “friend” and opened an account at Crypto.com and then transferred funds into the account. When the victim wanted to withdraw funds, her “friend,” relented and said additional payments were needed and she complied. When the victim no longer had any funds left after making additional payments, her “friend” began to threaten her that he would send his friends to “take care of” her friends and family. Having lost her entire life savings of approximately $663,352, including funds from her Roth IRA, the victim filed a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center to report the losses in June 2024. The FBI Cleveland Division subsequently initiated an investigation. Investigators conducted a blockchain analysis and determined that a portion of the funds stolen from victims were converted to USDT cryptocurrency and placed into three cryptocurrency addresses. Law enforcement officers executed a federal seizure warrant to recover 8,207,578 USDT tokens, in November 2024. Tether Limited then transferred these funds to a law-enforcement-controlled virtual currency wallet. By the Complaint in Forfeiture filed on Feb. 27, 2025, the United States seeks to forfeit the entire 8,207,578 USDT cryptocurrency. In the complaint, the United States alleges that the cryptocurrency accounts also contained additional funds above the victims’ traceable losses and, as proceeds of fraud, are also subject to forfeiture. Additionally, the complaint alleges that such other funds were involved in money laundering violations. The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only, and the United States must prove these allegations by a preponderance of the evidence at trial. If successful in this forfeiture action, the United States would seek to return the stolen funds to the victims. The FBI Cleveland Division is actively investigating cryptocurrency fraud schemes perpetrated on victims throughout the United States, including in the Northern District of Ohio. The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant United States Attorney James L. Morford . The USAO would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in this matter. If you observe something that you believe might be fraudulent conduct involving an older adult, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov to report it. View Complaint: /usao-ndoh/media/1391461/dl?inline 4340000_tether_et_al_complaint.pdf 4340000_tether_et_al_complaint.pdf


title: High-Ranking Member of Violent Mexican Drug Cartel Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Mexican national and high-ranking, violent member of the Los Zetas cartel pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana destined for the United States. According to court documents, Jaime Gonzalez-Duran, also known as Hummer, 49, was an original member of Los Zetas, a drug trafficking organization comprised of former Mexican military officers that began as an armed militaristic wing of the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas later formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel, and they collectively operated under the name “The Company.” Gonzalez-Duran, a high-ranking member of Los Zetas, served as a plaza boss in the city of Miguel Aleman, Mexico, controlling the Company’s drug-trafficking activities in and through that area, and, later, as a regional commander in the cities of Nuevo Laredo, Miguel Aleman, and Reynosa, Mexico, supervising dozens of Los Zetas members in the region. In his roles, Gonzalez-Duran bribed law enforcement officers to ensure drug loads would not be disturbed; maintained weapons, explosives, and ammunitions caches; and committed acts of violence against rival drug trafficking groups during conflicts for control over drug plazas and trafficking routes. Gonzalez-Duran was personally responsible for the importation into the United States of more than 450 kilograms of cocaine and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana. Gonzalez-Duran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and marijuana for unlawful importation into the United States from Mexico. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Field Division made the announcement. The DEA Houston Field Division investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and October 2022 extradition of Gonzalez Duran. Trial Attorneys Tara Arndt and Jayce Born and Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strength of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.


title: Seymour Woman Sentenced for $850,000 Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Seymour, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for a more than $850,000 fraud scheme in which she used the personal identity information of her fellow inmates in state prison to obtain student loans and tax refunds. Renee Delann Clouse, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Clouse to pay $857,618 in restitution and to forfeit to the government $857,618. Clouse was taken into custody at the end of the hearing to immediately begin serving her sentence. On April 23, 2024, Clouse pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. Clouse admitted that she harvested the personal information of fellow inmates while she was incarcerated on a state drug conviction, then after being released from prison used that information to fraudulently obtain a total of $338,610 in student loan funds and tax refunds to which she was not entitled. Clouse fraudulently obtained federal education loans of 18 other individuals totaling $285,435, in addition to more than $500,000 that was sent to the educational institutions, for a fraud scheme that totaled $804,434. Clouse also fraudulently obtained IRS refunds of 10 other individuals totaling $53,174. According to court documents, Clouse continued her fraud scheme even after she knew she was being investigated by federal agents, and after agreeing to plead guilty. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of Education, Office of Inspector General, Kansas City, Mo.


title: Previously convicted felon sentenced to 30 years in prison for possessing a machinegun while trafficking methamphetamine

body_text: NORFOLK, Va. – A member of the Bloods criminal street gang was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a machinegun during a drug-trafficking crime. According to court documents, on Aug. 28, 2021, in Norfolk, Christopher Scarbor, aka Hellboy, 32, was in a BMW that fled from a marked police unit at a high rate of speed and ignored stop signs. The car entered a cemetery and crashed through and over gravestones before it spun out and stopped. After the car came to rest in the cemetery, Scarbor was arrested after he attempted to flee on foot. Scarbor possessed a waist pack that contained 87 pills and a machinegun conversion device (MCD), used to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machinegun. Police also recovered two semi-automatic firearms inside the car. On April 5, 2023, Scarbor was wanted for failing to appear in court while he was on pretrial release for his Aug. 28, 2021 offense. Norfolk police located Scarbor in a hotel in Norfolk. Officers observed an ammunition magazine in the bathroom and, from within the toilet tank, recovered a handgun with an affixed MCD; 8.51 grams of cocaine; 14.94 grams of fentanyl and xylazine; 17.16 grams of para-fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, and xylazine; and 37.06 grams of methamphetamine. In 2013, Scarbor was convicted for robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael Feinberg, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-112.


title: Four Admit Committing Fraud with Checks Stolen from the Mail

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – Four Franklin County, Missouri men have admitted using stolen checks from the U.S. Mail to commit bank fraud. Matthew Cahill, 40, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of bank fraud. Cahill admitted that from roughly February 2020 through September 2021, he and others stole personal checks, business checks, bank account information and the personally identifying information of multiple victims by removing outgoing or delivered mail from mailboxes, residences and vehicles. Cahill and the others altered the checks or created counterfeit checks, and then used those checks at retail stores, deposited them or cashed them at banks. Cahill also electronically accessed a victim’s account and sent an unauthorized online ACH payment to an associate. The scheme created an actual and intended loss of $67,807. Cahill is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29. Donald Anderson, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and three counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $26,527 to victims. Joshua Hopkins, 35, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to repay $1,395. Harvey Hale, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of bank fraud and has been sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay $19,550. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments in the cities of Washington, Union, Eureka, St. Clair and St. Charles investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke is prosecuting the case.


