title: Elementary Teacher Indicted in Austin for Alleged Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: AUSTIN, Texas – A federal grand jury in Austin returned an indictment today charging an Austin man, who was employed as a fifth grade teacher in the city, with two counts related to his alleged receipt and possession of child pornography. According to an affidavit filed in the court documents, Carl David Innmon, 50, allegedly downloaded multiple batches of downloads via BitTorrent between Dec. 29, 2024 and Jan. 15, 2025. The alleged downloads contained a total of 126 files that depict an image of a child engaging in sexual conduct or sexual performance. The children in three of the downloaded files, the affidavit alleges, include an infant and two girls between the ages of four and seven. Based on the investigation, a search warrant was conducted on Innmon’s residence, leading to the seizure of a smartphone, a laptop and a portable hard drive. A forensic analysis of these items cumulatively revealed 365,797 files of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Innmon is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The affidavit also alleges that Innmon was in possession of artificial intelligence generated child pornography, and that his devices contained a large quantity of real images depicting students in a classroom. Some of those images were allegedly placed in an AI generator, de-clothing the students. With assistance from the Austin Independent School District and AISD Police, a Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agent was able to positively identify the students depicted in the images and their ages. The children were allegedly identified as students of Innmon's. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. TX DPS CID is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Sparks is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: California Man Sentenced to 12 Years’ Imprisonment in Connection with $17M Medicare Fraud Schemes

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A California man was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $17 million through sham hospice companies and his home health care company. According to court documents, Petros Fichidzhyan, 44, of Granada Hills, schemed with others to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. Fichidzhyan and his co-schemers controlled hospice entities and used foreign nationals’ personal identifying information (PII) to conceal the scheme, using the PII to, among other things, open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare, and sign property leases. The defendant and his co-schemers also misappropriated the names and PII of several doctors, two of whom were deceased, to fraudulently bill Medicare for purported hospice services. Medicare paid the sham hospices nearly $16 million, of which Fichidzhyan received nearly $7 million, with more than $5.3 million laundered through a dozen shell and third-party bank accounts. Fichidzhyan also obtained more than $1 million in false claims paid to his home health care agency, which fraudulently used a doctor’s name and identifying information as having certified Medicare beneficiaries for home health care. When the doctor confronted Fichidzhyan about the fraud, Fichidzhyan attempted to cover up the scheme by paying the doctor $11,000. Fichidzhyan pleaded guilty to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering in February 2025. At sentencing, he was also ordered to pay $17,129,060 in restitution, and the court preliminarily ordered the forfeiture of a home bought with fraudulent proceeds. The government has seized $2,920,383 from bank accounts associated with the fraud. The sentence imposed today is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to combat hospice fraud in the greater Los Angeles area. “For years, the defendant, working with others, ran multiple sham hospice and home health care schemes, fraudulently billing Medicare over $17 million,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s egregious scheme relied on layers of deception and sophisticated money laundering, and wasted millions in taxpayer money. With the help of our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice is fully committed to stopping these criminal networks and protecting the public fisc.” “Health care fraud is not a victimless crime. Defrauding the Medicare program not only wastes valuable taxpayer dollars, it causes significant harm to enrollees,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office. “HHS-OIG, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who defraud federal health care programs.” "Mr. Fichidzhyan lined his pockets at the expense of the American taxpayer," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The level of fraud and exploitation committed by the defendant is astounding and I'm proud of our investigators and prosecutors who were able to detect his schemes and hold him accountable." The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Eric C. Schmale and Sarah E. Edwards of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit .


title: Rex, Georgia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: Montgomery, Ala. – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced today that a Rex, Georgia man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses. On May 6, 2025, a federal judge sentenced 40-year-old Johnques Wyndell Lupoe to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court records, in late 2022, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) received information about a suspicious individual near the grounds of one of their facilities in Barbour County during the early morning hours. When officers arrived to investigate, they discovered a duffle bag containing multiple items classified as prison contraband, including a substance later confirmed to be methamphetamine. No individuals were located in the immediate vicinity at the time. Later that morning, law enforcement officers encountered a man matching the suspect’s description at a nearby location. The individual, identified as Johnques Lupoe, admitted to being on the prison property earlier. Officers also discovered a handgun in his possession. Due to a prior felony conviction, Lupoe is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. On January 30, 2025, Lupoe pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Alabama Department of Corrections (ALDOC) Law Enforcement Services Division, and the Barbour County, Alabama Sheriff’s Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb prosecuted.


title: Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jeremiah Clinton Gray, 42, of Blue Ridge, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 22, 2024, law enforcement responded to reports of a man inside a Jackson County, Ohio, business with a firearm, body armor and a badge. The individual, later identified as Gray, left the business in a vehicle without a license plate and fled from an attempted traffic stop by law enforcement. The resulting pursuit led law enforcement into West Virginia, where the vehicle was stopped in Charleston with the assistance of spike strips. Gray was arrested and officers found a loaded Taurus model 1911 Officer 9mm pistol on his person and a loaded Mossberg model 590 Shockwave .410-gauge shotgun in the vehicle. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Gray knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on October 20, 2023. Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-35. ###


title: Union County Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for $900,000 COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Joseph McKeon a/k/a “Jay McKeon,” 54, of Westfield, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty on November 19, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals to an information charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Judge Neals imposed the sentence in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From February 2021 through February 2022, McKeon submitted fraudulent PPP loan and forgiveness applications for $900,000 on behalf of a New Jersey company he owned. In support of those applications, McKeon lied about the number of employees the business employed and the income the employees earned. McKeon also submitted forged documents, including fake payroll information, bank statements, tax return documents. After the victim lender funded the loan, McKeon withdrew a significant amount of the loan proceeds as cash and made several large transfers between bank accounts, including one transfer for $315,503.75, that was sent to an Indiana title company. In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced McKeon to 2 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $900,000 in restitution. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connely; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation that led to the sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . ### Defense Counsel: Joshua Nahum, Esq., of New Jersey


