title: Soviet Illegal Alien Convicted by Federal Jury for Selling Fentanyl and Ecstasy Through the Mail

component: Office of the Inspector General

body_text: NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted an illegal alien, Janusz Pachomow, 49, for conspiring to use the mail to send deadly drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and ecstasy all over the United States. Pachomow entered the United States from the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. This illegal alien met individuals from Europe and Australia while purchasing drugs through the dark web. Using encrypted applications, Pachomow agreed to ship drugs all over the United States through the U.S. Mail. Though an encrypted email account, these co-conspirators provided a temporary link to Pachomow that contained purchasers’ names, addresses, and the drug types and quantities purchased. He would then fulfill those orders from the large stash of drugs at his house. Pachomow received payment in cryptocurrency. “In Soviet Russia, drugs sell in mail. Not in USA. What a disgrace to escape communism only to pollute the land of the free. Simple Lesson: Drugs Kill, Prison Awaits -Do right.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. Pachomow made his elderly mother drive him to the local post office to mail the drugs across the country. He typically mailed between three to 18 shipments a day. In an attempt to avoid detection, Pachomow affixed return addresses for various, random, uninvolved local businesses near his home. Those businesses received undeliverable items. Law enforcement investigated and uncovered the scheme as local businesses reported suspicious mail “returned” to their addresses. German customs officials intercepted a suspicious package bound for Pachomow containing over 15 pounds of ecstasy pills shaped like Homer Simpson and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. The pills were hidden inside a water heater. While executing a search of his home, law enforcement discovered large quantities of drugs, a plethora of drug paraphernalia including fentanyl gloves, and packing supplies matching the envelopes already recovered. In response to the jury’s verdict, Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division, USPIS, said "the U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina who helped bring this investigation to a successful conclusion. Illegal shipments of drugs threaten the safety of all our communities. These crimes are a priority for Postal Inspectors and demonstrate the importance of our mission that includes the safeguarding of the Postal Service, its customers, and preventing the illegal use of the U.S. Mail.” “This verdict reflects the successful collaboration across international borders and agencies to disrupt a criminal enterprise responsible for distributing dangerous drugs to communities nationwide,” said Mark M. Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte. “Through the combined efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service, German customs, HSI Frankfurt, and our partners in the Eastern District of North Carolina, HSI remains committed to pursuing individuals who exploit online marketplaces and the postal system for illicit profit at the expense of public safety.” Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the jury’s verdict. The USPIS, HSI, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, and Aberdeen Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Beraka and Logan Liles prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-242-FL.


title: St. Louis Fentanyl Dealers Sentenced to Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a fentanyl dealer from St. Louis to prison for 155 months in prison, days after sending a co-defendant to prison for 210 months. Sentenced Tuesday was Toneisha D. Smith, 27, who sold fentanyl to the Drug Enforcement Administration and nearly hit three DEA task force officers with her car when they were investigating her. Trequan A. Dotson, 25, was sentenced on April 2. Three others have also been convicted. Police responding to a violent domestic dispute at Dotson’s home in the 4600 block of Newport Avenue in St. Louis in August of 2023 found fentanyl, a money counting machine, $10,111 in cash and two AR-style rifles, one AK-style pistol and four AR-style pistols, many with large-capacity magazines. Police then found more fentanyl and drug paraphernalia at an apartment in the 2300 block of South 7th Street, which Dotson used for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. Police found more fentanyl after Dotson led them on a high-speed chase on Oct. 16, 2023. After being jailed, Dotson told another member of the drug trafficking conspiracy to supply fentanyl to Smith and taught Smith how to mix fentanyl with cutting agents before selling it. Smith admitted that she and her co-defendants, including Larry C. Hayes III, sold fentanyl to the DEA from March to June of 2024. During a court-approved search of Smith’s home on Miami Street in St. Louis on April 1, 2024, investigators found Smith, Hayes and Marcel Harris along with fentanyl, cash and an AR-style pistol. On June 18, 2024, investigators were preparing for another court-approved search of a residence on Sidney Street in St. Louis. Smith left the home and got into her vehicle before officers and agents arrived. When she saw task force officers approach her vehicle, she sped away, aiming her Kia K5 at three of the task force officers. The officers were able to jump out of the way. Smith drove over the parking lot curb and through an adjoining yard and trees before flattening all four tires when she drove off a small embankment. She ultimately escaped. Investigators found fentanyl, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the home. They also found a Rock River Arms AR-15 that had been stolen from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “This investigation is a prime example of the dangers DEA personnel face on a daily basis protecting our communities from drug-related violence and the drugs that are poisoning our citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis, DEA St. Louis Division. “We remain relentless in our pursuit of drug traffickers wreaking havoc on the American people, as we work towards a Fentanyl Free America.” Smith was charged by complaint on June 18, 2024, and investigators found her and Hayes in a home on California Avenue the next day, along with fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Smith pleaded guilty in December to one count each of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, assaulting or resisting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Dotson pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of fentanyl in a separate, 2023 case and admitted violating his supervised release in a 2019 case. Hayes, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Harris, 23, of Jennings, Missouri, pleaded guilty in June to a fentanyl conspiracy charge. In addition to the conduct described above, he admitted being caught twice by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with fentanyl, including after an Aug. 10, 2023, high-speed chase. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Harris to 10 years in prison in September. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss prosecuted the case.


title: Former Gun Store Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Firearms and Ammunition to Convicted Felon

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Frank Jude Petrone, Sr. (56, Parrish) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to three years and one month in federal prison for trafficking in firearms and selling firearms and ammunition to a convicted felon. Petrone pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, on October 2, 2024, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office notified the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that Petrone was selling firearms to an individual he knew to be a convicted felon. At the time, Petrone was a salesperson for a licensed gun store. On four separate occasions between October 2024 and January 2025, Petrone sold the convicted felon, acting as a confidential source, four firearms and 146 rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits selling firearms to a convicted felon, and a convicted felon cannot pass the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. On October 17, 2024, Petrone sold a .357 Taurus International 605 Poly Protector revolver and 10 rounds of .357 ammunition to the confidential source. On November 8, 2024, Petrone sold a 9mm Sig Sauer M18 semi-automatic pistol and 57 rounds of ammunition to the confidential source. On January 2, 2025, Petrone sold a .45 TISAS 1911A1 semi-automatic pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition to the confidential source. During that transaction, Petrone also offered to sell a machinegun with an obliterated serial number. On January 28, 2025, Petrone sold a CZ Scorpion 9-millimeter pistol (not a machinegun), loaded with 29 of a possible 50 rounds of ammunition, to the confidential source. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Member of Multi-State "Smash-and-Grab" Crew Sentenced for Luxury Retail Burglary Spree

