title: Baltimore Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Firearm and Ammunition by Prohibited Person

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Brandon Carroll, 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD). According to the guilty plea, on April 25, 2023, BPD officers observed Carroll engaging in multiple hand-to-hand drug exchanges. When an arrest team approached Carroll, he attempted to flee on a dirt bike but fell. Law enforcement then took him into custody. While searching Carroll, officers recovered 32 gelcaps — containing a mixture of fentanyl and oxycodone pills — and a key to a nearby Hyundai vehicle. After officers found the vehicle, a trained K-9 detected the presence of narcotics inside. A search of the vehicle yielded a Beretta Nano 9mm pistol loaded with five rounds of ammunition; 35 additional rounds of 9mm ammunition; and a Smith & Wesson magazine for a .40 caliber handgun. Additionally, law enforcement discovered 844 units of a fentanyl mixture packaged for distribution; eight units of cocaine packaged for distribution; 14 Suboxone strips; two digital scales with white residue; two plastic bags of packaging material; $2,443 in cash; and mail that belonged to Carroll and the vehicle’s registered owner. Due to a prior felony conviction, Carroll is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. 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. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney James O’Donohue who prosecuted the case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Two Florida Men Plead Guilty for Their Roles in Years-Long Off-the-Books Payroll Scheme

component: Tax Division

body_text: Two Florida men pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price for the Middle District of Florida for their roles in a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme. The pleas must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez conspired with others to operate an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Mayorga and Alvarez facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States. From 2015 to 2022, Alvarez and Mayorga and their co-conspirators created a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors used the cash to pay their workers. Mayorga provided bookkeeping and tax preparation services for some of the shell companies, and Alvarez and others facilitated the distribution of millions in cash to subcontractors. Mayorga also prepared false returns for the shell companies and members of the conspiracy that Alvarez, and others, filed. Specifically, Alvarez caused the filing of false tax returns and tax documents on behalf of one of the shell companies. In total Mayorga caused a tax loss to the IRS of $8,647,824. In total Alvarez caused a tax loss to the IRS of $2,331,731. In addition to the tax crimes, Alvarez filed a false worker’s compensation insurance application. This allowed the shell companies to pay small insurance premiums. After fraudulently getting the insurance, Alvarez “rented” it to subcontractors so that the subcontractors could falsely provide proof of insurance when placing bids with contractors. Mayorga also provided false documents to insurance companies auditing them. Alvarez and Mayorga will be sentenced at a later date. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating. Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Fairfield County man arrested on federal child pornography charges

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Lancaster man was arrested yesterday afternoon on federal child pornography charges and appeared in federal court in Columbus today. It is alleged that Carson A. Bigham, 23, possessed, distributed or received child pornography. According to charging documents, law enforcement received two separate Cybertips from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to a Columbus man who was charged with federal child pornography crimes in March, including exploitation of a minor. One report was from Kik messenger regarding the distribution of 13 child pornography files. The second report was from Sniffies LLC, a map-based hookup application for gay, bisexual and bicurious men. As part of their investigation, devices were seized from the Columbus man. Law enforcement’s forensic review of the devices revealed conversations between the Columbus man and Bigham. In the conversations, Bigham allegedly uses the screenname “daddy.” The conversations between the two men were sexual in nature and included discussions about engaging in sex with minors. Bigham also allegedly received child pornography during these discussions, including files which depicted prepubescent minors engaged in sex acts with adults. Law enforcement officers learned that Bigham is employed as a Columbus firefighter and photographs of Bigham match those sent to the Columbus man during their conversations. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; other members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force; and officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Columbus Airport Group and Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case. A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. # # #


title: Leader of Qakbot Malware Conspiracy Indicted for  Involvement in Global Ransomware Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A federal indictment unsealed today charges Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, Russia, with leading a group of cyber criminals who developed and deployed the Qakbot malware. In connection with the charges, the Justice Department filed today a civil forfeiture complaint against over $24 million in cryptocurrency seized from Gallyamov over the course of the investigation. These actions are the latest step in an ongoing multinational effort by the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Canada to combat cybercrime. “Today’s announcement of the Justice Department’s latest actions to counter the Qakbot malware scheme sends a clear message to the cybercrime community,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We are determined to hold cybercriminals accountable and will use every legal tool at our disposal to identify you, charge you, forfeit your ill-gotten gains, and disrupt your criminal activity.” “The criminal charges and forfeiture case announced today are part of an ongoing effort with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable cybercriminals,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The forfeiture action against more than $24 million in virtual assets also demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to seizing ill-gotten assets from criminals in order to ultimately compensate victims.” “Mr. Gallyamov's bot network was crippled by the talented men and women of the FBI and our international partners in 2023, but he brazenly continued to deploy alternative methods to make his malware available to criminal cyber gangs conducting ransomware attacks against innocent victims globally,” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The charges announced today exemplify the FBI’s commitment to relentlessly hold accountable individuals who target Americans and demand ransom, even when they live halfway across the world.” According to court documents, Gallyamov developed, deployed, and controlled the Qakbot malware beginning in 2008. From 2019 onward, Gallyamov allegedly used the Qakbot malware to infect thousands of victim computers around the world in order to establish a network, or “botnet,” of infected computers. As alleged, once Gallyamov gained access to victim computers, he provided access to co-conspirators who infected the computers with ransomware, including Prolock, Dopplepaymer, Egregor, REvil, Conti, Name Locker, Black Basta, and Cactus. In exchange, Gallyamov was allegedly paid a portion of the ransoms received from ransomware victims. The announcement of charges today is the latest step taken by the Justice Department against the Qakbot conspiracy. In August 2023, a U.S.-led multinational operation disrupted the Qakbot botnet and malware . At that time, the Justice Department announced the seizure of illicit proceeds from Gallyamov, including over 170 bitcoin and over $4 million of USDT and USDC tokens. According to the indictment, after the disruption and takedown of the Qakbot botnet, Gallyamov and his co-conspirators continued their criminal activities. Instead of a botnet, they allegedly used different tactics, including “spam bomb” attacks on victim companies, where co-conspirators would trick employees at those victim companies into granting access to computer systems. The indictment alleges that Gallyamov orchestrated spam bomb attacks against victims in the United States as recently as January 2025. It also alleges that Gallyamov and his co-conspirators deployed Black Basta and Cactus ransomware on victim computers. On April 25, 2025, pursuant to a seizure warrant, the FBI seized additional illicit proceeds from Gallyamov, including over 30 bitcoin and over $700,000 of USDT tokens. Today, the Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Central District of California against all of the illicit proceeds seized from Gallyamov — worth over $24 million as of today — in order to forfeit and ultimately return those funds to victims. The investigation of Gallyamov was led by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, which worked closely with investigators from Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Netherlands National Police, The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Netherlands, France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office (Office Anti-cybercriminalité) and Cyber Division of the Paris Prosecution Office, and Europol. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Milwaukee Field Office provided significant assistance. Trial Attorney Jessica Peck of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Khaldoun Shobaki, Lauren Restrepo, and James Dochterman for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation Endgame , an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling and prosecuting cybercriminal organizations around the world. Resources for victims can be found on the following website, which will be updated as additional information becomes available: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/divisions/national-security-division/qakbot-resources An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Southern Utah Man Arrested and Charged after Allegedly Damaging an ICE Transit Van

