title: Justice Department Announces Nationwide Actions to Combat Illicit North Korean Government Revenue Generation

body_text: Four U.S. Nationals and Ukrainian Identity Broker Plead Guilty Department Seeks Forfeiture of More Than $15M in Virtual Currency Stolen and Laundered by North Korean Hackers The Justice Department today announced five guilty pleas and more than $15 million in civil forfeiture actions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remote information technology (IT) work and virtual currency heist schemes. The DPRK government uses both types of schemes to fund its weapons and other priorities in violation of sanctions. First, as described in court documents associated with the guilty pleas, facilitators in the United States and Ukraine assisted North Korean actors with obtaining remote IT employment with U.S. companies. For example, the facilitators’ provided their own, false, or stolen identities, and hosted U.S. victim company-provided laptops at residences across the United States to create the false appearance that the IT workers were working domestically. In total, these defendants’ fraudulent employment schemes impacted more than 136 U.S. victim companies, generated more than $2.2 million in revenue for the DPRK regime, and compromised the identities of more than 18 U.S. persons. Second, as described in the two civil forfeiture complaints, a North Korean military hacking group known to the private sector as Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38) carried out multimillion-dollar virtual currency heists at four overseas virtual currency platforms in 2023. While APT38 actors continued to launder their ill-gotten gains for these heists, the U.S. government froze and seized more than $15 million worth of virtual currency that it now seeks to forfeit for eventual return to the rightful owners. “These actions demonstrate the Department’s comprehensive approach to disrupting North Korean efforts to finance their weapons program on the backs of Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The Department will use every available tool to protect our Nation from this regime’s depredations.” “Ensuring national and economic security are paramount to the Department’s mission,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Hostile nation-states raising funds for illicit programs by stealing from digital asset exchanges threatens both. The Criminal Division is steadfast in its determination to forfeit ill-gotten gains from bad actors and return funds to victims.” “FBI investigations continue to expose the North Korean government’s relentless campaign to evade U.S. sanctions and generate millions of dollars to fund its authoritarian regime and weapons programs,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “These guilty pleas send a clear message: No matter who or where you are, if you support North Korea's efforts to victimize U.S. businesses and citizens, the FBI will find you and bring you to justice. We ask all our private sector partners to improve their security process for vetting remote workers and to remain vigilant regarding this emerging threat.” The Department’s actions to combat both the North Korean IT worker and hacking schemes are the latest in a series of law enforcement actions under a joint National Security Division (NSD) and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January and June 2025. As the FBI has described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024 and January 2025 , North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere. Three Guilty Pleas – Southern District of Georgia Yesterday, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. nationals Audricus Phagnasay, 24, Jason Salazar, 30, and Alexander Paul Travis, 34, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately September 2019 through November 2022, Phagnasay, Salazar, and Travis provided their U.S. identities to IT workers they knew were located outside the United States so that the workers could fraudulently apply for and obtain employment with victim U.S. companies. In addition, the three defendants hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at their residences, and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from the defendants’ residences. Each defendant also assisted overseas IT workers in passing employer vetting procedures. Travis and Salazar, in particular, appeared for drug testing on behalf of the overseas IT workers. “My office is committed to pursuing individuals that seek to harm the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia. “This collaboration with our law enforcement agencies exemplifies how our joint efforts are successful in identifying, investigating and prosecuting those defendants.” Travis, an active-duty member of the U.S. Army at the time, received at least $51,397 for his participation in the scheme. Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively. The fraudulent scheme earned approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. The FBI Augusta (Georgia) Resident Agency is investigating the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hamner for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the cases. Oleksandr Didenko Guilty Plea – District of Columbia On Nov. 10, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a years-long scheme that stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to overseas IT workers, including North Korean IT workers, so they could fraudulently gain employment at 40 U.S. companies. Victim U.S. companies paid Didenko’s IT worker clients hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work. As part of his plea, Didenko agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million, which includes more than $570,000 in fiat and virtual currency seized from Didenko and his co-conspirators. “North Korea is focused on victimizing and perpetrating fraud on American citizens, companies, and banks by stealing the identity of U.S. citizens and selling them around the world so foreign actors can gain employment in America,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “These convictions prove that we will stop at nothing to uncover complex fraud schemes especially when they are committed by North Korean actors to fund their weapons program.” The case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Norfolk and San Diego Field Offices and the Jefferson City (Tennessee) Resident Agency. In May 2024, Polish authorities arrested Didenko and on Dec. 30, 2024, he was extradited to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Tennessee, and Eastern District of Virginia, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance. Erick Ntekereze Prince Guilty Plea – Southern District of Florida On Nov. 6, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. national Erick Ntekereze Prince, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately June 2020 through August 2024, Prince, through his company Taggcar Inc., contracted to supply allegedly “certified” IT workers to victim U.S. companies, knowing that the IT workers were located outside the United States and were using false and stolen identities to gain employment. In addition, Prince hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at Florida residences and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from Prince’s residence. Prince earned more than $89,000 for his participation in the scheme. “These prosecutions make one point clear: the United States will not permit the DPRK to bankroll its weapons programs by preying on American companies and workers,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will keep working with our partners across the Justice Department to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue every individual who enables North Korea’s operations.” Prince, U.S. national Emanuel Ashtor, and a Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso de los Reyes were charged in January 2025 by indictment alleging their participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from more than 64 U.S. companies. The fraudulent scheme earned more than $943,069 in salary payments from victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. Ashtor is awaiting trial, and de los Reyes is pending extradition from The Netherlands. The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. Forfeiture Complaints for More Than $15 Million in Stolen Funds – District of Columbia The Department recently filed two civil complaints to forfeit USDT, a virtual currency stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, that the FBI seized in March 2025 from North Korean APT38 actors: an Oct. 24, 2025 complaint (1:25-cv-03771) to forfeit 1,159,834.52 USDT; and a complaint filed today (1:25-cv-03943) to forfeit 13,980,951.103 USDT. In total, the seized USDT is valued at more than $15 million. As alleged in the complaints, the seized virtual currency relates to North Korean APT38 actors’ efforts to raise revenue for the DPRK government through four heists from virtual currency providers: (1) a July 2023 theft of approximately $37 million in virtual currency from an Estonia-based virtual currency payments processor; (2) a July 2023 theft of approximately $100 million from a Panama-based virtual currency payment processor; (3) a November 2023 theft of approximately $138 million from a Panama-based virtual currency exchange; and (4) a November 2023 theft of approximately $107 million in virtual currency from a Seychelles-based virtual currency exchange. Efforts to trace, seize, and forfeit related stolen virtual currency remain ongoing, as the APT38 actors continue to launder such funds through various virtual currency bridges, mixers, exchanges, and over-the-counter traders. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with these complaints. Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorneys Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. and Prava Palacharla of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the forfeiture actions. *** Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs. The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.