title: Possession of a Taurus Semiautomatic Pistol and a Glock 17 Nets Previously Convicted Felon 46 Months in Prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Larnell Hutchinson, 25, a previously convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison in connection with possessing two pistols that he discarded as he led police on a foot chase in June 2024. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Hutchinson pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2025, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 46-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Hutchinson to serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, on June 24, 2024, at 6:51 p.m., MPD officers from the Violent Crime Suppression Division’s Robbery Suppression Unit were driving southbound on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. The plain clothes officers, dressed in tactical vests that identified them as police, spotted Hutchinson standing at a bus stop. When Hutchinson noticed the police vehicles approach, he appeared startled, began walking away from the bus stop, and reached for his waistband. Hutchinson ran toward the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Dix Street, NE. Officers saw Hutchinson pull two firearms from his waistband and throw one of them into the intersection. Police apprehended Hutchinson on Dix Street. Following his arrest, police recovered a Taurus semi-automatic pistol, previously reported stolen, and loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition. Police also recovered a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 12 rounds, that Hutchinson had dropped on the road. Hutchinson has previous convictions for robbery while armed, attempt to commit robbery, and robbery. This case was investigated by the MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division’s Robbery Suppression Unit with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole. 24cr314


title: Federal Jury Convicts Raleigh County Man of Federal Gun Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – After a one-day trial, a federal jury convicted Alfred Leslie Pittman, 36, of Harper Heights, on Monday, May 5, 2025, of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence at trial proved that on April 26, 2023, Pittman was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Beckley Police Department officers in Beckley. During the traffic stop, officers found that Pittman possessed a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol with an extended magazine in the vehicle. Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Pittman knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for robbery in the first degree in Raleigh County Circuit Court on June 2, 2015. Pittman is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. “The defendant knew he had been convicted of a felony, robbery in the first degree, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. He is now being held accountable for his criminal conduct,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “I commend the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley Police Department for their investigative work in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian D. Parsons and Joshua Hanks and our trial team did an excellent job in this case and I commend them for securing the guilty verdict.” Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the jury trial. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-169. ###


title: Largest Fentanyl Bust in DEA History: Authorities Seize Over 400 Kilograms of Fentanyl in Record-Shattering Operation

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Federal authorities have arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history. “This historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa Cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States.” As part of this operation, law enforcement executed coordinated search warrants across five states, resulting in the following seizures: Albuquerque, NM : Approximately $610,000 in U.S. currency 49 firearms, some with switches, and some ghost guns 396 kilograms of fentanyl pills 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder 1.5 kilograms of cocaine 3.5 kilograms of heroin 7 pounds of methamphetamine A Ford Raptor and GMC Denali Two vehicles valued at approximately $140,000 Guns seized in Albuquerque, New Mexico Salem, OR : More than $2.8 million in U.S. currency Jewelry valued at approximately $50,000 A Mercedes AMG and Ford F-150 Shelby valued at approximately $150,000 Cash seized in Salem, Oregon Layton, UT : Approximately $780,000 in U.S. currency A Dodge TRX Mammoth valued at approximately $150,000 Phoenix, AZ : Approximately $390,000 in U.S. currency 72 pounds of methamphetamine 13 kilograms of fentanyl pills 2.4 pounds of heroin 5 kilograms of cocaine. Las Vegas, NV: Illegal alien apprehended and removed More than $93,000 in U.S. currency 2.7 kilograms of cocaine 1 pound of methamphetamine “Our communities are safer today because of the tireless dedication and coordination among federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “By dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous fentanyl trafficking organizations in U.S. history, we have removed millions of lethal doses from our streets and sent a clear message: those who profit from poisoning our citizens will be held accountable. The fight continues, but this operation marks a decisive step in protecting families across the western United States.” “Behind the three million fentanyl pills we seized are destructive criminal acts thwarted and American lives saved. This wasn't just a bust—it was a battlefield victory against a terrorist-backed network pumping death into our cities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “This case represents DEA’s largest single seizure of fentanyl pills to date. I commend the men and women of DEA for their extraordinary work, day in and day out, and I remind the cartels that DEA is relentlessly in pursuit and will not stop until we destroy your networks.” Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, is the leader of the drug trafficking organization. He, along with Cesar Acuna-Moreno, 27, Bruce Sedillo, 26, Vincent Montoya, 35, David Anesi, 42, George Navarette-Ramirez, 25, Alex Anthony Martinez, Jose Luis Marquez, Nicholas Tanner, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, and David Altamirano Lopez are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Seven defendants face additional charges of distributing fentanyl: Cesar Acuna-Moreno, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, Bruce Sedillo, and Nicholas Tanner. Jose Luis Marquez and Bruce Sedillo are each charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Bruce Sedillo is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Heriberto Salazar Amaya faces three additional immigration-related charges: illegal reentry after deportation, hiring an unauthorized alien, and conspiracy to harbor unauthorized aliens. During the operation, three additional individuals were arrested and charged by criminal complaint: Phillip Lovato, 39: On April 29, agents seized approximately 110,000 fentanyl pills from Lovato’s stash house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lovato is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. Cash and Drugs seized in Santa Fe, New Mexico Roberta Herrera, 31; On April 28, agents seized approximately 365,000 pills fentanyl pills, 1,543.5 grams of heroin, 569.9 grams of cocaine, and 24 firearms from Herrera’s apartment. Agents also encountered a minor child at the location. Herrera is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Misael Lopez Rubio, 25; on April 28, agents seized approximately 165.5 kilograms of fentanyl pills from a storage unit rented by Lopez Rubio. He is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams and more of fentanyl and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. Drugs seized in Albuquerque, NM U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico and Special Agent in Charge Omar Arellano of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, made the announcement today. The DEA’s El Paso Division investigated this case with assistance from the IRS Criminal Investigation. The following law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement operation: Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Lea County Drug Task Force, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, Isleta Police Department, Laguna Pueblo Police Department, Pojoaque Police Department and Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew McGinley, Blake Nichols and Raquel Ruiz-Velez for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). View the Indictment View the Motion to Detain View Lovato’s Criminal Complaint View Herrera’s Criminal Complaint View Lopez Rubio’s Criminal Complaint An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Haven Felon Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Gun and Drug Offenses

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TYRICK WARREN, 31, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 96 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for firearm possession and drug distribution offenses. According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 15, 2023, after a short pursuit, New Haven Police arrested Warren for violating conditions of his state probation that followed a felony firearm conviction. During the pursuit, officers saw Warren discard multiple items, later found to be a Glock semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, and bag containing various plastic bags of crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. Subsequent analysis by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) connected the seized pistol to shell casings collected after a shooting on Winchester Avenue in New Haven on November 8, 2023, and a shooting on Hazel Street in New Haven on November 12, 2023. It is alleged that text messages from Warren’s phone further connected him to these two shootings, as well as a carjacking, robbery, and shooting on November 10, 2023. Warren’s criminal history also includes convictions for robbery, drug, and additional firearm offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. Warren has been detained since his arrest. On May 14, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. State charges against Warren related to the November 12, 2023, shooting are pending. This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the New Haven Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn .


title: Trenton Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Possessing Ammunition in Connection with a Shooting

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County man was sentenced to 84 months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with a Trenton shooting, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Rashon Lawery, 27, of Trenton, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to an Indictment charging him with unlawful possession of twenty-six rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition by a convicted felon. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On May 23, 2022, members of the Trenton Police Department responded to a report of a shooting. Three individuals were shot, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, and law enforcement recovered six 9-millimeter shell casings at the scene. During a foot pursuit through a Trenton park, which eventually lead to his arrest, Lawery discarded a 9-millimeter unserialized semiautomatic pistol (a ghost gun) with a high-capacity 32-round magazine, which was loaded with twenty rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition. The six recovered shell casings from the shooting scene were later confirmed by a ballistics laboratory to have been discharged from Lawery’s gun. In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Lawery to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Satellite Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Steve E. Wilson, and detectives and prosecutors of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, for their work on this case. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton. ### Defense counsel: Andrea G. Aldana, Esq., Trenton


title: Hopkinsville, Kentucky Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy and Money Laundering

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Paducah, KY – A Hopkinsville, Kentucky man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking conspiracy and money laundering. The sentence follows a conviction on all counts after a three-day jury trial earlier this year. U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the of the Pittsburgh Division, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd, Cincinnati Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement. According to court documents, Robert Blaine , 46, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for one count of conspiring to distribute controlled substances and 7 counts of money laundering. Blaine was on supervised release for a federal drug trafficking conviction at the time he committed the instant offenses. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between May 20, 2020, and January 22, 2022, Blaine conspired with Roderick Tutt , 36, of Hopkinsville, Kentucky , and Jessica Ochoa, 40, of Phoenix Arizona, to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and over 400 grams of a fentanyl mixture. During that time frame, Blaine wired money to Ochoa as payment for the drugs and in furtherance of the overall conspiracy. Blaine also mailed a box containing $36,960 in U.S. currency to Ochoa that he obtained from proceeds of illegal drug sales. On January 21, 2022, Blaine arranged for Tutt to travel to Arizona to pick up fentanyl and methamphetamine from Ochoa . Tutt was supposed to bring the drugs back to Blaine in Hopkinsville. Tutt was arrested on the way back to Hopkinsville with 2,059 fentanyl pills and approximately 8 kilograms of methamphetamine. Blaine has previously been convicted of the following drug trafficking crimes. On or about June 13, 2008, in Fulton Circuit Court, Blaine was convicted of trafficking in marijuana, greater than 5 pounds. On or about January 6, 2009, in Caldwell Circuit Court, Blaine was convicted of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance – cocaine. On or about August 27, 2009, in Christian Circuit Court, Blaine was convicted of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance – cocaine. On or about October 14, 2014, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Paducah Division, Blaine was convicted of three counts of manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance, cocaine. Tutt and Ochoa previously pled guilty and were sentenced. On March 25, 2025, Tutt was sentenced to 2 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiring with Blaine to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. On March 25, 2025, Ochoa was sentenced to 7 years and 4 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiring with Blaine to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and seven counts of money laundering. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the DEA Paducah Post of Duty, the United States Postal Inspection Service Bowling Green Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division Bowling Green Office, the ATF Bowling Green Field Office, and the Hopkinsville Police Department, with assistance from the FBI Louisville Field Division, the Tonto Apache Police Department, the DEA Phoenix Division, and the United States Postal Inspection Service Phoenix Division. Assistant United States Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal Cristy Crockett. This case was sentenced under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). ###


title: Four-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than Five Years In Prison For Possessing A Rifle, Ammunition, Machineguns, And Silencers

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Lee Ann Roberts (43, Altamonte Springs) to 5 years and 11 months in in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing unregistered machineguns and silencers. The court also ordered Roberts to forfeit the firearm, machineguns, silencers, and ammunition involved in the offense. Roberts pleaded guilty on October 17, 2024. According to court documents, officers and agents with the Altamonte Springs Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received a tip that Roberts was selling firearms, machineguns, silencers, and grenade launcher parts out of a hotel room in Altamonte Springs. Law enforcement located Roberts and the vehicle in which she stored her firearms. When officers searched the vehicle, they located a hunting rifle, two AR-platform receivers, three silencers, tactical gear, vests, magazines, and hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition. The AR-platform receivers had been modified to allow fully automatic firing, making them machineguns under federal law. ( machinegun receivers and silencers recovered from Roberts’s vehicle ) Law enforcement also searched Roberts’s phone and found evidence that she had sold or attempted to sell several firearms, including many of the firearms which law enforcement had found in her car. ( image recovered from Roberts’s phone of firearms, magazines, and ammunition ) As a convicted felon, Roberts is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. None of the machineguns or silencers were registered to Roberts in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Altamonte Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Mexican National Sentenced To Over Four Years In Federal Prison For Illegally Reentering The United States, Possessing A Firearm, And Possessing Fake Identification Documents

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara has sentenced Pedro Antunez-Galarza (43, Mexico) to 46 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation for an aggravated felony, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing a false Permanent Resident card and Social Security card. The court also ordered Antunez-Galarza to forfeit the Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Shield, and ammunition used in the offense. On the same day as his sentencing hearing, Antunez-Galarza admitted that he had committed new law violations and Senior U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell sentenced him to 10 months in federal prison to run consecutive with the sentence that Judge Lazzara had imposed. According to court documents, Antunez-Galarza was deported in 2020 after he was convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Antunez-Galarza was deported again in 2021 and 2022. In the early morning hours of July 19, 2024, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Antunez-Galarza, who was riding a bicycle without any lights on. Antunez-Galarza fled from the deputies. When a deputy caught up to him, Antunez-Galarza reached for his waistband before the deputy arrested him. The deputy searched Antunez-Galarza and found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P 40 Shield that had been reported stolen, a Social Security card with invalid numbers for a “Tony Garcia,” and a fictitious Permanent Resident card with the name “Tony Garcia” that displayed a photograph of Antunez-Galarza. Deputies booked and fingerprinted Antunez-Galarza at the Manatee County Jail. A biometric records check showed that Antunez-Galarza’s fingerprints matched those from his prior deportations. Immigration officers reviewed their files and determined that Antunez-Galarza had not received permission to reenter the United States. On October 18, 2024, Antunez-Galarza was arrested. At that time, Antunez-Galarza confessed to paying a smuggler to bring him back into the United States and illegally possessing the firearm. This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), 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.