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Southern Utah man accused of damaging government property, specifically a Department of Homeland Security Transit Van, appeared in court today. The indictment charging Ryan Michael Gaines, 32, of Santa Clara, Utah, was unsealed on Tuesday. According to court documents, in the morning of April 21, 2025, it was discovered that an ICE Transit Van had been damaged over the weekend at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO) office in St. George. The St. George Police Department was called and responding officers located surveillance footage that showed a light-colored Jeep pull into camera view in the ICE office parking lot. Shortly thereafter, an adult male wearing a black balaclava and ski goggles activated a motion sensor and was caught on surveillance camera. The suspect then approached the ICE Transit Van and ripped pieces from the passenger side mirror. The same type of damage was made on the driver’s side mirror. City-wide surveillance captured a matching Jeep – owned by and registered to Gaines at a Santa Clara address – in the area just a few minutes before and then after the incident. As alleged in court documents, the same day as the discovery of the damage, officers contacted Gaines near his place of employment and arrested him for the incident. Officers found Gaines’ Jeep at his residence and were able to match it with the Jeep seen in the surveillance footage. Also at Gaines’ residence, officers located a pair of ski goggles and a balaclava that matched the ones worn by the individual that committed the damage to the ICE Transit Van. The estimated cost to fix the damage is over $2,900. Gaines’ initial appearance on the indictment took place before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470. The case is being investigated jointly by the St. George Police Department and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Tampa Felon For Illegally Possessing A Firearm

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL –United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Cortevious Torrez Crews (31, Tampa) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Crews faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the evidence presented at trial, on May 3, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Crews’ car in Clearwater Beach, Florida. When officers searched the car, they located two firearms. Despite knowing he was a felon and that he was prohibited from owning firearms, Crews had purchased one of the recovered firearms off the streets about a week earlier. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Muskogee County Resident Sentenced For Federal Drug And Firearm Crimes

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

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anthony Lynn Brewer, age 67, of Warner, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, and to 12 months for one count of Simple Possession of Methamphetamine, a misdemeanor. The terms were ordered to be served concurrently. The charges arose from an investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On October 4, 2024, Brewer pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, during a traffic stop on May 29, 2024, troopers discovered Brewer in possession of a shotgun and methamphetamine. At the time of the stop, Brewer had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. 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. The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Brewer will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.


title: Russian National and Leader of Qakbot Malware Conspiracy Indicted in Long-Running Global Ransomware Scheme

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges a Russian national with leading a group of cyber criminals that developed and deployed the Qakbot malware that infected thousands of computers worldwide, installing ransomware and demanding payment from victims. Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, 48, of Moscow, Russia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is believed to be in Russia and is not in custody. In connection with the charges, the Justice Department filed today a civil forfeiture complaint against more than $24 million in cryptocurrency seized from Gallyamov over the course of the investigation. These actions are the latest step in an ongoing multinational effort by the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Canada to combat cybercrime. “The criminal charges and forfeiture case announced today are part of an ongoing effort with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable cybercriminals,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The forfeiture action against more than $24 million in virtual assets also demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to seizing ill-gotten assets from criminals in order to ultimately compensate victims.” “Today’s announcement of the Justice Department’s latest actions to counter the Qakbot malware scheme sends a clear message to the cybercrime community,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not stop holding cybercriminals accountable, even over a course of years, and we will use every legal tool at our disposal to identify you, charge you, forfeit your ill-gotten gains, and disrupt your criminal activity.” “Mr. Gallyamov’s bot network was crippled by the talented men and women of the FBI and our international partners in 2023, but he brazenly continued to deploy alternative methods to make his malware available to criminal cyber gangs conducting ransomware attacks against innocent victims globally,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The charges announced today exemplify the FBI’s commitment to relentlessly hold accountable individuals who target Americans and demand ransom, even when they live halfway across the world.” According to the indictment, Gallyamov developed, deployed, and controlled the Qakbot malware beginning in 2008. From 2019 onward, Gallyamov allegedly used the Qakbot botnet to infect thousands of victim computers around the world to establish a network or “botnet” of infected computers. Once Gallyamov gained access to victim computers, he provided access to co-conspirators who infected the computers with ransomware, including Prolock, Dopplepaymer, Egregor, REvil, Conti, Name Locker, Black Basta, and Cactus. Gallyamov was paid a portion of the ransoms received from ransomware victims. The announcement of charges today is the latest step taken by the Justice Department against the Qakbot conspiracy. In August 2023, a U.S.-led multinational operation disrupted the Qakbot botnet and malware . At that time, the Justice Department announced the seizure of illicit proceeds from Gallyamov, including more than 170 bitcoin and more than $4 million of USDT and USDC tokens. According to the indictment, after the disruption and takedown of the Qakbot botnet, Gallyamov and his co-conspirators continued their criminal activities. Instead of a botnet, they allegedly used different tactics, including “spam bomb” attacks on victim companies, where co-conspirators would trick employees at those victim companies into granting access to computer systems. The indictment alleges that Gallyamov orchestrated spam bomb attacks against victims in the United States as recently as January 2025. It also alleges that Gallyamov and his co-conspirators deployed Black Basta and Cactus ransomware on victim computers. On April 25, pursuant to a seizure warrant, the FBI seized additional illicit proceeds from Gallyamov, including more than 30 bitcoin and more than $700,000 of USDT tokens. Today, the Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Central District of California against all the illicit proceeds seized from Gallyamov – worth more than $24 million as of today – to forfeit and ultimately return those funds to victims. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Gallyamov would face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison. The investigation of Gallyamov was led by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, which worked closely with investigators from Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Netherlands National Police, the French Police Cybercrime Central Bureau, and Europol. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Milwaukee Field Office provided significant assistance. The case against Gallyamov is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Khaldoun Shobaki and Lauren Restrepo of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, and the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) Senior Counsel Jessica Peck. Assistant United States Attorney James Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is prosecuting the forfeiture case. These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation Endgame , an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling and prosecuting cybercriminal organizations around the world. Resources for victims can be found on the following website, which will be updated as additional information becomes available: Qakbot Resources .