title: Former Belleville attorney sentenced to prison for stealing from clients

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill . – A district judge sentenced a former Belleville attorney to spend 90 months in federal prison after he admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from his clients. Jason R. Caraway, 51, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud in February. He was sentenced on Oct. 1. “This lawyer didn’t just steal—he preyed on clients who trusted him to fight for them after suffering life-altering injuries,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “He pocketed their settlements, grabbed money intended to pay doctors, falsified court records, and even defrauded the children of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Attorneys must be held to account when they fail to honor their duty to serve as officers of the court. This sentence rightly delivers justice for his victims.” Caraway was a partner at Caraway, Fisher & Broombaugh, P.C., a personal injury law firm in Belleville. According to court documents, Caraway had control of the firm’s bank accounts and misappropriated funds by improperly spending client funds on personal and business expenses, issuing checks to himself, accepting settlements without client notification or payment, failing to pay medical lienholders from legal proceeds, and misapplying retainers without authorization. The investigation identified more than 40 clients that were impacted and a loss of more than $1 million. To help facilitate his theft, he also forged the signatures of St. Clair County judges on two court orders. "The actions of Mr. Caraway, which involves stealing from his clients, including child beneficiaries, are reprehensible" said FBI Springfield's Special Agent in Charge, Christopher J. S. Johnson. "FBI Springfield believes this guilty plea offers a measure of peace to the victims and hopes this can restore trust in the justice system." Caraway represented two children of Ricardo Davis, a Washington Park Police officer who was killed in the line of duty after a tragic accident in 2018. He obtained more than $128,000 for their benefit that was never disbursed to them. Thanks to the ARDC Client Protection Program, the beneficiaries were paid after years of waiting. FBI Springfield Field Office led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross prosecuted the case.


title: Federal Authorities Charge Las Cruces Man After Series of Retail Assaults and Thefts Spark Local Outcry

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man with a lengthy history of retail thefts and assaults was federally charged under the Hobbs Act after the Las Cruces Police Department publicly condemned the state judicial system for failing to prosecute more than 70 offenses allegedly committed by the defendant since 2022. According to court documents, between November 2022 and April 2025, Neal Wesley Garcia , 43, allegedly committed multiple robberies and assaults at retail stores throughout Las Cruces, New Mexico. Garcia ’s offenses involved violence or threats against employees when they attempted to prevent him from leaving stores with unpaid merchandise. Court documents allege that: On November 21, 2022, Garcia stole a Sony backpack from GameStop after pushing an employee who confronted him. On April 24, 2023, Garcia assaulted two employees at Lowes Fiesta Foods after attempting to leave with cleaning products without paying. On June 30, 2023, Garcia threatened a Savers employee with a stolen baseball bat and broke a window while fleeing with merchandise. On July 7, 2023, Garcia punched a Murphy’s Express employee and damaged the employee’s vehicle after shoplifting. On August 24, 2023, Garcia struck an Albertson’s worker while taking grocery items without payment. On April 5, 2025, Garcia punched a Walmart employee after concealing items in his waistband and attempting to leave without paying. Each incident involved goods that were manufactured and shipped from outside New Mexico and Garcia ’s criminal conduct impacted the stores’ ability to conduct business and thereby affected interstate commerce. Garcia is charged with six counts of interference with commerce by threats or violence and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Garcia faces 20 years in prison as to each count. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case. View the Criminal Complaint (Garcia).pdf A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.


title: PENSACOLA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO NARCOTICS AND FIREARMS CHARGES

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jujuan Andre George, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distribution of controlled substances, one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners, this offender’s drug trafficking enterprise has been dismantled and he has been stopped from continuing to flood our streets with deadly drugs. My office is committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the violent drug traffickers who have terrorized our communities for far too long, and this successful prosecution is yet another step toward achieving that goal.” Court documents reflect that in May of 2025, the defendant sold cocaine and fentanyl during an undercover operation. In June 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a suite in a Pensacola strip mall that the defendant was known to distribute drugs out of. Law enforcement located approximately 285 grams of fentanyl as well as methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, six firearms, ammunition, and other items indicative of drug distribution. The defendant is a multi-time convicted felon. George faces up to life imprisonment. The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton. Sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026, at 11:00am at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Las Cruces Teenager Charged with Receiving Firearm While Under Indictment

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces teenager has been charged with illegally receiving a firearm while under indictment following an investigation that linked him to a handgun through social media evidence. According to court documents, on August 31, 2025, Doña Ana County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call involving multiple people with firearms near the intersection of Roe Deer Court and Cous Deer Avenue. Deputies had been searching for a sedan that had dropped off a gunshot victim at a local hospital earlier that day and located the sedan and another vehicle at the scene. The owner of the second vehicle stated she did not own any firearms and provided written consent to search the vehicle. Inside, detectives recovered a loaded handgun from the back seat, with a round in the chamber and a 17-round capacity magazine. The owner indicated she believed her passenger, Anthony Jacob Lopez , 19, left the firearm in her vehicle. A subsequent search warrant for Lopez 's Instagram account and cell phone revealed multiple photographs and videos of Lopez with the same handgun on various dates. Instagram messages from July 14, 2025, showed an associate offering to sell Lopez the specific handgun for $600, with Lopez confirming the purchase on July 18, 2025, stating " Appreciate dat heater too brudda good ass deal ." Cell phone data showed photographs of the firearm taken at Lopez 's residence in Las Cruces. A screenshot of a photo posted to Lopez’s Instagram account on or about August 22nd, 2025 On March 5, 2025, Lopez received a two-year deferred sentence for Smuggling of Persons in Texas and is currently on supervised release. His probation conditions explicitly prohibit him from possessing or transporting any firearms. Under federal law, Lopez is considered under indictment until he successfully completes his deferred sentence. Lopez is charged with receiving a firearm while under indictment. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department and Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.