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a string of smash and grab burglaries. Ronald Patterson, Jr., 35, was sentenced on April 1, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Patterson was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution. In September 2021, Patterson, Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Patterson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 along with two co-conspirators. Patterson was a member of a group of individuals who conducted “smash and grab” burglaries of luxury stores from Florida to Massachusetts. Patterson admitted his participation in 14 such burglaries with a total of $506,532 worth of merchandise stolen. Many of the burglaries were recorded by store surveillance cameras. The videos show a group of men breaking into a store by smashing the glass doors. After entering the closed stores, the men grabbed and stole armfuls of high-end merchandise. The investigation revealed that Patterson listed for sale stolen merchandise on his social media account. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and the Wrentham Police Chief William R. McGrath made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Woodbury Police Department (N.Y.), Pocono Township Police Department (Pennsylvania), Leesburg Police Department (Virginia) and the Tilton Falls Police Department (N.J.). Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Convicted illegal alien felon sent back to federal prison

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 43-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Miguel Carreon pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2025. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt has now ordered Carreon to serve 57 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court considered the dangerousness of his other crimes, lack of respect for the law and need for deterrence. Judge Hoyt noted Carreon chose to re-enter the United States illegally and commit other crimes and that reducing his sentence would send the wrong message to him and others. Carreon has a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute meth. He was first removed from the United States in January 2016. Authorities discovered him again in Houston after he was convicted for aggravated assault with a firearm. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Bettendorf Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt, Possession, and Distribution of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Bettendorf man was sentenced on April 6, 2026, to 210 months in federal prison for Receipt, Possession, and Distribution of Child Pornography. According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips that accounts, later determined to be associated with Lucas Zachary Woods, 26, received files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Woods’ Bettendorf residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic devices showed that Woods used the devices to receive, view, possess, and distribute images and videos containing child sexual abuse material. After completing his term of imprisonment, Woods will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Woods was also ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution. United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: District Resident Charged with Producing Child Pornography

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – A complaint was unsealed today in U.S. District Court charging Zabdiel Aaron Rothschild, 26, of the District of Columbia. with Production of Child Pornography, Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. According to court documents, starting in January 2025, Rothschild used the gaming and messaging application Discord to communicate with three minor victims. During the communications, Rothschild asked for and received sexually explicit videos of the minor victims. In one instance, Rothschild told a minor victim, who was only 13 at the time, that he wanted to see her engaging in specific sexual acts. The minor victim followed Rothschild’s directions and recorded herself engaging in the conduct described by Rothschild. At various points in his conversations where he is alleged to have coerced or enticed these minor victims into engaging in illicit sexual conduct, Rothschild openly discussed the age difference and discussed numerous sexual and violent acts he would do to his minor victims. For example, Rothschild told one minor victim, “little teens belong to old men like me” and “it’s normal for kids to have a crush on older people.” In another conversation, Rothschild told a minor victim, “I have the lifelong fantasy of carving my initials into a girl,” and he told another minor victim, “I can’t wait to choke you and use your unconscious body.” Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the San Antonio Field Office. This case is being investigated by the FBI's San Antonio, Washington, and San Francisco field offices. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Kelley. This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . Charges in a complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 26mj69 Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: La Crosse Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dwayne Davis, 31, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 12 years in federal prison for sex trafficking a minor. Davis pleaded guilty to this charge on January 12, 2026. His prison term will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. The investigation of Davis began on June 4, 2024, when a 16-year-old girl called 911. During the frantic call, the girl said she needed help because Davis had threatened to kill her. Further investigation revealed that Davis was trafficking the girl for sex. The girl met Davis over the internet in the spring of 2024 and disclosed to him her history of prior trafficking and abuse. In response, Davis began transporting her from her home in Viroqua, Wisconsin, to La Crosse for prostitution dates. Davis posted ads for her online and kept almost all the money she earned from the prostitution dates. At sentencing, Judge Peterson observed that Davis’s actions were monstrous in that he recognized and preyed on the minor’s vulnerability. Judge Peterson further noted that Davis’s history of domestic violence, combined with the victim’s call to 911, demonstrated his capacity for violence. The charge against Davis was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted this case.