body_text: WASHINGTON – Two Florida men pleaded guilty today before Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price for the Middle District of Florida for their roles in a years-long off-the-books payroll scheme. The pleas must be accepted by a U.S. district court judge. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Michael Mayorga and Francisco Alvarez conspired with others to operate an illegal, off-the-books cash payroll system for construction workers to avoid paying employment taxes to the IRS and to defraud workers’ compensation insurance companies. Through the scheme, Mayorga and Alvarez facilitated the employment of undocumented aliens working illegally in the United States. From 2015 to 2022, Alvarez and Mayorga and their co-conspirators created a series of shell companies to run an unlicensed check cashing and cash courier service business that cashed approximately $89 million in checks from subcontractors in the construction industry. The subcontractors used the cash to pay their workers. Mayorga provided bookkeeping and tax preparation services for some of the shell companies, and Alvarez and others facilitated the distribution of millions in cash to subcontractors. Mayorga also prepared false returns for the shell companies and members of the conspiracy that Alvarez, and others, filed. Specifically, Alvarez caused the filing of false tax returns and tax documents on behalf of one of the shell companies. In total Mayorga caused a tax loss to the IRS of $8,647,824. In total Alvarez caused a tax loss to the IRS of $2,331,731. In addition to the tax crimes, Alvarez filed a false worker’s compensation insurance application. This allowed the shell companies to pay small insurance premiums. After fraudulently getting the insurance, Alvarez “rented” it to subcontractors so that the subcontractors could falsely provide proof of insurance when placing bids with contractors. Mayorga also provided false documents to insurance companies auditing them. Alvarez and Mayorga will be sentenced at a later date. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating. Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Kavitha Bondada and Rebecca A. Caruso of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Daniels for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Former President of Palmetto Railways Sentenced for Role in Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Fraud

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jeffrey McWhorter, 63, of Mount Pleasant, has been sentenced to five years of probation with 12 months of home confinement for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that McWhorter and an individual named Kevin Newkirk agreed to accept a payment from Tony Berenyi of Berenyi Construction should he be awarded a construction bid for the company Newkirk worked for, which is a Texas-based logistics company. The Texas Company went to McWhorter for contractor recommendations and McWhorter facilitated an introduction to Berenyi. Through the bidding process, McWhorter, Newkirk, and Berenyi discussed the payment and when the Texas Company awarded the contract to Berenyi Construction, payments began from Berenyi. Ultimately, through the course of the conspiracy, Berenyi paid a total of $420,000 that was wired to a bank account in the name of Newkirk’s wife. Newkirk agreed to pay McWhorter his portion in cash and the evidence revealed that McWhorter received $136,500 in total payments. McWhorter did not disclose these payments on the required filings for public officials. United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced McWhorter to five years of probation with 12 months of home confinement and electronic monitoring. There is no parole in the federal system. There is no parole in the federal system. McWhorter was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $75,198.02 and was fined $4,000. He must also complete 300 hours of community service. He must also complete 300 hours of community service. Kevin Newkirk was also charged and sentenced in April to five years of probation by United States District Judge David C. Norton. This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Ada Resident Sentenced For Felony Assault

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jasmine Rae Valdez, age 26, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, and to 33 months for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently. On April 10, 2025, Valdez’s co-defendant, Brendan Kaleb Rains, age 26, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country and 60 months in prison for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country, to be served concurrently. Rains pleaded guilty to the charges on June 11, 2024. On October 29, 2024, Valdez pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on August 29, 2023, Valdez and Rains forced entry into a Stonewall, Oklahoma residence. During the ensuing altercation, Valdez participated in Rains’ attack on the occupants, actively assisting and enabling the attack, as well as acting to prevent another from coming to the victim’s aid or defense. The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The charges arose from an investigation by the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Valdez will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.


title: Mercer County Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Communicating Threats to Attack Members of the White Community

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for transmitting, via the internet, a post containing threats to injure members of the white community by shooting them with a firearm, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Joshua Cobb, 24, of Trenton, New Jersey, had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On December 17, 2022, Cobb used a social media application to post a message, stating: “I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can. As of today I have officially began planning my attack. It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground. I have already acquired 2 of the 4 firearms I plan to use for my attack, and I also know my entry and exit points already after the mayhem… White people are going to feel my pain in 2023. I will be certain I send as many as I possible can to the deepest pits of hell. I am going to wipe those ugly smiles completely off their faces. I dream of a day of pure evil on them. I plan to allow every evil spirit to work entirely through me and kill as many as i can. Some will get extra rounds through their head. And you guys can think I'm a troll all you want. Just pay close attention the news, you will see my aftermath. And I will be sure I kill myself after I finish my terrorism. White men and women in New Jersey, get ready. You are going to feel my pain very fucking soon. I put that on my life. From here on out I don't want to talk, my rounds are going to, after they exit the back of all your heads. Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.” Cobb subsequently joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2023 and began basic training in June 2023. Cobb was stationed in California until his discharge in May 2024 when the U.S. Marine Corps learned about this case from law enforcement. Cobb admitted to writing the above-described post and that he understood that the message would be threatening towards certain individuals. Cobb provided detailed information to law enforcement on locations he had considered as possible targets for his attack, including a gym and an Aldi grocery store in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Cobb also discussed his access to guns and idolization of other mass shooters. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Cobb to 3 years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence Reilly in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli, agents of the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis; the Hamilton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth R. DeBoskey; the Robbinsville Police Department, under the direction of Chief William G. Swanhart, III; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s National Security Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division. ### Defense counsel: Saverio Viggiano, Office of the Public Defender


title: Wilburton Resident Sentenced For Federal Firearm Crime

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charles Henry Lawrence, aka Charles Henry Lawrence, Jr., age 57, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm. The charge arose from an investigation by the Latimer County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. On November 25, 2024, Lawrence pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on November 11, 2022, law enforcement officers serving a search warrant on Lawrence’s Wilburton, Oklahoma residence seized one rifle and one revolver. At the time of the search, Lawrence had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. 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. The Honorable Eric F. Melgren, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Lawrence will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.


title: Honduran National Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Reentry