title: Shiprock Woman Pleads Guilty to Stabbing

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman admitted to assaulting and stabbing another woman. According to court documents, on November 21, 2024, Angelia Garcia , 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, repeatedly stabbed Jane Doe with the intent to cause bodily harm. Garcia pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. At sentencing, Garcia faces up to ten years in prison. Upon her release from prison, Garcia will be subject to three years of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Pahl is prosecuting the case. This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.


title: Newcomb Man Charged with Sexual Assault of a Minor

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man has been charged in federal court with sexually assaulting a minor. According to court documents, between July and August 2025, Raymond Lapahie , 18, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly engaged in multiple sexual acts with a minor. Lapahie is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse by use of force and one count of abusive sexual contact. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of all charges, Lapahie faces up to life in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release upon release from prison, and mandatory sex-offender registration. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.


title: Ruther Glen man sentenced to life in prison for federal hate crime and firearms violation

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A Ruther Glen man was sentenced to life in prison in federal court yesterday after pleading guilty to two federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence. “As our nation recovers from recent political violence, today’s verdict is a welcome reminder that terror motivated by hate will not be tolerated,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and vigorously prosecute those who choose brutality and aggression over civility and reason.” “No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting communities from hate-fueled violence and to hold accountable those who attack others based on prejudice.” Douglas Wayne Cornett followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County. Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States. Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once. Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin. The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-91.


title: Dulce Man Sentenced for Unprovoked Assault

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man was sentenced to 30 months prison for assaulting a man without provocation and causing severe injuries. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on February 2, 2025, James William Julian , 26, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Tribe, inserted himself into an argument between two other men and repeatedly punched John Doe in the face, causing severe injuries including a nasal fracture, orbit fracture, a fractured rib and lacerations. Julian pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon his release from prison, Julian will be subject to two years of supervised release. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case. This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.


title: Hong Kong Businessman Indicted for Role in Filing False SEC Investment Adviser Forms on behalf of Sham Entities Used in Ramp-and-Dump Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday charging a Hong Kong man for his role in a conspiracy to file false and deceptive investment adviser forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for at least 10 shell business entities that he and co-conspirators created. The false forms gave the impression that the entities were legitimate financial advisers, though they were sham entities. At least two of these false entities were then used to induce retail investors through social media and WhatsApp chats to purchase the stock of Chinese companies listed on NASDAQ. “Today’s indictment charges the defendant for his alleged role in a complex securities fraud scheme that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in investor losses,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is fully committed to stopping foreign actors who victimize American retail investors. Under my leadership, the Criminal Division will aggressively investigate and prosecute criminals who steal the hard-earned savings of U.S. citizens through fraud and deceit.” “The investing public relies on the accuracy and integrity of materials filed with the SEC,” said SEC Inspector General (SEC-OIG) Kevin B. Muhlendorf. “The SEC-OIG will tirelessly investigate domestic and foreign actors who seek to abuse the SEC’s processes for malicious purposes.” According to the indictment, Guanhua Su, 37, of Hong Kong, who goes by the alias “Michael Su,” was the managing director and marketing director of Rhino Consulting Business Service Ltd, a Hong Kong-based financial services business. As alleged, between approximately February 2023 and March 2025, Su and his co-conspirators created at least 10 shell entities and filed fraudulent investment adviser forms with the SEC on behalf of the companies. For example, on behalf of two entities — Bluesky Eagle Capital Management LTD (Bluesky Eagle) and Wisdom Capital Management Group LTD (Wisdom Capital) — Su allegedly made or caused to be made false statements concerning the entities’ principal place of business, status as a public company, chief officers and whether information about private funds would be disclosed on other investment advisers’ filings. According to the indictment, in April 2024, Bluesky Eagle and Wisdom Capital were used by co-conspirators to induce investors to purchase stock of a NASDAQ-listed public company based in the Cayman Islands with business in China that operated, at one point, with a variable interest entity (VIE) structure. Using false identities of financial advisers purportedly connected to Bluesky Eagle and Wisdom Capital, co-conspirators allegedly promised returns of 300-500% in WhatsApp chats, telling investors that they would be fully compensated for any losses. The indictment further alleges that as investors were told to buy stock in the public company promoted by WhatsApp accounts associated with the sham entities, foreign-based brokerage accounts sold the company’s stock for gross proceeds of as much as $211 million. On April 17, 2024, the public company’s stock price collapsed by approximately 88%, resulting in significant investor losses. On Nov. 13 the SEC filed civil actions against a number of entities for which the Department had charged Su with filing false forms with the regulator. The SEC filed civil actions against Bluesky Eagle and Supreme Power Capital Management LTD in the Southern District of New York and against AI Financial Education Foundation Ltd.,AI Investment Education Foundation Ltd., Invesco Alpha Inc. and Adamant Stone Ltd. in the District of Colorado. The SEC previously filed a civil action against Wisdom Capital in the District of Columbia. Su is charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, making material misstatements in a report filed with the SEC, and false statements. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count. The SEC-OIG investigated the case. The Department of Justice appreciates the efforts of FINRA’s Surveillance and Market Intelligence – Market Abuse Group. Trial Attorney Matthew Reilly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is 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: Virginia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Federal Hate Crime and Firearms Violation

component: Civil Rights - Criminal Section

body_text: Douglas Wayne Cornett of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was sentenced to life in prison in federal court yesterday after he pleaded guilty to two federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence. “No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting communities from hate-fueled violence and to hold accountable those who attack others based on prejudice.” “As our nation recovers from recent political violence, today’s verdict is a welcome reminder that terror motivated by hate will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and vigorously prosecute those who choose brutality and aggression over civility and reason.” According to court documents, on the evening of Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States. Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once. Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin. The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.


title: U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant Appoints Prosecutors to Leadership Roles for the Western District of Tennessee