title: Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Managing Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD –A Boston man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking operation that was distributing fentanyl and cocaine in the Manchester-area, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces. Flemin Soto Baez, age 50, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, namely, fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2025. The defendant was originally charged with conspiracy on April 26, 2023, along with 20 other defendants, in the matter United States v . Juan Ramon Soto Baez , et al . He is the 15th defendant in the conspiracy to plead guilty. According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was the leader of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, particularly Manchester, between September 2019 and April 2023. The organization was run like a business, operating “dispatch” telephone lines where customers could call in to order drugs. The defendant operated the dispatch line and coordinated purchases. He sent runners to meet customers to conduct hand-to-hand exchanges of drugs for money, usually in the runner’s vehicle. On 14 separate occasions between July 14, 2022 and March 2, 2023, the defendant sent a runner to deliver crack cocaine to drug customers in Manchester. The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . ###


title: Four Honduran Nationals Indicted in Florida for Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll Scheme

component: Tax Division

body_text: Last week, a federal grand jury in Orlando, Florida, returned an indictment charging four Honduran nationals with operating an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, the conspirators facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States. The defendants, Iris Villafranca, Mario Flores, Osman Zapata, and Cristofer Oseguera Giron, were charged with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Villafranca was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and with filing false tax returns. The following is according to the indictment: from 2015 to 2022, the defendants used a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors allegedly paid their workers using the cash. As a fee for their services, the defendants allegedly charged a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed. This scheme allegedly allowed construction contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers in cash without regard to required payroll taxes or whether the workers were legally authorized to work in the United States. Indeed, according to the indictment, the defendants caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the off-the-books payroll scheme and made only minimal employment tax deposits. As another aspect of the scheme, the defendants allegedly defrauded workers’ compensation insurance companies by leasing their certificates of insurance to contractors, and by providing false and fraudulent information to the insurers about, among other things, the number of workers covered by the insurance and the amount workers were paid. The indictment also alleges that Villafranca filed false individual income tax returns for 2019 through 2022 that did not report all the income she earned from the scheme and also did not report rental income she earned from her real estate. If convicted, Villafranca faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. She additionally faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing false tax returns. If convicted, Flores, Zapata, and Giron face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Homeland Security Investigations assisted during the investigation. Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Tampa Man Sentenced To Over 17 Years In Prison For Possessing A Firearm And Committing Armed Robbery While On Federal Supervised Release

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jutaurio Preshae Clemons (39, Tampa) to 17 years and 4 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for violating supervised release. The court also ordered Clemons to forfeit a Glock model 30, 45 Auto semi-automatic pistol and assorted ammunition. Clemons pleaded guilty to the felon in possession charge on October 15, 2024, and, following a hearing on April 29, 2025, the court found Clemons in violation of his supervised release. According to court documents and evidence presented at the violation hearing, Clemons was sentenced to federal prison in 2009 for conspiracy to possess five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. After he served his prison sentence, and while he was on federal supervised release, the State of Florida issued an arrest warrant for Clemons for an attempted murder and robbery alleged to have occurred on August 14, 2022. When a United States Marshals Service fugitive task force found Clemons to arrest him on August 29, 2022, he was carrying a firearm inside a holster. The firearm, a Glock semi-automatic pistol, was loaded with four rounds of ammunition. Evidence presented during the violation of supervised release hearing proved that on August 14, 2022, Clemons, while brandishing a firearm, sneaked up on a man as he was about to enter the front door of his residence and shot him eight times. Clemons then dragged the victim from the front of his residence, took his cellphone, and fled the scene. The victim, who had gunshot wounds to his left hand, left arm, right clavicle, right ear, chest, and upper torso, survived but required several surgeries to repair the gunshot wounds and a broken arm. The shooting was captured on home security cameras, and the victim identified Clemons as the shooter. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Temple Terrace Police Department, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman and Michael Sinacore. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Court Orders Florida Tax Return Preparer to Shut Down Tax Preparation Business

body_text: Note: View permanent injunction here . The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction today against Cooper City, Florida, tax return preparer Sunil Ramchandani and his business, SR Chandra Inc. doing business as AHS Income Tax Services. The court ordered the closure of AHS Income Tax Services and barred Ramchandani from preparing or assisting in preparing federal income tax returns for others or transferring his customer lists. Ramchandani agreed to the injunction against him and his business. AHS Income Tax Services had already agreed to entry of a preliminary injunction before the start of filing season. The complaint alleged that Ramchandani prepared customers’ returns that fraudulently claimed false or inflated residential energy credits, false fuel tax credits, fictious business losses, and other false or inflated deductions and credits, including false education credits and fictitious child and dependent credits. According to the complaint, the IRS estimated a tax loss of more than $10 million in 2022 and 2023 alone from returns prepared by Ramchandani and AHS Income Tax Services. The Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement. Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS warns taxpayers to avoid “ghost preparers” and lists other improper acts that tax preparers engage in to take advantage of their unsuspecting customers. In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website . An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page . If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.


title: Middle District Of Florida Prosecutors Indict 74 Firearms And Violent Crime Defendants During Second Quarter Of 2025 As Part Of Project Safe Neighborhoods Strategy