title: Missouri Man Admits Stealing Railroad Property 33 Times

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A Missouri man on Friday admitted stealing railroad equipment on 33 occasions in Missouri and Illinois, costing railroads more than $1.5 million. Jesse Henry, 21, of Laclede County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of damaging a railroad signal system. He admitted being responsible for a total of 33 thefts out of different railroad bungalows in Missouri and Illinois in 2022 and 2023. Henry stole railroad control equipment, signs, plans and blueprints from the bungalows, which are metal structures that contain railroad gear. In the Spring of 2023, railroads noticed an increase in thefts and contacted local and federal law enforcement. Among the items that were stolen was a crossing controller at the Seeger Lane crossing in Foristell, Missouri on August 8, 2023. A passing train crew noticed that the crossing signal was not functioning and the gates blocking the road were down, creating a danger if vehicles drove around the gates. The FBI traced the theft to Henry and performed a court-approved search of his family’s home near Richland, Missouri on Nov. 28, 2023. They recovered the crossing controller from Foristell, as well as blueprints, schematics, documents, dozens of signs and other items. Henry is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. The FBI investigated the case, with the assistance of the railroads. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is prosecuting the case.


title: D.C. Man Convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, and Drug Distribution

body_text: WASHINGTON – Deangelo Lorenzo Lewis, 28, of Washington D.C., was found guilty today of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 30, 2025. The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and United States Marshal Robert A. Dixon, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean T. Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, According to court documents, Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Lewis on October 3, 2023, in an apartment that he had rented using a stolen identity. After securing Lewis and the apartment, Deputy U.S. Marshals applied for, received, and executed a search warrant on the apartment where they discovered more than $150,000 worth of checks that appeared to have been stolen from the U.S. mail, a check printer, and blank check stock, as well as driver’s licenses and social security cards issued to persons other than Lewis. Deputy U.S. Marshals also discovered a Century Arms, Micro Draco 7.62 x 39mm semi-automatic assault pistol, two 9mm handgun magazines, and approximately 1 ½ pounds of marijuana packaged for distribution. The Micro Draco was loaded with 26 rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber. The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James B. Nelson, Justin F. Song, Jacqueline O. Yarbro and Paralegal Specialist Jenna Lee.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Wister Resident Of First Degree Murder

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Kendall Lee Forrester, age 35, of Wister, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country, one count of Use, Carry, Brandish and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, and one count of Causing the Death of a Person in the Course of a Violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 924(c). The jury trial began with testimony on February 24, 2025, and concluded on February 27, 2025, with the guilty verdicts. During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on the morning of October 31, 2023, Forrester shot and killed the victim with a single gunshot wound to the head. On November 1, 2023, the victim’s body and a set of bloody towels were discovered wrapped in plastic sheeting inside a hope chest in the back of the victim’s vehicle. At trial, the United States presented evidence from the officers who conducted a traffic stop on Forrester that while inventorying Forrester’s vehicle they discovered a 9mm handgun, one 9mm magazine loaded with 9 rounds ammunition, and a trash bag of freshly washed clothes and towels. Investigators also testified that a search of Forrester’s Wister residence a few hours later uncovered more towels appearing to be from the same set and a roll of plastic sheeting matching the plastic wrapped around the victim’s body. Additionally, a fingerprint comparison expert testified that a latent print found on the sheeting around the victim’s body matched Forrester’s prints. The United States also presented evidence that the chest had been in Forrester’s living room only hours before. The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Heavener Police. The crimes occurred in LeFlore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Forrester will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Dean Burris represented the United States.


title: Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty To Extortion, Stalking, Threatening Text Messages And Money Laundering

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident pleaded guilty on Feb. 21. to extortion, money laundering, stalking, and sending threatening text messages to injure and kill two people and their families in California. Idriss Qibaa, 28, was charged by a superseding criminal information. He pleaded guilty to one count of extortion, two counts of money laundering, one count of stalking, and two counts of interstate communications containing a threat to injure. United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II scheduled sentencing for May 22, 2025. According to court documents and admissions Qibaa made in court, On April 29, 2024, he threatened force and extorted $200,000 from a victim. In part of the extortion, on March 7 and 8, 2024, Qibaa obtained $63,500 worth of cryptocurrency. In June and July 2024, Qibaa engaged in online direct messages, texts, and postings, to cause substantial emotion distress to his victims. On July 19, 2024, Qibaa sent text messages containing threats to injure and kill a victim and members of the victim’s family. Later, on July 24, Qibaa sent text messages containing threats to injure and kill another victim. At sentencing, Qibaa faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for the extortion charge; 10 years’ imprisonment for each of the money laundering charges; five years’ imprisonment for the stalking charge; and five years’ imprisonment for each of the interstate communications containing a threat to injure charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement. The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Bonita Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than 21 Years for Supplying Fentanyl that Resulted in Death of 15-Year-Old Girl

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Marcus Ray Chavez was sentenced in federal court today to 262 months in prison for providing the fentanyl pills that resulted in the fatal overdose of a 15-year-old girl in 2022. According to court documents, on at least four occasions between September and November 2022, Chavez provided the girl with “M30” pills he knew were counterfeit and contained fentanyl, in exchange for sex with the girl. Chavez also admitted to knowing the girl was underage. On November 12, 2022, she fatally overdosed from pills that Chavez provided. According to the government’s sentencing memo, the victim was in the ninth grade at the time of her death. Family and friends described her as an energetic girl who “brightened any room she entered” and who hoped to one day own her own hair salon. “Any loss of life is tragic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “The loss of a child is particularly devastating. While nothing can bring this lost child back, we are committed to holding this dealer and others like him accountable.” “Mr. Chavez traded fake fentanyl pills for sex with a vulnerable child,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “Fentanyl’s grip tightens the chains of exploitation. As her family grieves and we honor her memory, Mr. Chavez now has over 20 years to remember his actions stole an innocent life.” “The San Diego Police Department mourns with the family and friends of the victim in this case,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. “We must stop the senseless loss of life due to fentanyl overdoses and stand together to hold dealers accountable for the destruction they cause.” Fentanyl remains a serious threat. The latest DEA laboratory testing, announced last fall, indicated that five out of 10 pills tested contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine McGrath. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Roth provided substantial assistance in this case. DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr1354 Marcus Ray Chavez Age: 30 Bonita, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Sex Trafficking of a Minor – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1591(a)(1), (b)(2) Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years in prison, maximum life in prison and $250,000 fine Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 841(a), 841(b)(1)(C) Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum 20 years in prison, maximum life in prison and $1 million fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team (formerly known as Team 10) San Diego Police Department San Diego County District Attorney’s Office Homeland Security Investigations La Mesa Police Department National Guard Counterdrug Task Force California Department of Health Care Services


