title: Federal charges filed in fatal Houston Heights carjacking and shooting

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – An 18-year-old Houston man is now facing federal carjacking and firearms charges following a fatal shooting in the Heights area and subsequent vehicle and foot pursuit, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Darius Dewayne Hall is in custody on related state charges and is expected to make his appearance in federal court in the near future. The federal criminal complaint alleges Hall shot the victim on the evening of March 6, stole the vehicle she was driving, changed his clothes to avoid identification, and engaged in a vehicle and foot pursuit before his arrest. According to the allegations, the victim had dropped off a friend at an apartment complex in the Heights area of Houston after, spending the day at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She then parked the vehicle - a 2019 Toyota Highlander - on the street and began walking back toward the residence. Shortly thereafter, the charges allege witnesses heard a female scream, followed by a loud popping sound. Hall was allegedly seen going through the victim’s purse near the area before driving off in the Toyota Highlander. According to the allegations, the victim had suffered a single gunshot wound to the neck. Authorities took her to Memorial Hermann Hospital where medical personnel pronounced her deceased shortly after midnight. Law enforcement was able to locate the stolen Toyota Highlander and attempted a traffic stop, but it fled, according to the complaint. A short pursuit resulted in a crash, at which time Hall ran from the driver’s side and attempted to evade capture on foot, according to the charges. Hall was allegedly wearing the same clothing observed at the shooting scene. However, during the ensuing foot chase, law enforcement recovered clothing Hall had allegedly discarded as he fled before they took him into custody. The federal carjacking charge carries up to a life sentence or the possibility of death. He also faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life if convicted of the related firearms offense. Both convictions could also result in a $250,000 maximum possible fine. FBI-Houston Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: U.S. Attorney General Bondi presents awards for Southern District of Georgia child exploitation case

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

body_text: BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA: United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi presented awards to Emanuel County law enforcement personnel and prosecutors Monday, March 9, 2026, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick following her remarks at graduation ceremonies for the first 2026 trainee class for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Policing recognized the cooperative efforts of the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, the Middle Judicial Circuit (MJC) District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia in identifying and charging five individuals in a child sexual exploitation and trafficking operation in Swainsboro, Georgia, leading to a 16-count superseding federal indictment returned in January in USA v. Williams et. al . The presentation included MJC Chief Investigator Rocky Davis (from left); Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Stephan; AG Pam Bondi; MJC District Attorney Tripp Fitzner; Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap; Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Sgt. Michael Reddish; and, Emanuel County Sheriff Jeffrey Brewer.


title: Individual in Stanislaus County Fentanyl and Firearm Trafficking Ring Sentenced to over 11 Years in Prison

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Oleg Arreola, 28, of Modesto, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 11 years and three months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a drug and firearm trafficking conspiracy in Stanislaus County, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Operation Blue Death, an investigation into drug trafficking and illegal firearm trafficking in Stanislaus County, resulted in the arrest of seven individuals engaged in distributing fentanyl pills and firearms between September 2022 and June 2023. The indictment alleges that throughout March and April 2023, co-defendant Arturo Madrid sold several firearms and thousands of fentanyl pills, including one instance on April 21, 2023, where Madrid sold 6,000 fentanyl pills and a Draco (PAK 9 9 mm Luger) rifle. The indictment alleges that on June 13, 2023, Arreola and co-defendants Arturo Madrid, Andrew Rodriguez, and Enrique DeLeon arrived at a location for a pre-arranged purchase of 50,000 fentanyl pills. Officers arrested the four defendants shortly after they arrived. Officers seized an AK-style Draco rifle Arreola brought to the drug deal and had at his feet during his arrest. Co-defendant DeLeon had approximately 30,000 fentanyl pills inside a briefcase in his vehicle when officers arrested him. In total seven individuals were charged with drug and firearm trafficking offenses in a 17-count indictment. Their status, based on court records, includes: Arturo Madrid , 29, of Modesto, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on Nov. 17, 2025. Enrique Cruz DeLeon , 28, of Salida, pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 30,000 fentanyl pills. He was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on April 21, 2025. Ebony Lambert , 48, of Turlock, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl. She was sentenced to two years in prison on Aug. 25, 2025. Donnell Mays , 50, of Turlock, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 13, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Andrew Madrid and Andrew Rodriguez are set for trial on Sept. 22, 2026. Madrid is charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distributing fentanyl. Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, two counts of distributing fentanyl, two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon, and using or carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. If convicted, both face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Rodriguez faces an additional mandatory minimum of five years in prison for carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. The Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.


title: Louisville Man Sentenced for   Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: LONDON, Ky. – A Louisville, Ky., man, Keith Wayne Bishop, 47, was sentenced on Tuesday to 120 months, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to his plea agreement, beginning in January 2023 through September 2023, Bishop conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Specifically, during this timeframe, Bishop was obtaining upwards of pound quantities of methamphetamine, which he would then distribute to mid- and low-level drug dealers and end drug users in Laurel County. Bishop admitted to also supplying several other drug dealers in Knox, Whitley, Floyd, and Pike Counties. Under federal law, Bishop must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years. Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Smith, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by the DEA, KSP, and Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Dotson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. – END –


title: United States Attorney's Office Files Civil Forfeiture Action to Recover $3.4 Million in Cryptocurrency Involved in an Online Investment Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action to recover approximately 3,444,470 USDT (Tether), alleged to be proceeds of an online investment fraud scheme and money laundering scheme. The cryptocurrency currently has an estimated value of approximately $3,444,470. In late 2024, the government began an investigation into a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme that targeted at least four individuals, including two Massachusetts residents, a resident of Utah and a resident of South Carolina. In such fraud schemes, scammers obtain funds from victims using manipulative tactics. The scammer establishes a level of trust with a victim in online communications and then entices the victim into investing in a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. The victim’s funds are stolen by the criminal, or criminals, ultimately causing the victim financial and emotional harm. Perpetrators behind these cryptocurrency investment schemes are often located overseas. As alleged in court documents, unknown subjects initially communicated with the victims through what appeared to be misdirected messages via texts or through encrypted messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram. After cultivating a relationship, the unknown subjects – who usually appear to be one individual, but may not be only one individual – then convinced the victims to invest in an exclusive Ethereum (ETH) investment opportunity that the unknown subjects claimed was backed by physical gold. The unknown subjects directed the victims to purchase ETH and transfer the cryptocurrency to intermediary wallets controlled by the unknown subjects. The victims believed they were investing in a legitimate platform, when in fact the unknown subjects were instead sending victim funds to intermediary wallets, converting victim funds from ETH into USDT, transferring that USDT to unhosted wallets and stealing the funds. The government seized 3,444,470 USDT involved in this scheme in February and March of 2025. It is a violation of federal law to use wire communications as part of a scheme to defraud or to obtain money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses. It is also a violation of federal law to conduct a financial transaction knowing that the transaction is designed to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of criminal proceeds. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims. This is one of several civil forfeiture actions the U.S. Attorney’s Office has filed seeking to forfeit cryptocurrency involved in fraud schemes targeting Massachusetts victims. Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams and business email compromise fraud scams – should contact USAMA.CyberTip@usdoj.gov . United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Woburn Police Department and the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN). Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Lyons of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture action. The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint are allegations only.