body_text: Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced today the results of the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy. During the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, ending on March 31, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida has charged 74 individuals. These individuals face federal firearms, narcotics, and violent crime charges. Law enforcement seized more than 195 firearms associated with these cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also engaged in more than 20 outreach events focused on PSN and prevention of crime. Members of the office spoke with hundreds of students as part of outreach efforts during the second quarter of 2025. Prosecutors also spoke to more than 150 recently released individuals at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office DISMAS program at the Jacksonville Bridge Community Release Center and over 50 inmates scheduled for release from Baker Re-Entry Center. “Combating violent crime is a top priority of our office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “We will continue our commitment to reduce crime by working closely with our public safety partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who violate the law and positively engage with our citizens throughout the district.” PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders, and locally based re-entry programs to reduce recidivism. Q2 PSN case highlights: United States v. Carl Thompson (Ft. Myers) In January 2025, Carl Samuel Thompson, Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. According to court records, on April 7, 2024, a vehicle being driven by Thompson was pulled over by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for a traffic infraction. During the traffic stop, deputies discovered that Thompson’s front seat passenger was concealing a loaded firearm, which was secured by the deputies during the traffic stop. A subsequent investigation revealed that Thompson, who had an active warrant for his arrest, had provided the firearm to his passenger to conceal after realizing he was being pulled over. As a career criminal with more than 10 prior felony convictions, Thompson qualified for an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act. United States v. Avery Fuller et al (Jacksonville) In February 2025, Avery Fuller was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robberies in New Jersey and Florida, and for brandishing a firearm during the robberies. According to court documents, Fuller and his co-conspirators planned and executed a series of jewelry store robberies in New Jersey, Florida, and the District of Columbia. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, the group targeted predominantly South Asian jewelry stores along the East Coast. Wearing disguises and armed with firearms, they used hammers to smash jewelry display cases and steal valuable items. United States v. Jose G. Medina (Ocala) On March 5, 2025, Jose G. Medina pleaded guilty to three counts of making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm, and three counts of causing a Federal Firearm Licensee (“FFL”) to maintain false information in its official records. According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina straw-purchased multiple firearms for others. Some of these firearms were intercepted by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as others attempted to transport them across the United States’ border into Mexico. United States v. Victor Manuel LaFontaine Ruiz et al (Orlando) In February 2025, Victor Manuel LaFontaine Ruiz, Jose Emanuel Maldonado Rodriguez, Freddie Geovani Cruz Batiz, Jomar Manuel Lopez, Montanez, Derrick Yamil Rivera Robles, Leonardo David Joseph Guerra, and Jincheng Shi were charged for their alleged roles in a gun trafficking operation. According to court documents, from at least as early as September 2023 onward, Lafontaine and Maldonado operated a gun trafficking ring involving hundreds of firearms, machineguns, machinegun conversion devices, and high-capacity magazines needed for fully automatic weapons. Lafontaine and Maldonado allegedly assembled, manufactured, and modified semi-automatic and automatic firearms using a “ghost gunner” machine and specialized “endmill” drilling devices. They sold those items to illegal aliens and convicted felons such as Lopez Montanez, Rivera Robles, and Joseph Guerra, who were often brokering such transactions on behalf of other unknown customers. United States v. Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron (Tampa) In March 2025, Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic in firearms, gun trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license, and possessing firearms as an illegal alien. According to the plea agreement, between 2023 and April 2024, Sune-Giron was a member of a large-scale firearms trafficking operation. He recruited individuals to illegally buy firearms—including Glocks, rifles and AK-47s—from Federal Firearms Licensees dealers across Florida. After obtaining the firearms, Sune-Giron and his co-conspirators smuggled them overseas, shipping them to countries including the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Between 2023 and 2024, Sune-Giron and his co-conspirators trafficked more than 1,000 firearms. Several of these firearms were later recovered at crime scenes. During the execution of search warrants, agents recovered approximately 57 firearms, 30 empty gun boxes, approximately $16,000 in cash, ammunition, and money counters. At the time of the search, Sune-Giron was living in the United States illegally under an assumed name. These cases are being prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorneys in all five divisions throughout the Middle District of Florida. For additional information on Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit our website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/project-safe-neighborhoods-0 . PSN Chart


body_text: Orlando, FL - Last week, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging four Honduran nationals with operating an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, the conspirators facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States. The defendants, Iris Villafranca, Mario Flores, Osman Zapata, and Cristofer Oseguera Giron, were charged with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Villafranca was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and with filing false tax returns. The following is according to the indictment: from 2015 to 2022, the defendants used a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors allegedly paid their workers using the cash. As a fee for their services, the defendants allegedly charged a percentage of the dollar amount of the checks they cashed. This scheme allegedly allowed construction contractors and subcontractors to pay their workers in cash without regard to required payroll taxes or whether the workers were legally authorized to work in the United States. Indeed, according to the indictment, the defendants caused the filing of false tax documents with the IRS to conceal the off-the-books payroll scheme and made only minimal employment tax deposits. As another aspect of the scheme, the defendants allegedly defrauded workers’ compensation insurance companies by leasing their certificates of insurance to contractors, and by providing false and fraudulent information to the insurers about, among other things, the number of workers covered by the insurance and the amount workers were paid. The indictment also alleges that Villafranca filed false individual income tax returns for 2019 through 2022 that did not report all the income she earned from the scheme and also did not report rental income she earned from her real estate. If convicted, Villafranca faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. She additionally faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing false tax returns. If convicted, Flores, Zapata, and Giron face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Homeland Security Investigations assisted during the investigation. Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Hackensack Tax Preparer Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Tax Evasion and Aiding and Assisting in Preparing 177 False Tax Returns

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey woman was sentenced today for tax evasion and for helping her clients file falsified tax returns that generated larger refunds, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Joshlyn Raye, 49, of Elmwood Park, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to an Information charging her with one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return; one count of tax evasion; and one count of filing a false declaration under penalty of perjury concerning a quarterly tax return on behalf of her tax return business. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Between March 2010 and September 2023, Raye was the owner of JB Tax Services, a tax return preparation business located in Hackensack. She knowingly and willfully evaded her personal income taxes over three of those years; filed 177 false tax returns on behalf of her clients; and filed three false quarterly employment tax returns on behalf of her tax return preparation business. Raye used fabricated and inflated figures, including expenses and itemized deductions. In addition to the 36-month prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Raye to 3 years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $1,109,214.10 in restitution. U.S. Attorney Habba credited members of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; and members of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Office of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Director Brian Hickey, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin, Chief of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark. ### Defense counsel: Richard J. Sapinski, Esq.


title: St. Louis Felon Who Fatally Shot Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

body_text: ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis man who shot an acquaintance in 2023 to nine years in prison. Clayton Pierce Davis, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. On July 4, 2023, Davis was celebrating with others in St. Louis. After a Fourth of July event, the group went to a shop on the corner of Gravois Avenue and Chippewa Street in south St. Louis. An argument started and Davis fired 12 shots from a handgun, fatally shooting a man and wounding his girlfriend. At least one of the victims was armed and the woman fired one shot. Davis is a felon and is thus barred from possessing firearms. He has prior convictions for robbery, riot in a penal institution, dog fighting, stealing and assault. The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie Schneider prosecuted the case.


title: Sacramento Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for $38 Million Catalytic Converter Theft Ring