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Honduran national, illegally residing in Brockton, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Oscar Lopez, 41, a/k/a “Luis Maldonado,” pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Lopez was arrested on April 16, 2025 and has remained in custody since. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2025. According to the charging documents, Lopez is a citizen of Honduras who entered the United States illegally in 2003. Lopez did not appear for an Immigration Court date in 2003 and was ordered removed. Immigration officials were not able to remove Lopez until January 2013. Lopez returned to the United States just a few months later without permission and he was removed again in May 2013. At some point thereafter, Lopez returned again and Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Lopez’s unlawful presence in the United States following arrests by state authorities in March and April 2024. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.


title: 16 Defendants Federally Charged in Connection with DanaBot Malware Scheme That Infected Computers Worldwide

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indictment and criminal complaint unsealed today charge 16 defendants who allegedly developed and deployed the DanaBot malware which a Russia-based cybercrime organization controlled and deployed, infecting more than 300,000 victim computers around the world, facilitated fraud and ransomware, and caused at least $50 million in damage. The defendants include Aleksandr Stepanov, 39, a.k.a. “JimmBee,” and Artem Aleksandrovich Kalinkin, 34, a.k.a. “Onix”, both of Novosibirsk, Russia. Stepanov was charged with conspiracy, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, wiretapping, and use of an intercepted communication. Kalinkin was charged with conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to a computer to obtain information, to gain unauthorized access to a computer to defraud, and to commit unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. Both defendants are believed to be in Russia and are not in custody. According to the indictment and complaint, DanaBot malware used a variety of methods to infect victim computers, including spam email messages containing malicious attachments or hyperlinks. Victim computers infected with DanaBot malware became part of a botnet (a network of compromised computers), enabling the operators and users of the botnet to remotely control the infected computers in a coordinated manner. The owners and operators of the victim computers are typically unaware of the infection. The DanaBot malware allegedly operated on a malware-as-a-service model, with the administrators leasing access to the botnet and support tools to client coconspirators for a fee that was typically several thousand dollars a month. The DanaBot malware was multi-featured and had extensive capabilities to exploit victim computers. It could be used to steal data from victim computers, and to hijack banking sessions, steal device information, user browsing histories, stored account credentials, and virtual currency wallet information. DanaBot also had the capability to provide full remote access to victim computers, to record keystrokes, and record videos showing the activity of users on victim computers. DanaBot has further been used as an initial means of infection for other forms of malware, including ransomware. The DanaBot malware has infected over 300,000 computers around the world, and caused damage estimated to exceed $50 million. DanaBot administrators operated a second version of the botnet that was used to target victim computers in military, diplomatic, government, and related entities. This version of the botnet recorded all interactions with the computer and sent stolen data to a different server than the fraud-oriented version of DanaBot. This variant was allegedly used to target diplomats, law enforcement personnel, and members of the military in North America, and Europe. “Pervasive malware like DanaBot harms hundreds of thousands of victims around the world, including sensitive military, diplomatic, and government entities, and causes many millions of dollars in losses,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The charges and actions announced today demonstrate our commitment to eradicating the largest threats to global cybersecurity and pursuing the most malicious cyber actors, wherever they are located.” “The enforcement actions announced today, made possible by enduring law enforcement and industry partnerships across the globe, disrupted a significant cyber threat group, who were profiting from the theft of victim data and the targeting of sensitive networks,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Field Office. “The DanaBot malware was a clear threat to the Department of Defense and our partners. DCIS will vigorously defend our infrastructure, personnel, and intellectual property." "Today's announcement represents a significant step forward in the FBI's ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle the cyber-criminal ecosystem that wreaks havoc on global digital security," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. "We are grateful for the coordinated efforts of our domestic and international law enforcement partners in holding cyber criminals accountable, no matter where they operate." An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Kalinkin would face a statutory maximum sentence of 72 years in federal prison, and Stepanov would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. As part of today’s operation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) agents effected seizures and takedowns of DanaBot command and control servers, including dozens of virtual servers hosted in the United States. The U.S. government is now working with partners including the Shadowserver Foundation to notify DanaBot victims and help remediate infections. These law enforcement actions were taken in conjunction with Operation Endgame , an ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling and prosecuting cybercriminal organizations around the world. Amazon, Crowdstrike, ESET, Flashpoint, Google, Intel 471, Lumen, PayPal, Proofpoint, Spycloud, Team CYMRU, and ZScaler provided valuable assistance. The investigation into DanaBot was led by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, working closely with Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Netherlands National Police, and the Australian Federal Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Aaron Frumkin of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting these cases. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling the forfeiture case.


title: Fort Wayne Woman Ordered to Repay Funds  From PPP Loan Fraud

body_text: FORT WAYNE – Dashanae Hamlet-Davis, 26 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to a federal felony for wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Hamlet-Davis was sentenced to 18 months of probation and ordered to pay $23,431.53 in restitution to the Small Business Administration. According to documents in the case, Hamlet-Davis falsely claimed gross income for a business that did not exist when she applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The PPP program provided loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses as part the CARES Act and for emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamlet-Davis falsely claimed that she was the sole proprietor of a retail business when in reality, no such business existed. As a result of her fraudulent representations, Hamlet-Davis received PPP funds which she used for her own benefit on personal items such as clothing, jewelry, electronics, and a vacation. “This sentencing demonstrates the commitment of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to investigate and bring to justice those who victimize the American taxpayer,” said Kelly Moening, TIGTA Special Agent-in-Charge. “Fraudulently applying for loans through a federal program meant to assist Americans in need will be met with aggressive investigation and prosecution. I want to thank our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their commitment to this goal.” This case was investigated by the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin C. Sheridan.


title: California Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: SOUTH BEND – Antonio Curiel, 44 years old, of San Ysedro, California, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Curiel was sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, in March 2024, Curiel was transporting more than 18 kilograms of cocaine from California to the East Coast in a vehicle when he was stopped by law enforcement in Northern Indiana. Curiel admitted he was being paid for his transportation services, and this was not the first time making such a trip. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration including the DEA North Central Laboratory with assistance from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.


title: Three Individuals Sentenced in Conspiracy Involving Bribery of Government Contracting Officer