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant is pleased to announce the appointments of four Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) for management and supervisory roles within the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Tennessee. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “All four of these AUSAs are career prosecutors with unquestioned reputations for effective prosecution and sound legal and ethical judgment. I have full faith and confidence in all of them to help me effectively lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in West Tennessee, and I am proud to appoint them to these important positions.” BETH C. BOSWELL FIRST ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY Beth Boswell was admitted to practice law in Texas in November 1992 and in Tennessee in September 1998. She started her path as a career prosecutor immediately after law school by working for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, Texas, one of the largest District Attorney offices in the country, where she worked from 1992 to 1998. Prior to joining the Department of Justice in 2014, Boswell served as the Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney General for Tennessee's 24 th Judicial District Attorney General’s office for 16 years. During her service as Deputy Chief, she was the Senior Trial Prosecutor for all violent crimes and major drug cases covering a five-county district. While there, she also worked as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) for the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Tennessee (WDTN) from 2011 to 2014. Boswell then joined the U.S. Attorney's Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA). She was assigned to the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit in the Jackson, Tennessee branch office, which focused on the prosecutions of long-term drug and gang cases. She served as the Lead AUSA of the unit from 2016 to 2018 and was then appointed as Criminal Chief, where she served until this promotion. During her career as a prosecutor, Boswell has tried hundreds of felony cases to verdict, including complex gang and long-term narcotic prosecutions, firearms violations, murders, rapes, arsons, robberies, and other violent crimes. She has received the Department of Justice Criminal Division Assistant District Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, as well as United States Attorney Awards for outstanding performance and distinguished service to the Western District of Tennessee. Beth Boswell is a graduate of Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN, where she received an athletic and academic scholarship. She graduated from Middle Tennessee University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee with a B.S. degree in Pre-Law/Political Science and received her Juris Doctorate degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. Boswell has been a regular speaker and instructor in various areas of public safety and has provided training to prosecutors, law enforcement, correctional officers, medical professionals, and the public. PATRICK NEAL OLDHAM CRIMINAL CHIEF Patrick Neal Oldham is a native Memphian and grew up in the Whitehaven area. He attended St. Paul grade school and Bishop Byrne High School. He attended the University of Memphis and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History. After college, he worked as a Leadership Consultant for Sigma Chi International Fraternity. Oldham then attended the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis and graduated in 2004. Oldham began is legal career in 2004 as an Assistant District Attorney for the Tennessee’s 25th Judicial District, serving Tipton, Lauderdale, Fayette, Hardeman, and McNairy counties. In 2009, Oldham joined the 30th Judicial District, serving Shelby County, and worked there for nine years before joining the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee in 2018 under a DOJ initiative to provide additional prosecutorial resources to target and combat violent crime. GREGORY D. ALLEN HOMELAND SECURITY TASK FORCE DEPUTY CHIEF Gregory D. Allen is a graduate of the University of Memphis and Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Allen practiced criminal law in state and federal courts in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas. He joined the Department of Justice in 2018 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee and was assigned to the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit. Allen has spent years in OCDETF collaborating with law enforcement partners on cases, participating in complex and lengthy investigations of narcotics traffickers, and completed numerous jury trials. He has litigated multiple carjackings, child exploitation, inmate escapes, firearms, and organized crime cases. Allen has served as the Lead Homeland Security Task Force Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He also served as the First Step Act point of contact for the U.S. Attorney's Office and is a well-respected mentor to other Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the district. NAYA BEDINI APPELLATE CHIEF Naya Bedini earned a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Harding University where she graduated magna cum laude and received an International Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business. In 2014, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphrey’s School of Law. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Bedini served as a clerk to Chief Magistrate Judge Diane K. Vescovo of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. In 2018, Bedini joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Appellate Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. During her time in that role, Bedini wrote over 120 appellate briefs on a multitude of legal issues, argued several times before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, managed an extensive post-conviction docket, assisted in decisions regarding government appeals of adverse orders (in tandem with the Criminal Division at Main Justice and the Office of Solicitor General), responded to en banc petitions, and provided guidance to our attorneys regarding legal developments. While maintaining her appellate caseload and responsibilities, Bedini has also successfully prosecuted several cases in the district court, completed several jury trials, and assisted in complex pretrial litigation cases. She also manages the student externship program for the U.S. Attorney's Office. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Leader Of Colombian Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced To Over 13 Years For Conspiring To Traffic Over 43,000 Kilograms Of Cocaine Valued At $1.3 Billion

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle has sentenced Jorge Hernan Gonzalez-Ortiz (49, Colombia) to 13 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Gonzalez-Ortiz pleaded guilty on January 14, 2025. According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from 2016 until 2023, Gonzalez-Ortiz established and led a drug trafficking organization in Colombia responsible for transporting cocaine via commercial airplanes and maritime vessels. Conspirators loaded commercial aircraft with cocaine disguised in boxes of fruit at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia and intended for Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés Island, Colombia. With the assistance of no less than 20 corrupt Colombian police officers, the conspirators exported the cocaine out of the San Andrés Island airport and then smuggled the narcotics by boat to either Nicaragua or Honduras, then to Mexico and the United States via land routes. From 2016-2023, Gonzalez-Ortiz’s organization smuggled cocaine onto at least 27 commercial flights in Cali, totaling at least 43,000 kilograms, and worth approximately $1.3 billion (USD). In addition to corrupt police officers, Gonzalez-Ortiz’s drug trafficking network included a security supervisor at the Cali airport who was responsible for diverting security cameras away from the airport’s external gates where the cocaine was imported. Other conspirators in the drug trafficking network included airport personnel who altered the cargo manifests, as well as luggage cart drivers and warehouse personnel at both airports who loaded and unloaded the cocaine onto and from the commercial aircraft. On July 29, 2023, one of the organization’s cocaine shipment (1,310 kilograms) was interdicted by the Colombian National Police after it was offloaded from a commercial aircraft in San Andrés Island. (July 29, 2023, drug interdiction seizure) This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi- jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, and the prosecution was led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Colombian National Police’s Dirreccion de Antinarcotics (DIRAN), and the Colombian Equipo de Trabajo Investigativo Control Aeronaves (ETICA). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.


title: CRAWFORDVILLE FELON SENTENCED TO FIFTEEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG AND GUN CHARGES