title: Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove Phone Call with Son of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove held a powerful and emotional phone call with Judge Enrique Camarena, son of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In 1985, Special Agent Camarena was abducted, tortured, and killed. His alleged killer, Rafael Caro Quintaro, was among the 29 wanted defendants taken into U.S. custody yesterday, who will now face prosecution under U.S. law. “President Trump and I are committed to holding every member of the cartels accountable for their crimes and to bring justice to the family of each and every victim,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “It was truly an honor to speak with Judge Camarena to express my sincere condolences for the loss of his father and assure him that we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice in this case.” Statement provided by the Camarena family: “Today is a day we have long awaited. Forty long years of waiting, wondering, and hoping that justice would finally come. After four decades, the person responsible for taking our beloved Kiki from us has been brought to the United States to answer for what he did. “There are no words to fully describe the pain we have endured: the empty seat at the dinner table, the birthdays, and holidays without him. The life that was stolen, not just from him, but from all of us who loved him. We have lived with this loss every single day. “For 14,631 days, we held on to hope — hope that this moment would come. Hope that we would live to see accountability. And now, that hope has finally turned into reality. While no amount of time can erase the pain or bring back what we lost, today marks a step toward justice. “We want to thank the DEA, law enforcement agencies, investigators, and officials— both in the United States and abroad — who never gave up. “We want to thank President Trump for using the weight of this country to accomplish what we thought would never occur. Thank you to everyone who has worked on this case for 40 years. We don't know all of you but please know that you have our family's deepest thanks and appreciation. “To those who have stood by us, supported us, celebrated Red Ribbon Week with us and carried us through the darkest moments — our extended family, friends, and even strangers who have shared in our grief — we are forever grateful.”


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for 11 Years and Three Months for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Frank Cotto, age 38, was sentenced on February 28, 2025, to 11 years and three months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200. Cotto was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024, and pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024. On November 30, 2023, Cotto was involved in a traffic stop following a trip to Colorado to obtain drugs. During the search of the vehicle law enforcement found over 2,000 fentanyl pills and six pounds of methamphetamine that was intended to be distributed in the Rapid City area. Officers also located a handgun in the door of the vehicle. Cotto is a prohibited person due to his use of methamphetamine and marijuana. 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 Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Meghan N. Dilges and Edward Tarbay prosecuted the case. Cotto was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following his sentencing.


title: Acting United States Attorney Fondren Announces Federal Indictment Against Gynecologist for Sexually Abusing Patients, Adulterating Medical Devices for Reuse on Patients, and Healthcare Fraud

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Comments and quotations contained in the February 28, 2025 version of this press release have been retracted. Memphis, TN – Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced today that Sanjeev Kumar , 44 , was arrested this morning and charged with enticing and inducing four victims to travel interstate to engage in illegal sexual activity, adulteration of medical devices, misbranding of medical devices, and healthcare fraud. The indictment unsealed today alleges that from at least in or about September 2019 and up to and including at least in or about June 2024, Kumar enticed and induced four victims to travel interstate to his medical offices in Memphis, Tennessee, at least in part for the purpose of subjecting them to a sexual activity for which he could be charged with a criminal offense in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-13-503. According to the Indictment, between 2019 and 2024, Kumar sexually abused women by conducting medically unnecessary gynecologic procedures with medical devices that he held under insanitary conditions and reused on patients when they were required to be disposed of or properly reprocessed. Kumar did not inform patients that he was reusing “single use” or improperly reprocessed devices before he inserted the devices into their vaginas. He also billed Medicare and Medicaid as if the procedures were medically necessary and as if he had used a new or properly reprocessed device for each procedure. This case is being investigated by the United States HHS-OIG, the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of the factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lynn Crum, Scott Smith, and Sarah Pazar Williams for prosecuting this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Rapid City Man Found Guilty of Child Pornography

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted William Henry Riese, age 34, of Rapid City, South Dakota, of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on February 27, 2025. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in custody and a maximum penalty of up to life in custody, and/or a $250,000 fine, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $400 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Riese was arrested and federally indicted in August of 2022, following the undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Riese believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Riese proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Riese went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest. 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 Homeland Security Investigations, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and sentencing has been scheduled for May 30, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Guatemalan citizen charged for failing to register as a sex offender and illegally returning after deportation

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: TACOMA – A 25-year-old Guatemalan man will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today for failing to register or update his sex offender registration and re-entering the U.S. following deportation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Juan Hernandez Zacharias was arrested in Mason County this morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigation agents. Zackarias is charged by criminal complaint with two felonies. The first, failure to register or update his sex offender registration, relates to his sentencing in October 2022 for first degree child molestation. The sentencing documents advise Zackarias that should he leave the state, he must register as a sex offender within three days of returning. Zackarias allegedly did not register as required. The second charge, reentry of a removed alien, relates to Zackarias’ return following deportation. On January 2, 2024, Zackarias had a removal hearing in Immigration Court. He was ordered removed and on February 4, 2024, he was removed from the United States and transported to Guatemala. However, on May 16, 2024, Zackarias registered a white van with Washington State plates in his name – indicating that he had returned to Washington. On December 6, 2024, Zackarias was arrested by Mason County Sheriff’s deputies for failing to register as a sex offender. The arrest was logged in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The NCIC system alerted ICE Homeland Security Investigations that Zackarias has an order of removal in place. The federal criminal complaint was sworn and filed with Magistrate Judge David W. Christal on February 21, 2025. Failure to register or update sex offender registration is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Reentry of a removed alien is punishable by up to two years in prison. The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean Waite and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins.


title: Two brothers from India arraigned on indictment for selling counterfeit cancer drugs and adulterated medications