title: Maryland Woman Sentenced For Laundering Funds Stolen From Fraud Schemes

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland woman received a federal-prison sentence today, in connection with a money laundering scheme. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Tanoa Tanoh, 35, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to 30 months in prison and ordered her to repay $1,037,762 to victims of the fraud scheme. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office. In December 2025, Tanoh pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tanoh acknowledged that she conspired with others to conceal the source of fraudulently obtained funds stolen from victims in Maryland and other states. She funneled the stolen funds through numerous bank accounts she created using false aliases. Additionally, Tanoh opened these bank accounts in the names of non-existent businesses registered with the State of Maryland. In total, between January 2019, and May 2021, Tanoh laundered or attempted to launder at least $3.8 million, from at least 27 victims, through her various shell companies. Tanoh opened these shell companies with the State of Maryland by using false identification documents bearing her photograph. She opened “Hoch Investments LLC,” using the alias, Linda Hochman, and “Easy Supplies LLC,” using the alias, Anita Rawlings. The sole purpose of these companies was to open bank accounts in the companies’ names. After creating the bank accounts, co-conspirators used them to receive funds from victims of romance scams, elder-fraud scams, business-email compromises, and other fraud schemes. Once Tanoh’s co-conspirators tricked victims into sending funds to her fake accounts, she transferred the fraudulently obtained funds between her own accounts or to others. These types of transfers make it more difficult for victims and law enforcement to trace and recover the fraud proceeds, which are often ultimately transferred to fraudsters directly scamming victims who are commonly located overseas. Individuals like Tanoh, who engage in laundering fraudulent funds, typically receive a percentage as a commission. Co-conspirators Olumide Obidare, 32, and Steven Oseghale, 32, both Nigerian nationals, previously received sentences in the District of Minnesota. Obidare and Oseghale are currently serving 108-month and 56-month prison terms, respectively, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each received two additional years for aggravated identity theft. A third co-conspirator, Emmanuel Okereke, 42, also a Nigerian national, is awaiting trial in the Northern District of Ohio. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI Baltimore and FBI Minneapolis Field Offices for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darren S. Gardner and Elizabeth Wright who prosecuted the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #


title: Maryland Man Who Conspired with Doctor to Illegally Distribute Promethazine-Codeine and other Controlled Substances Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – The first defendant sentenced for conspiring with Dr. Rotimi Iluyomade, an Annandale-based doctor convicted of distributing more than 7,000 oxycodone pills, 34,000 milliliters of hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution (also known as “Tussionex”), and 107,000 milliliters of promethazine-codeine solution (also known as “lean”), will serve 42 months in federal prison and forfeit $100,000 to the government. Zion Oluwademilade Adeduwon, 24, of Bowie, Md., was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke. Adeduwon pled guilty in April 2025 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution, and to obtain possession of promethazine-codeine by fraud. He is the first of the co-conspirators charged with drug distribution to be sentenced. Also charged in the conspiracy and awaiting trial or sentencing are: Obioma Alozie Ndubuka; Raymono Alfonzo Russel II; Cameron Isaiah Lewis; Elhadj Malick Diallo; Kenechukwu Brian Okwara; and Yared Michael Tesfaye. According to court documents, in at least 2023 and 2024, Iluyomade and the co-conspirators entered into an agreement to distribute oxycodone pills and hydrocodone-chlorpheniramine solution to pharmacies in multiple states, including California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, West Virginia, and in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. At least 70 of the illegal controlled substance prescriptions were transmitted to and/or filled at pharmacies in the Western District of Virginia. As part of the conspiracy, multiple individuals visited Iluyomade’s medical clinic to obtain fraudulent prescriptions. The individuals provided Iluyomade with lists of multiple “patients” with fake identifying information or different variations of names and false addresses, and requested prescriptions be sent to pharmacies throughout the United States for the “patients” on the lists. Adeduwon frequented Iluyomade’s clinic in Annandale on a regular basis to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone, Tussionex, and lean. He paid approximately $300 per fraudulent prescription. Adeduwon requested the prescriptions be written in fake patient names and addresses and directed Iluyomade to send the prescriptions to pharmacies in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Virginia State Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Salisbury, Maryland Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Police, HHS-OIG, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case. Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge DEA Washington Division, and Darren B. Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.


title: Sacramento Woman Pleads Guilty to Fraudulent Investment Scheme

body_text: Maria Dickerson, also known as “Dulce Pino,” “Maria Dulce Pino Dickerson,” and “Dulce Brubaker,” 49, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, from 2020 through 2024, Dickerson created an investment scheme through which she sold interests in an illusory shell company, Creative Legal Fundings of CA (CLF), to investors. Dickerson promised investors that their investments were safe and secure, and backed by substantial starting capital. To appear credible and to attract investors, Dickerson falsely claimed to some investors that CLF was associated with a multinational casino and resort corporation’s CEO. She promised investors at least a 10% rate of return per month on their principal investment with additional compounding monthly interest if they left their money invested with her. In reality, Dickerson did not register the sale of her securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and she used new investor money to pay off older investors and to fund a lavish lifestyle. This lavish lifestyle included vacations, gambling, private jet travel, as well as high-end purchases like Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a home in Sacramento. Through her false statements, Dickerson induced approximately 156 investors to contribute more than $10 million to her scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation are conducting the investigation with assistance from the Alabama Securities Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma is prosecuting the case. Dickerson is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on July 28, 2026. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the wire fraud count, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million on the securities fraud count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.


title: Federal judge convicts man who fraudulently received $32 million business tax refund check

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: DAYTON, Ohio – A federal judge has found an Atlanta-area man guilty of wire fraud and theft of public funds. In a separate bench trial, a second man was also found guilty of filing a false, retaliatory lien against a different federal judge. Christopher Dowtin, 49, of Jonesboro, Georgia, fraudulently converted two businesses’ IRS accounts to his name and address. The defendant received tax refund checks – including one for more than $32 million – that were to be paid out to these two businesses. Two months after Dowtin’s arrest on the tax crimes, Bondary McCall, 64, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, filed a false lien in the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation claiming that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose owed Dowtin $32 million. Judge Rose was originally presiding over Dowtin’s fraud case. The verdicts were announced on March 9 following bench trials before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. According to court documents and trial testimony, Dowtin fraudulently submitted IRS forms claiming to be the responsible party for two separate companies. In December 2024, the IRS processed eight Change of Address or Responsible Party-Business forms associated with Dowtin. Dowtin’s requests for changes were completed and accepted. He ultimately received two tax refund checks for those companies: one in the amount of $32,495,888.58 and one in the amount of $26,156.50. Dowtin traveled from Georgia to Ohio with the two checks to open an account in the Southern District of Ohio. On Feb. 13, 2025, Dowtin took the checks to a Morgan Stanley office in Beavercreek, Ohio, and attempted to negotiate the funds into a brokerage account in a trust in his name. Dowtin told the Morgan Stanley financial advisor that the two companies were paying him for illegally using his “personhood.” He said the payments owed to him had been transferred to him from the IRS. The financial advisor verified that the checks were valid U.S. Treasury checks. On Feb. 19, 2025, an executive director at Morgan Stanley contacted the United States Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation regarding the suspicious nature of the checks and Dowtin’s supporting paperwork. The checks were seized by law enforcement. Dowtin was charged and arrested in April 2025. He is convicted of wire fraud (punishable by up to 20 years in prison) and theft of public funds (up to 10 years in prison). McCall faces up to 10 years in prison for making a retaliatory lien against a federal official. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Jason Rees, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service; announced the verdicts. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Erica D. Lunderman are representing the United States in the cases. # # #