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jason Rigdon, 44, of Crawfordville, Florida was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our state and federal law enforcement partners did a great job removing this violent, drug-dealing felon from our streets, and my office will continue to support their efforts with aggressive federal prosecutions to keep our communities healthy and safe. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America from the drug traffickers who have flooded our communities with deadly drugs, and this successful prosecution is yet another step toward achieving that goal.” According to court records, in February 2025, investigators developed information indicating that the defendant, who was a multi-time convicted felon, was involved in the trafficking of methamphetamine and illegal firearms. After a series of controlled operations during which methamphetamine and a handgun were purchased from the defendant, investigators executed a search warrant in March 2025 at his residence. During the search of the residence and a vehicle the defendant was arrested in, thirteen firearms, two of which had been reported stolen, were recovered. Ammunition and methamphetamine were also seized. The defendant has prior felony convictions for Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement, Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, Trafficking in methamphetamine, Carrying Concealed Firearms, Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement, and Possession of Methamphetamine. “The Leon County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to protect our community,” said Sheriff Walt McNeil. “We will not tolerate dangerous crimes like drug trafficking and illegal firearms anywhere in our region, and we will continue to collaborate to ensure those responsible are held accountable.” “Protecting our community from violent offenders remains one of our highest priorities,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. “This outcome demonstrates the strength of our partnerships and the determination of law enforcement to hold accountable those who traffic dangerous drugs and illegally possess firearms. Together, we are making Tallahassee a safer place for everyone.” The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Parrish Man Sentenced To More Than Eleven Years For  Firearms Offense

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Jason Peterson (29, Parrish) to 11 years and 5 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Peterson to forfeit the firearms possessed in connection with the offense. Peterson pleaded guilty on June 11, 2025. According to court records, on November 16, 2024, deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a residence in Parrish. The caller stated that Peterson had previously battered her and was in possession of a firearm. Deputies arrested Peterson and recovered a Smith & Wesson handgun and a Bauer handgun from the residence. ATF agents interviewed Peterson after his arrest. Peterson admitted to possessing the Smith & Wesson handgun and knowing that he could not possess a firearm as a convicted felon. During the same interview, Peterson also discussed a Rossi shotgun that his wife had purchased for him at a gun store in Sarasota, which he subsequently sold to another felon. ATF agents subsequently recovered surveillance video showing Peterson in possession of the shotgun in October 2024. Prior to possessing the firearms, Peterson knew he had been convicted of multiple felonies, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and delivery of a controlled substance. As a convicted felon, Peterson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.


title: U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones Meets with Miami-Dade County Mayor to Discuss Public-Safety Partnership

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI — U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Yara Klukas met yesterday with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and senior members of her administration to discuss shared public-safety priorities and opportunities for deeper collaboration between the County and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The meeting focused on three central issues: enhancing the protection of public officials, supporting the continued improvement of the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation system, and strengthening coordination on future initiatives that safeguard the residents of Miami-Dade County. Mayor Levine Cava briefed federal leadership on her administration’s progress at the Miami-Dade County Jail, including reforms aimed at improving safety, accountability, and conditions inside the system. The discussion also covered joint efforts to confront threats facing public officials and government institutions, an area where federal and local cooperation remains vital. “This was a productive conversation about how we can work together to protect our institutions and the people who serve them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “Mayor Levine Cava has made real progress reforming the County’s jail system, and our Office looks forward to building on that work through stronger coordination and shared commitments to public safety.” U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Mayor Levine Cava also outlined practical areas for expanded partnership in the months ahead, including enhanced information-sharing, coordinated strategies, and future joint opportunities for county and federal personnel.


title: TALLAHASSEE MAN RETURNED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Dwyone N. Dugan, a/k/a DeWayne Dugan, 59, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison today for distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the excellent collaboration between our state and federal law enforcement partners to dismantle this repeat felon’s drug trafficking activities. My office stands ready to aggressively prosecute those who flood our streets with deadly drugs, and will pursue substantial prison sentences like this one to keep our communities safe and drug-free.” Dugan had been sentenced in 1997 to life in prison for federal drug trafficking charges. Following a change in the law, Dugan’s sentence was reduced, and he was released from federal prison on November 10, 2020. Less than four years later, on November 4, 2024, law enforcement caught Dugan selling a pound of methamphetamine during an undercover operation. “This joint investigation is a great example of law enforcement partners working toward a shared mission,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Bringing a career offender like Mr. Dugan to justice will make North Florida communities safer.” The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the North Star Multijurisdictional Task Force, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: McKees Rocks Resident Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempting to Coerce Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: This release was issued following the 43-day government shutdown during which the sentencing occurred. PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 14 years of imprisonment, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, on his conviction of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and possession of child sexual abuse material, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Ryan Peters, 36, on November 12, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, law enforcement executed a search warrant for Peters’ residence based on tips reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children regarding online activity involving child sexual abuse material. During the search, investigators located and seized numerous electronic devices, including a cell phone hidden in a cat litterbox as well as Peters’ laptop. A forensic review of these devices revealed child sexual abuse material, including five videos and 11 images that involved the use of minors—including prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age—engaging in sexually explicit conduct. A few weeks later, Peters used a social networking and dating application to contact and attempt to persuade and entice an individual he believed was a 12-year-old girl from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to engage in sexual activity. During their subsequent online conversations, Peters discussed sex with the purported child—who was, in fact, an undercover FBI agent—and solicited the minor to send him sexually explicit images of herself. Peters then suggested they meet in person and, following a failed attempt to do so in late-August 2021, again arranged to meet the purported minor on September 13, 2021. Peters was arrested upon his arrival at the predetermined meeting place. Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Peters.


title: PANAMA CITY MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO RECEIPT OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Chad Ryan Puffinbarger, 39, of Panama City, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to receipt of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I am proud of the excellent investigative work by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate this matter to help bring this sick individual to justice. My office is committed to protecting our children from sexual exploitation and victimization, and will continue to aggressively prosecute offenders like this defendant to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Court documents reflect that the defendant came under investigation in 2021 when it was suspected he had been using a peer-to-peer network to download child pornography from the internet. Law enforcement sought a search warrant for the defendant’s residence, and he admitted to viewing child pornography. Examination of his electronic devices resulted in locating more than 3,000 images of minors being sexually abused by adults. Puffinbarger faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment, and lifetime supervision upon release. The case involved a joint investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Florida Department of Law Enforcement with assistance from the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer. Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2025, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker. 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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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.projectsafechildhood.gov . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Georgia Non-Profit Entity Pays $3.5 Million To Settle False Claims Act Allegations Involving Paycheck Protection Program