body_text: Seattle – Two brothers from India appeared in court today on a 2022 indictment for multiple counts related to their scheme to sell counterfeit and adulterated drugs in the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Avanish Kumar Jha, 38, and Rajnish Kumar Jha, 35, were arrested in Singapore on April 20, 2023, based on a request from the United States. In January 2025, a judge in Singapore ruled the men could be extradited to the U.S. to face 28 felony charges and the Minister for Law ordered their surrender on February 24, 2025. Both defendants entered pleas of not guilty and trial was scheduled for May 5, 2025, in front of U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez. “The defendants in this case allegedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars while defrauding people who were clinging to hope that a late-stage cancer medication could save their life. Because of this fraud, victims received counterfeit medication that contained none of the cancer-fighting substance they thought they were ordering,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “This fraud scheme didn’t just steal money; it stole the prospect of more time with loved ones for those battling cancer.” The investigation of the Jha brothers began in 2019, when investigators reviewed internet postings and other evidence indicating that the Jha brothers and their company, Dhrishti Pharma International, were offering to sell prescription drugs to buyers in the United States and elsewhere. Undercover agents with the Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began communicating with the Jha brothers and ordered some of their products. Of particular concern was a “medication” labeled as “Keytruda,” a Merck drug for late-stage cancer. An analysis revealed that the Jha brothers were selling counterfeit Keytruda that contained none of active ingredient that made the authentic product effective. Other products contained contaminants. The brothers allegedly shipped the counterfeit and adulterated drugs from India. They accepted various means of payment including wire transfers and direct money exchanges. In some cases, they used intermediaries in the United States to pick up cash payments. The drugs were packaged in such a way to avoid detection by international customs or other regulators. Both men had been detained in Singapore since their arrest in April 2023 based on a provisional arrest request from the United States. The United States submitted a formal extradition request to Singapore in June 2023. "This case highlights ICE HSI’s commitment to protecting the public from dangerous and fraudulent practices that put vulnerable individuals at risk," said acting Special Agent in Charge of ICE HSI Seattle Matthew Murphy. "The company in question preyed on those in desperate need of lifesaving treatments by offering counterfeit medications that provided nothing but false hope. Thanks to the diligent work of our special agents and our law enforcement partners, we are taking swift action to ensure those responsible are held accountable.” The case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and ICE HSI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Kopczynski. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance with securing the extradition. Significant assistance was provided by law enforcement partners at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, including the ICE HSI Attaché and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Overseas Criminal Investigations, and Singaporean authorities, particularly the Singapore Police Force and Attorney-General’s Chambers.


title: Former Stoneham Police Officer Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Bribery Charges

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A former Stoneham Police Officer has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for a bribery and kickback scheme that netted millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts. Joseph Ponzo, 51, of Stoneham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Joseph Ponzo was also ordered to pay $115,528 in restitution and a $100,000 fine. In November 2024, Joseph Ponzo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud; 24 counts of honest services wire fraud; one count of making false statements to government officials; and four counts of causing false tax returns to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service from 2016 to 2019. Joseph Ponzo was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with his brother Christopher Ponzo. “Joseph Ponzo was a sworn officer, who pledged an oath to uphold the law, not violate it. However, he chose greed over integrity,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Joseph Ponzo’s greed came at the cost of consumers who were left paying the bill. A prison sentence is the price he will now pay for taking bribes and kickbacks.” “When an officer shrugs off his sworn oath and breaks the law to pad his paycheck like Joseph Ponzo did, he betrays the people of his community – and all of us who wear a badge,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Every year, Massachusetts homeowners spend millions of dollars to fund energy conservation projects for consumers. Joseph Ponzo and his brother cheated them by shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in a steady stream of bribes and kickbacks to an insider who steered contracts their way, ignoring all ethical boundaries. Know that the FBI will continue to tenaciously investigate such corruption, and bring those involved to justice.” “Today’s sentencing of Joseph Ponzo demonstrates IRS-CI’s commitment to routing out corruption from all levels of the government.” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Ponzo orchestrated an elaborate kickback scheme to improperly obtain contracts from a government backed program designed to aid the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Programs like Mass Save are designed to help all citizens of Massachusetts, especially the less fortunate, who otherwise would not be able to afford these upgrades to their homes.” Joseph Ponzo, along with his brother and co-conspirator Christopher Ponzo, conspired to pay, and did pay, tens of thousands of dollars in cash bribes, kickbacks, and other in-kind benefits, including a John Deere tractor, a computer, home bathroom fixtures and free electrical work, among other things, to Company A employees (Associates 1 and 2) in exchange for the Associates’ assistance in getting the defendants millions of dollars in Mass Save contracts. Massachusetts law requires utility companies to collect an energy efficiency surcharge on all Massachusetts energy consumers. These funds, which amount to hundreds of millions of dollars each year, are to be disbursed by the utility companies to fund energy efficiency programs and initiatives in Massachusetts. Under the Mass Save program, the utility companies select lead vendors, like Company A, to approve and select contractors to perform energy improvement work for residential customers. This contracting work – performed by contractors at no-cost or reduced cost to the customer – is then paid for by Company A with Mass Save funds. On a weekly basis, from 2013 to 2017, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $1,000 in cash. At times, Christopher Ponzo paid Associate 1 $5,000 to $10,000 in cash, telling Associate 1 that the extra money was from Joseph Ponzo for his part in the bribery scheme. In return for these payments, Associate 1, among other things, helped Joseph Ponzo set up a shell company, Air Tight, to do insulation work and get approved as a Company A contractor under the Mass Save program. Joseph Ponzo put his spouse’s name on Air Tight incorporation documents and contracting licenses in order to conceal his involvement in his corrupt side business. Despite having no professional experience in residential insulation work, Joseph Ponzo collected over $7 million under the Mass Save program. After Associate 1 left Company A in 2017, Christopher Ponzo and Joseph Ponzo recruited Associate 2 to the bribery-kickback scheme from approximately 2018 to 2022, paying Associate 2 thousands of dollars in cash and hiring a relative of Associate 2 as part of the ongoing scheme. During the course of the bribery-kickback scheme, Joseph Ponzo aided in the filing of false tax returns from 2016 to 2019 by claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars in false business deductions. To disguise personal expenses as business deductions, Joseph Ponzo used his company credit card to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases at The Home Depot, Lowes and Staples, claiming to his tax preparers that charges at those establishments were business-related. In reality, Joseph Ponzo used the company credit card at those stores to purchase gift cards that he and his spouse then used to make thousands of dollars in personal expenditures. In April 2022, both Joseph Ponzo and Christopher Ponzo falsely denied making bribe payments to any Company A employees when interviewed by federal agents. In February 2025, Christopher Ponzo was sentenced to 27 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Christopher Ponzo was also ordered to pay a $300,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Foley; FBI SAC Cohen; and IRS Acting SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Dustin Chao of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.


title: Mexican Cartel Leader Jesus Mendez-Vargas In U.S. Custody On Drug Importation Charge