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Three men have been sentenced for their respective roles in a conspiracy to bribe a public official, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona. U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Coogan Preston, 56, of Columbia, South Carolina, to 64 months in prison, Francisco Guerra, 56, of Lexington, Alabama, to 60 months in prison, and Jason Ingram, 48, of Rogersville, Alabama, to 24 months in prison. In December 2024, Guerra, Preston, and Ingram pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe a public official. According to the plea agreements, the scheme began in 2016 and continued until 2021. As part of the scheme, Guerra agreed to provide money and other items of value to Preston, a government contracting official working at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. In exchange for these bribes, Preston identified subcontracting opportunities for companies owned and operated by Guerra and convinced the prime contractor to use one of Guerra’s companies as a subcontractor. “The government officials and contractors working on Redstone Arsenal play a critical role in supporting the United States military,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The individuals sentenced today chose personal gain over their professional duty. These sentences were the result of that choice and should serve as a warning to others.” “Mr. Preston’s actions represent a serious betrayal of the public trust that is essential to defense operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith Kelly, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Fraud Field Office. “Army CID remains committed to combating corruption and protecting the integrity of the Army’s contracting process.” “As a government contracting official, Preston traded the public’s trust given to him for greed,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Using their investigative and forensic accounting skills, IRS Criminal Investigation special agents were able to follow the money—bringing Preston and his conspirators to justice.” “In collaboration with its investigative partners, the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) vigorously pursues fraud and corruption that threaten the integrity of the DoD, particularly when such crimes impact the well-being of our Nation’s Warfighters,” said Jason Sargenski, Special Agent-in-Charge of DCIS’s Southeast Field Office. “DCIS remains steadfast in working with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who commit fraud against the U.S. Government are held accountable.” The Department of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General – Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd Peeples prosecuted the cases.


title: Waterbury Man Sentenced to Nearly 8 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Violent Carjacking

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL McCANN-ORTIZ, also known as “Bando,” 24, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 95 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a violent carjacking. According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) were stolen from a Waterbury residence. After the theft, McCann-Ortiz and others mistakenly identified an individual (“Victim 1”) who they incorrectly believed was involved in the theft. Later that night, Victim 1’s friend, (“Victim 2”), picked up Victim 1 from work and drove him home. As they arrived at Victim 1’s residence, three vehicles followed them and surrounded the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates, one of whom carried an assault-style rifle, exited the vehicles and approached the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened to harm both victims, and physically assaulted them. Specifically, McCann-Ortiz repeatedly threatened to kill the victims, and punched and kicked one victim, causing serious bodily injury. McCann-Ortiz and his associates then stole Victim 2’s vehicle, which was owned by Victim 2’s relative, and other items and cash belonging to the victims. McCann-Ortiz and his associates continued to harass the victims in the following days. McCann-Ortiz has been detained since his arrest on unrelated state charges on July 10, 2023. On February 27, 2025, he pleaded guilty in federal court to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury. This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and David T. Huang.


title: Gloucester County Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Scheme and Theft of Elderly Victim’s Bank Account Funds

body_text: NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man pleaded guilty to fraudulently seeking more than $1.4 million from the IRS by filing false tax returns claiming COVID-19-related employment tax credits, for laundering the proceeds from that scheme, and for stealing more than $180,000 from an elderly customer at the car dealership where he worked, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. James J. Mastrogiovanni, 44, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of mail fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of access device fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2025. During the pandemic, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a scheme with Leon Haynes, a tax preparer, to exploit COVID-19 relief programs to line his own pockets. From in or around March 2021 through in or around December 2022, Mastrogiovanni and Haynes prepared and filed with the IRS false and fraudulent Forms 941 on behalf of Mastrogiovanni, his family members, and others, claiming tax refunds intended to help struggling small businesses by reducing employment taxes owed. All of the Forms 941 prepared in furtherance of the scheme were false and fraudulent because they listed employees and wages that, in fact, did not actually exist. Neither Mastrogiovanni nor any of his family members owned or operated a business, let alone had paid employees. Mastrogiovanni claimed at least $1,443,409 in tax credits, and as a result of the scheme, the U.S. Treasury disbursed at least $545,692 to Mastrogiovanni and his family members. Haynes has been charged separately in a 63-count indictment for allegedly preparing and submitting more than 1,600 false employment tax returns on behalf of himself and clients totaling more than $150 million. He also allegedly defrauded some of his own clients by using their identities to submit these applications without their permission or knowledge. Trial is scheduled to begin on September 25, 2025 in that matter. The charges and allegations against Haynes are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. From on or about June 19, 2023 through on or about December 7, 2023, Mastrogiovanni engaged in a separate scheme to steal more than $180,000 from an 85-year old victim. The victim presented a check to Mastrogiovanni to purchase a vehicle at the car dealership where Mastrogiovanni worked. Mastrogiovanni later used the routing and checking account numbers on the check to make unauthorized personal transactions from the account until the account was empty. The count of conspiracy to defraud the United States carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the mail fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and the money laundering and access device fraud counts each carry a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction Acting Special Agent in Charge Corwin Rattler; postal inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; and officers of the Mahwah Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy O’Hara, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . ### Defense Counsel for Mastrogiovanni: Frank Agostino, Esq. mastrogiovanni.information.pdf


title: Largo Man Charged With Bomb Hoax At FBI Tampa  Field Office

body_text: Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces a criminal complaint charging Nicki Wayne Goodman (49, Largo) with conveying false information to perpetuate a hoax. If convicted on all counts, Goodman faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Goodman made his initial appearance in federal court today, in Tampa, and was ordered detained. According to the criminal complaint, in the early morning of May 20, 2025, the FBI Tampa Field Office discovered a suspicious black backpack placed outside the main security gate, along with a cardboard sign that identified federal agents by name and a YouTube account belonging to Goodman. The sign also stated, among other things, “My name is Nicki Goodman” and “ABolish Government,” and displayed racial epithets. Agents also discovered several other cardboard signs with messages placed nearby the main entrance gate. Surveillance footage from the previous night revealed that Goodman had placed the bag and signs outside the security gate. Once the backpack was discovered, a large law enforcement response for public safety was initiated, including the deployment of the Tampa Police Department’s bomb squad and patrol units, and Tampa Fire Rescue engines and ambulances. The public safety response resulted in the closure of the public roadways near the incident, denied access to public businesses, and the shutdown of FBI’s Tampa Field Office for approximately five hours. No explosive materials were found in the backpack. While first responders were on scene, Goodman posted a short video from nearby, depicting multiple emergency vehicles and personnel in the background. In the video Goodman stated: “see all the way down that street right there? Guess that’s cause of me. (inaudible) I uh the FBI office right down the road there. Look at that shit. That’s crazy huh? Wrote a few notes. Found a bag..” and “they got the SWAT team. They got the look like they got a bomb squad or something going on there.” A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the Tampa Police Department and Tampa Fire Rescue. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Risha Asokan.