title: Previously Deported Jamaican National Sentenced to Prison for Passport Fraud Offense

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARLON DAMIAN WHITE, also known as Damian Marlon White, 47, a citizen of Jamaica last residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to six months of imprisonment for making a false statement in a U.S. passport application. According to court documents and statements made in court, White was admitted to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1995. In subsequent years, he was convicted of various offenses, including a state conviction in New York for assault in the second degree, and a federal conviction in the Southern District of New York for a narcotics distribution offense for which he was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment. After his federal conviction, White lost his status as a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and, in February 2006, was deported to Jamaica. White returned to the U.S. and, on May 6, 2024, used a false name, false birth date, and false place of birth to apply for a U.S. passport in Hartford. During the application process, White provided a counterfeit birth certificate and driver’s license falsely representing that he was born in and resided in California. White has been detained since his arrest on October 9, 2025. He pleaded guilty to the offense on December 15. White will be removed to Jamaica when he completes his prison term. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Florida Man Sentenced To 73 Months In Prison For Nationwide Mass-Mailing Scam Targeting Small Businesses

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that ROBERT W. LEDERHILGER III was sentenced today to 73 months in prison for perpetrating a seven-year scheme to defraud small businesses across the United States, which resulted in losses of nearly $9 million to tens of thousands of victims. In September 2025, the defendant was convicted following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, who imposed today’s sentence. “Robert Lederhilger stole millions of dollars from tens of thousands of small businesses, $180 at a time,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Lederhilger thought his large scale, small sum fraud would go undetected. He was wrong. Stealing $5 million $180 at a time got him 73 months. Fraudsters like him should beware. This Office and our law enforcement partners will work to bring to justice anyone who takes advantage of the good people of New York and beyond. Today’s sentence reinforces that message.” According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial: Between 2015 and 2022, LEDERHILGER designed and ran a sophisticated fraud scheme in which he mailed, and caused others to mail, nearly three million deceptive mailers that falsely appeared to their recipients—primarily small businesses that already had websites—to be invoices for purported web hosting services. The invoices typically listed $180 as the amount due. Tens of thousands of victims, believing that they owed the defendant money for web hosting services, paid the defendant’s “invoices.” Those victims, whose websites were hosted by other providers, received nothing from the defendant except another “invoice,” a year later, asking for more money. LEDERHILGER personally obtained at least approximately $5.2 million from the scheme. * * * In addition to the prison term, LEDERHILGER, 44, of Bradenton, Florida, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of approximately $5.2 million. The Court further ordered LEDERHILGER to pay restitution in an amount to be determined later. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Getzel Berger, Camille L. Fletcher, Kevin Grossinger, and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Springfield Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., resident, was sentenced for illegally possessing a firearm. Joseph Bradley Garrison, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 46 months imprisonment for his illegal possession of a firearm. Judge Bough also ordered the sentence to run consecutively with his prior state conviction in Lawrence County, Mo., case number 12LW-CR01381, for second degree burglary, stealing, and tampering with a motor vehicle. On June 30, 2023, Springfield, Mo., police officers conducted a traffic stop of Garrison, as he was walking in the street despite a sidewalk being present. As they contacted Garrison, he was asked if he had anything illegal or dangerous on him. Garrison admitted he had a firearm on his person, but that the firearm did not work. Officers conducted a search of Garrison and found a firearm and a small improvised explosive device. Upon review, the explosive device was safety denotated by the Springfield, Mo,, Fire Marshal. Law enforcement then evaluated the firearm found on Garrison’s person and it was determined that the firearm could readily be repaired and returned to a functional status. Officers confirmed Garrison was a convicted felon, with two prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm, as well as 11 other felony offenses for various crimes that include first degree assault, burglary, resisting arrest, tampering with a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, and forgery. Any of these felony convictions made Garrison a prohibited person from possessing either the firearm or the improvised explosive device. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department.


title: Former Gastonia Police Officer Sentenced To Prison For Straw Purchasing A Firearm

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former Gastonia police officer was sentenced to prison today for straw purchasing a firearm, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Xana Dayanae Dove, 28, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. “No one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We stand behind our law enforcement officers and support them as they work hard to reduce violent crime in our community. But when they become criminals that instead contribute to that crime, they get no special treatment.” “Law enforcement officers are entrusted with significant authority and very few choose to violate that trust, but those instances will not be tolerated. The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, remain committed to accountability and protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. We thank the officers who proudly protect and serve their communities every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis. According to filed documents and the court hearing, on May 25, 2023, Dove purchased a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol from Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer located in Belmont, North Carolina. As Dove previously admitted in court, in completing the purchase, she made a false and fictitious written statement when she falsely stated on ATF’s Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious. At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court also ordered the forfeiture of a Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol. Dove will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and ATF for their work on the investigation, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Community Supervision, and the Gastonia Police Department for their assistance with Dove’s apprehension. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.


title: Green Township man sentenced to 2 years in prison for constructing pipe bombs

body_text: CINCINNATI – A Green Township man was sentenced in federal court here today to 24 months in prison for constructing three pipe bombs. Robert Gilb, 51, caused the detonation of three improvised explosive devices (IED) in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April 2025. Specifically, on April 12, 2025, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Miami Township for a report of a loud explosion. They discovered what appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device (IED). Further investigation revealed that there were two prior incidents in Morgan Township that had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Township. Butler County sheriff’s deputies had responded to incidents there on March 23 and March 28. Witnesses saw Gilb in his white BMW near the site of at least one of the devices when it exploded. A search of Gilb’s residence revealed materials consistent with the construction of destructive devices. Gilb was indicted in June 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to possessing an unregistered destructive device. Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Butler County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Fire Marshalls Office, Greater Cincinnati HAZMAT, Green Township Police Department and Green Township Fire Department, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Involving the Forced Labor of Mexican Workers