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Frank A. Tarentino, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JESUS MENDEZ-VARGAS, a/k/a “Chango,” with conspiring to import cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S. MENDEZ-VARGAS was taken into U.S. custody from Mexico and was presented on the charge contained in the Indictment today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As alleged, Jesus Mendez-Vargas was a leader of the violent drug trafficking organization, La Familia Michoacana, based in Mexico, with primary responsibility for the organization’s drug trafficking activities from approximately 2006 to 2011. La Familia imported vast quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico and engaged in extensive violence in furtherance of its drug trafficking activities, including against those Mexican law enforcement officials who stood in its way. This Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop working to see that those who lead violent drug trafficking organizations are met with the consequences of their actions. Mendez-Vargas will now face justice in an American courtroom.” DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino said: “The indictment against Jesus Mendez-Vargas, leader of La Familia Michoacana cartel is another example of the DEA’s determination to identify, target and eliminate drug traffickers poisoning our communities with fentanyl and methamphetamine. This removal demonstrates the New York Division’s relentless pursuit and unwavering commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our communities and traffic violence and drugs across our borders.” According to the allegations contained in the Indictment: 1 MENDEZ-VARGAS was a leader in La Familia Michoacana (“LFM”), a powerful, violent drug trafficking organization based in the state of Michoacan, in southwestern Mexico. LFM controlled drug manufacturing and distribution within and around the state of Michoacan, as well as the port of Lazaro Cardenas, a key drug transshipment point. LFM imported vast quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S. from Mexico. LFM leadership forbade the sale or use of methamphetamine in the areas under its control in Mexico, and instructed LFM members that its methamphetamine was solely for export to the U.S. From approximately 2006 to 2011, MENDEZ-VARGAS was a leader of LFM, with primary responsibility for LFM’s drug trafficking activities. LFM engaged in violence, including assault, murder, and kidnapping to support its narcotics trafficking activities. LFM also used heavy weaponry, including military-grade weapons, assault weapons, and ammunition smuggled from the U.S. to Mexico by LFM’s associates for use by LFM. On or about July 14, 2009, approximately two days after the arrest of a high-level LFM leader, the bodies of 12 Mexican federal police officers believed to have been murdered were discovered in Michoacan. Days later, another member of LFM contacted a local television station in Michoacan and, among other things, claimed that LFM was in a battle against the Mexican federal police and prosecutors, and that LFM kidnaps people who owed LFM money and those whose family members worked in state and federal governments. * * * MENDEZ-VARGAS, 51, of Mexico, is charged with conspiring to import cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S., which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s New York Field Division, as well as the assistance of the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Marshals Service. This prosecution is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The OCDETF New York Strike Force provides for the establishment of permanent, multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the New York Strike Force is to target, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, reduce the illegal drug supply in the United States, and bring criminals to justice. This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Jane Y. Chong, Sarah L. Kushner, Alexander N. Li, Daniel G. Nessim, David J. Robles, and Kyle A. Wirshba are in charge of the prosecution. The charge contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. u.s._v._mendez-vargas_indictment.pdf 1 As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: San Diego Man Who Ran $35 Million Securities Fraud and COVID-Relief Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Almost 20 Years

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Denny Thakorbhai Bhakta, who was convicted by a federal jury in October 2024 of securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a $35 million swindle that left his own elderly uncle bankrupt, was sentenced in federal court today to 235 months in custody. Bhakta was convicted of all 25 charges after a two-week trial. The evidence at trial showed Bhakta solicited investors in his companies Fusion Hotel Management LLC and Fusion Hospitality Corporation (collectively “Fusion”). Between at least 2016 and up to 2021, Bhakta falsely told investors that Fusion routinely acquired discounted blocks of hotel rooms from Hilton, which Fusion then sold to United Airlines at a higher price for a significant profit. To support these lies, Bhakta provided fabricated bank statements, fake contracts, and profit and loss statements purporting to show millions in revenue and profit. Instead of buying blocks of hotel rooms with investors’ funds, however, Bhakta used the money he obtained from investors for gambling, to make Ponzi-style payments to other investors, and to pay for Bhakta’s personal expenses, including luxury vehicles. According to court documents, Bhakta targeted friends, family members and close acquittances during the multi-year fraud scheme. Among the victims was Bhakta’s uncle, who was swindled out of $4.5 million, and who testified during the trial that he came to the U.S. as an immigrant with a suitcase and $8 in his pocket, and because of the defendant, he “lost everything he had worked for in 57 years in America. Everything.” Bhakta’s other victims included a childhood friend who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars; his former boss and his wife; a friend of his family who lost $1.6 million; a high school classmate and her father who together lost more than $800,000; and an 88-year-old investor who lost $50,000. During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Bhakta was flown to Las Vegas on the Wynn Las Vegas private jet. And in just one 7.5-hour gambling binge in 2018, Bhakta lost $1 million at the casino. Through a trove of casino records, prosecutors demonstrated how Bhakta repeatedly took investors’ money straight to casinos and gambled (and lost) millions of investor money. “I haven’t seen a case quite like this,” said U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino, who found Bhakta’s conduct “could not have been more deliberate [and] could not have been more calculated.” In pronouncing the 235-month prison sentence, Judge Sammartino noted Bhakta’s only apparent motive was “greed and gambling,” his victims included his own friends and relatives, and he showed “nothing resembling remorse” for his criminal conduct that spanned years. “This defendant didn’t just betray investors—he callously swindled his own family and closest friends, leaving his elderly uncle bankrupt,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Instead of safeguarding their hard-earned money, he funneled millions straight to casinos, gambling away their futures along with his own. His lies, deceit, and reckless greed have finally caught up to him. Today’s sentence makes clear that those who gamble with other people’s trust and livelihoods will face the consequences.” “Denny Bhakta orchestrated an elaborate investment fraud scheme that caused extensive financial harm to unsuspecting victims, including close family and friends, all for his own personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his greed and deceitful conduct, bringing justice to the victims he exploited.” According to the government’s sentencing materials, in 2020, Bhakta doubled down on the fraud. Through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), Bhakta applied for 18 separate PPP loans totaling $4.4 million. To fraudulently obtain the PPP loans, Bhakta created fake W-2 and other IRS documents and used the names and personally identifying information of his victim-investors to claim them as employees of Fusion and other entities under Bhakta’s control. Bhakta used the more than $4.4 million he received in PPP loans to keep the Ponzi scheme going and to continue gambling and losing money at casinos. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mokhtari and Eric Olah. DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr3352-JLS Denny Thakorbhai Bhakta Age: 42 San Diego, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Securities Fraud—Title 15, U.S.C. §§ 78j(b), 78ff; Title 17, C.F.R. § 240.10b-5 Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $5,000,000 fine Bank Fraud—Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2) Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison and $1 million fine Money Laundering– Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1957 Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and fine twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation


title: El Salvador National Previously Convicted Of Double Homicide Charged With Illegally Reentering The United States

