title: Saint Francis Man Sentenced to 2 1/2 Years in Federal Prison  for Possessing a Firearm As a Felon

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Saint Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. The sentencing took place on May 27, 2025. Randy Harlan Arcoren Jr., age 42, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Arcoren was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025. The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in January 2024 in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On January 4, 2024, law enforcement was called to Arcoren’s home for an unrelated matter. Once inside the home, law enforcement located two firearms in Arcoren’s bedroom: a revolver and a shotgun. Law enforcement also found a small amount of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia in the bedroom. Arcoren was convicted in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota of Robbery in 2006 and Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition in 2015. As a result of these felony convictions, it is illegal for Arcoren to possess firearms or ammunition. Arcoren will forfeit ownership of the firearms to the United States. 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. This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case. Arcoren was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: White River Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison  For Possessing a Firearm As a Felon

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a White River man convicted of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. The sentencing took place on May 27, 2025. Michael Bettelyoun, age 31, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Bettelyoun was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025. The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on June 19, 2024, in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Bettelyoun was videotaped shooting a pistol in a rural area outside of Norris, South Dakota. Law enforcement was subsequently alerted to Bettelyoun’s conduct and collected the firearm and video as evidence. Bettelyoun was previously convicted in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance in 2019. He was on supervised release for this conviction at the time of the instant offense. As a result of the prior felony conviction, Bettelyoun is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case. Bettelyoun was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Violent McKees Rocks Felon Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison for Possession of Firearm and Violation of Federal Supervised Release

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 17-and-a-half years in prison on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and violating his federal supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak imposed the sentence on Ernest Lee Terry, 46, on June 4, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, on May 12, 2024, Terry opened fire on another individual in broad daylight in McKees Rocks. Based on recovered evidence and surveillance video, Terry fired at least seven rounds at a vehicle as it fled from him. Two days later, when arrested for the shooting, Terry had a firearm in his waistband, which was later confirmed to be the same firearm Terry used during the May 12 shooting. Terry was on federal supervised release for a prior federal firearms conviction at the time of the offense. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. “After a 15-year federal prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and while still serving a term of supervised release for that conviction, defendant Terry pulled a gun and fired at least seven rounds at a fleeing individual,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “Upon his arrest two days later for this egregious conduct, Terry had the same gun tucked into his waistband. We commend the Allegheny County Police Department for their outstanding work in apprehending this dangerous felon. This sentencing demonstrates that we remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners at all levels to prosecute violent recidivist offenders like Terry to the fullest extent of the law.” “ATF’s highest priority is reducing violent gun crime, and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous career criminals like Ernest Terry is a key means to protect public safety,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “We work tirelessly with our local, state and federal partners to prosecute the criminals that endanger our communities.” Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hornak stated that Terry’s conduct was “exceptionally serious,” and emphasized Terry’s significant criminal history. Judge Hornak described Terry’s conduct in committing the shooting as “calculated” and observed that Terry had “engaged in conduct that created a high risk of serious harm or death to other people.” Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Allegheny County Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Terry.


title: Porcupine Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for  Sexual Abuse of a Minor

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 30, 2025. Chandler New Holy, age 28, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. New Holy was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025. The charge related to New Holy having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female. New Holy and the female lived in the same community and corresponded with each other over a social media platform. The female represented that she was 16 years old. New Holy told the female he was only 17, when in fact, he was 25 years old. A short while later, the female told New Holy she was only 14 years of age. Despite learning that the female had not reached the age of consent, New Holy continued the relationship, and they both attempted to keep their relationship a secret. The female was reported missing by her family members. Law enforcement later located the female with New Holy, which prompted the investigation. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case. New Holy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Federal Prison  for Manslaughter and Firearm Possession