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Alexander Villatoro Moreno, age 53, also known as Quichi, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida had previously returned a six-count indictment against multiple defendants for their roles in the conspiracy, which victimized Mexican H-2A workers who, between 2015 and 2017, had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products. According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants operated and managed Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), a farm labor contracting company, that functioned as a criminal enterprise compelling victims to work in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals to come into the United States on short-term, H-2A, agricultural visas and misled the United States to secure visas for the victims. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants charged workers exorbitant recruitment fees to work for LVH and lied to the victims about how much they would be paid, the hours they would work, the working conditions and the reimbursement they would receive for paying recruitment fees and other expenses. The workers were then compelled to provide long hours of physically demanding agricultural labor, six to seven days a week, for far less pay than they were entitled to under the law. In addition to the work conditions, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants used various coercive means to compel the victims’ labor, including imposing debts on workers; confiscating the workers’ passports; subjecting workers to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions; verbally abusing and humiliating the workers; threatening workers with arrest, jailtime and deportation; isolating workers by preventing them from interacting with anyone other than LVH employees; and threatening to physically harm the workers’ family members back in Mexico if the workers failed to comply with their demands. When officials began investigating, Villatoro Moreno obstructed the federal investigation by helping to prepare false payroll information to conceal underpayments to the workers and distributing fake reimbursement receipts to the victims to make it appear that LVH was complying with the law by reimbursing the workers for their travel-related expenses. Villatoro Moreno’s four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the scheme. Bladimir Moreno, Alexander Villatoro Moreno’s brother, owned LVH and pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, LVH supervisors, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act while Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, another LVH supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. In 2022, Bladimir Moreno was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay over $175,000 in restitution to the victims while Rodas and Gamez were sentenced to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively. Mendoza was also sentenced in 2022 to serve eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release. The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project. The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Villatoro Moreno to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Villatoro Moreno. Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryan Zhuravitsky for the District of Maryland also prosecuted the case. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org . Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking .


title: More than 50 Charged in Thefts of Millions of Dollars in California Benefits for Low-Income Families

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – More than 50 defendants have been charged in a yearslong crackdown on organized theft rings – many with ties to Romania – that steal millions of dollars in public assistance benefits from low-income families who depend on those funds for food, housing, and other necessities. The cases are part of an ongoing enforcement effort in the Southern District of California targeting crews that allegedly exploit the government’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. Investigators say members of these rings often descend on ATMs, often in the pre-dawn hours almost immediately after the funds are dispersed by the state, rapidly draining funds from compromised accounts and leaving vulnerable victims without the benefits they rely on to survive. “These criminals target people living one paycheck away from crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Exploiting that vulnerability is as cruel as it is criminal.” “These charges underscore the serious consequences faced by individuals who exploit federal programs for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This scheme diverted valuable taxpayer funds from programs designed to support people most in need. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to pursue those who target the vulnerable and compromise public trust in government assistance programs.” “The U.S. Secret Service and our partners on the Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force are committed to combatting EBT fraud and credit card skimming,” said Andre Remy, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Diego Field Office. “This years-long investigation is a testament to the hard work and tireless dedication of law enforcement to actively investigate and arrest criminals that target our most vulnerable community members.” Four of the most recent defendants appeared in federal court last week to face charges that they each stole public assistance benefits from low-income families that need the funds to pay for food, housing, and other necessities. The four defendants are Razvan Balu, Juan Trandafir, Hassib Baraekzay, and Veronica Ochoa. Balu and Trandafir, both Romanian, are respectively accused of stealing $160,000 and $145,250 from victims’ CalWORKS benefit accounts. CalWORKS administers grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that are designed to help families remain housed. Baraekzay and Ochoa, who are U.S. citizens, are each charged with stealing more than $20,000 of CalWORKS benefits. Last week’s arrests bring the total number of people charged with stealing CalWORKS benefits by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego to 52 since 2023. These federal arrests are the work of the U.S. Secret Service’s Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force (SoCal CFTF). The defendants sentenced so far in this crackdown are collectively responsible for stealing at least $4 million from the EBT accounts of hundreds of California victims, including scores of San Diego County residents. Please see chart below for status of all cases charged. EBT theft has significantly impacted California, with substantial losses reported in recent years. Between June 2022 and January 2026, more than $310 million was stolen from EBT beneficiaries in California, primarily through unauthorized ATM withdrawals. Balu was arrested March 1 in Los Angeles County for Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud during a SoCal CFTF operation targeting EBT card skimming fraud at ATMs, while Baraekzay and Ochoa were arrested in San Diego County on March 2 and 3. According to the complaint charging Balu, between January 1, 2026, and March 1, 2026, Balu used the public assistance account information of approximately 210 victims who live in San Diego, Fresno, Los Angeles, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties. He used this account information to make unauthorized withdrawals at Los Angeles County ATMs in which he accessed, attempted to steal, and stole from the victims’ public assistance benefit accounts. During this period, Balu attempted to withdraw $196,650 and successfully withdrew $159,990 from the victims’ accounts. EBT is a card-based system used to distribute government assistance benefits like CalFresh (food assistance) and CalWORKs (cash aid). It works like a debit card, allowing recipients to purchase food and withdraw cash at participating retailers and ATMs. According to charging documents, the U.S. Secret Service has gathered evidence indicating members of what appear to be one or more criminal enterprises are stealing California EBT account information by installing skimmers on point-of-sale terminals and inside ATMs, often in communities with higher concentrations of public benefit recipients. The skimmed data is then often re-encoded onto the magnetic strips of cards that members of the conspiracy use to make unauthorized withdrawals and purchases. These re-encoded cards are sometimes referred to as “cloned” cards. Cloned cards can be a blank white plastic card, or another debit, credit, or gift card. Cloned cards may have names or numbers embossed on the physical face of the card. A common feature of cloned cards is that the account number encoded on the card’s magnetic strip will not match the number embossed on the card’s face. To facilitate the use of the stolen EBT benefits, members of the scheme will commonly put stickers bearing the account’s PIN on the physical cards, or access devices, that are swiped at a point-of-sale terminal, along with the account balance. Once in possession of the cloned cards, account PIN, and anticipated balance, the thieves will go to ATMs, often in the pre-dawn hours, to drain those benefits before the rightful recipients can access them. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sabrina Fève. If you or someone you know has had EBT benefits stolen, San Diego County’s Department of Health & Human Services Agency requires that the theft be reported within 10 days. More information for San Diego County victims is available at: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/ssp/ebt_fraud.html . DEFENDANT Case Number 24MJ1234 Razvan Balu 35 Drobeta Turnu Severin City, Romania SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud – Title 18, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1029(b)(2), 1029(a)(2), 1029(a)(4), and (c)(1)(A) Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the pecuniary gain or loss INVESTIGATING AGENCIES U.S. Secret Service’s Southern California Cyber Fraud Task Force San Diego District Attorney’s Office U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General California Department of Social Services San Diego Police Department San Diego Sheriff’s Department U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. LAST NAME FIRST NAME Court Case # Date of Arrest Disposition Restitution Ordered MIHAI BEATRICE 23CR0794 3/17/2023 16 months $305,274.52 GROSU RADU 23CR1164 6/3/2023 10 months $25,700.00 CALIN RICHARD 23CR1165 6/3/2023 18 months $95,304.06 IONITA GABRIEL 23CR1165 6/3/2023 18 months $21,510.00 IRIMIA CONSTANTIN 23CR1300 6/1/2023 18 months $139,780.00 PIPKINS DEVONTE 23CR1303 6/2/2023 11 months $17,030.00 TROFIN TUDOR 23CR1655 7/18/2023 21 months $186,450.00 CICA FLORIAN 24CR0229 7/14/2023 State Custody TX IORDACHE GABRIEL 24CR0229 1/24/2024 20 months $446,535.87 UDRICA ROBERT 24CR0229 1/29/2024 33 months $446,535.87 UDRICA GABRIEL 24CR0229 1/29/2024 20 months $446,535.87 PUICUTA MIHAELA 24CR0229 Fugitive BUDA IOAN 24CR0510 2/12/2024 6 months $13,360.00 IONITA VASILE 24CR0819 4/1/2024 6 months $5,730.00 GEANGASU ANDREI 24CR0819 4/1/2024 6 months $5,730.00 UNGURU DUCILA DUMITRU 24CR0822 4/2/2024 12 months + 1 day $32,290.00 CALIN ROBERTO 24CR0822 4/2/2024 6 months $1,140.00 DOGARU MARIAN 24CR0823 4/1/2024 30 months $182,530.00 GASPAR RAZVAN 24CR0878 4/2/2024 10 months $12,860.00 CRACIUN CATALIN 24CR0967 4/16/2024 30 months $223,240.00 PETRACHE NICUSOR 24CR1610 6/29/2024 14 months $37,640.00 BUCUR AURELIAN 24CR2116 8/21/2024 8 months $37,320.00 UNGURU DUCILA MARINELA 25CR1815 4/30/2024 18 months $22,710.00 TRANDAFIR JUAN 24MJ1736 3/3/2026 Pending removal to SDCA ARTENI ANDREI 24CR2103 9/5/2024 24 months $483,650.00 ARTENI ALIN 25CR2872 6/23/2025 24 months $483,650.00 FUMEA SANDU 24CR1877 8/13/2024 14 months $47,060.00 BALAZS ALIN 24CR2047 9/9/2024 24 months $154,260.00 IGNAT IONUT 24CR2009 8/28/2024 14 months $30,060.00 STOICA ROBERT 24CR2194 9/23/2024 15 months $88,040.00 STEFAN MIHAI 24MJ3480 fugitive MIHAILESCU DORIN 24CR2485 10/8/2024 37 months $397,265.00 ARDELIANU VASILE 25CR4656 10/29/2026 Motion Hearing/Trial Setting set for 03/20/2026 PARASCHIV CARMEN 25CR4656 10/29/2026 Motion Hearing/Trial Setting set for 03/20/2026 IONITA NICOLAE 25CR1476 3/31/2025 16 months $152,240.00 CHIVEA ALBERTO 25CR2983 7/2/2025 7 months $199,100.00 YORDANOV YORDAN 25CR0126 12/4/2024 14 months $41,660.00 Chaabani Chaima 24CR2713 9/24/2024 Sentencing set for 4/13/2026 Stoica Florin 25CR1148 3/4/2025 13 months $46,160.00 Virtan Remus Cristian 25CR0926 3/4/2025 14 months $72,597.00 Nazaire Devon 25CR03054 5/29/2025 Sentencing set for 3/20/2026 Pavelescu Cristian 25MJ2246 Fugitive Frumosu Aurelian 25MJ2246 State Custody CA Mares Petre Daniel 25CR2002 5/2/2025 Sentencing set for 4/14/2026 Moldovan Marius Liviu 25CR3822 5/5/2025 10 months $41,460.00 Moisei Adrian Florin 25CR3061 7/11/2025 24 months $142,240.00 Oprea Viorel 26MJ0156 2/10/2026 Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026 Buleandra Florin 26MJ0156 2/10/2026 Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026 Mica AlexandruIonut 26MJ0156 2/10/2026 Preliminary Hearings 3/10/2026 Balu Razvan Alezandru 26MJ1127 Pending removal to SDCA Baraekzay Hassib 26MJ1140 3/2/2026 Preliminary Hearing 3/17/26 Ochoa Veronica 26MJ1184 Preliminary Hearing 3/19/2026