body_text: Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Southside Communities Fire Protection, Inc. (Southside), a nonprofit entity providing emergency services to Chatham County, Georgia, has agreed to pay a settlement of $3,499,619 to resolve allegations that Southside violated the False Claims Act by improperly obtaining a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Congress created the PPP in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide emergency loans to small businesses suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized these businesses to seek forgiveness of the loans if they spent the loan funds on eligible expenses. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications. The PPP was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Under the PPP rules and regulations, nonprofit entities organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code were not eligible for PPP loans. GNGH2, Inc. (GNGH2) filed a qui tam complaint in the Middle District of Florida alleging that Southside improperly obtained a $3.1 million PPP loan. According to the allegations in the complaint, Southside was ineligible for its PPP loan because it was a Section 501(c)(4) nonprofit entity. The United States investigated GNGH2’s allegations with the cooperation of Southside. This settlement concludes the litigation and GNGH2 will receive $318,115 as a share in the recovery. “This settlement is the latest demonstration of our Office’s commitment to the recovery of money from individuals and entities that improperly obtained loans under the PPP program,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The favorable settlement in this case is the product of enhanced efforts by federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, working in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to recover the pandemic relief funds improperly procured,” said SBA General Counsel Wendell G. Davis. This settlement resulted from a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Emden from the Middle District of Florida and Jennifer Thompson from the Southern District of Georgia led the investigation, with assistance from the Small Business Administration’s Office of General Counsel. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.


title: Millbury Man Formerly Responsible for Safety of Boston Public School Buses Charged With Bribery

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The former Director of Fleet and Facilities for the company that manages the operations and maintenance of Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) fleet of school buses was arrested and charged today for allegedly soliciting bribes from vendors who worked on the buses and in the bus yards. One of the vendors who allegedly paid bribes was also arrested and charged. Michael Muller, 59, of Millbury, Mass. and John Colantuoni, 60, of Westwood Mass. were charged in a 21-count indictment. Muller is charged with five counts of soliciting and accepting bribes as an agent of BPS, five counts of conspiring to commit bribery, five counts of conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud and four counts of extortion. Colantuoni is charged with one count of paying bribes to Muller as an agent of BPS, one count of conspiring to commit bribery, one count of conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. Muller will make his initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. Colantuoni was arrested in Florida this morning and is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Tampa today. Colantuoni will appear in Boston at a later date. According to court documents, Muller’s employer, the “Transportation Company,” had a contract with BPS to manage the operations and maintenance of BPS’ fleet of over 700 school buses. When not on the road, the buses were kept in bus yards owned by the City of Boston. Muller allegedly supervised all the Transportation Company employees who worked in the yards. According to the BPS contract, Muller’s job was to “ensure that BPS’s fleet is safe, well-maintained and ready for service on a daily basis.” The Transportation Company subcontracted out much of its work on the BPS contract, including to vendors who cleaned the buses, made autobody and mechanical repairs, and plowed the snow from the bus yards. Muller allegedly managed and supervised all the vendors and had the authority to fire them. The vendors gave their invoices to the Transportation Company, which forwarded them to BPS without any markup. BPS paid the invoice amounts to the Transportation Company, allegedly from its annual transportation budget funded by taxpayer money. The Transportation Company then mailed checks to the vendors. Between 2010 and December 2021, Muller allegedly solicited and accepted a total of more than $870,000 in bribes and kickbacks from five vendors, including Colantuoni. The alleged bribes included, among other things, cash, checks, a used pickup truck worth $15,000 and $85,000 in building materials for Muller’s vacation house. Muller also allegedly required one vendor to hire his adult child. According to the indictment, Muller conspired to have “Vendor Two,” whose company power-washed the outside of BPS school buses and the engines, to inflate Vendor Two’s invoices by claiming to have washed more engines than Vendor Two actually had. It is alleged that Muller also told Vendor Two to pay him part of Vendor Two’s total revenues from the Transportation Company as a kickback. Muller allegedly hounded Vendor Two as soon as the Transportation Company mailed Vendor Two a check, wanting to meet as soon as the check cleared so that Muller could collect his cut. Muller and Vendor Two allegedly exchanged the following texts in 2016-2018: Muller: “Did the eagle land?” Vendor Two: “Not there yesterday. Will see on Monday.” Vendor Two: “Check did not clear. You got $2,500 last week. $5,000 this week. $500 more next week. $8,000 total….” Muller: “Just add to engine u owe for February.” Muller: “What time we meeting and were [sic]? We can meet on pike at rest stop if that works. Also are u giving my whole half or half of what you have? I have today off and want to do some shopping so sooner would be great.” Vendor Two: “Bank opens @9 am. Rest area @ Natick.” It is further alleged that Muller conspired to have “Vendor Three” invoice the Transportation Company $189,444 for work Vendor Three never performed – specifically, cleaning snow off the roofs of BPS buses – and paying Muller most of the money. Muller also allegedly demanded “Vendor Four” pay him a 5% kickback on Vendor Four’s revenues from the Transportation Company. Vendor Four sometimes paid the kickback with checks made out to a landscaping company Muller owned, in exchange for fake invoices from the landscaping company for services it never performed. John Colantuoni was the president and half-owner of a small construction and landscaping company in Norwood, Mass. The indictment alleges that Colantuoni’s company bought approximately $85,000 in building materials from a lumber company for Muller’s vacation house in Pascoag, R.I., and, at the same time, revenues to Colantuoni’s company from the Transportation Company increased dramatically. Muller allegedly tried to conceal his business relationship with Colantuoni by telling the lumber company that Colantuoni was his uncle. Colantuoni allegedly tried to keep Muller’s address off the lumber company’s invoices, at one point telling the lumber company to use a false address in Falmouth, Mass. The indictment further alleges that Colantuoni testified in the grand jury and made false and misleading statements about his company’s purchase of the building materials for Muller. “Families and taxpayers trust that the people overseeing their children’s school buses are doing the right thing, not looking for a payout. As alleged, these defendants broke that trust — treating taxpayer-funded contracts as a source of illicit income and, for years, siphoning off money that should have supported students. Their alleged conduct undermines confidence in a system that families rely on every day,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We are committed to rooting out corruption wherever it occurs and ensuring that public dollars are used for public good.” “Today’s arrests are shining a light on an alleged bribery and kickback scheme spearheaded by the manager of a company entrusted by Boston Public Schools to maintain its fleet of vehicles used to transport the city’s most precious cargo, its children,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “These two men stand accused of padding their income with ease, turning a tidy profit at the expense of taxpayers. Add in the allegations of extortion and obstruction of justice and you’ve practically got a playbook of the varied ways to violate the public’s trust. Make no mistake, the FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure those who violate their obligations to the public are brought to justice.” The bribery and bribery conspiracy charges each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The extortion charges each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge for obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.