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on June 2, 2025. Daeshawn Poor Bear, 19, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution and $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Poor Bear was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in October 2024. He pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025. Poor Bear, the victim, and two other friends consumed alcohol and edibles containing THC and smoked THC wax at an abandoned trailer in Pine Ridge on the evening of September 2, 2024. The victim and the other friends were all juveniles. The victim threw a firearm onto a bed near Poor Bear. Poor Bear picked up the firearm, pointed it at the victim, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the victim and killed him. Poor Bear and the other two friends ran to Poor Bear’s mother’s residence. Poor Bear’s mother called 911. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety arrived at the abandoned residence and found that the victim had passed away. Poor Bear has a history of using THC, making him prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court. This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case. Poor Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Department Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against Over $7.74M Laundered on Behalf of the North Korean Government

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that North Korean information technology (IT) workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, all as a means of evading U.S. sanctions placed on North Korea. The funds were initially restrained in connection with an April 2023 indictment against Sim Hyon Sop (Sim), a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative who was allegedly conspiring with the IT workers. While the North Koreans were attempting to launder those ill-gotten gains, the U.S. government was able to freeze and seize over $7.74 million tied to the scheme. “This forfeiture action highlights, once again, the North Korean government’s exploitation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to fund its illicit priorities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will use every legal tool at its disposal to safeguard the cryptocurrency ecosystem and deny North Korea its ill-gotten gains in violation of U.S. sanctions.” “For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai, Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s multimillion-dollar forfeiture action reflects the Department’s strategic focus on disrupting these illicit revenue schemes. We will continue to use every legal tool available to cut off the financial lifelines that sustain the DPRK and its destabilizing agenda.” “Crime may pay in other countries but that’s not how it works here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “Any adversary who thinks they can benefit, financially, from executing a criminal scheme – whether directly or through the use of surrogates – had better rethink this ‘get rich quick’ strategy. It doesn’t work for the average citizen, and it certainly does not have a more positive outcome for foreign entities. Sanctions are in place against North Korea for a reason, and we will diligently investigate and prosecute anyone who tries to evade them. We will halt your progress, strike back, and take hold of any proceeds you obtained illegally.” “The FBI’s investigation has revealed a massive campaign by North Korean IT workers to defraud U.S. businesses by obtaining employment using the stolen identities of American citizens, all so the North Korean government can evade U.S. sanctions and generate revenue for its authoritarian regime,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “Today’s action shows the FBI will do everything in our power to protect Americans from being victimized by the North Korean government, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this new and sophisticated threat.” According to the complaint, the North Korean government uses illegally obtained cryptocurrency as a means of generating revenue for its priorities. This illegally obtained cryptocurrency is allegedly generated, in part, through remote work done by North Korean IT workers deployed around the globe, including in the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (Russia). Those IT workers have generated revenue for North Korea via their jobs at, among other places, blockchain development companies. To obtain employment, these North Korean IT workers allegedly bypassed security and due diligence checks using fraudulent (or fraudulently obtained) identification documents and other obfuscation strategies. These tactics hid the North Koreans’ true location and identities, causing unwitting employers to hire them and pay them a salary, often in stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT. To send their illegally obtained cryptocurrency back to North Korea, the IT workers allegedly transferred the cryptocurrency using money laundering techniques. These techniques included: (1) setting up accounts with fictitious identities; (2) moving funds in a series of small amounts; (3) moving funds to other blockchains or converting funds to other forms of virtual currency ( i.e. , “chain hopping” and “token swapping,” respectively); (4) purchasing non-fungible tokens as a store of value and means of hiding illicit funds; (5) using U.S.-based online accounts to legitimize activity; and (6) commingling their fraud proceeds to hide the origin of the funds. After laundering these funds, the North Korean IT workers allegedly sent them back to the North Korean government, at times via Sim and Kim Sang Man (Kim). Kim is a North Korean national who is the chief executive officer of “Chinyong,” also known as “Jinyong IT Cooperation Company.” Chinyong is subordinate to North Korea’s Ministry of Defense (formerly known as the Ministry of the Peoples’ Armed Forces), which the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added to its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) on June 1, 2017. Chinyong employs delegations of North Korean IT workers that operate in, among other countries, Russia and Laos. Kim allegedly acts as an intermediary between the North Korean IT workers and North Korea’s FTB by sending funds from the North Korean IT workers to Sim. On April 24, 2023, OFAC added Sim to its SDN list. On May 23, 2023, OFAC added Chinyong and Kim to its SDN list. Today’s forfeiture action follows the Department’s announcement of two federal indictments charging Sim for allegedly conspiring (1) with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at companies in the United States and abroad; and (2) with over-the-counter cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea. The forfeiture action also follows on successful actions to disrupt North Korean revenue generation taken by the Department in May 2024 , August 2024 , December 2024 , and January 2025 . Those actions, which are part of the Department-wide DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, targeted U.S. persons facilitating remote IT work and their North Korean co-conspirators. The FBI Chicago Field Office and FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with this complaint. Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the prosecutions and forfeiture action. Significant assistance was provided by former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Chris Wong. The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. In January 2025, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations.