title: Illegal Alien with Prior Conviction for Attempted Rape of Minor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering United States

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Samuel Sotero Ambrocio-Vicente, 34, a citizen of Guatemala, pled guilty yesterday to illegally reentering the United States after a prior order of removal that followed his conviction for the New York State felony offense of attempted rape in the second degree (involving a minor who was less than 15 years old). First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement. As part of his plea, Ambrocio-Vicente admitted that on February 4, 2020, he pled guilty to attempted rape in the second degree in Montgomery County Court. On February 12, 2020, Ambrocio-Vicente was removed to Guatemala. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") officers apprehended Ambrocio-Vicente on December 18, 2025, while conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations in the city of Albany. Ambrocio-Vicente admitted during a subsequent interview that he had not received authorization to reenter the United States. At sentencing on July 8, 2026, Ambrocio-Vicente faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. He also faces deportation and removal in immigration court. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute(s) the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. “Samuel Sotero Ambrocio-Vicente was removed from the United States after attempting to rape a child, yet he brazenly returned in violation of federal law,” First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone said. “Individuals who commit serious crimes and then defy a lawful removal order have no place in this country. Cases like this make clear why the United States must maintain strong border security and strict immigration enforcement to prevent previously removed offenders from illegally reentering and putting our communities at risk. HSI’s targeted enforcement operations catch people like this, who belong as far away from our country as they can get.” HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated, “The arrest and resulting plea of Ambrocio-Vicente, previously convicted of attempted rape of a minor, is indicative of HSI’s ongoing effort to secure the safety of our communities and the rule of law. HSI Albany, in coordination with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and our federal partners, remains committed to identifying and arresting predators whose violent criminal histories pose an ongoing threat to the communities we are sworn to protect." HSI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Paul V. DerOhannesian are prosecuting the case.


title: South Florida Tax Preparer and Two Others Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud Covid 19 Relief Program