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Tou Sue Vang, 33, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for his role in transporting thousands of stolen catalytic converters across state lines, laundering money, and other related crimes, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, Tou Vang, along with his brother Andrew Vang and mother Monica Moua, purchased stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and sold them to a buyer in New Jersey for more than $38 million. Catalytic converter theft has become prevalent across the nation because of their value, relative ease to steal, and their lack of identifying markings. Thieves steal catalytic converters from vehicles on the street for the precious metals they contain, which may be more valuable per ounce than gold, and then sell them to buyers like T. Vang. The black-market price for certain catalytic converters from California can be more than $1,000 each. This prosecution is part of a nationwide initiative that dismantled a catalytic converter theft conspiracy. In addition to the three California defendants, this case includes 12 New Jersey defendants, including brothers Navin Khanna and Tinu Khanna, who operated DG Auto and purchased the stolen catalytic converters from California for more than $38 million. Tou Vang and his family operated primarily from their private residences and storage units; and did not have a scrap yard or valid business license. Some of the shipments that Tou Vang made to DG Auto were over 1,000 pounds and contained a single type of high-value catalytic converter, such as the Toyota Prius. Tou Vang and his family used the funds they received from the Khanna brothers and withdrew cash from the bank accounts they controlled to purchase more stolen catalytic converters, thereby promoting the carrying on of the unlawful activity. Tou Vang spent the proceeds of these stolen catalytic converters to fund his lavish lifestyle, including to purchase a five-acre multi-home complex in Rio Linda for $1.235 million in cash, over a dozen motor vehicles (including two Teslas and two Sea Doos), and an additional home in Sacramento. As part of T. Vang’s sentence, the United States forfeited more than $150,000 in U.S. currency, 13 motor vehicles, four personal watercraft, jewelry, and real estate, amongst other property. “This defendant led a network of criminals that hurt thousands of innocent car owners,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “This case represents the kind of far-reaching investigation that federal, state, and local law enforcement partners can do when working together. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continuing its law enforcement partnerships to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.” “Theft usually happens in the shadows, most often with the help of professional enablers such as Mr. Vang who facilitated the sale of stolen goods. The financial expertise of IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office agents has helped trace the assets and unraveled the truth behind these organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Nguyen. “Today’s sentencing is a true reflection of the collaborative commitment between all the local, state, and federal agencies who contributed to this outcome as our way to protect the people in the communities and bring justice to light.” “This takedown is the first of its kind in the nation and a major step forward in dismantling a catalytic converter theft ring,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The group is tied to an estimated $38 million in losses, and this investigation shows the power of strong collaboration. I’d like to extend a special thanks to our law enforcement partners in Yolo and Sacramento counties who helped ensure our shared success.” This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento Police Department, Davis Police Department, Auburn Police Department, Livermore Police Department, and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of California and Trial Attorney César S. Rivera-Giraud of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Allen Woman Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Federal Prison  for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Allen, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Misty Hornbeck, age 50, was sentenced on May 5, 2025, to 11 years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Hornbeck was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024, and pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025. Hornbeck’s conviction stemmed from the large-scale distribution of methamphetamine on the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City, South Dakota. Hornbeck, who resided in Colorado during the conspiracy, supplied methamphetamine to her codefendants through her sources in Colorado. Hornbeck’s codefendants then transported the methamphetamine into South Dakota. Once the methamphetamine was in South Dakota, it would be further distributed by multiple individuals, including Hornbeck’s co-defendants Nathan Tobacco-Clifford, Milo Shot With Arrow, and others. Between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine was distributed during the course of this criminal conspiracy. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case. Hornbeck was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing. ###


title: Porcupine Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter and False Statement

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of False Statement. The sentencing took place on April 25, 2025. Clayton Fire Thunder, age 40, was sentenced to a total of eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $300 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. A federal grand jury indicted Fire Thunder in May 2024. He was found guilty following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, in January of 2025. On the early morning of September 15, 2022, a male drove his partially clothed girlfriend to Indian Health Services (IHS) hospital on the Pine Ridge Reservation and dropped her off at the Emergency Department. The male did not provide his identity nor the female’s identity. The male told medical personnel that a firearm went off while they were engaged in intimate relations and that she had been shot accidentally. Law enforcement identified and located the male at his residence several hours later. The male was cleaning the crime scene and sent text messages to the female’s relative’s claiming the shooting was an accident. A search of the residence was conducted. Law enforcement was unable to locate the handgun that the male claimed was used in the shooting. The male was arrested and eventually charged with second degree murder, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. A digital surveillance system that recorded traffic to the male’s house was seized by law enforcement. After reviewing the footage, law enforcement identified a vehicle that appeared at the male’s residence shortly after midnight and just before the female was brought to IHS. After several months, law enforcement was able to identify the driver of the vehicle as Marino Waters and the passenger as Clayton Fire Thunder. The investigation revealed that Waters drove Fire Thunder to the male’s residence just east of Pine Ridge two times on the morning of September 15, 2022. Fire Thunder intended on selling a firearm to the male in exchange for cash and/or methamphetamine. The male did not answer the door when Fire Thunder knocked, and unexpectedly, Fire Thunder discharged one round from the firearm into the residence. The round ended up penetrating the siding, backboard, and drywall of the residence and struck and killed the male’s girlfriend, a 27-year-old female. When Fire Thunder was interviewed by the FBI in March of 2023, he gave a false statement and said that he did not have a firearm when the shooting occurred. Fire Thunder admitted to being at the residence and told law enforcement that he was inquiring with the male homeowner about a junked car at 4:00 o’clock in the morning. Fire Thunder was reinterviewed again in October 2023. Fire Thunder continued to deny that he possessed a firearm during the shooting death of the female and this time said that he was inquiring about a flatbed at 4:00 o’clock. Seventeen witnesses and over 200 exhibits were introduced at Fire Thunder trial establishing that Fire Thunder possessed and discharged a firearm on the morning of September 15, 2022, that resulted in the death of a 27-year-old female. The jury found Fire Thunder guilty of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of false statement. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case. Fire Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Bankruptcy Fraud