title: Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Possession of Multiple Firearms and Ammunition

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Morisee Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to Count One of an Indictment before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on June 4, 2025. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on May 7, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During that search, law enforcement recovered four firearms (two of which were stolen), approximately seven ammunition magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a firearm mount and rifle grip. As a previously convicted felon, Williams is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine C. Jordan and Kelly M. Locher are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Williams. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Elvis Alfonso Lopez-Perez, age 32, Guatemalan National residing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to eight months in prison by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for illegally reentering the United States. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lopez-Perez was removed from the United States on February 1, 2013. He illegally reentered the United States at an unknown time thereafter. On May 28, 2024, he was found in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case. # # #


title: Florida Man Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison for Embezzling $5.8 Million From Employer

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The former finance director of a Florida-based company has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for embezzling more than $5.8 million from his employer. Paul Schnitzer, 52, of Clermont, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo. T. Sorokin to 54 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Schnitzer was also ordered to pay $5,831,829 in restitution and to forfeit various assets that he obtained through his crime, including the full balances of two financial accounts, subscription ownership shares in certain artwork, and up to $50,000 in cash on deposit with Bulgari, the luxury jeweler. Between January 2022 and May 2024, Schnitzer made over 100 transfers, most disguised as “equity distributions,” from his employer’s operating account into his personal account. He also secretly used a line of credit to replenish the company’s operating account after he had stolen from it and to transfer additional funds to his account. To hide these transfers, Schnitzer provided falsified financial reports with inflated cash balances for the company, to the Massachusetts-based investment firm that owned the company. He also spoofed email addresses and posed as representatives of the company’s bank and customers to send falsified confirmations to the company’s audit firms. While on pre-trial release, Schnitzer was arrested after cutting his location monitoring device in June 2024 and using a company credit card to make over $10,000 in purchases in August 2024. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit handled the forfeiture aspects of the case.


title: California Resident Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Methamphetamine