title: New York Man Charged in Multi-State Cargo-Theft Conspiracy

body_text: BOSTON – A New York man has been indicted for allegedly conspiring to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cargo and sell the items for illicit profit. The goods allegedly stolen include beer worth approximately $35,200; 33,750 pounds of frozen snow crabs worth approximately $325,000; pallets of blueberries; and more than $430,000 worth of designer cologne. Romoy Forbes, 31, a Jamaican national living in Deer Park, N.Y., has been indicted for interstate transportation of stolen goods, and conspiracy to commit that offense. Forbes was previously arrested on Feb. 5, 2026 in Long Island, N.Y., after being charged by complaint in the District of Massachusetts. He was later released on conditions and will be arraigned in federal court in Worcester at 3:15 p.m. today. According to the indictment, Forbes and his co-conspirators were able to steal the goods, partly through fraudulent emails that they sent to shippers. The emails were made to appear as though they were being sent by legitimate trucking carrier companies, offering and agreeing to receive and deliver goods that the shippers had advertised as in need of transportation. On July 15, 2025, Forbes allegedly obtained the frozen snow crab from a storage warehouse in Worcester, Mass. that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Maine, to a customer in Jacksonville, Fla. Forbes allegedly procured the seafood by falsely representing that he was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in Illinois. Instead of delivering the goods to the true customer in Florida, Forbes allegedly transported it to a loading dock in Queens, N.Y. According to the charging documents, on June 6, 2025, before the alleged seafood heist, Forbes allegedly obtained a shipment of beer worth approximately $35,200, from a brewery in Newark, N.J. that was intended for delivery to a customer in Portland, Maine. Instead of delivering the beer to the true customer in Maine, Forbes allegedly drove the beer to Long Island, N.Y., where he provided it to an individual in return for payment. In addition, on June 26, 2025, Forbes allegedly obtained blueberries from a storage business in Winslow Junction, N.J., that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Maine, to a customer in Illinois, by falsely representing that Forbes was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in New Jersey. Forbes allegedly did not deliver the fruit to the customer. Instead, on June 27, 2025, a contact in Forbes’ cellphone named, “My customer for everything,” allegedly texted Forbes, “You bringing the blues,” to which Forbes texted “Yes, just text me the address,” “we can do 4000 and I will bring it to you right now,” and “OK, so I will be there tomorrow to drop off the blueberries.” After the seafood, beer and blueberry thefts, on July 25, 2025, Forbes allegedly conspired to steal cologne in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. that was intended to be delivered on behalf of a freight service company based in Illinois, to a customer in Los Angeles, by falsely representing that Forbes was acting on behalf of a trucking carrier company based in Illinois. Instead of delivering the fragrances to the true customer in California, Forbes allegedly contacted his “customer for everything” offering to sell the cologne and sent the contact a video of the cologne, to which the contact replied, “Ok.” The charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit that offense carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI in New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood . The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: Three 18th Street Gang Leaders Sentenced to Over 115 Years  in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Jose Douglass Castellano, also known as “Chino,” a high-ranking member of the 18th Street gang, was sentenced by United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to more than 35 years’ imprisonment for racketeering conspiracy in connection with his participation in the October 25, 2017 murder of 20-year-old Jonathan Figueroa in Saugerties, New York. Castellano is the third and final gang leader to be sentenced under a seventh superseding indictment in connection with a sprawling racketeering conspiracy that also involved the September 12, 2016 murder of 15-year-old Joshua Guzman in Hempstead, New York; the February 2, 2018 murder of 20-year-old Oscar Antonio Blanco Hernandez in Queens; and multiple shootings and other gang activity. Junior Zelaya Canales, also known as “Terco,” a Queens-based regional gang leader, and Walter Fernando Alfaro Pineda, also known as “Clever,” a Texas-based national gang leader, were each sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment in February and March 2026, respectively. Co-defendants Yanki Misael Cruz Mateo, also known as “Doggy” and “Wino,” Israel Mendiola Flores, also known as “Chapito,” Yoni Alexander Sierra, also known as “Arc Angel” and “Wasson,” Jose Jimenez Chacon, also known as “Little One,” Carolina Cruz, also known as “La Fiera,” and Eric Chavez, also known as “Lunatico,” were also previously sentenced. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James Barnacle, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the sentences. “The defendants were high-ranking members of an international criminal organization fueled by violence and fear that left a wake of sorrow and destruction in its path,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “These significant sentences send the message that our Office will never waiver in its efforts to eradicate the scourge of gang violence. It is my sincere hope that the justice meted out provides a measure of comfort and closure for the victims of these senseless crimes. The arrest, prosecution, and incarceration for decades of violent gang members achieves the goal of the Administration’s Operation Take Back America: protecting our communities from those individuals like these defendants who cause the greatest harm.” Mr. Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, the New York State Police, the Kingston Police Department, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the Nassau County Police Department, the Hempstead Police Department, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance during the investigation. “For years, these three high-ranking 18th Street gang members plagued our community with senseless violence, death, and tragedy without any consideration for public safety. May today’s significant sentences highlight the shared determination of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to dismantle a notorious international gang’s hierarchy, and offer a small sense of closure to the victims of their unthinkable actions,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. According to court filings and proceedings, 18th Street is a well-known and well-established international criminal organization and violent street gang with members and associates residing throughout New York State including Queens and Long Island, and elsewhere throughout the United States including Houston, Texas. 18th Street members regularly engage in murder, attempted murder, assault, extortion, illegal drug and firearms trafficking, false identification document production, witness tampering, and money laundering. The defendants and their co-conspirators committed multiple acts of violence to promote and enhance the prestige and reputation of the gang, and to maintain and increase their own membership and status in the gang, including the following: September 12, 2016 Murder of Joshua Guzman In September 2016, Zelaya Canales, then the regional leader of the Shatto Park Locos Sureños (“SPLS”) sect of 18th Street, ordered that Guzman be killed, in part, because the gang perceived Guzman to have been disrespectful towards 18th Street gang members. In the evening of September 11, 2016, Zelaya Canales dispatched two lower-level gang members to Long Island to lure Guzman out and murder him as part of a demonstration of their allegiance to 18th Street. On September 12, 2016 at approximately 1:03 a.m., the Hempstead Police Department received a ShotSpotter notification of gunshots fired near the intersection of Linden Avenue and Laurel Avenue in Hempstead, New York. A Hempstead Police Department officer and members of Nassau Police Department responded to the location and discovered the body of 15-year-old Guzman near the curb. Guzman was shot once in the back of the head and pronounced dead at the crime scene. Following the murder, Zelaya Canales arranged and agreed with Alfaro Pineda to send one of the perpetrators to Texas to thwart his apprehension. July 9, 2017 Attempted Murder of Rival Gang Members On July 9, 2017, at approximately 10:35 p.m., NYPD officers responded to the Woodside section of Queens, New York, after numerous calls were made to 9-1-1 concerning multiple gunshots. Multiple witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing approximately three to four men run towards Woodhaven Boulevard. After a canvas of the area, police officers recovered nine 9-millimeter shell casings among other evidence. Zelaya Canales led the shootout with assistance from at least two additional 18th Street gang members over a territorial dispute with a rival gang. NYPD subsequently went to Zelaya Canales’s apartment in Queens to execute two arrest warrants unrelated to the shooting. During the execution of the warrants, NYPD ultimately recovered a 9-millimeter Ruger with a defaced serial number, 4 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition, 56 rounds of .357 magnum ammunition, 34 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition and 23 rounds of .38 ammunition. Subsequent forensic ballistics examination revealed that the Zelaya Canales’s 9-mm Ruger was the same weapon that fired the 9-millimeter shell casings found at the crime scene of the July 9, 2017 shootout in Woodhaven. September 20, 2017 Assault of John Doe On September 20, 2017, Chavez, together with another 18th Street gang member, approached John Doe on the street and shot him because they believed he was a member of the rival gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). John Doe survived and was treated for a gunshot wound at a local hospital. October 25, 2017 Murder of Jonathan Figueroa By October 2017, gang members in New York suspected Jonathan Figueroa, a fellow 18th Street gang member, of cooperating with law enforcement in connection with the investigation of the murder of Joshua Guzman. Senior gang members, including Castellano, sought Alfaro Pineda’s authorization to murder Figueroa. Alfaro Pineda’s authorization was sought because Alfaro Pineda had initiated Figueroa into 18th Street in Houston, Texas, and because murdering a fellow gang member required approval from a senior member of the gang, such as Alfaro Pineda. With Alfaro Pineda’s authorization, Castellano activated gang members based in Kingston, New York, and directed them to coordinate with Queens-based gang members to see to Figueroa’s execution. Gang members in Kingston then began digging a grave in Turkey Point State Forest in anticipation of Figueroa’s arrival. In the late-night hours of October 24, 2017, Cruz Mateo lured and travelled with Figueroa from Queens to Kingston, New York. Upon their arrival in Kingston, they were met by Flores and other 18th Street members and associates who, into the early morning hours of October 25, 2017, brought Figueroa to Turkey Point State Forest, brutally stabbed him to death and buried him in the makeshift grave. Cruz Mateo ordered the murder to be video-recorded—capturing multiple 18th Street members and associates repeatedly stabbing Figueroa, slashing his throat, amputating his ear, and dragging his body. In the video, Cruz Mateo stated that Figueroa was being murdered for “being a rat.” Cruz-Mateo then sent the video to other 18th Street members as a warning to other gang members who disrespected the gang or may cooperate with law enforcement. Figueroa, whose body was discovered in February 2018 by the FBI, along with state and local law enforcement authorities, in a five-foot deep grave in Turkey Point, sustained more than 100 stab wounds including at least one stab wound to the head that appears to have fractured his skull, and a slash to his throat that ruptured his trachea. February 2, 2018 Murder of Oscar Antonio Blanco Hernandez On February 2, 2018, several gang members killed Blanco Hernandez because they believed he was a member of the rival MS-13 gang. Chacon had met Blanco Hernandez weeks earlier through their mutual employer, a New Jersey-based house painting company. On the morning of the murder, Cruz and Chacon picked up Blanco Hernandez at his home in New Jersey under the guise of going to smoke marijuana as friends. Cruz and Chacon drove Blanco Hernandez to Queens where they met 18th Street gang members including Cruz Mateo and Sierra who entered the rear passenger seat of Cruz’s car on opposite sides, sandwiching Blanco Hernandez between them. Cruz drove Chacon, Cruz-Mateo, Sierra and the victim about 1.6 miles away to a quiet residential neighborhood. Cruz-Mateo, Sierra and Blanco-Hernandez got out of the car and started walking eastbound, while Cruz and Chacon stayed behind with the car. After walking for a few minutes, Cruz-Mateo drew a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot Blanco-Hernandez in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Blanco Hernandez’s body was discovered on a residential street in the Jamaica Hills section of Queens. He sustained three gunshot wounds: two gunshots to the torso and one to the head. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan P. Lax, Erin Reid, Adam Amir and Rebecca Urquiola are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Tareva Torres. These convictions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threatens the safety and security of the United States and its global partners. It also places a particular emphasis on criminal offenses involving children and ensures the use of all available law enforcement tools to prosecute offenders and/or facilitate the removal of criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Central Operations and Regional Enforcement (CORE) Region 28, located in New York, is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEAJ, US Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP), the US Marshals Service SDNY, the US Marshals Service EDNY, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), US Postal Inspection Service, US Coast Guard, US Federal Probation SDNY, US Federal Probation EDNY, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the United States Secret Service, the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. The Defendants : WALTER FERNANDO ALFARO PINEDA, also known as “Clever” Age: 46 Houston, Texas (Sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment on 3/16/26) JUNIOR ZELAYA-CANALES, also known as “Terco” Age: 29 Jamaica, New York (Sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment on 2/20/26) JOSE DOUGLAS CASTELLANO, also known as “Chino” Age: 27 Brooklyn, New York (Sentenced to 425 months’ imprisonment on 4/7/26) Co-Defendants Previously Sentenced : YANKI MISAEL CRUZ MATEO, also known as “Yenki Misael Cruz Mateo,” “Yankee Mateo,” “Doggy,” and “Wino” Age: 26 Jamaica, New York (Sentenced to 540 months’ imprisonment on 1/14/25) ISRAEL MEDIOLA FLORES, also known as “Chapito” and “Sinaloa” Age: 31 Kingston, New York (Sentenced to 425 months’ imprisonment on 5/16/23) YONI ALEXANDER SIERRA, also known as “Arca,” “Arc Angel,” and “Wasson” Age: 27 Jamaica, New York (Sentenced to 204 months’ imprisonment on 1/10/25) JOSE JIMENEZ CHACON, also known as “Little One” Age: 27 New Brunswick, New Jersey (Sentenced to 269 months’ imprisonment on 11/12/24) CAROLINA CRUZ, also known as “La Fiera” Age: 32 Elizabeth, New Jersey (Sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment on 2/11/25) ERIC CHAVEZ, also known as “Lunatico” Age: 27 Jamaica, New York (Sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment on 5/13/25) E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-139 (S-7) (LDH)