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – The final defendant in a scheme to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has been sentenced in federal court. U.S. District Judge Ed Artau sentenced Max Alberto Mera Ulloa to 27 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. “This scheme exploited emergency relief programs funded by the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants submitted more than 165 fraudulent loan applications and then demanded kickbacks from the very funds meant to keep workers employed. Today’s sentence closes out this case and sends a clear message: those who steal from programs designed to help our communities will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable.” “These sentences stand as a reminder that stealing from federal programs is stealing from taxpayers—and we will not let those crimes go unanswered,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office. “IRS Special Agents, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard taxpayer dollars by ensuring criminal conduct carries real consequences.” According to court documents, between May 2020 and March 2021, Christian Mendoza, Guillermo Lopez Carrazana, and Mera Ulloa, all residents of Miami‑Dade County, conspired to submit more than 165 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA administered the emergency relief program under the CARES Act to help small businesses maintain payroll and cover essential expenses during the Covid‑19 pandemic. The defendants owned and operated several businesses, including G LUX LLC, Global Tax & Accounting Group Corp., CM Logistics Systems LLC, and Max Mera Corporation. Through these entities, they submitted fraudulent loan applications that misrepresented payroll expenses and employee information in order to obtain substantial loan amounts under false pretenses. The conspirators also carried out a kickback scheme where they had the borrower pay them a portion of the money they received from submitting the fraudulent loan applications. Rather than using the PPP loan proceeds for their intended purposes, the defendants used the funds for personal enrichment. Mendoza and Lopez Carrazana also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Mendoza, a tax preparer, was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2025, to 33 months in federal prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,287,855 in restitution. Lopez Carrazana was also sentenced on Dec. 19, 2025, to 22 months in federal prison, followed by 18 months of supervised release. A restitution hearing for Lopez Carrazana is scheduled for March 10. A restitution hearing for Mera Ulloa is scheduled for May 6. U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Loecker of IRS-CI, Florida Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami and IRS‑CI, Florida Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case no. 25-cr-20178. ###


title: St. Louis Man Accused of Robbing Vietnam Veteran at Veterans Administration Hospital

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man has been accused of robbing someone in the parking lot of the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital in St. Louis. Lafayette Hutchins, 68, was indicted in U.S. District Court on February 18 with one count of robbery within the special territorial jurisdiction of the United States, namely the parking lot of the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital. Hutchins was arrested Tuesday, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. A motion seeking to have Hutchins held in jail until trial accuses Hutchins of robbing a Vietnam veteran at gunpoint. A charge set forth in an indictment is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.


title: West Mifflin Felon Charged with Unlawful Possession of Ammunition

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The one-count Indictment named Davion Xavier Thompson, 22, as the sole defendant. According to the Indictment, on January 23, 2026, Thompson, who had been previously convicted of a felony, knowingly possessed a Glock-style handgun with an extended magazine. Attached to the rear of the unserialized firearm was a machinegun conversion device, also known as a Glock switch. Under federal law, Thompson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition as a result of his multiple prior felony convictions involving firearms. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Narcotics Task Force, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, Stowe Township Police Department, and McKees Rocks Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL — Alexander Villatoro Moreno, age 53, also known as Quichi, pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida had previously returned a six-count indictment against multiple defendants for their roles in the conspiracy, which victimized Mexican H-2A workers who, between 2015 and 2017, had worked in the United States harvesting fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products. “Exploiting our nation’s immigration laws to victimize people seeking legitimate employment is not only illegal but unconscionable,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory W. Kehoe. “The conspirators in this case deliberately deceived and trafficked individuals into the United States, then subjected them to deplorable conditions for profit. Diligent investigation and cooperation by our law enforcement partners assured that these criminals were brought to justice.” According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants operated and managed Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), a farm labor contracting company, that functioned as a criminal enterprise compelling victims to work in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals to come into the United States on short-term, H-2A, agricultural visas and misled the United States to secure visas for the victims. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants charged workers exorbitant recruitment fees to work for LVH and lied to the victims about how much they would be paid, the hours they would work, the working conditions and the reimbursement they would receive for paying recruitment fees and other expenses. The workers were then compelled to provide long hours of physically demanding agricultural labor, six to seven days a week, for far less pay than they were entitled to under the law. In addition to the work conditions, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants used various coercive means to compel the victims’ labor, including imposing debts on workers; confiscating the workers’ passports; subjecting workers to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions; verbally abusing and humiliating the workers; threatening workers with arrest, jailtime and deportation; isolating workers by preventing them from interacting with anyone other than LVH employees; and threatening to physically harm the workers’ family members back in Mexico if the workers failed to comply with their demands. When officials began investigating, Villatoro Moreno obstructed the federal investigation by helping to prepare false payroll information to conceal underpayments to the workers and distributing fake reimbursement receipts to the victims to make it appear that LVH was complying with the law by reimbursing the workers for their travel-related expenses. Villatoro Moreno’s four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the scheme. Bladimir Moreno, Alexander Villatoro Moreno’s brother, owned LVH and pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, LVH supervisors, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act while Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, another LVH supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. In 2022, Bladimir Moreno was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay over $175,000 in restitution to the victims while Rodas and Gamez were sentenced to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively. Mendoza was also sentenced in 2022 to serve eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release. The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project. The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Villatoro Moreno to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Villatoro Moreno. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case. Former Trial Attorney and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryan Zhuravitsky for the District of Maryland also prosecuted the case. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org . Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking .


title: Registered Sex Offender Convicted Rapist Sentenced for Producing Video of Child Sex Abuse

component: USAO - North Carolina, Eastern

body_text: WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Shawn Keith Green, 55, to 27 years in federal prison for Production of Child Pornography. Green pleaded guilty to the offense. According to court documents and other information presented in court, a cloud storage service reported to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children one of their users uploaded child sexual abuse material (child pornography) to an account. The North Carolina SBI linked the account to Inmate Green, a registered sex offender, living in Duplin County. The United States Secret Service executed a search warrant on Inmate Green’s account, finding over 10,000 images and videos depicting the rape and abuse of children, some as young as newborn infants. Law enforcement executed a residential search warrant at Inmate Green’s house. They seized digital devices that contained additional child sexual abuse material. “We will never tolerate disgusting behavior like this. These spiders think they can lurk in the dark corners of the internet and hurt innocent children, but we will shine the light on them and stomp them out. We thank the SBI, United States Secret Service, and the Duplin County Sheriff for catching this pervert.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “The United States Secret Service (USSS), collaborating with United States Attorney’s Office (Eastern District), NCSBI and Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, successfully removed a significant threat from our community. This case highlights the importance of inter-agency cooperation in maintaining public safety,” said USSS Special Agent in Charge Steven Gutierrez. In February of 2022, Inmate Green used the internet to communicate with an unknown female, likely outside the United States. Inmate Green sent a live stream of him sexually abusing a child. Inmate Green encouraged the woman to sexually abuse a 10-year-old child and agreed to pay her if she did. Inmate Green recorded the video chat to preserve it, and uploaded the video to his cloud account. The woman and the child have not been identified. In 2007, Inmate Green pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree sexual offense and two counts of second-degree rape for the sexual assaults against three adult women. On three separate days in 2005 and 2006, he raped the women while threatening them with a knife. He bragged about raping these women in text messages found on his phone. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The United States Secret Service, NC SBI and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:25-CR-33.