title: Five Illegal Hondurans Charged in Separate Cases Involving Illegal Re-entry into the United States After Deportation

component: USAO - Louisiana, Western

body_text: LAFAYETTE, La. – Five men found to be in the United States illegally have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Lafayette in five separate cases, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. All of the defendants are currently in federal custody. Enrique Hernandez-Ortiz, 44, a citizen of Honduras, was charged with one count of re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that Hernandez-Ortiz was found in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on December 3, 2024, and the indictment alleges his prior removal was subsequent to a conviction for commission of an aggravated felony. The indictment also alleges that Hernandez-Ortiz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. Enrique Hernandez-Ortiz has been removed from the United States on three prior occasion as follows: On or about June 30, 2008, at or near Atlanta, Georgia (After being convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile on March 20, 2008) On or about May 18, 2012, at or near New Orleans, Louisiana (After being convicted on July 17, 2011, of Illegal Re-entry After Aggravated Felon Conviction) On or about September 2024, at or near Alexandria, Louisiana (After being convicted on June 8, 2023, for illegal re-entry after removal subsequent felony conviction as well as failure to register and update registration as a sex offender) If convicted Hernandez-Ortiz faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,00.00 and deportation. This case is being investigated by Customs Border and Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog. The second indictment charges Martin Perez-Amaya , 30, a citizen of Honduras re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that on April 23, 2025, Perez-Amaya was found in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after having been removed from the United States on three prior occasions. The indictment also alleges that Perez-Amaya never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. His prior removals are as follows: On or about January 30, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas On or about May 21, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas On or about September 2, 2015, at or near Brownsville, Texas Perez-Amaya came to the attention of immigration officials after he was arrested by the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office for Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment on April 4, 2025. He was subsequently arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Lake Charles, Louisiana on April 23, 2025 and charged by complaint with illegal reentry. If convicted, Perez-Amaya faces up to 2 years in prison and deportation. This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol and prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Myers Namie. The third indictment charges William Noel Delcid-Guzman , 22, a citizen of Honduras with possession of a fraudulent immigrant visa or about February 26, 2025. If convicted, Delcid-Guzman faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation. This case was investigated by Customs and Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog. The fourth indictment charges Yunior Nahin Nazar-Garcia , 29, a citizen of Honduras with possession of a fraudulent immigrant visa on or about February 14, 2025. The defendant has a criminal history of domestic abuse battery and served a six-month sentence in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. If convicted, Nazar-Garcia faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation. This case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog. The fifth indictment charges Humberto Valladares-Cruz , 37, a citizen of Honduras, with one count of re-entry of a removed alien. The indictment alleges that on March 26, 2025, Valladares-Cruz was found in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, after having been removed from the United States on five prior occasions. The indictment also alleges that Valladares-Cruz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. Valladares-Cruz’s five prior removals are as follows: On or about October 14, 2016, at or near Oakdale, Louisiana On or about April 20, 2018, at or near Brownsville, Texas On or about October 14, 2018, at or near Alexandria, Louisiana On or about September 27, 2019, at or near Brownsville, Texas On or about March 3, 2021, at or near Laredo, Texas Valladares-Cruz has a criminal history with convictions for DWI, possession of drug paraphernalia and simple burglary. If convicted, Valladares-Cruz faces up to 10 years in prison and deportation. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey Stelly. An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. # # #


title: Indian National Pleads Guilty to Visa Fraud Conspiracy

body_text: BOSTON – An Indian national, residing in New York, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to serving as a getaway driver in staged armed robberies in furtherance of a visa fraud conspiracy. Defendant is the second individual to plead guilty in this case. Balwinder Singh, 41, pleaded guilty to on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2025. In December 2023 , Singh was charged along with a co-conspirator, Rambhai Patel. Beginning in March 2023 Patel, and an alleged co-conspirator, set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least nine convenience/liquor stores and fast-food restaurants across the United States – including at least five in Massachusetts. The purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the store clerks to claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. During the staged robberies the “robber” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. Singh served as the robber’s getaway driver in several of these robberies. The clerks and/or owners would wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” paid Patel to participate in the scheme. One purported victim paid $20,000 to participate as a victim in one of the staged armed robberies. In turn, Patel paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery and paid the “robber” and Singh for their assistance. At least two purported victim co-conspirators submitted U Visa applications based on being victims of the staged armed robberies. Patel pleaded guilty on May 20, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20, 2025. The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington; FBI’s New York and Seattle Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hingham, Marshfield, Randolph, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Irondequoit man claiming to be a physician charged with fraud and illegally dispensing controlled substances

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kevin M. Whitman, 27, of Irondequoit, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distributing and dispensing a controlled substance, using a registration number issued to another person to obtain controlled substances, and obtaining controlled substances by fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is prosecuting the case, stated that Whitman is not a licensed physician in New York State or anywhere else in the United States and does not possess a DEA Registration Number to issue prescriptions. The criminal complaint alleges that between August 2023 and April 2025, Whitman claimed to be a medical doctor and, fraudulently and without authorization, used a DEA Registration Number belonging to Strong Memorial Hospital. Using that number, Whitman issued 177 prescriptions to nine individuals for Schedule II controlled substances, totaling 38,067 dosage units. Of these 177 prescriptions, 173 were for oxycodone. Whitman is not an employee of Strong Memorial Hospital, he did not graduate from the University of Rochester Medical School, and Whitman does not hold any professional licenses granted in New York State to practice medicine or to issue controlled substance prescriptions. During a search of Whitman’s residence, law enforcement officers recovered a framed fake diploma purportedly from the University of Rochester Medical School. Whitman made an initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was released on conditions. The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, the U.S. Department Health of Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Naomi Gruchacz, and the New York State Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, under the direction of Attorney General Letitia James. Additional Assistance was provided by the University of Rochester Department of Public Safety, the New York State Police, and the Brighton Police Department. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Colombian National Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Kidnap and Assault U.S. Army Soldiers in Colombia