title: Convicted Felon Charged with Hobbs Act Robbery and Firearm Offenses

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

body_text: Tallahassee, Florida – Laquinton Montral Harris, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of Hobbs Act robbery; carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charges were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Court documents reflect that on January 31, 2026, Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported robbery at Z-Mart located on Fred George Road in Tallahassee. Surveillance footage captured an armed individual dressed entirely in black clothing and face covering enter the store. The individual approached a store employee and demanded money. When the employee responded he had nothing immediately on hand, the suspect fired one round from his firearm into the floor. The employee removed the cash register drawer and handed it to the suspect who then left the store. Law enforcement conducted a detailed investigation which led them to Laquinton Harris, who has prior felony conviction, as the main suspect. A federal search warrant was executed at Harris’ residence. A firearm and clothing consistent with items seen on the store surveillance footage were located. Harris appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. If convicted, Harris faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the robbery count; at least 10 years, which must be consecutive to any other sentence, on the carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence count; and up to 15 years’ imprisonment on the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon count. The case involves an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Canton Resident Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and  Transportation of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A Canton man pleaded guilty today to charges relating to the sexual exploitation of a minor and transporting child pornography, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jared Murphey, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations-Detroit (HSI). Shariq Alam, 48, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Linda V. Parker in Detroit. According to court records, in February 2025, the HSI received information from local law enforcement that an individual, known to law enforcement, had been communicating with Alam about sexually abusing a minor child. Based on this information, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant at Alam’s residence. During the search of a bedroom in the basement of the residence, officers found a cell phone holder and an external camera light attached to a nightstand facing a bed, along with sexual toys and paraphernalia and several flash drives. An examination of two of the flash drives revealed multiple videos of child pornography, including videos of an identified minor victim that had been created by Alam. Further investigation revealed that Alam uploaded child pornography to his Google Drive account. Alam will be sentenced on August 12, 2026 where he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ann Nee and Sean King.


title: Business Owner Convicted of $1.9M Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurer Fraud Scheme

body_text: DETROIT – A business owner from Dearborn Heights pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit health care fraud, which resulted in $1.9 million in loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Field Office. Pleading guilty was Rabih Hamdan, 41, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan. At the plea hearing, Hamdan admitted to creating and operating a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims for prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary or not actually dispensed. In many instances, his pharmacy lacked the inventory to dispense these drugs but billed the health care insurers as though they had been dispensed. In these instances, the medications were never ordered by a physician. Hamdan used the fraud proceeds for his personal use and to benefit others. In total, Hamdan and his coconspirators submitted false and fraudulent claims totaling at least $1.9 million over a five-year period. Sentencing before United States District Judge Matthew F. Leitman will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hamdan faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood.