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: A Florida man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to attempting to evade federal taxes and engaging in fraudulent transfers and concealment in a bankruptcy proceeding. According to court records, Paul Archer , 46, formerly of Hampden and Orrington, operated a profitable online marketing business for software installation on computers, earning several million dollars from 2013 through 2015. After an IRS audit in 2016 assessed a federal tax debt totaling approximately $1 million for those years, Archer concealed and transferred assets through two LLCs he controlled and began using third-party bank accounts to evade paying the tax debt. From April 2018 through November 2019, Archer transferred and concealed assets and income by using a series of bank accounts held in the names of Max Tune Up, LLC; Stealth Kit, LLC; his father; and his spouse. Using a bank account held by Stealth Kit, LLC, for instance, Archer received income via direct deposits, initiated and received over $2 million in wire payments, and used cryptocurrency trading platforms and online payment systems to transfer funds. Archer transferred an investment account held in his own name to an account held in the name of Stealth Kit, LLC, then engaged in trading activity, stock ownership, and dividend/interest distributions. Archer further owned and transacted in Bitcoin using two different cryptocurrency exchanges, purchasing and later trading cryptocurrency valued at several hundred thousand dollars. In March 2019, Archer filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding. In his Chapter 7 petition and schedules, Archer falsely claimed less than $50,000 in assets; a single checking account; no other assets or property interests; no recent asset transfers; and no connections to any businesses or memberships in any LLCs. Archer repeated these falsehoods under oath during meetings of creditors convened by a Chapter 7 Trustee, as well as in statements made to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine. Archer faces up to five years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the two charges to which he pleaded guilty. Any sentence will be followed by up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the case. ###


title: Five Charged in Human Smuggling Event that Led to at Least Three Deaths

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Two complaints were filed in federal court today charging five people with participating in a human smuggling event that led to the deaths of at least three migrants, including a 14-year-old boy from India. His 10-year-old sister is still missing at sea and presumed dead; their father is in a coma and mother is also hospitalized. According to court records, on May 5, 2025, witnesses observed an overturned panga boat at a beach in Del Mar, California. Bystanders and San Diego Lifeguards participated in rescue efforts. Law enforcement officials recovered three bodies, including the boy, identified in court records as P.P.B. Four others were rescued and hospitalized, including P.P.B.’s mother and father; nine others were initially unaccounted for, including P.B.B.’s 10-year-old sister. Two men believed to be involved in the smuggling event – Mexican nationals Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna and Jesus Juan Rodriguez Leyva - were arrested Monday at the beach and charged today with Bringing in Aliens Resulting in Death and Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. Later Monday night, Border Patrol agents were conducting operations in Chula Vista, California where they identified a vehicle that had been observed at the scene of the maritime smuggling incident earlier that day. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. During the investigation, Border Patrol Agents identified two other vehicles that were involved in the smuggling event and were able to successfully stop and arrest the drivers of these load vehicles and locate eight of the nine migrants missing from the boat, with the exception of the 10-year-old sister of P.P.B. Melissa Jenelle Cota, Gustavo Lara and Sergio Rojas-Fregosa – all Mexican nationals - were arrested and charged with Transportation of Illegal Aliens. Rojas-Fregoso, was identified as an alien who had previously been deported on December 19, 2023. “The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “We are committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims, and to holding accountable any traffickers responsible for their deaths.” “Human smuggling, regardless of the route, is not only illegal but extremely dangerous. Smugglers often treat people as disposable commodities, leading to tragic and sometimes deadly consequences, as we saw in this case,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “Yesterday's heartbreaking events are a stark reminder of the urgent need to dismantle these criminal networks driven by greed. The HSI along with the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, and other partners from the Marine Task Force, remains firmly committed to holding those responsible accountable for these senseless deaths.” This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Van Demark and Edward Chang. DEFENDANTS Case Number 25mj02403-JLB Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva Age: 36 Mexico Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna Age: 30 Mexico SUMMARY OF CHARGES Bringing in Aliens Resulting in Death – Title 8, U.S.C., Sections 1324(a)(1)(A)(i), (v)(II), and (a)(1)(B)(iv) Maximum penalty: Death or Life in Prison and $250,000 fine Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison with a three-year mandatory minimum and $250,000 fine Case Number 25mj2386-JLB Melissa Jennelle Cota Age: 33 Mexico Gustavo Lara Age: 32 Mexico Sergio Rojas-Fregoso Age: 31 Mexico SUMMARY OF CHARGES Transportation of Illegal Aliens – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $500,000 fine Deported Alien Found in the United States – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1326 Maximum penalty: Two years in prison and $250,000 fine INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Homeland Security Investigations – Marine Task Force Homeland Security Investigations U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Coast Guard San Diego Lifeguard Service San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: District Man Pleads Guilty to Fatal October Southeast Shooting

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Andre Clark, 34, of the District, pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder while armed for the October 2024 shooting of Leonard Taylor, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Clark’s guilty plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing, calls for a range of 15-to-20 years in prison, to be followed by supervised release. Superior Court Judge Todd E. Edelman accepted the factual basis for the plea and scheduled sentencing for July 11, 2025. According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on the morning of Oct. 20, 2024, the defendant walked out of a building on the 1500 block of 19th St., SE and towards the victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of a gray sedan parked on that street. Clark walked up to the driver’s side of the car, leaned down towards the driver’s side window, and used his right hand to point a firearm at the victim. As the victim started to drive away, the defendant fired his gun at him, striking the victim in the back and killing him. The defendant was located and arrested in Baltimore, Maryland, Dec. 19, 2024, and has been in custody since his arrest. This case was investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bromwich.


title: Miami Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Money Laundering in Scheme to Illegally Obtain Multiple HELOCs Using a Single Property

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A Miami man pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a scheme in which he fraudulently obtained multiple home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) from various lenders by repeatedly using the same property as collateral. In June and July 2023, Alfred Lenoris Davis, 51, of Miami, Florida, engaged in a multi-lender fraud scheme by submitting false and misleading information to financial institutions in connection with HELOC applications. Davis submitted fraudulent tax returns and falsely represented that his property was free of other liens, even though he had already obtained and/or applied for other HELOCs secured by the same property. By concealing these overlapping obligations, Davis induced multiple lenders to extend approximately $1,257,500 in lines of credit under false pretenses. Davis used the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds for personal expenses and other purposes. Davis was charged with three counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. Davis pleaded guilty on May 5. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on July 24 in Miami. Davis faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Bailyn is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Klco is handling asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20456. ###


title: Three CBP Officers Indicted for Allowing Undocumented Individuals to Enter the U.S. Through Their Inspection Lanes; Two Accused of Taking Bribes