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A citizen of El Salvador who was previously convicted for double homicide and sentenced to 50 years in prison in El Salvador, was charged with illegally reentering the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. César Eliseo Sorto-Amaya, 28, was charged today by complaint with illegally reentering the United States and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal Court. According to documents filed in this case, public statements and statements made in court: Since 2015, Sorto-Amaya was deported from and illegally returned to the United States three separate times, including one time where he was deported after being convicted of weapons possession charges in Elizabeth, New Jersey. In April 2024, Sorto-Amaya was convicted in abstentia in El Salvador of double aggravated homicide and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris, and law enforcement authorities in El Salvador, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq. sorto_amaya.complaint.pdf


title: Southern tier man going to prison for role in meth conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti announced today that Kenneth Turner, 36, of Hornell, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, five grams or more of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who handled the case, stated that Turner was arrested in December 2021, after law enforcement discovered a package sent from an address in Nevada to Turner’s residence in Hornell, contained approximately 111 grams of methamphetamine. During the execution of a search warrant at the residence, investigators recovered drug paraphernalia, as well as more methamphetamine. Sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ketty Larco Ward, and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Jim Allard. # # # #


title: Jamestown drug ring leader going to prison for 25 years

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti announced today that Rocco A. Beardsley, 39, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of narcotic conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl causing death, was sentenced to serve 300 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti, Evan K. Glaberson, and Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who handled the case, stated that between late 2018 and March 2020, Beardsley conspired with seven others sell methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other controlled substances in the Jamestown area. On April 9, 2019, Beardsley sold acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl, which resulted in the death of an individual identified as J.A. After learning of J.A.’s death, Beardsley took steps to conceal his involvement in the drug overdose, including by directing others to destroy evidence from the death scene. Beardsley bought and sold fentanyl, and methamphetamine for profit and for his own use, utilizing social media to conduct his drug trafficking activities. Beardsley also utilized residences on Sampson Street and Cowden Place in Jamestown for his drug trafficking activities. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted five controlled purchases from Beardsley. In addition, Beardsley and his co-conspirators also participated in a series of money transfers in furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy. During the investigation, search warrants were executed at residences associated with the drug conspiracy, during which law enforcement seized approximately 100 grams of methamphetamine, 66 grams of fentanyl, 28 grams of cocaine, 4 grams of crack cocaine, a 12-gauge shotgun, and drug paraphernalia. Beardsley was previously convicted in Federal Court in 2007 of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and sentenced to serve 57 months in prison. In 2017, he was convicted in New York State Court of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Narcotic Drug Intent To Sell. A total of seven defendants were charged and convicted in this case. 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 . The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarantino, III, New York Field Division, the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie P. Feroleto, and the Town of Ellicott Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Ohnmeiss Jr. # # # #


title: Two previously deported individuals charged with illegal re-entry

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. –Acting U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti announced today that Manuel Alejandro Estrada-Gonzalez, 31, of Mexico, and Juan Carlos Castro-Cidcas, 44, of El Salvador, were arrested and charged in separate complaints with illegal re-entry after deportation, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Charles M. Kruly, who are handling the cases, stated that according to the complaint against Manuel Alejandro Estrada-Gonzalez, on February 20, 2025, Estrada-Gonzalez was identified as a suspected illegal alien staying at the Buffalo Airport Inn in Cheektowaga, NY. U.S. Border Patrol Agents surveilled the area and located Estrada-Gonzales. He was arrested at the scene. A records check determined that Estrada-Gonzales was ordered removed by an immigration officer twice, once in January 2019, and a second time in February 2019. According to the complaint against Juan Carlos Castro-Cidcas, on February 11, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were conducting surveillance in Cheektowaga. A records check of a vehicle parked at the Hilton Garden Inn came back to an illegal alien from El Salvador, later identified as Castra-Cidcas. On February 12, 2025, agents returned to the area to conduct further surveillance and spotted him getting into the vehicle. Agents approached Castra-Cidcas but he refused to exit the vehicle. He did exit the vehicle after Cheektowaga Police were called, at which time he was taken into custody. A records check determined that Castra-Cidcas was previously removed from the country in August 2010, and November 2019. Estrada-Gonzalez and Castro-Cidcas made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and were detained. The complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge Martin B. Coombs, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Oakland Man Who Worked As A Substitute Teacher Charged With Mailing Threatening Letters To East Bay Elementary School

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: OAKLAND – A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Lester Dale Lee, 69, of Oakland, with mailing threatening communications to Dayton Elementary School in San Leandro. Lee made his initial appearance in federal district court this morning. According to the criminal complaint and court documents, Lee allegedly mailed threatening letters to Dayton Elementary School on three occasions in May 2023. All three letters were sent in similar envelopes bearing the same typewritten address label. On May 3, 2023, the school received a letter addressed to one of its teachers. In the letter, Lee, posing as the parent of a student in the teacher’s classroom, allegedly used a racial slur to describe some students and threatened to shoot the students and teacher if the school did not remove the African American students from the class. On May 18, 2023, the school received a second mailing that was addressed to the principal and contained an unidentified white powder. On May 19, 2023, the school received a third letter that addressed to the same teacher as the May 3 mailing. Lee again allegedly posed as the parent of a student in the class, used a racial slur to refer to students in the class, and threatened to shoot the African American students and the teachers if they were not removed from the school because he wanted “them all dead.” Lee had worked through a staffing agency as a substitute teacher at numerous school sites within the San Lorenzo Unified School District during the 2022 to 2023 school year, including at Dayton Elementary School. According to the complaint, Lee was terminated from his substitute teaching position in April 2023, following reports of conflicts between Lee and students at the elementary school. Lee is next scheduled to appear in federal court on March 28, 2025 for a status hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore. Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin made the announcement. A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $100 fine for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 876(c) and 18 U.S.C. § 1038(a)(1)(A). Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Mateer is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the San Leandro Police Department. Lester Dale Lee Complaint


title: Owner of Oahu Physical Therapy Clinic Sentenced to 9 Months in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud

component: USAO - Hawaii

body_text: HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson announced that Stephen Timothy Wells, 41, of Waialua, was sentenced yesterday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Jill A. Otake to 9 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for health care fraud. Wells, the owner of Oahu Spine and Rehab, a physical therapy clinic with locations in Kailua and Aiea, pleaded guilty to the charge on September 27, 2024. As part of his sentence, Wells was also ordered to pay restitution to TRICARE, a healthcare program for United States military service members and their families, and Medicare totaling $392,157.20. In his plea agreement, Wells admitted that from July 2013 through early 2020, he submitted false claims for payment for physical therapy services to TRICARE and Medicare. Wells used individuals not trained in physical therapy, including massage therapists, athletic trainers, personal trainers, and an individual who had no professional licenses or certifications whatsoever, to provide physical therapy services to patients. Wells admitted that he knew these individuals were not authorized providers and that he could not legitimately bill TRICARE and Medicare for physical therapy services rendered by them, even under supervision. Nevertheless, Wells billed the programs as though the services had been provided by licensed practitioners. “Tens of billions of dollars are lost to health care fraud each year, robbing Americans of vitally needed quality health services,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Over a nearly seven-year period, the defendant endeavored to bilk our nation’s taxpayer-funded TRICARE and Medicare programs out of as much money as possible. He diverted scarce program dollars from military service members and their families, as well as elderly and disabled Americans—some the most deserving and physically and financially vulnerable members of our society. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to those who attempt to cheat our taxpayer funded insurance programs: you will be caught and when you are, a prison sentence awaits.” This case was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohammad Khatib and Rebecca Perlmutter prosecuted the case.