title: Guatemalan human smuggler admits to role in 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 42-year-old foreign national has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Daniel Zavala Ramos aka Dany ZR admitted he conspired with others in the smuggling scheme tied to a tractor-trailer crash involving at least 160 illegal aliens – many of them from Guatemala – that killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 more. According to court documents, Ramos and others transported illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala though Mexico to the United States. He and his co-conspirators recruited Guatemalan aliens, collected payment and arranged for the aliens to travel by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks and tractor-trailers. Illegal aliens paid Zavala Ramos and his co-conspirators to be smuggled to the United States. In some cases, Zavala Ramos and others provided scripted language for unaccompanied minors to use if U.S. immigration authorities apprehended them. On Dec. 9, 2021, Zavala Ramos and co-conspirators arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport the aliens through Mexico. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in the death of 56 people. Over 100 other illegal aliens were injured, some very seriously. Ramos was extradited in 2025 to face charges in the United States. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing July 7. At that time, Ramos faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s – Homeland Security Investigations’ Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. conducted the joint investigation with HSI offices in Guatemala and Mexico with substantial assistance of HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit and HSI offices in Houston and Laredo, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, Operation Sentinel, Border Patrol, Liberty County Constable - Precinct 6; ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas and Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan and Mexican prosecutors, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall. The charges are a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha. JTFA, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 395 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood..


title: Co-Founder of CJNG Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A California man and co-founder of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, one of the world’s most prolific cartels and a designated foreign terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today to federal narcotics charges. According to court documents, Erick Valencia-Salazar, also known as “El 85,” 49, of Santa Clara, California, is a co-founder of the Mexico-based drug trafficking organization, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), which the State Department in February 2025 designated as a foreign terrorist organization. As a leader of CJNG, Valencia-Salazar recruited new CJNG members. He also used information about rival cartels to locate and kill CJNG’s enemies and gain control of all drug trafficking operations in particular territories in Mexico. Valencia-Salazar also conspired to send thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the United States for the CJNG. Before forming the CJNG, Valencia-Salazar was a member of the Milenio Cartel, another Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. In the Milenio Cartel, Valencia-Salazar regularly distributed pistols and rifles, including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, to the cartel’s gunmen, also known as “sicarios,” to use in battles with rival cartels. In doing so, Valencia-Salazar supported the Milenio Cartel’s efforts to send multi-ton shipments of cocaine from South America into Mexico each year and then import most of that cocaine into the United States for further distribution. “Erick Valencia-Salazar co-founded the CJNG, one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, which shipped tons of cocaine into the United States and inflicted immeasurable damage on our country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Valencia-Salazar was also responsible for furthering the rampant violence in Mexico, at the expense of people’s lives and the safety of communities, that helped destabilize the region and allow crime to flourish. Today’s conviction is yet another example of the Criminal Division’s efforts in disrupting and dismantling transnational drug trafficking organizations that harm the American people.” “Erick Valencia-Salazar helped build CJNG into a ruthless organization that uses violence as a business model — murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “CJNG is a designated terrorist organization. They do not just traffic deadly drugs — including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine — they spread violence, fear, and instability on both sides of the border. This guilty plea marks another step in holding its leadership accountable. DEA will continue to target the leaders, financiers, and enablers of these organizations until they are brought to justice and their networks are dismantled.” Valencia-Salazar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31 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. The DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit Los Angeles is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance to Salazar’s February 2025 transfer from Mexico to the United States pursuant to Mexico’s National Security law. Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni, Lernik Begian, Douglas Meisel, and Nicole Lockhart of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case. The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations. MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Homeland Security Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods.


title: Sioux City Man to Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: Todd Babb, 62, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on April 6, 2026, to 210 months’ imprisonment. Babb pled guilty November 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence showed that Babb was previously convicted of at least five prior felony drug offenses, one in Iowa District Court and one in Federal Court in the Northern District of Iowa. Babb admitted that between 2018 and August 2024, he and others conspired to distribute more than 500 grams of mixed methamphetamine in the Sioux City area. During a search of Babb’s residence, law enforcement seized over $3,000 in cash and ¼ pound of methamphetamine which he intended to distribute to others. Approximately one pound of methamphetamine was also seized from a vehicle observed driving away from Babb’s residence. United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Babb to 210 months’ imprisonment, and he must serve a ten-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Babb remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-4068. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Sixteen-Time Waterloo Felon Sentenced to Over Two Decades in Federal Prison for Distributing Fatal Dose of Fentanyl

body_text: A woman who distributed a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine that caused an overdose death was sentenced April 6, 2026, to 21 years in federal prison. Bridgette Marie Washington, age 47, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 22, 2025, guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. Court records show that between July 2022 and January 2023, Washington and two other individuals sold methamphetamine, powder heroin, and M-30 pills which contained fentanyl. Washington sold drugs that led to four non-fatal overdoses in September, November, and December 2022. On January 2, 2023, Washington sold substances she marketed as “A1” drugs (meaning that they were potent) to multiple customers. Each person who used the drugs Washington sold on that day lost consciousness. One individual who used some of the drugs died as a result of using them. Washington had an extensive criminal history, including convictions for 15 felony offenses prior to the conduct that led to her federal charge. Washington was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Washington was sentenced to 252 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Washington is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Nagin and Dan Chatham. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-CR-02014-CJW-MAR. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Evansdale Man Sentenced to a Decade in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

body_text: A man who received child pornography was sentenced today to a decade in federal prison. Robert Thiemann, age 38, from Evansdale, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 7, 2026, guilty plea to one count of receiving child pornography. Information at sentencing showed that between October 2020 and October 2022, Thiemann downloaded visual depictions of child pornography. In October 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received a tip that Thiemann had uploaded an image of child pornography to an “adult chat” website. Following the tip, FBI agents searched Thiemann’s home in Evansdale. Officers seized an iPhone with images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent minors. Thiemann also had depictions of child pornography involving sadistic and masochistic conduct. Thiemann was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Thiemann was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $18,000 in restitution to six victims. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” Thiemann is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted by the Evansdale Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-cr-2028. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Med Spa Owner Pleads Guilty to Performing Thousands of Injections Using Counterfeit Products