body_text: SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Farlis Almonte, Ricardo Rodriguez and Kairy Stephania Quiñonez are charged in an indictment with allowing vehicles with undocumented individuals to pass through their lanes into the U.S. without inspection while working at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The indictment alleges that Almonte, Rodriguez, and Quiñonez revealed their lane assignments and hours they were scheduled to work the primary inspection booths at the San Ysidro Port of Entry so that co-conspirators would know when it was safe to transport undocumented individuals across the border with impunity - sometimes using code words to gain admittance. According to the indictment, the defendants falsely reported in the Transportation Enforcement Communications System – a database known as “TECS” that is used by CBP officers - the number of occupants in co-conspirators’ vehicles to conceal the fact that those vehicles contained undocumented individuals. Almonte and Rodriguez are also charged with receipt of bribes by a public official. The indictment alleges that in exchange for money, they failed to enforce the immigration laws of the United States by allowing vehicles with undocumented immigrants to enter the United States. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco Nagel and Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza. DEFENDANTS Case Number 25-CR-1502 Farlis Almonte Age: 38 San Diego, California Ricardo Rodriguez Age: 34 Tijuana, Mexico Kairy Stephania Quiñonez Age: 31 Imperial Beach, California SUMMARY OF CHARGE Conspiracy to Bring in Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 and Title 8, U.S.C. Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain, Aiding and Abetting - Title 8, U.S.C. Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) and Title 18, U.S.C. Section 2 Maximum Penalty: Fifteen years in prison with a five-year mandatory minimum Receipt of Bribes by Public Official - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201(b)(2)(C) Maximum Penalty: Fifteen years in prison INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General Homeland Security Investigations Drug Enforcement Administration U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations United States Border Patrol *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Crew of Fentanyl Dealers Indicted in Colorado

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that a grand jury has returned an indictment charging Exor Omar Villanueva Raudales, a/k/a “Brian,” age 36, Alex Yubini Canaca Calix, age 32, Luis Fernando Banega Moncada, age 21, Alejandro Torres Ochoa, age 38, and Juan Carlos Sosa Villanueva, age 34, with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl on different occasions between June 2024 and April 2025. The indictment alleges a series of distinct episodes in which one or more of the defendants distributed fentanyl pills. Four involved Raudales, who worked with Calix, Moncada, and Villaneuva to execute fentanyl deals. Two involved Ochoa, who executed a deal by himself on one day and with Raudales and Villanueva on another. The deals involved substantial amounts of fentanyl, a dangerous Schedule II controlled substance. Defendants Moncada, Ochoa, and Villanueva – all Honduran nationals without authorization to be in the United States – had initial appearances in federal court on April 29, 2025. All have since been detained pending trial after detention hearings in U.S. District Court. Raudales remains at large. Calix was unlawfully present and has previously been deported. The investigation is being conducted by the Denver Field Office of the FBI, the Denver Field Office of the DEA, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, and IRS Criminal Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section of the United States Attorney’s Office. 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). The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Case Number: 25-cr-00131-CNS


title: Jury Finds Would-Be Sex Trafficker Guilty of Attempting to Entice and Coerce a Child and an Adult into Prostitution

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Steven Terrell Lewis of El Cajon was convicted by a federal jury of attempted coercion and enticement of a 14-year-old high school student and attempted sex trafficking by force or coercion of a 22-year-old woman. According to evidence presented at trial, on April 22, 2024, as the 14-year-old victim was walking to a friend’s house after school around 3 p.m. in El Cajon, Lewis used his vehicle to pin her on the sidewalk, exited his vehicle and snatched her cellphone from her hand to get her cellphone number. Lewis then proceeded to send sexually explicit text messages (from a phone number ending in 8155) to the victim before she was able to block his phone number. The next day, on April 23, 2024, Lewis continued texting the victim, except this time from a different phone number through TextFree, a mobile application and web service (from a phone number ending in 0014). When Lewis identified himself as “Pimpin,” sent a sexually explicit photograph and invited the victim to “go get some money” with him, the minor victim immediately notified a coach at her high school. The El Cajon Police Department and San Diego Sheriff’s Office responded. After Lewis’s attempt to sex traffic the minor victim failed, one week later, on April 28, 2024, he began recruiting the 22-year-old victim through MegaPersonals and sent a ride-share vehicle to take her to Roosevelt Avenue in National City, known as “the blade,” to work street-based prostitution for his financial benefit. Fortunately, on April 29, 2024, the adult victim was picked up by an undercover National City police office posing as a commercial sex buyer and was offered resources to leave prostitution. However, Lewis continued to message the adult victim (from both phone numbers ending in 8155 and 0014), threatening her to continue to engage in commercial sex for his benefit, to include: Officers from the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force conducted physical surveillance of Lewis, a search of his vehicles, residence and cell phones, and ultimately arrested him on May 16, 2024. The victims did not know each other. Investigators believe that other potential victims exist because they discovered a photograph of a handwritten note during a search of Lewis’s phone that appears to have been written by a concerned parent to Lewis. The note reads, “If I find out one more time that this car is following my daughter down Graves Ave we will have a problem. I suggest you f---- chill.” At the time, Lewis was driving two vehicles that were registered to him, including a white, four-door 1996 Oldsmobile bearing California license plate number 3TIF671: And a brown or beige colored, four-door 1986 Chevrolet bearing California licenses plate number 1REC517: If you believe you or someone you know has had an encounter with Lewis or you know the author of the note, investigators ask that you contact the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. “The jury’s guilty verdicts are a powerful reminder that human trafficking has no place in our society. These verdicts are not just justice for the victims – it is a warning to human traffickers everywhere that those who exploit and attempt to exploit others for profit will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law, no matter how long it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “I commend the bravery of the survivors who came forward. Their truth helped convict a predator – and protect countless others.” “This guilty verdict sends the powerful message that those who exploit children will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego. “This outcome is the result of relentless cooperation among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Our agency remains steadfast in our mission to bring perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice and to stand beside every victim until justice is served.” “Every year, there are thousands of reported human trafficking cases across the United States — including right here in California,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Whether it’s for sex or labor, abusing power to force or coerce someone into doing something against their will is wrong. At the California Department of Justice, we’re committed to standing up for survivors, disrupting and dismantling human trafficking rings, and securing justice. I am thankful for our federal, state and local partners because it takes all of us to combat human trafficking. If you or someone you know has been affected by human trafficking, there are resources available to you. You are not alone.” “As a member of the Human Trafficking Task Force the protection of our youth is our top priority,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration and the need to share information in order to bring suspects like this into custody.” Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2025. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndzie M. Carter and Derek Ko. DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr1349-JES Steven Terrell Lewis Age: 39 El Cajon, CA SUMMARY OF CHARGES Attempted Coercion/Enticement of a Minor – 18 U.S.C., Section 2422(b) Maximum penalty: Ten-year mandatory minimum up to life Attempted Sex Trafficking by Force/Coercion, 18 U.S.C., Section 1591(a) Maximum penalty: Fifteen-year mandatory minimum up to life INVESTIGATING AGENCIES San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force Homeland Security Investigations National City Police Department El Cajon Police Department San Diego Sheriff’s Office San Diego District Attorney’s Office