title: Ghostface Gangster Member Sentenced for Distributing Mexico-Sourced Methamphetamine from a Georgia Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ALBANY, Ga. – A Georgia inmate who is a member of the Ghostface Gangsters (GFG)—a criminal organization founded in the prison system—and a drug courier were sentenced to prison today for their roles in a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy funneling drugs from a Mexico-based source involving another prisoner and high-ranking GFG member. Warren Frederick Courts aka “Dirty,” 38, of Rutledge State Prison and Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 28. Courts previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 15 Co-defendant Keeli Nycole Wallace, 34, of Covington, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 40 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Feb. 28. Wallace pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 14, 2024. Codefendant Donald Jason Miles aka “Crash” aka “Cocho,” 39, of Valdosta State Prison and Forsyth, Georgia, is awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 13, 2024. Miles faces a minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release and a maximum $10 million fine. His sentencing will be scheduled by the Court. Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is presiding over the case. There is no parole in the federal system. “The penalties are steep for all those associated with dangerous criminal organizations, especially those directing illegal activity from behind bars,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “GBI and DEA agents worked tirelessly to root out the players tied to this insidious organization responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine sourced from Mexico into Georgia and helping federal prosecutors hold them accountable for their crimes.” “The Ghostface Gangsters have systematically worked to flood the communities of Georgia with dangerous drugs,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “The brazenness of these gang members to continue their criminal acts even behind bars must be met with decisive action to ensure justice and safety for our communities. This investigation shows that the GBI and our partners will work relentlessly to hold those who seek to poison our communities accountable.” “This career criminal continued his drug trafficking activities despite being incarcerated, demonstrating his complete and wanton disregard for the safety of our community,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA’s efforts in bringing him to justice will ensure this gang member spends even more time in prison.” According to court documents and statements referenced in court, undercover Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agents conducted a drug bust at Motel 6 in Albany on Sept. 12, 2022, resulting from a larger investigation into drug trafficking from Georgia prisons. Agents learned Courts, a state prisoner, had arranged a drug transaction from behind bars and hired Wallace as a drug courier to move methamphetamine from a Mexico-based source located in metro Atlanta to Southwest Georgia. Agents arrested Wallace in the parking lot of Motel 6, finding approximately 1,400 grams of methamphetamine and her cell phones. Investigators discovered that Miles had recruited Wallace as a drug courier several months before her arrest. Wallace admitted she had performed 10-15 deliveries of 250 grams or less of methamphetamine at Miles’s direction. Miles introduced Wallace to Courts; both Miles and Courts are members of the prison-based criminal organization Ghostface Gangsters. Courts is a subordinate of Miles, as demonstrated by Courts giving Miles a portion of the profits he made from selling narcotics. During one transaction, Courts instructed Wallace to obtain methamphetamine from a Mexico-based source of supply near Atlanta, Georgia, and take it to meet a buyer at a Walmart in Albany. The buyer did not show up, and Miles instructed Wallace to return to Atlanta. The next day, Courts told Wallace that the intended buyer was ready. She returned to a Motel 6 in Albany, where she was subsequently arrested. At the time, Miles was incarcerated at Valdosta State Prison, and Courts was incarcerated at Rutledge State Prison for separate drug trafficking offenses. Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) officers searched their prison cells and recovered contraband mobile phones on Sept. 16, 2022. Search warrants were executed on the phones, and investigators discovered detailed communications between Miles, Courts and Wallace related to the drug conspiracy, including communications involving the Mexico-based source of supply and the trafficking of large quantities of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that Wallace was just one courier recruited by Miles and that Miles and Courts had funneled numerous redistributors to the Mexican source of supply near Atlanta, resulting in the distribution of at least 50 kilograms of methamphetamine in two months as a part of this conspiracy. Of the 50 kilograms distributed, Courts was directly responsible for facilitating the distribution of approximately 13 kilograms. Both Miles and Courts have lengthy criminal histories, including multiple felony convictions for drug distribution and trafficking. Miles was most recently convicted in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, Georgia, on April 28, 2021, for conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. Courts was most recently convicted in the Superior Court of Cobb County, Georgia, on Oct. 1, 2021, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve a total of 15 years with eight years to be served in custody and the remainder on probation. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid is prosecuting the case for the Government.


title: Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Wire Fraud and Identity Theft Charges

component: Office of the Inspector General

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – A Vietnamese native formerly of Des Moines was sentenced yesterday to three years in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. According to public court documents, in 2020 and 2021, Long Ly, 45, used his connections in the Des Moines Vietnamese community to convince five victims to let him file unemployment benefits claims on their behalf, even though the victims were employed and ineligible for unemployment benefits. Several of the victims had little English-language proficiency. Ly also submitted unemployment benefits claims for himself, even though he was gainfully employed. In submissions to Iowa Workforce Development, Ly misrepresented that he and his victims were unemployed. And in some of the submissions, without his victims’ knowledge or approval, Ly filed unemployment benefits claims with Iowa Workforce Development directing benefits payments be sent to bank accounts Ly controlled. As a result of Ly’s misrepresentations, Iowa Workforce Development issued nearly $100,0000 in benefits payments to Ly and his victims to which they were not entitled. Some of the benefits payments included funds which had been authorized and paid in connection with COVID-19 pandemic emergency declarations. After completing his term of imprisonment, Ly will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Ly was also ordered to pay $72,872.20 in restitution. “Long Ly defrauded Iowa Workforce Development by filing for unemployment insurance benefits using the compromised identities of vulnerable and elderly victims who had limited English proficiency. This sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to safeguard the unemployment insurance program for American workers who need it,” said Casey Howard, Special Agent-in-Charge, Central Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development Beth Townsend echoed those sentiments: “Iowa Workforce Development takes unemployment fraud seriously and in recent years has significantly expanded its set of tools to help catch individuals who seek to defraud taxpayers. We are grateful for efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other partner prosecutors who are willing to work with us to keep fraudsters accountable and to maintain the integrity of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.” United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form


title: Mexican National Previously Removed From The United States Four Times Arrested Again For Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest of Kerin Orellana-Serrano (30, Mexico) on a criminal complaint charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Orellana-Serrano faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. According to the complaint, on February 14, 2025, Orellana-Serrano was arrested in Marion County on state charges for domestic violence battery and providing false identification to law enforcement. Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) were notified of the arrest. Agents confirmed Orellana-Serrano is a citizen of Mexico and determined that he previously had been removed from the United States four times— September 14, 2018, September 19, 2018, October 25, 2018, and February 8, 2024. Orellana-Serrano has not applied for or received permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reenter the United States. Additionally, Orellana-Serrano was previously convicted of illegal reentry by a previously deported alien in January 2024 in the Middle District of Florida. A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.