body_text: BOSTON – A Stoughton, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges relating to thousands of injections she performed using counterfeit Botox and dermal fillers imported from China and Brazil. The defendant, who was not licensed to perform injections, received more than $1 million in client payments for these procedures. Rebecca Fadanelli, 40, pleaded guilty to four counts of importing merchandise contrary to law, two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug and two counts of selling or dispensing a counterfeit device. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2026. Fadanelli was arrested and charged in November 2024 . According to the charging documents , beginning in at least March 2021, Fadanelli, the owner of Skin Beaute Med Spa with locations in Randolph and South Easton, Mass., imported counterfeit Botox, Sculptra and Juvéderm from China and Brazil and performed thousands of injections using these and other counterfeit drugs and devices for which she received more than $1 million in client payments. Fadanelli falsely represented to her clients and employees that she was a nurse; in fact, Fadanelli is an aesthetician and was never licensed to perform injections or otherwise dispense or administer prescription drugs or devices. The charge of importing merchandise contrary to law provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of knowingly selling or dispensing a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. If you or a family member believe you received services involving a counterfeit drug or counterfeit device from Fadanelli and/or Skin Beaute Med Spa between 2021 and 2025, please complete the questionnaire located on the FDA’s website at https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/criminal-investigations/oci-vw-assistance . Information about the status of the case is located on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/united-states-v-rebecca-fadanelli . United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. The Medicaid Fraud Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Stoughton and Randolph Police Departments also provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Wright and Sarah Hoefle of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.


title: Ten Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine in the Magic Valley

body_text: BOISE – U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced the sentences of ten defendants who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Magic Valley. According to court records, the defendants possessed and distributed large quantities of methamphetamine throughout the Magic Valley area. During the investigation, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers seized over 30 pounds of methamphetamine from the drug trafficking organization. Several individuals involved in the conspiracy traveled to Arizona and California to obtain methamphetamine that they brought back to Idaho for distribution. Today, Oscar Alejandro Perez-Gomez, 33, of Jerome, was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Perez-Gomez to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. The following defendants were previously sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy: Luis Enrique Gonzalez, 41, of Jerome, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and on October 16, 2025, was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; Leonardo Espinoza-Romero, 33, of Jerome, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and on May 14, 2025, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; Daniel D. Thomas, 49, of Jerome, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and on June 17, 2025, was sentenced to 110 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; Jesus Arturo Torres-Herrera, 37, a Mexican National, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and on January 14, 2026, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He will be deported to Mexico upon his release from prison; Liliana Morales-Caliz, 36, a Mexican National, was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, and on December 17, 2025, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison and will be deported to Mexico upon her release; Artemio Morgan Hurtado, Jr., 35, of Shoshone, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and on April 24, 2025, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; Robert Troglia, 54, of Jerome, was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, and on May 15, 2025, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release; Patrick Delacruz, 41, of Jerome, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and on June 5, 2025, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; and Raquel May, 29, of Twin Falls, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and on June 17, 2025, was sentenced to three years of probation. As part of the same investigation, nine additional defendants were prosecuted in Idaho state courts for crimes including possession of controlled substances and trafficking in methamphetamine. The cases were primarily investigated by the Idaho State Police and Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition to the work of these agencies, U.S. Attorney Davis thanked the following agencies for assisting in the investigation: Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office, Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Jerome County Sheriff’s Office, Jerome Police Department, Jerome County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, Cassia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, Minidoka County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher A. Booker and Francis J. Zebari prosecuted the cases. ###


title: Deported Jamaican National Guilty of Obtaining U.S. Passport with Stolen ID

component: USAO - Georgia, Middle

body_text: MACON, Ga. – A Jamaican man who illegally reentered the U.S. after a federal conviction and stole another’s identity to remain in the country now faces up to ten years in prison following a U.S. Department of State investigation. Roan Lynch, 54, a citizen of Jamaica and a resident of Forsyth, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in an application for a passport, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of illegal reentry before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on April 6. Lynch faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for the false statement in an application for a passport charge; a maximum sentence of two years in prison for the illegal reentry charge; a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge; and a $250,000 fine per count. Sentencing is scheduled for July 9. There is no parole in the federal system. “Foreign nationals who commit crimes here, are deported, then reenter illegally to break our laws again will be held fully accountable for ignoring the standards that apply to all,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “We remain committed to upholding the rule of law by prioritizing these cases and ensuring offenders are brought to justice.” “U.S. passports and visas are the most sought-after travel documents in the world and must be protected at all costs,” said Ryan McSeveney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office. “DSS takes passport fraud seriously, and this case shows that those who steal identities to obtain passports and victimize innocent people will face consequences for their criminal actions.” According to court documents and statements in court, Lynch is a Jamaican citizen who first came to the United States in 1987. Lynch was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in the Western District of New York in 1997 and was deported to Jamaica in April 2000. Lynch was prohibited from entering the United States for ten years. However, he ignored the court order and illegally reentered the country sometime prior to April 24, 2002. Lynch stole the identity of a man whom he met in New York in the 1980s. Lynch used the victim’s identity to apply for, receive and renew a U.S. passport. In May 2023, Lynch submitted a DS-82 renewal for a passport application in the name of the victim, listing an address in Forsyth as the mailing address for the renewed passport. This renewal was approved, and the passport was sent in July 2023. However, in April 2024, the victim, whose identity had been stolen by Lynch, applied for a U.S. passport. The victim was interviewed and confirmed that he had known Lynch in the 1980s as a young man and that Lynch had borrowed the victim’s Social Security card at the time to try to get a job. A fingerprint comparison confirmed that Lynch was, in fact, Roan Lynch, and not the victim. Lynch did not have the victim’s permission to use his identification to apply for and obtain a passport. The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard is prosecuting the case for the Government.


title: Little Rock Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of a Postal Employee

component: USAO - Arkansas, Eastern

body_text: LITTLE ROCK—Christopher Juan Sheard will spend the next 121 months in federal prison for the armed robbery of a postal employee. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky. A Superseding Information was filed on December 1, 2025, charging Sheard, 23, of Little Rock, with one count of armed robbery of a postal employee. Sheard pleaded guilty to the charge on December 1, 2025. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Sheard to serve three years’ supervised release and ordered restitution in the amount of $44,614.67. There is no parole in the federal system. An investigation revealed that on February 26, 2024, Sheard, armed with a loaded Glock 20, model Gen 5 firearm equipped with an extended magazine, robbed a postal carrier of their postal key. The postal carrier was delivering mail to an apartment complex when Sheard approached with his hand on a pistol which was tucked into his waistband. Subsequent to Sheard’s arrest while incarcerated, he made several phone calls to different individuals discussing selling the postal key for cash and the robbery. In one phone call, Sheard stated they need to “find [the postal employee] on Facebook and chop [the postal employee] down.” Sheard’s criminal history includes convictions for possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, felony fleeing, and obstruction of governmental operations. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Little Rock Police Department. # # # Additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at https://www.justice.gov/edar X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAO_EDAR