body_text: A Colombian national was sentenced today in the Southern District of Florida for her role in kidnapping and assaulting two members of the U.S. military who were on temporary duty in Bogotá, Colombia. Kenny Julieth Uribe Chiran, 35, was sentenced to 262 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $24,115 in restitution. She is the third and final defendant to be sentenced and held accountable for this criminal conspiracy. She pleaded guilty in March 2025 to conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person. “Uribe Chiran and her co-defendants mercilessly preyed on U.S. soldiers when they drugged their drinks, stole their valuables, and left them incapacitated on the street,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. military service members is deplorable and the Criminal Division will continue to prioritize protecting our service members through these prosecutions. I thank the prosecutors and our law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to bring justice to these victims.” “Members of our military, whether serving here or abroad, can count on this Department of Justice’s respect, support, and protection,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Kidnappings and assaults against U.S. service members will not be tolerated. To those who would dare commit such reprehensible acts against America’s heroes, know this: We will identify you; we will find you; and we will prosecute you as aggressively as the law permits.” “The FBI’s commitment to investigate criminal acts against the U.S. military beyond our borders is clearly demonstrated by our persistent pursuit of justice for the two kidnapped soldiers,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “Our close cooperation with Colombian and Chilean law enforcement authorities was essential to this international investigation’s success. To all would be kidnappers the message is clear: target our citizens with violence anywhere in the world and we will hold you accountable for your actions.” According to court documents, the two U.S. soldiers went to an entertainment district in Bogotá to watch a soccer game on the evening of March 5, 2020. They later went to a pub, where Uribe Chiran and one of her co-defendants approached the soldiers and, without their knowledge, put drugs in their drinks that rendered them incapacitated. Medical examinations later confirmed the presence of benzodiazepines in the two soldiers’ systems. The defendants then kidnapped the soldiers, took their valuables, including their credit and debit card information, and left them incapacitated on the street in separate locations. The defendants used one victim’s credit card and the other victim’s debit card to make purchases and withdraw money. Uribe Chiran was extradited in September 2024 from Colombia to the United States. Co-defendant Pedro Jose Silva Ochoa was extradited in April 2024 from Chile to the United States, pleaded guilty in December 2024, and was sentenced in March 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison. Co-defendant Jeffersson Arango Castellanos was extradited in May 2023 from Colombia to the United States, pleaded guilty in January 2024, and was sentenced in May 2024 to 48 years and nine months in prison. The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided significant assistance in this matter. The United States thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance. Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertila Fernandez for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.


title: Maryland drug trafficker sentenced to five years in prison for firearms offense

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents, on Dec. 7, 2024, an officer of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) initiated a traffic stop after she observed Kaleel Malcolm Nagbe, 21, of Baltimore, holding a cellphone as he was driving on the Pentagon Reservation. As she approached the vehicle, the officer detected the odor of marijuana and asked Nagbe to exit the vehicle. After being informed that PFPA officers would be conducting a probable-cause search of the vehicle, Nagbe reentered the vehicle and attempted to drive away. Another PFPA officer then leaned into the vehicle and grabbed Nagbe. Both officers prevented Nagbe from driving away and secured him after a brief struggle. During a search of the vehicle, officers located approximately 13 pounds of marijuana in the trunk and multiple clear baggies in the passenger compartment that bore images of characters from the cartoon “Codename: Kids Next Door.” The baggies bore a QR code that, when scanned with a cellphone, were linked to an Instagram account that advertised marijuana for sale using the same cartoon packaging. When officers searched Nagbe they located a loaded firearm in his underwear. The firearm had a round of ammunition in the chamber and 16 additional rounds in the magazine. The firearm was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, rendering it capable of firing automatically. On Jan. 4, 2023, Nagbe was convicted in the Montgomery County, Maryland, Circuit Court of possession of a regulated firearm by a person under 21 years of age, and was sentenced on April 23, 2023, to five years in prison, with all but the 367 days he had already spent in custody suspended. Nagbe was on probation for that conviction at the time of the current offense. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Chris Bargery, Director of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard prosecuted the case. 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. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-6.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking and Machinegun Crimes

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –TIERON PRICE (“PRICE”) , age 22, was sentenced on May 20, 2025 U.S. District Judge Darrel J. Papillion to 106 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of possessing a machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(o) and 924(a)(2); possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i). According to court documents, on May 22, 2023, PRICE was driving a stolen vehicle in New Orleans. When Louisiana State Police troopers attempted to pull him over, PRICE led troopers on a seven-minute car chase, during which PRICE ran several red lights, disregarded stop signs, and drove the wrong way on one-way streets at high speeds. The chase ended when PRICE struck a vehicle stopped at a red light. PRICE and two other occupants fled but were caught. Inside a backpack carried by one of the other occupants, there was a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, equipped with a Glock auto-sear, making the firearm a fully-automatic machinegun. The machinegun had a bullet in the chamber and was loaded with an extended magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition. PRICE ’s DNA was on the firearm and he later admitted ownership. PRICE was arrested after the car chase but subsequently released on bond. On January 19, 2024, New Orleans Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at PRICE ’s residence in connection with an auto theft investigation. During the search, officers found a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, a black Glock auto-sear hidden in a baby bassinet, and a drum magazine loaded with 49 rounds. PRICE had been observed on a social media app the day before the search with the same gun equipped with the auto-sear, and the drum magazine attached. During the search officers also found over $6,000 in cash and 95 tapentadol pills that PRICE intended to distribute. 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. The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Agrees to Plead Guilty to Threatening to Bomb L.A. City Hall Last Year

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety was charged today with threatening to bomb Los Angeles City Hall last year. Brian K. Williams, 61, of Pasadena, is charged in a single-count information with threats regarding fire and explosives. In a related filing today, Williams agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Williams is expected to make his initial appearance in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks. “In an era of heated political rhetoric that has sometimes escalated into violence, we cannot allow public officials to make bomb threats,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “My office will continue its efforts to keep the public safe, including from those who violate their duty to uphold the law.” “Mr. Williams, the former deputy mayor of Public Safety for Los Angeles, not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Government officials are held to a heightened standard as we rely on them to safeguard the city. I’m relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions.” According to his plea agreement, on October 3, 2024, while serving as Deputy Mayor of Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles, Williams participated in a virtual meeting with multiple people in connection with his official duties. During this meeting, Williams used the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone. Williams then left the virtual meeting and placed a call to the Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). During this call, Williams falsely stated that he had just received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who threatened to bomb Los Angeles City Hall. In fact, Williams received no such call and had made the bomb threat himself. At no time did Williams intend to carry out the threat. Approximately 10 minutes later, Williams sent a text message to the Los Angeles Mayor and several high-ranking city officials in the Mayor’s office and falsely reported, “Bomb threat: I received phone call on my city cell at 10:48 am this morning. The male caller stated that ‘he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.’ I immediately contacted the chief of staff of LAPD, they are going to send a number of officers over to do a search of the building and to determine if anyone else received a threat.” In fact, Williams had not received such a call. Shortly thereafter, LAPD officers responded to City Hall to investigate the threat Williams reported. Police searched the building and did not locate any suspicious packages or devices. Williams described to police the threatening call he claimed to have received, showed them the record of an incoming call that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone, and said it was the unknown man who conveyed the threat. In fact, that incoming call record was the call Williams had placed to himself from the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone. Williams then sent additional text messages to the Los Angeles Mayor and other high-ranking city officials stating, “At this time, there is no need for us to evacuate the building, I’m meeting with the threat management officers within the next 10 minutes. In light of the Jewish holidays, we are taking this thread, a little more seriously. I will keep you posted.” The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating this matter. The Los Angeles Police Department provided substantial assistance. Assistant United States Attorney David T. Ryan, Chief of the National Security Division, is prosecuting this case.