title: The Department of Justice Approves Historic Number of Settlements to Camp Lejeune Victims and Families

component: Civil Division

body_text: Today, the Department of Justice Civil Division announced the approval of 649 Elective Option (EO) offers in the past three weeks, totaling $175 million, under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. Since Jan. 20, 2025, the Department of Justice has paid more than $421 million in EO settlements to compensate service members who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. This brings the total approved settlement offers since the 2023 announcement of the EO to 2,531, totaling more than a half billion dollars (approximately $708 million). “At the direction of the President and Attorney General, this Department of Justice has reprioritized approving settlements for Camp Lejeune victims and families, many of whom sadly had to wait years for justice,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “I am proud of the work we have done in the past year to speed up the compensation approval process and we will continue to approve settlements on a weekly basis.” The “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022” or the “Honoring our PACT Act of 2022” (“PACT Act), Public Law 117–168, was signed into law on Aug. 10, 2022. Section 804 of the PACT Act, the “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022,” aims to compensate service members and others who were exposed to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1953 and 1987 and developed cancer or another disease that was at least “as likely as not” caused by the exposure. During the relevant time period, two of the eight Camp Lejeune water supply systems were contaminated, and one other intermittently received contaminated water during water shortages. The estimated face value of claims submitted to the Department of the Navy exceeds $335 trillion. In 2023, the Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Department of the Navy, implemented an EO program. The EO serves as an off-ramp to litigation, creating a faster and easier way for those with qualifying illnesses to settle their claims and avoid the cost and time-consuming nature of litigation. Payments to an individual claimant under the EO range from $100,000 to $550,000 and are available to qualified claimants regardless of whether they were present in a part of the base that received contaminated water.


title: Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Illegally Reentering the United States

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A Honduran national was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and illegally reentering the United States after previously being deported. Jhader Hernandez-Padilla, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 24 months in prison without parole for being an alien in possession of a firearm and for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported. Hernandez-Padilla pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2025. On May 13, 2025, Hernandez-Padilla was pulled over by Kansas City Police Department Officers for a traffic infraction. When officers contacted Hernandez-Padilla, he was unable to produce a driver’s license and instead handed officers a Honduran passport. Officers asked Hernandez-Padilla if he had any weapons in his car, and he responded that he did not. After officers obtained permission to search the car, they discovered that Hernandez-Padilla had a loaded 9mm Century Arms Canik, Model TP9SA, between the driver’s seat and center console. Officers also located methamphetamine, suspected black-tar heroin, a digital scale, and unused plastic baggies, all of which are indicative of drug distribution. During a search incident to Hernandez-Padilla’s arrest, officers discovered more methamphetamine in his wallet. The defendant later admitted that he was in the country illegally and had been deported in 2019. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Kirkpatrick. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Conspiracy and Interstate Transport of Stolen Vehicles

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – On February 24, 2026, CHRISTOPHER MYERS (“MYERS”) , age 33, a resident of Slidell, was sentenced on February 26, 2026 by United Stated District Judge Susie Morgan, after previously pleading guilty, to six months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. A $100 mandatory special assessment fee was also imposed. According to the indictment, MYERS, and others, devised a scheme to create fake credit profiles to secure funding for auto loans. The credit profiles used both stolen and fake social security numbers, drivers’ license numbers, and dates of birth. Once they secured the loan they would purchase vehicles from local car dealerships. Once the group took possession of the vehicles, they would never pay back the auto loan, sell the vehicles for their personal enrichment, or use the vehicles for their personal enjoyment. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana State Police, and Pearl River County Sherriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: Second Man Charged with Murder Relating to Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: A second man, Taliau Tauvela-Afalava, 31 of Aiea, Hawaii, was charged and made his initial appearance in court yesterday for his role in a murder stemming from the victim’s alleged failure to pay for methamphetamine. This superseding indictment adds Tauvela-Afalava as a co-defendant with Filimone Tavake, 38, of San Francisco, whom the grand jury indicted on March 21, 2024 and law enforcement arrested on March 22, 2024. According to court documents, on March 27, 2021, Tauvela-Afalava and Tavake allegedly killed the victim in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy. The victim was shot multiple times as he was standing outside his home. Video surveillance footage obtained during the investigation showed a vehicle with no license plates driving near the victim’s home shortly before the shooting. Subsequently, the vehicle parked and video captured two males walking toward the street where the victim’s residence was located. A few minutes later, gun shots were heard on the surveillance video, and the same two males were seen running from the direction of the victim’s residence toward the vehicle. Law enforcement identified and located the vehicle seen in the video. A law enforcement analysis connected the vehicle’s infotainment system to phone numberes linked to Tavake and Tauvela-Afalava. Tauvela-Afalava is charged with carry, use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; causing the death of a person through use of a firearm; killing while engaged in conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Tauvela-Afalava faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division;U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Sorenson for the District of Hawaii; Special Agent in Charge David K. Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office; and InterimChief Rade K. Vanic of the Honolulu Police Department made the announcement. The FBI and Honolulu Police Department are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Christina Taylor (detailee) of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar for the District of Hawaii are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Tennessee Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to $80M Pandemic-Relief Fraud Scheme

body_text: The owner of a tax preparation business in Tennessee pleaded guilty today to orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that steered approximately $80 million in pandemic relief funds designed to help small businesses and workers to herself and her clients. According to court documents and statements made in court, Renata Walton, 45, of Mississippi, owned and operated a tax preparation business in Moscow, Tennessee. From approximately March 2022 through August 2023, Walton conspired with one of her employees to file false tax returns for clients seeking fraudulent refunds based on the employee retention credit (ERC) and paid sick and family leave credit. Congress created both the ERC and the paid sick and family leave credit to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The employee, Nicole Jones, also known as Nicole Dickerson, of Cordova, Tennessee, previously pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, 2025, for her role in the offense. Among other schemes, Walton and Jones reported fictitious wages on clients’ tax returns to fraudulently claim the ERC and paid sick and family leave credits, knowing their clients had not paid wages to their employees in those amounts and were not entitled to the credits. Walton also filed false applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, government funding intended to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support these false claims, Walton submitted false tax forms to the SBA. As a result of the scheme, clients received tax refunds, often exceeding $100,000, and then Walton and Jones received a fee from the clients, which was typically around $15,000 per return. When the IRS began contacting clients to recover the fraudulently issued pandemic program funds, Walton obstructed the IRS’s efforts. She gave the clients letters to provide to the IRS falsely asserting, among other things, that the fictitious wages Walton and Jones reported on their tax returns to claim the ERC were legitimate. Walton and Jones also did not file tax returns for tax year 2022, so they did not pay taxes on the income they earned through their criminal schemes. In total, Walton filed tax returns and other documents claiming nearly $80 million in pandemic funds and tax refunds that she and her clients were not entitled to receive, causing a loss of more than $52 million to the United States. Jones was also responsible for a portion of these fraudulent claims. Both Walton and Jones face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering, a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for willful failure to file a return. Walton also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Walton is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Caroline Pearson of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bateman and Tony Arvin for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.