title: Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison After Conviction for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

body_text: LITTLE ROCK—Corbin Vincent, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 180 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence which was handed down today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky. On November 4, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Vincent, 37, of Hot Springs, in a one-count Superseding Indictment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. After a two-day jury trial, Vincent was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Vincent to serve three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. During the jury trial, it was revealed that agents in the Intensive Supervision Program received a photograph that was a screenshot from a social media platform showing Vincent, who was on active parole, displaying a firearm. When Vincent arrived at his appointment at his parole office, agents detained him and conducted a search of his person and his vehicle. During a search of Vincent’s vehicle, agents located in the backseat a backpack containing Vincent’s identification card and a Taurus G2C .40 caliber firearm with one round in the chamber and equipped with a magazine loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. Vincent admitted to agents that the firearm belonged to him and that he had purchased it from a friend for approximately $200 because he needed to protect himself. Vincent has at least three prior convictions for violent felonies and is therefore classified as an armed career criminal and qualifies for an enhanced sentence. His criminal history includes state felony convictions for possession of firearms by certain persons and four robberies that occurred within a span of one week in 2007. This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the North Little Rock Police Department and the Division of Community Correction. This case was prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gordon and Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams. # # # Additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at https://www.justice.gov/edar X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAO_EDAR


title: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Accessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Oregon

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—An Aloha, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison yesterday for accessing with the intent to view child sexual abuse material while on probation for a 2023 conviction for sex abuse. Thomas Allen Vetsch, 56, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. He is a registered sex offender due to a 2006 conviction for encouraging child sex abuse. “Protecting our children is the District of Oregon’s top priority,” said U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford. “Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to holding repeat offenders accountable.” “Mr. Vetsch’s 10-year sentence is clearly warranted, as he is a repeat offender with previous convictions for sexual abuse of a minor and accessing child sexual abuse material,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify those engaged in the exploitation of children, whether directly or indirectly, and will continue to seek out and arrest those who access these materials.” According to court documents, on July 22, 2024, investigators searched Vetsch’s residence and seized a laptop containing 43 images of child sexual abuse material. On August 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Vetsch with transportation of child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography. On January 12, 2026, Vetsch pleaded guilty to accessing with intent to view child pornography. This case was investigated by HSI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mira Chernick and Pamela Paaso. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org . Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org . This case was brought in collaboration with 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 www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Justice Department Prosecutes a Half-Billion Dollars in Healthcare and COVID Fraud Schemes Exploiting Taxpayer Funded Programs

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department announced today three separate civil and criminal actions to hold two companies and two individual defendants accountable for schemes that attempted to fraudulently bill taxpayer-funded programs of over $500 million. Department of Justice efforts support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. “Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Department, working closely with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “In one day, the Department prosecuted the theft of a half-billion in taxpayer dollars. All those ripping off the American people are on notice.” National Partnership of Insurance Brokers and its Former Subsidiary Agree to Pay Over $135 Million For Affordable Care Act Enrollment Fraud Scheme AP of South Florida, LLC (APSF), an insurance brokerage company headquartered in Florida, has agreed to plead guilty for its role in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment fraud scheme. APSF, through its highest-ranking executives, preyed on thousands of vulnerable consumers to fraudulently enroll them into fully subsidized ACA plans, for which the federal government awarded $141.5 million in unwarranted subsidies. In a parallel civil resolution, AssuredPartners, Inc., a national partnership of insurance brokers and the then-parent company of APSF, agreed to pay $107 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent ACA health insurance plan applications. AssuredPartners, Inc., is not charged in the criminal information. The Criminal Case The federal government offers subsidies to help eligible beneficiaries pay for health insurance plans. These subsidies are offered as tax credits to beneficiaries or as payments to insurers as Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs). APTCs are paid directly to insurance plans by the federal government in the form of a payment toward the beneficiary’s applicable monthly premium. A criminal information was filed yesterday charging APSF with one count of major fraud against the United States. APSF has agreed to resolve the criminal charge by pleading guilty and paying restitution of $27.6 million. As part of its plea agreement, APSF admitted that, through certain of its executives and employees, APSF knowingly and intentionally defrauded the federal government. According to court documents, APSF targeted vulnerable, low-income individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, through “street marketers” working on APSF’s behalf, sometimes offered cash and gift cards to induce those individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans. APSF enrolled these vulnerable consumers in ACA plans that were fully subsidized by the federal government by submitting false and fraudulent applications for individuals whose income did not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the subsidies. As a result of being enrolled in subsidized ACA plans for which they did not qualify, some of these consumers experienced serious disruptions in their medical care or prior insurance coverage under Medicaid or other programs. Some consumers who APSF fraudulently enrolled into fully subsidized ACA plans lost access to free health benefits through Medicaid or local assistance programs, and as a result, these consumers faced increased costs in accessing HIV medication, medication to treat opioid dependence and medication to treat mental health disorders. At times, consumers faced unaffordable co-pays and other costs because APSF enrolled these consumers in plans without regard to the consumers’ medical needs, the availability of other programs (including Medicaid and local assistance programs) and the consumers’ ability to pay out-of-pocket costs. FBI, HHS-OIG and IRS-CI are investigating the criminal case. The Civil Case The False Claims Act settlement resolves allegations that, from February 2021 through September 2022, APSF knowingly submitted false or fraudulent applications for subsidized ACA plans on behalf of thousands of consumers in order to obtain commissions and bonus payments from insurers. APSF contracted with “street marketers” who targeted homeless shelters, bus stops, drug treatment clinics and similar locations. The marketers offered incentives, such as cash or gift cards, to individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans or to provide their personal information so that APSF could submit applications on their behalf. APSF employees then submitted applications falsely representing that the consumers would make a minimum income amount just over the federal poverty line in order to cause the government to pay the highest subsidy amount. APSF employees also knowingly submitted false information to Florida’s Medicaid program in order to generate letters stating that the applicant was denied Medicaid coverage and then used these letters as a qualifying event to trigger a Special Enrollment Period, which allowed APSF to submit applications for ACA plans outside of the normal enrollment periods. APSF employees also evaded the federal government’s attempts to verify information in consumers’ ACA applications by submitting false information in response to inquiries from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services when it sought to verify the false information (including income information) submitted by APSF. Some consumers experienced disruptions in their medical care as a result of being enrolled by APSF in subsidized ACA plans that did not provide coverage for their medical needs. APSF received commissions, bonuses, and/or other payments for consumers it enrolled in ACA plans, and a significant portion of APSF’s revenues from these fraudulently obtained payments flowed up to its then-parent corporation, AssuredPartners. The settlement resolves allegations originally brought in a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The whistleblower will receive $24.3 million as their share of the recovery in this case. The claims resolved by the civil settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability in the civil settlement. California Man Pleads Guilty to Orchestrating $270M Medication Reimbursement Fraud Scheme A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims over an 11-month span to California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) for expensive prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients. According to court documents, Paul Randall, 66, of Orange, along with pharmacist and pharmacy owner Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and nurse practitioner Patricia Anderson, 58, of West Hills, exploited Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain medications at the beginning of 2022. Medi-Cal temporarily suspended the requirement as part of a transition to a new payment system. Using a business called Monte Vista Pharmacy, which Mekail owned, Randall and his co-schemers billed Medi-Cal tens of millions of dollars per month for purportedly dispensing high-reimbursement drugs containing cheap, generic ingredients that were manufactured in unique dosages, combinations or package quantities and were not included in the applicable maximum price lists that cap Medi-Cal reimbursements. In furtherance of the scheme, Randall paid illegal kickbacks to patient marketers in exchange for Medi-Cal beneficiary information and thereafter paid illegal kickbacks to Anderson to sign pre-filled prescriptions for 19 high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs. Anderson never met the patients, reviewed their medical records or otherwise determined that the medications were medically necessary before signing the prescriptions. The medications, which included pain creams and Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter, were billed for thousands of dollars each, including approximately $13,424 for one prescription of meloxicam 5 mg, a generic drug that typically costs between $5 and $25 for a 30-day supply in larger dosages. Randall received a portion of Monte Vista’s reimbursements from Medi-Cal, at times equaling approximately 40% of Monte Vista’s profit from the false and fraudulent claims. Randall admitted in his plea agreement that he caused at least $269,120,829 in false and fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal from May 2022 to April 2023, of which Medi-Cal paid at least approximately $178,746,556. Randall also admitted that he committed the offense while on release in another criminal case. Randall and others laundered their illicit proceeds by transferring the money to a third party to pay kickbacks to Anderson in an attempt to conceal the crime from law enforcement. In his plea agreement, Randall agreed to forfeit property obtained from the fraud, including bank account balances exceeding $17 million, three vehicles, seven real properties, and sports memorabilia. To date, the government has seized approximately $126.5 million in assets that Randall and his co-schemers accumulated from the scheme, including $111 million in bank funds and securities, nine luxury vehicles totaling approximately $1 million, nine luxury real properties totaling approximately $13.5 million, and more than $1 million worth of sports memorabilia. Randall pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Relatedly, in August 2024, Mekail pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and awaits sentencing. In April 2025, Anderson pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and also awaits sentencing. The FBI, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Justice are investigating the case. Business Owner Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison for $100M COVID-19 Tax Credit Scheme A Nevada woman was sentenced yesterday to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to defraud the United States by fraudulently claiming nearly $100 million in COVID-19 related employment tax credits. According to court documents and statements made in court, Candies Goode-McCoy, formerly of Las Vegas, conspired with others to file tax returns seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit and paid sick and family leave credit, credits which Congress created to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic. From approximately June 2022 through September 2023, McCoy filed more than 1,200 tax returns for her own businesses and those of others, which falsely claimed these credits and sought refunds totaling more than $98 million. In total, the IRS paid out approximately $33 million as a result of the scheme. Personally, Goode-McCoy received over $1.3 million in fraudulent refunds. She also received approximately $800,000 from clients for filing fraudulent returns. McCoy used the proceeds to pay for vacations, luxury cars and other luxury goods, and to gamble at casinos. Goode-McCoy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims. In addition to the term of imprisonment, McCoy was ordered to pay the IRS $26,022,188 in restitution. IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.