title: Malaysian National Convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor on Cruise Ship

body_text: MIAMI – A federal jury in Miami convicted a Malaysian national on Oct. 23 for abusive sexual contact of a minor aboard a cruise ship sailing in international waters. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Lay Ong, 67, was walking down a stateroom corridor when he encountered two boys, ages seven and nine, playing outside their cabin. Evidence showed that Ong began speaking with the children while touching the seven-year-old’s head and chin, then reached down and squeezed the child’s genitalia before walking away. “Abusing a child is an unforgivable act,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This verdict makes clear that anyone who preys on a child—anywhere, and under any flag—will be held to account. We will continue working with the FBI to protect young victims and bring their abusers to justice.” The jury found Ong guilty of abusive sexual contact of a minor. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Ong will be subject to deportation following his sentence. U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilana Malkin and Yeney Hernandez are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, 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.projectsafechildhood.gov. To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously. “To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the HSI and other law enforcement agencies.” To learn more about the National Resource Hotline, visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. 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 25-cr-20173. ###


title: Jacksonville Man Sentenced To More Than Four Years For Possessing Destructive Devices

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Matthew Reid Davisson (36, Jacksonville) to four years and five months in federal prison for possessing destructive devices which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Davisson pleaded guilty on February 18, 2025. According to court documents, Davisson was arrested on unrelated state charges on October 26, 2023. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives subsequently received information that Davisson had large amounts of chemicals and possible grenades at his residence in Jacksonville. After obtaining a search warrant for the home, law enforcement recovered two improvised explosive bombs, one improvised explosive grenade, items constituting combinations of parts from which three improvised explosive grenades could be readily assembled, quantities of homemade high explosives and detonators, large volumes of explosive precursor chemicals, and homemade explosive manufacturing equipment. None of the destructive devices were registered to Davisson in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law. One of Davisson’s family members also surrendered to law enforcement one of Davisson’s firearms, which was later determined to be an unregistered machinegun with an unregistered homemade silencer attached to the barrel. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David B. Mesrobian and Rachel Lasry. 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. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.


title: Odessa Man Indicted For Stealing More Than $250,000 In PPP Funds

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Clarence Gardener (50, Odessa) with one count of wire fraud. If convicted, Gardener faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Gardener that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $261,253.00, which represents the alleged proceeds traceable to the offense. According to the indictment, between April 2020 and October 2020, Gardener devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by submitting a false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application. The PPP was one source of economic relief provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help small business during the COVID-19 pandemic. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by Small Business Administration - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn Hoenemeyer. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.


title: Recidivist Fraudster Arrested For Stealing Gustave Courbet Painting

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging THOMAS DOYLE, a/k/a “AJ” or “Austin Doyle,” with wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme by DOYLE to defraud the owner of the painting “Mother and Child on a Hammock” by the 19 th -century French Realist painter Gustave Courbet. DOYLE was previously convicted in the Southern District of New York in 2011 of a separate art-related fraud. DOYLE was arrested yesterday morning in Norwalk, Connecticut, and presented in the Southern District of New York. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. “The art market is largely based on trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As alleged, Thomas Doyle breached that trust by telling the owner of a valuable painting a series of brazen lies to trick the owner into giving him the painting so he could keep the profits from the sale of the painting for himself. The women and men of the Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will continue to work diligently to root out this type of bad actor.” As alleged in the Indictment unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court: Between December 2022 and March 2025, DOYLE defrauded an art dealer (“Victim-1”) in connection with the sale of the painting “Mother and Child on a Hammock” (the “Hammock”) by Gustave Courbet. In December 2022, DOYLE introduced himself to Victim-1 over email, representing himself to be in the business of buying and selling art. Over the next few years, DOYLE and Victim-1 communicated over email and WhatsApp Messenger regarding artworks, and DOYLE made various misrepresentations to Victim-1 about himself, including falsely stating that he managed the “art side” of a family trust with assets worth billions of dollars. In June 2024, DOYLE and Victim-1 began discussing the Hammock, which Victim-1 owned and was selling. Victim-1 agreed to let DOYLE take custody of the Hammock to facilitate its viewing by a potential buyer. In or about July 2024, DOYLE told Victim-1 that he had a potential buyer for the Hammock, and Victim-1 authorized DOYLE to sell the painting on his behalf for $550,000. By early August 2024, DOYLE falsely informed Victim-1 that he had sold the Hammock for that price. Instead, DOYLE’s associate (“Associate-1”), acting on DOYLE’s behalf, offered the Hammock for consignment to a Manhattan gallery (“Gallery-1”). DOYLE provided Associate-1 with a false provenance for the Hammock that was passed on to Gallery-1, stating, among other things, that the Hammock had been purchased from Victim-1 in 2019. Gallery-1 sold the Hammock on October 1, 2024, for $125,000 to an art collector. On October 3, 2024, Gallery-1 wired $115,000, which were the sale proceeds of the Hammock minus commission, to Associate-1. That same day, Associate-1 paid DOYLE $109,250 for the Hammock. DOYLE never remitted to Victim-1 any proceeds from the sale of the Hammock. By February 2025, DOYLE had spent all the proceeds from the sale of the Hammock on personal expenses and his own debts. DOYLE subsequently falsely blamed his failure to pay Victim-1 on the purported buyer, fraudulently claiming the buyer had yet to pay when in fact DOYLE had been paid and was spending the proceeds of the Hammock sale. On March 4, 2025, DOYLE admitted by email to Victim-1 that DOYLE had “betrayed” and “lied” to Victim-1 about the Hammock. * * * DOYLE, 68, of Connecticut, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team. This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecilia Vogel is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Three Leaders of Primary Health Network Plead Guilty to Defrauding Non-Profit Medical Organization of Millions of Dollars