title: Pocahontas County Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Paul Charles Clement, 43, of Hillsboro, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for failure to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) after relocating from Virginia to West Virginia. According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about March 8, 2024, through in or around December 2024, Clement resided in the Ronceverte area of Greenbrier County, West Virginia, after relocating from Virginia. Clement knew he was required to comply with the provisions of SORNA because of his conviction on two felony counts of carnal knowledge of a child 13 to 15 years old in Botetourt County, Virginia, Circuit Court on December 2, 2002. United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the West Virginia State Police. Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case. SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-89. ###


title: 3 Texas Tax Preparers Plead Guilty to Tax Crimes

body_text: AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas return preparer pleaded guilty today to conspiring with his employees to defraud the United States by filing false federal tax returns on behalf of clients. This plea follows recent guilty pleas of two other Texas return preparers who both admitted to filing false tax returns on behalf of clients as part of the same scheme. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: From approximately January 2019 to October 2022, Mathews Chacko conspired with others to file returns for clients that contained false business expenses. These false expenses artificially reduced the taxes that Chacko’s clients owed to the IRS, which enabled them to receive refunds to which they were not entitled. At times, Chacko and his co-conspirators included false business expenses on client returns without their clients’ knowledge, then sometimes provided false explanations to clients justifying the false items. At other times, Chacko and his co-conspirators informed clients by email that they were submitting false information to the IRS. Chacko admitted to causing a tax loss to the United States exceeding $3.5 million but less than $9.5 million. Chacko admitted to the conspiracy shortly after two of his co-conspirators also pleaded guilty to committing federal tax crimes. Over the same period, from approximately January 2019 to October 2022, Anish Pillai and Mou Kundu both prepared federal tax returns for clients that included materially false items, which resulted in clients receiving refunds larger than they were entitled to receive. Pillai admitted that he caused approximately $1.5 million to $3.5 million in losses to the United States. Kundu admitted that she caused between $250,000 and $550,000 in losses to the United States. All three individuals will be sentenced at a later date. Chacko faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Pillai and Kundu both face maximum penalties of three years in prison for helping clients file false tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the cases. Trial Attorneys Marissa R. Brodney and Michael L. Jones of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the cases. ###


title: Man Sentenced For Threatening to Murder Federal Agents

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Johnathan Trent Thomas, 27, of Linwood, N.C., was sentenced today to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for making threats to murder federal officers to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the performance of their official duties, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Mark Zito, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. “Threatening the lives of law enforcement officers is a serious federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We take every threat against law enforcement seriously. Today’s case sends a clear message: those who threaten violence against law enforcement will be held accountable in federal court.” “Ensuring the safety of our law enforcement officers is paramount,” said Special Agent in Charge Zito. “Threats of violence against federal agents and our local partners undermine the rule of law and jeopardize the security of our communities. HSI remains committed to working with our partners to investigate and bring to justice those who seek to intimidate or harm officers in the performance of their duties.” According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a caller, later identified as Thomas, contacted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and threatened to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and CMPD officers if immigration enforcement actions did not stop. During a second telephone call with a CMPD officer, Thomas warned that he was coming to Charlotte with armor piercing ammunition, night vision devices, and body armor to kill law enforcement officers and threatened to “shoot them all” if he observed anyone making arrests. Thomas was referencing arrests made previously by ICE federal agents on Albemarle Road in Charlotte. Court documents show that Thomas stated that if a police officer pointed a gun at him, he was just going to open fire. He also said that he would “Swiss cheese” the officers if they were doing the same thing they did before, meaning making arrests. Thomas additionally threatened that if law enforcement came to arrest him, he had Tannerite (an explosive) all around his house. He threatened that he “could do a whole lot better than” April 29, 2024, the day four law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in Charlotte. Thomas’s threats did not deter law enforcement, who not only arrested him, but executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence, seizing three rifles, a handgun, and a variety of ammunition. According to court records, Thomas has an extensive history of threatening law enforcement, to include the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and CMPD, and had previously followed CMPD officers in marked patrol cars while they were performing their official duties. Thomas is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI for the investigation of the case and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of North Carolina, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, the Waxhaw Police Department, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kelly and Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.


title: Licensed Mortgage Loan Officer Charged with Bank Fraud

body_text: Orlando, FL –A grand jury has returned a federal indictment charging Jason Morales (44, Chagrin Falls, Ohio) with six counts of bank fraud. If convicted, Morales faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the indictment, Morales concocted and executed a mortgage fraud scheme targeting a financial institution. To ensure that otherwise unqualified borrowers were approved for mortgage loans, Morales created fictitious and fraudulent paystubs and other employment documents in the name of a construction company and consulting company that his clients never worked for. The bogus income documents falsely indicated that his clients had worked at these companies and had monthly earnings. Additionally, Morales altered legitimate bank statements provided by the borrowers and created fictitious bank statements that he submitted to the financial institution falsely representing that the borrowers had sufficient assets to qualify for the mortgage loans. Morales submitted the fictitious documents he created to the financial institutions who relied on them when making underwriting decisions. To further deceive the financial institution, Morales created websites for the construction and consulting companies listing his email and phone number so that when the lenders called to verbally verify employment Morales impersonated company executives and falsely verified employment. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.


title: Arrest Made in Domestic Violence Shooting

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Tyjuan Bazemore, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged for shooting and killing his former girlfriend Nyesha Tranae Walden-Hatcher in the early hours of February 2, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Bazemore was charged with one count of second-degree murder while armed and made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond on March 10, 2026, where Judge Raymond found probable cause that Bazemore committed the offense and ordered that Bazemore be held without bond pending trial. Bazemore will next appear before Judge Park for a preliminary hearing on March 20, 2026. According to court documents, while Bazemore and Walden-Hatcher were in his apartment, Bazemore shot the victim once in the head, causing her death. In between the homicide and the date of his arrest, Bazemore fled to Connecticut. Members of the Connecticut Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force located Bazemore and assisted with his extradition to D.C. At the time of this killing, Bazemore had an open domestic violence assault case concerning the victim. Bazemore was ordered, as a condition of his release, to stay away from her. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Dinan. These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 2026 CF1 003647


title: Florida Man Arrested for Stealing More Than Half a Million Dollars of Onions and Potatoes

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Jason Canals (39, Spring Hill) has been arrested and charged with eight counts of interstate transport of stolen property. If convicted on all counts, Canals faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Canals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the indictment, Canals perpetrated multiple schemes to defraud wholesale produce companies. In one scheme, Canals, without permission, used a company’s name and email signature block to send communications to victim companies requesting produce. While the shipments were enroute, Canals diverted the produce to a new location and never paid the victim companies. In a separate scheme, Canals provided victim companies false documentation making the companies believe he had prepaid for the produce, when no such payment was ever made. In total, between the cost of the produce and its transportation, Canals’s schemes resulted in a loss of over $600,000 to the victim companies. 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 United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.