title: Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Setting Fire to Two Rockford Churches

body_text: ROCKFORD — A man was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for setting fire to two Rockford churches. MARZAVIOUS THOMAS set fire to the churches on Oct. 19, 2022. The first arson occurred at Bethesda Covenant Church, 2101 E. State St. in Rockford. Thomas poured gasoline on entrance doors of the church and on the ground, causing a fire. Thomas then drove to Crosspoint Church, 3215 E. State St. in Rockford, where he threw a piece of concrete through the glass entry doors. He poured liquid from a container and unsuccessfully attempted to light the liquid. Thomas later returned with an object he lit on fire and dropped into the entryway through the broken glass doors, causing a fire to develop rapidly. The fires caused a combined damage to the churches of more than $35,000. Thomas, 31, of Rockford, pleaded guilty last year to federal arson charges. In addition to the five-year prison term, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston ordered Thomas to pay restitution to the churches. The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Rockford Fire Department and the Rockford Police Department. “Arson is a serious violent crime, and it is by sheer luck that these fires did not set Bethesda and Crosspoint churches ablaze, or seriously harm or kill anyone inside,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S Maveus argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.


title: Local Man, Guilty of Violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LIKE CHEN , age 36, pled guilty on April 1, 2026, before United States District Judge Greg G. Guidry to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, a mixture and substance containing one hundred (100) kilograms or more of a detectable amount of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to court documents, on April 14, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agents observed an individual identified as Yilei Zhou pick up Hanjie Wu, a known marijuana distributor, from an airport in Houston, Texas and drive him to a residence in Katy, Texas, where they picked up a co-conspirator, then drove to Denham Springs, Louisiana. The following day, two other individuals, Wei Bin Chen and LIKE CHEN , left Denham Springs, traveled to a nearby storage facility and retrieved multiple large trash bags from a storage unit. They then drove to another storage facility in Slidell, Louisiana. Zhou and Wu then drove to same facility in Slidell where they all met with an additional co-conspirator. Wei Bin and LIKE CHEN then loaded the large trash bags into the co-conspirator’s vehicle and all parties left the storage facility. Forrest County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop the CHEN ’s vehicle on Interstate 59 headed towards Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A consensual search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 43.5 kilograms of marijuana. Mississippi Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop of a co-conspirator’s vehicle on Interstate 59 in Picayune, Mississippi. A consensual search of his vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 22.7 kilograms of marijuana. Based on the seizures that occurred in Slidell and Mississippi, Livingston Parish officers obtained search warrants for the residence and storage facility in Denham Springs. When the officers arrived at the residence, a co-conspirator ran from the residence and was arrested. Inside the residence, officers located $1,552.00 in currency, hundreds of rubber bands, a vacuum sealer and a money counter. From the storage unit, officers seized 38.5 kilograms of marijuana. On the drug conspiracy count, LIKE CHEN faces a minimum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, a maximum term of imprisonment of forty (40) years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, at least four (4) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Forrest County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office, and the Picayune, Mississippi Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys André Jones and Nolan D. Paige of the Narcotics Unit. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Orleans comprises agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). * * *