title: Former New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services Caseworker Sentenced to 109 Months in Prison For Possession and Transportation of Child Pornography

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A former caseworker for the New Jersey Department of Children and Family Services, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, was sentenced to 109 months in prison for possessing and transporting child pornography, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Trent Collier, 58, of Kearny, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an indictment charging him with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: On or about September 28, 2021, Collier arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from the Dominican Republic. Upon his arrival, law enforcement searched Collier’s cellular phone and identified at least two images of child pornography. In a statement to law enforcement, Collier admitted that he had previously sent child pornography to at least one other individual using his cellular phone and that that individual also sent child pornography to Collier’s cellular phone. A further search of Collier’s cellular phone uncovered multiple additional videos of child pornography, including videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers. In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Collier to 5 years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, under the direction of Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, with the investigation. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren D. Kober of the Criminal Division in Newark. ### Defense counsel: Carol Dominguez, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark, NJ


title: Danvers Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Money Laundering and Operating Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business

body_text: BOSTON – A Danvers man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for money laundering and operating an unlicensed, “no questions asked,” money transmitting business that converted more than $1 million in cash to the digital currency Bitcoin, including on behalf of scammers and a drug dealer. Trung Nguyen, a/k/a “DCS420”, 48, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The Court also ordered Nguyen to forfeit $1,513,000.04. In November 2024 , Nguyen was convicted of one count of conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of concealment money laundering. Nguyen was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 30, 2023. Between September 2017 and October 2020, Nguyen owned and operated National Vending, LLC. Through National Vending, Nguyen accepted cash from customers and, in exchange for a fee, sent them Bitcoin in return. Exchangers of virtual currency, including Bitcoin exchangers, are money transmitters under federal law and are subject to federal anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. The regulations require them to register as money service businesses with the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and to maintain effective AML programs, including by filing Suspicious Activity Reports with FinCEN, and by filing Currency Transaction Reports for Bitcoin-for-cash exchanges of more than $10,000. Nguyen purposely failed to register National Vending with FinCEN, despite being required to do so. Over the course of 10 transactions in 2018, Nguyen accepted a total of $250,000 in cash from an individual who identified himself to Nguyen as a methamphetamine dealer. In 2019 and 2020, Nguyen also accepted approximately $325,000 from a romance scam victim from Kansas City, Mo.; $60,000 from a romance scam victim from Glastonbury, Ct. and $60,000 from a romance scam victim from central Massachusetts—each of whom had been tricked into converting cash into Bitcoin and sending it to con artists overseas. Nguyen failed to file Suspicious Activity Reports or Currency Transaction Reports on any of these transactions, including cash transactions of more than $10,000. Nguyen concealed his money transmitting business by, among other ways, holding National Vending out to banks, cryptocurrency exchanges and state authorities as a vending machine business. He used encrypted messaging apps to communicate with customers, using technologies that made it more difficult to trace Bitcoin transactions and breaking cash deposits of more than $10,000 into smaller cash deposits over consecutive days or at different branches of the same bank. Nguyen also enrolled in a paid course on concealing his business that recommended Nguyen purport to operate “a business for which cash deposits from around the country make sense” and that he “develop [his] cover story,” “create a list or your suppliers Fictitious of course” and “Don’t say the word ‘Bitcoin.” United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth B. Kosto and Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Great Falls man sentenced on gun charges

body_text: GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who admitted to illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced yesterday to 20 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. James Keith LaBuff, 49, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The government alleged in court documents that on August 31, 2023, the Cut Bank Police Department responded to the Terrace Motel for a report of a man waving a gun around. Witnesses identified LaBuff as having a pistol, making threats, and “racking” a round. Cut Bank Police ultimately located LaBuff and, after he raised his hands as instructed, officers observed a pistol in his back right pocket. The pistol and several rounds of ammunition were subsequently discovered on LaBuff’s person. After arrest, LaBuff said he did not mean to shoot the gun, but explained it went off when he put the pistol in his bag by the bed in the motel room where he had been staying. Officers observed a bullet hole in the floor between the bed and the dresser in the motel room. In July 2010, LaBuff was convicted of robbery and aiding and abetting a robbery in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, which prohibits him from owning a firearm. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Cut Bank Police Department and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office. 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN . XXX


title: Las Vegas Man Pleads Guilty in Pandemic Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Anthony Camou, age 46, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pled guilty yesterday to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud for fraudulently obtaining pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits in the names of other people. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG); Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Lucy Lang, New York State Inspector General (NYS-OIG), made the announcement. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “Pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits were designed to assist hardworking Americans struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday’s guilty plea should serve as a warning that we will hold accountable those who misrepresent their eligibility for federal funding.” USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated: “Yesterday, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners sent a powerful message to those who commit fraud through the U.S. mail. Postal Inspectors will vigorously investigate and bring to justice those seeking to use the mail to facilitate the misappropriation of public funds in times of prosperity and, more importantly, in times of adversity.” New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang said: “Theft of unemployment benefits during the pandemic deprived New Yorkers of critical support in a time of need. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who seek to exploit vital government programs for personal gain, especially in times of crisis.” Camou admitted that from July 2020 through September 2021, Camou, and his co-conspirator, Jodi Drygula, fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor in the names of multiple people. Camou and Drygula defrauded the NYSDOL out of more than $250,000 in unemployment insurance benefits. As part of his plea agreement, Camou agreed to pay at least $56,994 in restitution to the New York State Department of Labor and forfeit $38,641. Camou faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. Sentencing is scheduled for September 18, 2025, in Albany. 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. Drygula previously pled guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and will be sentenced on July 15, 2025. The case is being investigated by USDOL-OIG, USPIS, and NYS-OIG, with assistance from the New York State Department of Labor. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew M. Paulbeck and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.