title: Mexican National Indicted For Illegal Reentry By An Aggravated Felon

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Carmelo Nolasco-Carbajal (41, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a deported alien. If convicted, Nolasco-Carbajal faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. According to the indictment, between February 2024 and February 10, 2025, Nolasco-Carbajal was found to be voluntarily in the United States after having previously been removed from the United States on April 3, 2003, August 2, 2007, and July 13, 2016. Nolasco-Carbajal had not received consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. Prior to being found in the United States, Nolasco-Carbajal had been convicted of several felonies, including aggravated battery with great bodily harm, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and illegal reentry. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the United States Customs and Border Patrol with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.


title: Lake County Man Pleads Guilty To Receiving Child Sex Abuse Material

body_text: Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Bryce Fleetwood (26, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving child sex abuse material (CSAM). Fleetwood faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count, including a 5-year minimum term of imprisonment. Fleetwood is currently in federal custody pending the resolution of this case. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, Fleetwood’s cellphone was seized by law enforcement during an unrelated state investigation. A search of Fleetwood’s cellphone pursuant to a search warrant revealed a significant amount of CSAM, including CSAM that Fleetwood had received over the internet on two occasions in 2022. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg. It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: Two Turkish Nationals Arrested for Illegally Entering the United States from Canada

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – Two Turkish men were arrested for illegally entering the United States near Hall Stream, a river that runs along the border between Pittsburg, New Hampshire and Canada, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces. Serif Alihan, 33, and Mustafa Kaya, 32, were each charged with one count of illegal entry. Both men will appear in federal court later today. According to the charging documents, on February 26, 2025, a Beecher Falls Border Patrol Agent encountered Alihan and Kaya near Hall Stream. The two men were covered in snow and their clothes were wet. The snow in the area was about knee deep and the Border Patrol Agent followed the men’s footprints back to Hall Stream. The footprints ended at the New Hampshire side of the stream and resumed on the Canadian side of the stream. U.S. Customs and Border Protection led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter 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. ###


title: Member Of Darrin Southall Drug Organization Sentenced In Federal Court

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL –A Newnan, Georgia, man involved in Darrin Southall’s drug trafficking organization was sentenced in federal court on February 27, 2025. Edward Ray Antoine, Jr, 42, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine in April of 2024. According to court documents, Antoine, also known as “Easy,” was one of Southall’s associates who had connections with drug suppliers in Texas. During the investigation, telephone calls between Antoine and Southall were intercepted by federal investigators. Antoine and Southall used coded language to attempt to disguise the criminal nature of their calls and conceal their drug trafficking activities from detection. Antoine and Southall shared a courier who transported multi-kilogram cocaine shipments and hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug cash between Southall and the suppliers in Texas. The courier used a pickup truck registered to Antoine’s wife that was equipped with an exterior fuel tank with a false bottom. The cocaine and the drug money were concealed in the compartment during the trips. Calls between Antoine and Southall initially related to the courier’s whereabouts and availability for trips until January of 2022. As a result of the federal investigation, the courier’s truck was stopped and $322,000 in cash was seized from the compartment. Numerous calls between Antoine and Southall were intercepted in which they discussed the courier’s stop and arrest status, potential ways to recover the seized cash, and what they would disclose to the drug suppliers in Texas who were awaiting the delivery of the drug money. Federal and state investigators arrested Southall and numerous members of his organization during 2021 and 2022. Approximately 30 members of Southall’s organization have been prosecuted in federal court to date. United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment in Antoine’s case and ordered that the sentences run concurrently. The judge further ordered that Antoine would also serve 5years on supervised release following his release from imprisonment. As conditions of his supervised release, Antoine will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. The judge also ordered that Antoine pay $200 in special assessments. The case was investigated by the Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organization that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in  Federal Prison for Second Offense

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WILMINGTON, Del. – Shannon T. Hanson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Michael Natale, of Laurel, Delaware, was sentenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware for his crime of possessing child sexual abuse material. The Honorable Colm F. Connolly, Chief Judge, issued the sentence. In October 2024, Mr. Natale plead guilty to Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The case against Mr. Natale arose from conversations he was having online with another individual on the instant messaging platform “Kik.” Mr. Natale and the other individual exchanged graphic videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, to include the sexual abuse of the other individual’s own young son. That individual was arrested and a search of her Kik account led to the identification of Mr. Natale. Today, Chief Judge Connolly sentenced Mr. Natale to 10 years of imprisonment. This sentence is the mandatory minimum sentence Mr. Natale must serve because he has a prior conviction in the State of Delaware for dealing in child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Hanson stated, “Our office has always been dedicated to the protection of Delaware’s most vulnerable community members, the children. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who exploit children for their own twisted satisfaction, especially those who refuse to change their behavior after previous convictions. I commend the FBI’s dedication and collaboration across districts in bringing this case, and that of Mr. Natale’s co-conspirator, to justice.” “Natale posed a significant threat to children as demonstrated by his repeated perverse and sick exploitation. Even in the darkest corners of the internet, the FBI will find a way to seek justice for our children and stop the monsters who threaten their innocence and sense of security,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno. This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Briana Knox is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER .


title: Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Shooting Mother and Minor Daughter

component: USAO - Virgin Islands

body_text: St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Miguel Marrero, 52, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson, III, to Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Assault in the First Degree, and Assault in the First Degree. For his conviction, Marrero faces a maximum sentence of up to life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. According to court documents, on July 4, 2024, Marrero's minor son was involved in a physical altercation with a minor female at the Candido Guadalupe Terrace housing community in St. Croix where they both reside. The mother of the minor female rushed to area to stop the altercation and confronted Marrero who watched as the minors fought. The minor female’s mother allegedly struck Marrero in the face, and as she attempted to leave the area, Marrero shot her in her back. Marrero then shot the minor female in her leg and ankle as she attempted to flee the area. The mother of the minor female suffered significant physical injuries as a result of the gunshot wound to her back and was airlifted off-island for medical treatment. In 2000, Marrero was convicted in federal court of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Homeland Security Investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department investigated this case and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston is prosecuting the case. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn .