title: U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the one-week period ending May 23, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 74 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326) 6 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324) 45 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) 260 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico. Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for felon in possession of a firearm, drug possession, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. In one significant case, a criminal complaint was filed on May 21, 2025, charging Francisco Javier Menchaca-Rodriguez , an alien unlawfully present in the United States, with being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On May 19, 2025, the Clovis Police Department (CPD) notified the HSI Office in Roswell that Menchaca-Rodriguez had been involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend on May 18, 2025. During an interview, the girlfriend reported that Menchaca-Rodriguez threatened her with a firearm. After being advised of his Miranda rights, which he waived, the defendant admitted to possessing the firearm during the argument. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process. Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.


title: Two People Charged in Robbery and Attempted Robbery of Postal Carriers

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Brisa Sierra-Silva, 25, and Christopher Johnson, 35, have been indicted in connection with the March 4, 2024, attempted robbery of a postal carrier and the subsequent robbery of a different postal carrier on the same day. Sierra-Silva is charged with one count each of robbery and attempted robbery. Johnson is charged with one count of attempted robbery. Sierra-Silva was arrested and made her initial appearance in federal court on April 25, 2025. Johnson was arrested and made his initial appearance on May 21, 2025. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The investigation is being conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Al Buchman. CASE NUMBER: 25-cr-00132-CNS


title: Man Charged in Connection With CARES Act Loan Fraud

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Joseph Ronald Trenkle, 54, formerly of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado and currently of Dorado, Puerto Rico, has been charged in a criminal information with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. According to the information, between April 30, 2020, and February 25, 2022, Trenkle applied for and received $1,850,000 in COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and $2,999,995 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds from an SBA-approved lender. The information alleges that after first obtaining an EIDL loan in March 2020, Trenkle made two requests to increase the amount of his EIDL and made false representations as part of each of request. The information further alleges that Trenkle submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications, and also submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loan forgiveness for each PPP loan. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created the PPP, a program administered by the SBA that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. Additionally, the CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The defendant made his initial appearance on May 22, 2025, in Denver in front of Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung. The charges contained in the information are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig Fansler. 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 (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form Case Number: 25-cr-00150-RMR


title: District of Arizona Charges 314 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

component: USAO - Arizona

number: 2025-083_May 23 Immigration Enforcement

body_text: PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 17, 2025, through May 23, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 176 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 21 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Recent matters of interest include: United States v. Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa : On May 17, 2025, a Bureau of Land Management Ranger initiated a vehicle stop on Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa. Ojeda-Figueroa initially failed to stop, but when the vehicle entered a neighborhood, Ojeda-Figueroa pulled over and all four occupants exited and tried to flee. Ojeda-Figueroa and the three passengers were apprehended and determined to be citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ojeda-Figueroa was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-5992] United States v. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez: On May 19, 2025, Tomas Ortiz-Lopez, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez was previously removed from the United States in 2000 after being convicted of a felony drug conviction, in the United States District Court, District of New Mexico. [Case Number: MJ-25-0543] United States v. Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz : On May 20, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to initiate a vehicle stop on Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz, who failed to yield. Agents deployed a Vehicle Immobilization Device, and four subjects absconded from the vehicle. After a search, agents located and apprehended Jimenez-Diaz and three passengers from the vehicle. Agents determined that all four individuals were citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Jimenez-Diaz was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6199] United States v. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya : On May 20, 2025, Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Theft of Means of Transportation, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. [Case Number: MJ-25-05251] United States v. Luis Fernando Ibarra, Jr. : On May 21, 2025, Border Patrol Agents received a report of two subjects hiding in the backyard of a residence near the border in Nogales, Arizona. Luis Fernando Ibarra Jr. drove to the residence, stopped, and two subjects ran toward his vehicle. Before they reached the vehicle, one subject was apprehended by the Nogales Police Department and the other successfully fled the area. Later in the day, Agents observed the same vehicle return to the area and a subject got into the vehicle. Agents tried to initiate a vehicle stop, but Ibarra Jr. ran a red light and fled at a high rate of speed, maneuvering recklessly and driving on the wrong side of the road. Ibarra Jr. then sped through several parking lots before driving into the Santa Cruz River where his vehicle became stuck in the sand. At that point, officers apprehended Ibarra Jr. and the passenger, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ibarra Jr. was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6247] A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-083_May 23 Immigration Enforcement # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Unlicensed Adviser Charged In $4 Million Investment Fraud Scheme Targeting Elderly And Vulnerable Victims

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that federal charges were filed against Jon Patrick Kubler, 52, of Redondo Beach, California, for allegedly orchestrating a $4 million investment scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to allegations in the criminal indictment, from December 2017 to April 2023, Kubler defrauded about 30 investors out of more than $4 million through an investment fraud scheme. Despite not being licensed as an investment adviser, Kubler allegedly provided investment planning and management services to victims who were unsophisticated investors, elderly, and the beneficiaries of settlements or life insurance proceeds. Throughout the scheme, Kubler allegedly made false and fraudulent representations to victims, concealed and omitted material facts, and told deceptive half-truths to induce victims to invest in commercial real estate through companies he owned and operated, including Aksarben Evolution, LLC and Green Saddle, LLC. To further the scheme and to convince investors their investments were profitable, Kubler allegedly made Ponzi-style payments to victims, using new investors’ money to pay existing investors, purporting the pay-outs were the result of successful investing and not funds from new victims Kubler had solicited. It is further alleged that Kubler used a portion of the investors’ money to pay for personal expenses and to make cash withdrawals, among others. According to allegations in the indictment, in 2022, a victim investor received a letter from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its investigation into alleged securities fraud by Kubler. In an effort to conceal the scheme and that he was being investigated by the SEC, Kubler misled the victim by telling her that she did not need to respond to the SEC and that it was normal to receive a letter from the SEC after receiving a large settlement from a third party, as the victim had. Kubler is charged with securities fraud and transactional money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the securities fraud offense and 10 years for the transactional money laundering offense. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI in Charlotte for its investigation of the case. In addition to the criminal charges, in September 2023, the SEC announced that it obtained a temporary asset freeze, restraining order, and other emergency relief in the U.S. District court in the District of Nebraska against Kubler and several of the entities under his control, for allegedly engaging in a multi-year Ponzi scheme that misappropriated and misused investors’ funds. A final judgment was entered on January 22, 2025, in which Kubler agreed to be permanently enjoined from violating the securities laws and to pay disgorgement and civil penalties. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Billings are in charge of the prosecution. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Jury Convicts Canadian Citizen of Pandemic Fraud

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Osei, a/k/a/ “Kyngjo,” age 30, a Canadian citizen formerly of Albany, was convicted today following a five-day jury trial of four counts of mail fraud, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits using stolen identities. Jurors deliberated for less than 2 hours before returning a guilty verdict on all counts. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, Northeast Region, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), made the announcement. The trial evidence showed that from August 2020 through November 2020, Osei fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor worth more than $100,000. Additional evidence also included Osei’s schemes to defraud the state workforce agencies of California, Rhode Island, and Arizona using stolen identities to apply for and obtain pandemic unemployment insurance benefits. U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Joseph Osei stole real people’s identities to illegally exploit lifeline programs set up to help Americans during the pandemic. Osei worked hard to commit unemployment fraud, and federal and state investigators worked even harder to uncover his scheme, culminating in today’s quick guilty verdict. Today’s result marks more than 45 convictions of pandemic fraudsters that my office has obtained with its law enforcement partners.” USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated: “The pandemic relief programs were created as lifelines during an unprecedented period in our history. The actions of the defendant not only diverted funds from those in need but also victimized unsuspecting people by stealing their personal identifying information. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will relentlessly pursue those who misuse the mail for fraud and bring them to justice.” HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan said: “HSI Albany is proud to have played a role in ensuring Joseph Osei faces the consequences of his egregious crimes. Together with our local, state and federal partners, New Yorkers’ well-being will always be our foremost priority.” Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2025. The mail fraud convictions carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. The access device fraud conviction carries a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 15 years. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of 2 years in prison, to be imposed consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. This case was investigated by USPIS, HSI, and USDOL-OIG, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New York Field Office and the New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.


title: Onondaga County Man Arrested for Receipt of Child Pornography

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Kurt Dobler, age 31, had an initial appearance yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Mitchell J. Katz on a charge that he received child pornography. Dobler was detained pending further proceedings. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement. The complaint alleges that Dobler received child pornography on social media applications, including depictions of very young children being raped, and that child pornography files were found on his cellphone. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. Dobler is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charge filed against Dobler carries a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of 15 years, a maximum imprisonment term of 40 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of between five years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “This arrest continues to demonstrate HSI’s hard work to address the scourge of child pornography in our community. The defendant’s actions, as alleged, involved his receipt of disturbing depictions of the exploitation of very young children.” “Kurt Dobler’s arrest underscores HSI’s unwavering commitment to those most vulnerable: our children. The abhorrent crimes of which the defendant is accused have no place in our society,” said Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Buffalo. “I commend HSI Syracuse personnel, alongside our law enforcement partners, for their relentless pursuit of justice on behalf of defenseless New Yorkers.” HSI is investigating this case in coordination with the New York State Police, and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office. United States Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection assisted in the search. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Oneida County Man Sentenced for Failing to Update His Sex Offender Registration and for Filing False Reports with the United States Probation Office

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – John F. Reap, 58, of Rome, New York, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 33 months in prison for failing to update his sex offender registration as required by law, and for filing false reports with the United States Probation Office announced United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and United States Marshal David L. McNulty. As part of his prior guilty plea, Reap, a previously convicted federal sex offender, admitted that between January 26, 2023 and May 8, 2024, he knowingly failed to report his e-mail address to the Sex Offender Registry, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Reap also admitted that during the same period he filed false reports with the United States Probation Office regarding the same e-mail address and his lack of compliance with registration requirements. In addition to pleading guilty to violating SORNA and filing false reports, Reap also admitted that he violated the terms of his supervised release including using an unauthorized, internet-capable phone and maintaining the undisclosed email account. Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a consecutive 12-month imprisonment term for Reap’s violations of supervised release and a 10-year-term of supervised release to follow Reap’s release from prison. Reap will also be required to continue to register as a sex offender upon his release. United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “Despite his attempts to conceal his conduct, the defendant’s crimes were uncovered because of diligent investigative work by law enforcement. I commend all those involved in holding this defendant accountable.” The United States Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Department investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Rensselaer County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Cardwell, age 40, of Rensselaer County, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Cardwell admitted that he sexually abused an approximately 7-year-old girl over a period of months in 2023 and early 2024, and created sexually explicit images of that victim. Cardwell also acknowledged that he had a collection of approximately 1,000 CSAM files that he obtained on the internet, including pictures of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity. United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered $30,000 in restitution to victims and forfeiture of the property used to commit the offenses. Cardwell will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “The sentence today reflects the egregiousness of Cardwell’s conduct and ensures the public will be protected against future crimes by him for decades to come. I appreciate the hard work of the FBI and our state and local partners on this important prosecution.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig A. Tremaroli stated: “This sentence reinforces the message that the victimization of innocent children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. The FBI will continue to meticulously investigate these crimes, which cause irreparable harm and trauma to the victims.” This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the Troy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Reentry

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Eastern

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ivone Monforte Leal, aka Yvonne Monforte, aka Ivonne Monforte Stefany, age 34, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than ten years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00. The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office. The Indictment alleged that on March 26, 2025, Leal, an alien, was found in the United States after having been previously removed twice without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Leal will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.


title: Latimer County Resident Sentenced For Federal Firearm Crime

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 Dustin Lee Harp, age 41, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for one count of Illegal Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment or Information. The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Latimer County Sheriff’s Office. On January 7, 2025, Harp pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between December 12, 2020, and December 9, 2021, Harp received a semi-automatic rifle despite being charged in the District Court of Latimer County, Oklahoma, for a crime punishable by imprisonment of more than a year. 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 Kansas, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing. Harp was remanded into 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. Attorneys Jarrod Leaman and Edith A. Singer represented the United States.


title: Former Tahlequah Teacher Sentenced For Attempting To Receive Explicit Photos

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anthony James Deason, age 29, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for one count of Attempted Receipt of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The charge arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. On December 11, 2024, Deason pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, between October 26 and October 30, 2023, Deason, then a teacher and coach with Tahlequah Public Schools, used social media to contact two students he knew to be minors and requested they send him explicit images. Deason offered money and gift cards as an inducement. Deason also sent an unsolicited explicit image of himself to one of the victims. Both minors refused his requests. The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “This case serves as a stark reminder for kids and parents that the internet is often used by persons with evil intentions to exploit and victimize,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Fortunately, the defendant’s sordid requests and offers of gifts were refused. I am grateful for the alert students and concerned families who reached out to law enforcement, and for the efforts of investigators and prosecutors who successfully stopped an online predator. Because of them, Deason will be held accountable for his vile crimes.” This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com , through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP. 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. Deason 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 Sara McAmis represented the United States.


title: Nine Charged in Four Indictments Related to ATM Jackpotting Conspiracies

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned four Indictments charging nine defendants with offenses related to larceny through several ATM jackpotting schemes in Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington. Jackpotting is a type of cyberattack where criminals exploit vulnerabilities in ATMs to force them to dispense cash without debiting an account. The four indictments were filed on Monday, May 19, and charged the defendants with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Burglary, Attempted Bank Burglary, Conspiracy to Access a Protected Computer, and Attempted Access of a Protected Computer. The maximum sentences range from 5 to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, and a supervised release term of up to 3 years. The defendants are all citizens of Venezuela. Yoinber Alfonso Morey Morey, 27, is alleged to have committed the charged crimes from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 10, 2025, in Hall and Lancaster counties. Jose David Alvarez-Jimenez, 28, Yohalex Garcia-Valladares, 30, Alexander Jose Mayora-Blanco, 24, and Johan Rodriguez-Hernandez, 32, are alleged to have committed the charged crimes from on or about January 1, 2025 and continuing through on or about February 11, 2025, in Adams County, Nebraska, and Kit Carson County, Colorado. Ivan Jose Angulo Flores, 23, and Jose Antonio Aliendres Garcia, 38, are alleged to have committed the charged crimes from on or about March 1, 2025 and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025, in Adams County, Nebraska; Bates County, Missouri; and Appanoose County, Iowa. Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera, 26, and Alfredo Pinto-Mendoza, 23, are alleged to have committed the charged crimes from on or about March 1, 2025 and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025, in Lincoln County, Nebraska; Walla Walla County, Washington; and Umatilla County, Oregon. FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “These indictments are the direct result of the investigative teamwork between FBI Omaha and our local law enforcement partners here in Nebraska to safeguard our community. The dedication of the North Platte Police Department, the Adams County Sheriff's Office, the Grand Island Police Department, as well as Papillon Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol's participation on FBI Omaha's Cyber Task Force, was integral to the arrests of the defendants. Our partnership with local and state law enforcement agencies is a force multiplier in bringing criminals to justice and protecting the American people.” Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 16 unsealed Indictments charging 22 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Kenneth M. Johnston, Jr. , age 46, of Big Springs, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Johnston with distribution of 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about July 10, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Johnston with distribution of 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about July 14, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Johnston with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about January 22, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not more than 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Alejandro Robles Rodriguez , age 35, and Jose Garcia Jimenez , age 34, both of Grand Island, Nebraska, are charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine beginning on or about June 1, 2024, and continuing to on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 4 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 4 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Rodriguez and Jimenez with possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about November 25, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Robert Crable, Jr. , age 59, of Bayard, Nebraska, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Crable with conspiracy to produce child pornography beginning on or about November 27, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 20, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Crable with attempted production of child pornography beginning on or about November 27, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 20, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Crable with receipt of child pornography beginning at least on or about February 9, 2022, and continuing to on or about March 13, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Crable with possession of child pornography on or about March 13, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment Bryon Greco , age 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Greco with attempted production of child pornography beginning at least June 25, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 30, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 25 years’ and up to 50 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Greco with being a registered sex offender while committing a predicate sex offense beginning at least June 24, 2023, and continuing until on or about May 30, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years an up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Kody Dickes , age 34, of Ashland, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Dickes with distribution of child pornography beginning at least July 6, 2024, and continuing to on or about July 13, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Dickes with possession of child pornography on or about July 15, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years an up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Dylan Michael Joseph Hoffman , age 33, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with escape from custody on or about May 4, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Yoinber Alfonso Morey Morey , age 27, is charged in a seven-count Indictment. Count I charges Morey Morey with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary from on or about April 4, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 5, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Morey Morey with attempted bank burglary on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Morey Morey with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Morey Morey with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about April 4, 2025, and continuing through on or about April 5, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VII charges Morey Morey with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 8, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Jose David Alvarez-Jimenez , age 28, Yohalex Garcia-Valladares , age 30, Alexander Jose Mayora-Blanco , age 24, and Johan Rodriguez-Hernandez , age 32, are charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about January 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 11, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted bank burglary from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted bank burglary from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about January 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Alvarez-Jimenez, Garcia-Valladares, Mayora-Blanco and Rodriguez-Hernandez with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about February 9, 2025, and continuing through on or about February 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Ivan Jose Angulo Flores , age 23, and Jose Antonio Aliendres Garcia , age 38, are charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted bank burglary on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted bank burglary on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with conspiracy to access a protected computer on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted access of a protected computer from on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Angulo Flores and Aliendres Garcia with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Juan Manuel Gouveia-Aguilera , age 26, and Alfredo Pinto-Mendoza , age 23, are charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with conspiracy to commit bank burglary from on or about March 1, 2025, and continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with attempted bank burglary on or about April 27, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with conspiracy to access a protected computer from on or about March 1, 2025, continuing through on or about May 1, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Gouveia-Aguilera and Pinto-Mendoza with attempted access of a protected computer on or about April 27, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States: Fredy Roberto Ventura Maldonado, age 30 Jesus Felipe Abarca Delgado, age 27 Carlos Ernesto Avendano Arias , age 29 The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States: Efren Tiburcio-Garcia , age 47 The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States: Leopoldo Gonzalez-Castaneda , age 57 Abel Isai Aleman Avalos , age 39 The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Contact Amy Donato at 402-661-3700 for further information.


title: ‘Machine Gun-Trafficking’ Drug Dealer  Sentenced to More Than Fifteen Years in Federal Prison

body_text: PROVIDENCE – Jose Marrero, 36, of Woonsocket, describe in court documents as a “violent, machine gun-trafficking, kilogram-level drug dealer” was sentenced today to more than fifteen years in federal prison, having pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, announced acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Court documents illustrate that Jose Marrero, 36, previously convicted twice in Rhode Island state court on drug trafficking charges, freely displayed photographs and videos on social media of himself in possession of drugs and firearms, notably semi-automatic pistols, AR-15 style rifles, and semi-automatic pistols that have been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Marrero displayed himself and others in possession of the weapons in his apartment, while watching TV, playing video games, drinking alcohol, and driving around the streets of Rhode Island. He also made social media posts demonstrating himself and others actively firing the modified fully automatic weapons. Additionally, court documents reveal videos of the defendant in possession of multiple kilos of cocaine and of numerous messages between Marrero and others that “not only convey his leadership but just how active, eager, and dangerous of a drug trafficker he is.” Text messages illustrate conversations between Marrero and a drug supplier, and how he, Marrero, organized people to move two kilograms of drugs per week. In some of his messages, Marrero discusses having drug runners, complaining about their behavior and demanding higher productivity from them, directing them to locations to provide certain quantities of drugs to customers, and discussing debts owed to him. Marrero made it well known, to his drug trafficking counterparts and otherwise, that he possessed numerous firearms. He prominently displayed himself and others with an array of firearms on his social media account. Excerpts from Marrero’s text messages demonstrate that he enlisted his girlfriend and other acquaintances to purchase firearms for him, as he was unable to do so himself due to his past felony convictions; that he accepted firearms as payment for drug sales; and that he solicited an associate to obtain guns for him, notably “any glocks” that he could get his hands on. Marrero was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to 181 months of incarceration to be followed by 5 years of federal supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell, Stacey A. Erickson, and Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by ATF, with the assistance of Massachusetts State Police, Woonsocket Police Department, Central Falls Police Department, and West Warwick Police Department. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). ### sentencing_memo.pdf


title: Tiawana Brown And Two Co-Conspirators Indicted For Alleged Scheme To Obtain More Than $124,000 In COVID Pandemic Relief Funds

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury in Charlotte has returned a criminal indictment charging Tiawana Brown, 53, and her daughters, Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, all of Charlotte, with wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with fraudulent applications filed to falsely obtain COVID pandemic relief funds, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement. According to allegations in the indictment, between April 2020 and September 2021, the defendants conspired to execute a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and obtain COVID pandemic relief funds for their purported businesses, through the submission of loan applications that contained false information or false documentation. It is alleged that the false documentation generally included fake and fraudulent tax forms, among other misrepresentations. It is further alleged that the defendants submitted false statements to obtain forgiveness of the PPP loans. In total, the defendants allegedly submitted at least 15 applications for EIDL or PPP funds and falsely obtained at least $124,165 in connection with their scheme to defraud. The indictment also alleges that the EIDL and PPP funds were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants. Instead of using the pandemic relief funds to pay for qualifying expenses as purported in the loan applications, the defendants allegedly used the proceeds on personal expenses, including allegedly approximately $15,000 on a personal birthday party for Tiawana Brown. The defendants are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud. If convicted, they face maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each offense charged in the indictment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI in Charlotte for their work on the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case. Since the inception of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted 35 defendants. The Office’s enforcement efforts in regard to COVID fraud also include actions to impose monetary judgments and collect assets to recoup some of what was wrongfully taken from taxpayer funds. These actions include criminal and civil forfeiture, criminal restitution, and civil False Claims Act cases. To-date, in dozens of COVID fraud cases, the Western District has already obtained almost $18 million in judgments or settlements and collected over $5.5 million in assets. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .


title: Salvadoran National Currently Serving State Prison Sentence for Child Rape Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Salvadoran national living in Methuen, Mass. was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Agustin Landaverde-Romero, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 months in prison to be served concurrently with Landaverde-Romero’s unrelated state prison sentence. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In February 2025, Landaverde-Romero pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Landaverde-Romero was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. On July 6, 1999, Landaverde-Romero entered the United States without inspection near Brownsville, Texas. He was identified by authorities in July 1999 and ordered to be removed to El Salvador on Sept. 23, 1999. On Oct. 7, 1999, he was removed from the United States. Sometime thereafter, Landaverde-Romero illegally reentered the United States. In July 2020, he was arrested and charged with rape of child and rape of child by force in Essex County Superior Court. He was subsequently convicted of the charges and, in May 2023, was sentenced to 20-25 years in state prison. On June 23, 2023, while serving his sentence, Landaverde-Romero was encountered by immigration authorities during a screening of inmates and determined to have unlawfully reentered the United States. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Two Money Couriers for Colombian-Based Drug Money Laundering Organization Sentenced

body_text: BOSTON – Two Jamaican nationals were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for their involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that laundered more than $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through the United States, Caribbean and European banking systems. St. Devon Anthony Cover, 61, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 42 months in prison. In January 2025 Cover was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy and seven counts of laundering of monetary instruments. Dennis Raymond Rowe, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 52 months in prison. In January 2025 Rowe was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of money laundering and two counts of laundering of monetary instruments. Both defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of their imposed sentences. The defendants were among 20 individuals from Colombia, Jamaica and Florida who were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 in connection with the money laundering conspiracy. Over the course of the investigation, $1 million was seized from corporate bank accounts and other investigative activity. Nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine – with a street value of over $90 million – was traced back to the money laundering organization. This includes approximately 1,193 kilograms of cocaine seized at sea 60 miles south of Jamaica in July 2019, as well as 1,555 kilograms of cocaine seized in nine scrap metal shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia in March 2019. In or about October 2016, law enforcement began an investigation into a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). By using the BMPE, the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement as well as evade currency exchange requirements in the United States and Colombia through the illegal currency exchange process. As part of the conspiracy, members of the organization held roles and responsibilities relative to the needs and opportunities of the scheme, such as drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers and business owners/dollar purchasers. Through the BMPE, Colombian drug trafficking organizations with drug proceeds generated in the United States use third parties – generally referred to as “peso brokers” that are also based in Colombia – who agree to exchange Colombian pesos they control for the drug supplier’s dollar proceeds. Peso brokers then use money couriers in the United States and elsewhere to physically secure the drug proceeds, often in suitcases or bags on the street, and transfer the proceeds into the United States banking system. To avoid detection, peso brokers deposit the drug proceeds into bank accounts in company or individual names intended to appear as legitimate business activity, or through multiple small deposits into different bank accounts which are then consolidated into larger accounts. As a result, Colombian peso brokers control a pool of drug-derived proceeds in United States bank accounts. These dollar proceeds are then purchased by individuals or companies in Colombia seeking to exchange pesos for United States dollars at a favorable exchange rate and in a manner that avoids currency exchange and income reporting requirements. The dollar drug proceeds are transferred at the direction of the purchaser, and often end up in bank accounts of individuals or companies who appear to have no direct involvement in drug trafficking crimes. During the course of the conspiracy, Cover laundered approximately $268,000 and Rowe laundered over $600,000 by delivering bulk cash drug proceeds to undercover law enforcement. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Aura Liliana Trujillo Rojas, Delegate for Criminal Finance for the Colombian Attorney General’s Office; Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre, Brigadier General of the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate; Jervis Moore, Chief of the Narcotics Division for the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. 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, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Cover, Rowe, and other co-defendants from Colombia and Jamaica. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Two Charged in $227M Medicare Fraud Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: An Illinois man and a foreign national were arrested yesterday on criminal charges related to their alleged submission of more than $227 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. According to court documents, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 34, of Arlington Heights, and Syed Mehdi Hussain, 32, of Carol Stream, owned and operated purported medical laboratories that submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for the reimbursement of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits allegedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The defendants allegedly installed foreign nationals to act as nominee owners at the laboratories to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for the provision of over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits, with the understanding the nominee owners would flee the United States when they learned that their laboratory was under investigation. “As alleged, the defendants used straw owners at multiple laboratories to cause the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for COVID-19 test kits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Health care fraud harms Americans by squandering taxpayer money and diverting limited resources from those who need them most. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to hold fraudsters accountable, protect victims, and recover financial losses.” "The overwhelming fraud uncovered in this investigation details a blatant disregard for America's critical health care program, Medicare, and puts all patients at risk," said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. "The FBI and our partners will not tolerate anyone who abuses the health care system for personal gain and will aggressively pursue justice on behalf of both patients and taxpayers." “The submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare for products or services not dispensed or not medically necessary undermines the integrity of this valuable program, intended to protect the most vulnerable in our community,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s arrests demonstrate our unwavering commitment, working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who seek to defraud our nation’s federal healthcare programs.” As alleged in the indictment, the defendants rarely provided Covid-19 test kits to Medicare beneficiaries but instead submitted reimbursement claims on behalf of beneficiaries who had not requested COVID-19 test kits, including individuals who were deceased. Further, the defendants allegedly paid a marketing company to provide the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries that the defendants used to submit fraudulent claims. In total, between September 2022 and June 2023, the defendants’ labs billed Medicare approximately $227 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $136 million in reimbursements. Kablazada and Hussain are both charged by indictment with four counts of health care fraud. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the four counts. The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Andres Q. Almendarez of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jasmina Vajzovic for the Northern District of Illinois. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit . An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: North Dakota Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for  Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Mandan, North Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death. The sentencing took place on May 19, 2025. Carlin Mellette, age 29, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit the firearm, pay a $1,000 fine, and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Mellette was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023. He pleaded guilty on September 30, 2024. This conviction stemmed from events that occurred during the early morning hours of February 26, 2023, when the victim and friends were socializing with a co-defendant and others at a residence in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Mellette arrived at the residence and provided the co-defendant with three pills containing fentanyl. The co-defendant took the pills inside the residence where the pills were then ingested by the co-defendant and the victim, who ingested only half of a pill, resulting in the fentanyl overdose death of the victim. Later that day, Walworth County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to conduct an unrelated traffic stop of Mellette’s vehicle for speeding in an area west of Aberdeen. Mellette led law enforcement on a 26-mile pursuit with speeds in excess of 100 mph. Mellette was apprehended after getting his vehicle stuck in a snowbank. A search of his vehicle revealed 99 grams of methamphetamine, additional fentanyl pills, drug ledgers, scales, other drug paraphernalia, and a Ruger .45 caliber pistol. This case was investigated by the FBI Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Aberdeen Police Department, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the Potter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Gettysburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges 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. Mellette was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Illegal Alien Sentenced To 15 Years For Armed Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Alberto Ismael Salinas Valencia (21), an Ecuadorian national residing illegally in Orlando, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Salinas Valencia pled guilty on January 23, 2025. According to the plea agreement, between August 2023 and August 2024, Salinas Valencia ran an online business selling firearms, fentanyl, and cocaine in the Orlando area. An undercover law enforcement officer found Salinas Valencia’s online store and set up several undercover transactions. Over the course of the investigation, Salinas Valencia sold the undercover officer several firearms, including two machineguns, fentanyl pills, and cocaine. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Former Harvard Morgue Manager Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Stolen Human Remains

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Cedric Lodge, age 57, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, pled guilty yesterday before Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann to interstate transport of stolen human remains. According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, Lodge admitted that, from 2018 through at least March 2020, he participated in the sale and interstate transport of human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School morgue, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Lodge, who was then employed as the manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue, removed human remains, including organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads, and other parts, from donated cadavers after they had been used for research and teaching purposes but before they could be disposed of according to the anatomical gift donation agreement between the donor and the school. Lodge took the remains without the knowledge or permission of his employer, the donor, or the donor’s family, and transport the remains to his home in New Hampshire. After he and his wife Denise Lodge sold the remains, they would ship the remains to the buyers in other states or the buyer would take possession directly and transport the remains themselves. Remains stolen and sold by Lodge were transported from the morgue in Boston to locations in Salem, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Lodge admitted to having sold remains to Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian, among others. Many of the remains purchased from Lodge were resold for a profit, including to Jeremy Pauley, who previously entered a guilty plea to conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen human remains. Several other defendants have previously entered guilty pleas in related cases, including Lodge’s wife, Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi, and Angelo Pereyra. Lampi was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Pereyra was sentenced to 18 months. Denise Lodge and Joshua Taylor are still awaiting sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium where she was employed and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin is prosecuting the case. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. # # #


title: Watertown Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and  Sexual Abuse of a Minor within the Lake Traverse Reservation

body_text: ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gokoh Frank Brown, age 29, from Watertown, South Dakota, of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on May 21, 2025. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime term of supervised release. Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024. From January 2023 to August 2023, Brown sexually assaulted a 12–13-year-old girl while living in Red Iron Housing on the Lake Traverse Reservation. Brown was 26-27 years old at the time. This case was investigated by the FBI, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Law Enforcement, and the DCI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has been set for August 18, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Brooklyn Center Woman Pleads Guilty for Her Role in a Black-Market Travel Agent Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Reginae Calhoun of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota has pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identify theft, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, from at least April 2024 to June 2024, Reginae Calhoun, 23, operated as a black-market travel agent. She purchased credit card information—including name, address, card numbers, expiration date, and CV2 code—of approximately 216 different victims on the dark web, which she used to book hotel rooms and rental cars for others. Calhoun’s customers paid her a fraction of the actual booking costs through peer-to-peer payment applications or in cash. According to court documents, on June 2, 2024, Calhoun attempted to purchase airline tickets by using several different credit cards until the purchase was successful. Due to the several attempts, the airline reported suspected credit card fraud to the airport police. Airport police confirmed with the credit card owners that Calhoun was not authorized to use their cards. “The ingenuity of Minnesota’s fraudsters seems to know no bounds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Calhoun stole hundreds of victim identities and used them to conduct a black-market travel agent fraud scheme—stealing from others to enrich herself. She will now be held accountable in federal court.” “Criminals who turn to the dark web to buy and sell stolen information are part of a growing threat to our digital security,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “This defendant built a business by exploiting the stolen identities and financial information of over 200 of innocent victims. The anonymity of the internet does not protect offenders from detection. The FBI and our partners will continue to find and expose these schemes and hold offenders accountable.” Calhoun pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025, in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim to one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the MSP Airport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.


title: Shakopee Felon Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime and Possession of a Firearm

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Yancy Hall of Shakopee, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, in October 2023, a search warrant was executed at Hall’s two apartments and vehicle. The execution of the search warrant resulted in the seizure of three guns, over $75,000 in cash, and a large amount of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In August 2024, Hall, while dealing drugs near a mosque, got into an argument with a mosque congregant who had just left prayer services. Hall escalated the argument by shooting the congregant multiple times, as well as at another mosque congregant. Though Hall fled the scene, he was quickly apprehended by law enforcement. “Everyone in Minnesota deserves the ability to practice their religion, free from violence and threats of violence,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “The attack by Hall on two congregants was vicious, violent, and unacceptable. I appreciate the hard work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department in bringing Hall to justice.” On January 2, 2025, Hall pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and one count of felon in possession. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty. This case is a result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.


title: Minneapolis Woman Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Role in Feeding Our Future $250 Million Fraud Scheme

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – Sahra Nur of Minneapolis has been sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release for her role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Nur was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $5,000,240. According to court documents, from December 2020 through January 2022, Sahra Mohamed Nur, 63, knowingly and willfully conspired with others in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions in federal child nutrition funds. As the owner and operator of S & S Catering Inc., Nur initially enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program as a food distribution site under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. As the fraud scheme progressed, S & S Catering operated as a vendor for other food distribution sites affiliated with Feeding Our Future. Between September 2020 and April 2021, Nur claimed to have served over 1.2 million meals to children from S & S Catering alone. Between December 2020 and December 2021, sites who used S & S Catering as a vendor reported serving more than eight million meals through the food program. Based on their fraudulent claims, S & S Catering received more than $10 million in payment from these companies they purportedly served food to, and over $16 million in reimbursements from Feeding Our Future. Rather feed children during the pandemic, Nur misappropriated the funds for her own personal benefit, such as commercial real estate. Nur was one of eight defendants charged in a 23-count indictment in September 2022. On September 7, 2023, Nur pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. She was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy E. Brasel. In imposing sentence, Judge Brasel called the loss amount “staggering” and explained that “public trust in government programs has significant decreased” as a result of the defendant’s fraud. Judge Brasel noted that it was “tragic” how the fraud scheme has damaged the reputation of Somali-American community. The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.


title: Massage Therapist Indicted for First Degree Sexual Abuse of a Client

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Andrew Ramirez, 42, of Jefferson, MD, was arraigned in Superior Court yesterday on one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a client and one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a client, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The case is currently scheduled for a status hearing on July 11, 2025. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:15 p.m. on July 2, 2023, the victim arrived at the Salamander Hotel in Washington, D.C. to receive spa services. The victim met the defendant, who was a masseuse at the hotel, in the spa room. During the massage and with a towel covering his back, the defendant asked him to turn around. As the victim turned over, the towel fell off, leaving the victim naked on his back, with a towel covering his head. Ramirez continued the body oil massage. The victim reported feeling what he believed to be the defendant performing oral sex on him. He reported what had happened to members of the hotel team and called 911. The defendant as linked to the alleged sexual assault of the victim through DNA testing and other investigative tools. This case is being investigated by the MPD. Anyone with information on this matter, or who believes they were assaulted by the defendant, can call the MPD Sex Assault Unit at 202-727-3700. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Kelley of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 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: Coventry Man Indicted for Trafficking Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment charging Christian Rodriguez, 38, of Coventry, with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. According to information presented to the court, it is alleged that Rodriguez was involved in a drug trafficking organization that worked out of a stash house in Providence and supplied buyers in Southeastern Massachusetts. At the time of his arrest on April 22, 2025, law enforcement executed court-authorized searches of Rodriguez’s Coventry residence and the Providence residence. Agents seized more than $100,000 in cash, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, and various items used in the packaging of illegal drugs. Rodriguez is currently detained in federal custody. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey A. Erickson The matter was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. ###


title: Berkeley County Men Indicted for $74 Million Money Laundering Conspiracy

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a 17-count indictment against Jimmy Soares De Oliveira Carvalho, 46, and Jose Rivelino Serafim Da Silva, 53, both of Berkeley County, for money laundering and money laundering conspiracy. Carvalho is also charged with witness tampering. The indictment alleges that Carvalho and Da Silva created 11 shell companies that purported to work in the construction industry to facilitate payments from contractors who were engaged in residential and commercial construction to their laborers, who frequently were undocumented and performing work on behalf of the contractors. Carvalho, Da Silva, and others used the shell companies to operate an unlicensed check cashing business and unlawfully cashed checks for individuals and companies working in the construction industry for a 3 to 5 percent fee. From January 2017 to the date of the indictment, Carvahlo, Da Silva, and others unlawfully cashed approximately $74 million in checks for clients of the shell companies. For counts one through 12 and 17, Carvalho faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and for counts 13 through 16 Carvalho faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Carvalho is currently detained and has a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, May 23 at 9 a.m. before the United States Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry. Da Silva, for count one and counts nine through 12, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and for counts 13 through 16, Da Silva faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Da Silva is scheduled for an initial appearance Friday, May 23 at 9 a.m. before the United States Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry. The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Bower and Whit Sowards are prosecuting the case. This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Eight Defendants Charged with Federal Immigration Crimes

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Huntsville has charged eight individuals with immigration crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. The following defendants were indicted for illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported: Raul Alvarez-Lopez, 28, a citizen of Mexico; Jose Faustino-Climaco, 29, a citizen of Mexico; Nazario Vargas-Peres, 27, a citizen of Guatemala; Eberardo Yovany Peralta-Cazales, 33, a citizen of Mexico; Amilcar Pablo-Cinto, 35, a citizen of Guatemala; Stanley Amalemba Ambeyi, 38, a citizen of Kenya, was charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. Pedro Pedro-Mateo, 30, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with fraud and misuse of a visa, permits, and other documents, and for failure to maintain personal possession of alien registration. Efren Gimenez-Gimenez, 44, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported and for failure to register. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Operation Take Back America partners Homeland Security Investigations – Atlanta and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Nashville Field Division investigated these cases. An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Food Stamp Fraud Nets Two Former Harrisburg Merchants Federal Prison Time

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mervat Gharib, 60, and Adam Rashwan, 63, both of Harrisburg, were each sentenced on May 21, 2025, by Senior United States District Judge Yvette Kane to 21 months’ imprisonment for defrauding the United States out of over $1 million dollars in benefits under what was formerly the federal food stamp program. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, on October 19, 2022, one-count Informations were returned charging both Gharib and Rashwan, formerly husband and wife, with unauthorized use of benefits from on or about January 2017 through in or about August 2020. In November 2022, both defendants pled guilty. The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), formerly known as the Federal Food Stamp Program. Retail food stores approved for participation in SNAP may sell food in exchange for SNAP benefits. These benefits may not be lawfully exchanged for cash. The investigation disclosed that Capital City Family Market was a small food retailer and/or convenience store located at 2000 North 6th Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Gharib was listed as the owner. Rashwan was married to Gharib at that time and employed at the store. Rashwan and Gharib engaged in a scheme to defraud SNAP. The scheme included food stamp trafficking, which occurs when a retailer allows customers to exchange SNAP benefits for cash, charging the customer a significant percentage of the amount of the unlawful transaction. Between November 2016 and July 2021, 24 undercover transactions occurred at Capital City Family Market during which SNAP benefits were exchanged for United States currency. Agents reviewed FNS records detailing the total amount paid to Capital City Family Market dating to January 2014. From January 2014 through June 2021, Capital City Family Market received approximately $1,806,761 in SNAP benefits. Data from FNS revealed in May 2021 alone, Capital City Family Market processed 408 individual SNAP transactions totaling $96,908.46 with an average transaction amount of $238.86. Gurganus said that the average transaction amount during the same time period for convenience stores in Pennsylvania was $11.58, and for small grocery stores was $23.16. The unusual number of large transactions at Capital City Family Market alerted the authorities to the possibility of fraud. The investigation revealed that from January 2011 through June 2021, Rashwan and Gharib, through the Capital City Family Market, illegally diverted approximately $1,091,822.05 in SNAP benefits. The business has since closed. Defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the USDA’s SNAP program in the amount of $1,091,822.05. The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General - Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William A. Behe prosecuted the case. # # #