body_text: This release was issued following the 43-day government shutdown during which the pleas occurred. PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Two former Chief Executive Officers and a former facility manager for Primary Health Network (PHN) have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of agreeing to defraud their former employer, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced. Drew Pierce, 58, of West Middlesex, Pennsylvania; Jack Laeng, 72, of Lake Milton, Ohio; and Mark Marriott, 58, of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan, with Marriott also pleading guilty to willfully filing a false tax return. Laeng’s plea occurred on September 25, 2025, Marriott’s on October 6, 2025, and Pierce’s on October 31, 2025. In connection with the guilty pleas, the Court was advised that PHN was a non-profit organization in Sharon, Pennsylvania, that provided medical services to patients in underserved parts of Pennsylvania, regardless of their ability to pay. From approximately July 2015 through January 2019, Pierce served as CEO of PHN, Laeng as former CEO, and Marriott as the company’s facilities manager. The three defendants and others agreed to insert a company called TopCoat, which they owned, between PHN and third parties, with TopCoat paying the third party for providing a service for PHN, then billing PHN a higher amount so that TopCoat could profit. Marriott caused fraudulent invoices to be issued from TopCoat to PHN, purporting that TopCoat had done work when it in fact had not. Pierce, Laeng, Marriott, and others split the profits—the difference between what PHN paid TopCoat and what TopCoat paid the third parties—among themselves, including by issuing checks from the TopCoat bank account to themselves or other entities they controlled. On one deal alone in 2017, TopCoat received more than $200,000 additional from PHN than what it paid the true vendor on a project. Pierce, Laeng, and others also agreed to defraud PHN through a separate scheme in which the conspirators caused PHN to enter into contracts with a third party in exchange for the third party paying 50% of the fees received to an entity controlled by Pierce, Laeng, and their co-conspirator. In all, Pierce, Laeng and their co-conspirator received more than $1.7 million in kickback payments from the third party between 2013 and 2020, the proceeds of which they split among themselves. Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencings for March 9, 2026, for Pierce; March 16, 2026, for Laeng; and March 17, 2026, for Marriott. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain from the offense, or both on the offense of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and up to a 10 year sentence of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount involved in the offense on the offense, or both on the money laundering conspiracy offense. Marriott faces a potential additional three years of imprisonment and fine of up to $250,000 for the tax offense. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants. Assistant United States Attorney William B. Guappone is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Pierce, Laeng, and Marriott.


title: Far Out: woman guilty of false reports of illegal bank account access from International Space Station

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 50-year-old resident of Sedgwick County, Kansas, has pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. In July 2019, Summer Heather Worden alleged her estranged spouse had guessed the password and illegally accessed her bank account while the spouse was deployed to the International Space Station. However, Worden had actually opened the account in April 2018. Both parties had accessed it until January 2019 when Worden changed the credentials. The investigation revealed Worden had granted her spouse access to her bank records from at least 2015, including her login credentials. U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett accepted the plea Nov. 13. He will impose sentencing Feb. 12, 2026. At that time, Worden faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Worden was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing. NASA-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard D. Hanes and Brandon Fyffe prosecuted the case.


title: Thirteen Additional Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Transnational Criminal Operation

body_text: This release was issued following the 43-day government shutdown during which the sentencings occurred. PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Thirteen individuals from Arizona, Ohio, and Washington, including a Mexico resident illegally living in the United States, were sentenced in federal court this month on charges of violating federal narcotics and money laundering laws in relation to a transnational criminal organization, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced. The defendants were among 35 individuals charged through a Second Superseding Indictment unsealed in January 2024 for their participation in a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy involving substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The sentences, all imposed by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan, were: Defendant Age Residence Sentence Date Sentence Jaime Ledesma 27 Pueblos Unidos, Mexico November 3 210 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release Jesus Lopez 24 Phoenix, Arizona November 3 96 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release Adrian Lopez Rivera 24 Phoenix, Arizona November 4 36 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release Luis Fentanes 24 Phoenix, Arizona November 4 96 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release Diego Monarrez 26 Phoenix, Arizona November 4 46 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release Cesar Monarrez 28 Maricopa, Arizona November 4 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release Diamond Williams-Dorsey 32 Phoenix, Arizona November 5 time served, to be followed by two years of supervised release Samuel Aguirre 24 Phoenix, Arizona November 5 180 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release Mohamed Kariye 37 Kent, Washington November 5 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release Donnell Collins 30 Cleveland, Ohio November 5 time served, to be followed by two years of supervised release Jesus Aaron Garcia 25 Phoenix, Arizona November 6 84 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release Erivan Guerrero 25 Phoenix, Arizona November 6 84 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release Robert Foster 28 Buckeye, Arizona November 6 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release According to information presented to the Court, on various dates from in and around August 2021 to in and around June 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the defendants conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The defendants were intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that they distributed to others. Additionally, from in and around May 2022 to in and around March 2023, Guerrero conspired to commit money laundering by using bulk amounts of currency obtained from drug trafficking to conduct financial transactions in order to disguise the nature of the money and promote the drug trafficking conspiracy. Similarly, Guerrero provided money to his suppliers knowing it would be transported to Mexico to further promote the drug trafficking conspiracy, through which the organization imported from Mexico millions of fentanyl pills, kilograms of fentanyl powder, hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, and dozens of kilograms of cocaine that then were distributed and sold throughout the United States. To date, 31 of the 35 defendants charged in the Second Superseding Indictment have pleaded guilty or been convicted in this case, with 23 now having been sentenced. Two of the defendants were convicted during a jury trial in September 2025 and are pending sentencing. Assistant United States Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of the defendants. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Man Of Arson Resulting In Injury At Soccer Stadium

body_text: Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Giovanni Isai Ramirez Reyes (38, Orlando) guilty of arson of a building or property resulting in injury. Ramirez Reyes faces a minimum penalty of 7 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2026. According to evidence presented at trial, Ramirez Reyes ignited two marine flares and threw them into a crowd of fans during a Major League Soccer match on February 24, 2024, at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando. The flares caused damage to the stadium and a burn injury to a four-year-old child. Immediately after he threw the flares, Ramirez Reyes retreated to another section of the stadium, where he attempted to disguise himself by removing his hat and jacket, and watched the flares burn. He then fled the stadium. He was subsequently identified using stadium surveillance footage. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Orlando Police Department, and the Orlando Fire Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro. NOTE: This matter occurred on a previous date but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.