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Derrick Polk, 62, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to Counts One and Three of the Superseding Indictment on June 4, 2025. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Polk conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Further, in and around April 2021, Polk possessed with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine. Polk was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 24, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Polk. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Randolph Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – A Randolph man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to possessing and transporting child sexual abuse material. Kesler Xavier Saget, 43, pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Sept. 4, 2025. In August 2024 , Saget was arrested and charged. On Aug. 7, 2024, Saget traveled to Boston Logan International Airport from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During a screening by border agents, child pornography was detected on Saget’s phone. Saget admitted to having child pornography on his phone and to receiving links with child pornography through various chat groups. A review of the phone also showed payments made by Saget in exchange for access to child pornography. The charge of transporting child pornography provides for a sentence of up no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, five years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possessing child pornography provides for a sentence up to 20 years, five years to life of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . Acting United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Dominican man, unlawfully residing in Boston, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Danny Miguel Tejada Hernandez, 29, pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025 to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2025. Tejada Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025 . On an unknown date, at an unknown place, Tejada Hernandez entered the United States unlawfully. On March 9, 2020, in Chelsea District Court, Tejada Hernandez was convicted of one count of possession to distribute a Class A controlled substance, two counts of possession to distribute a Class B controlled substance and one count of distributing/dispensing a Class B controlled substance. Tejada Hernandez was deported in August 2021. Sometime after his August 2021 removal, Tejada Hernandez unlawfully reentered the United States. On Feb. 1, 2024, in Suffolk County Superior Court, Tejada Hernandez was convicted of possession to distribute Class A controlled substance and one count to distribute/dispense of a Class A controlled substance. He is currently serving a three-year sentence on those charges, with an expected release date in 2027. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Soto of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Former spouse of deceased U.S. Army veteran sentenced to prison for improperly claiming surviving spouse benefits

component: USAO - Georgia, Southern

body_text: Defendant falsely denied divorce from deceased veteran SAVANNAH, GA: The ex-wife of a deceased U.S. Army veteran was sentenced Monday after fraudulently receiving spousal benefits. Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Miranda Rachel Briggs, a/k/a “Miranda Rachel Fisher,” 34, of Rincon, Georgia, pled guilty to Wire Fraud on January 15, 2025. On Monday, June 2, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Briggs to two months imprisonment. Judge Wood also ordered Briggs to pay more than $129,000 in restitution to the Veterans Administration, and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. The key events began in November 2015 when Briggs married G.B., a U.S. Army veteran, keeping her maiden name “Fisher.” Less than a year later, Briggs filed for divorce. Two weeks after the divorce was final, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs granted G.B.’s request to remove Briggs as a recipient of G.B.’s benefits. Briggs filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January 2018, certifying that she and G.B. were divorced. In January 2018, G.B. died and within weeks, Briggs filed for VA benefits, falsely claiming to be G.B.’s surviving spouse. In April 2018 she also claimed to be G.B.’s spouse when applying for benefits from the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA benefits). After the VA’s initial decision to deny her claim to G.B.’s VA survivor benefits, Briggs submitted additional paperwork claiming she and G.B. were married until his death in 2018. Based on this claim, the VA granted her the benefits. She then filed a petition in Chatham County Superior Court, changing her name from Miranda Rachel Fisher to Miranda Rachel Briggs, and in June 2018, the court granted the name change. In April 2021, Briggs filed a petition to become the administrator of G.B.’s estate after claiming in Chatham County Probate Court to be G.B.’s surviving spouse. In December 2021, the Probate Court granted that petition. One week later, Briggs filed suit against the United States seeking more than seven million dollars in damages for G.B.’s death. During the pendency of this suit, lawyers for the United States discovered that Briggs’s fraudulently claimed to be G.B.’s spouse, and the lawsuit was dismissed. In March 2023, the Chatham County Probate Court removed Briggs as administrator after finding that she was divorced from G.B. at the time of his death and not eligible to act as an administrator of his estate. As a result of her falsely claiming to be the widow of G.B., Briggs received approximately $49,000 for medical care, and approximately $80,000 in benefits from the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Program. The Court noted at the sentencing hearing, that Briggs spent thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgeries after she began receiving the CHAMPVA benefits. “Programs that financially benefit surviving family members of deceased veterans are designed to provide a safety net to those survivors,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “This sentence sends the appropriate message that those not entitled to these benefits will be called to answer for their crimes.” “This sentence sends a clear message that individuals who steal VA benefits will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge David Spilker with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General Southeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to identify and eliminate fraud by seeking prosecution of those who swindle VA benefit programs that are intended to help veterans, their families, and caregivers. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in this investigation.” The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and prosecuted for the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Michael Z. Spitulnik.


title: Wheeling Attorney Charged with Fraud and Money Laundering

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - A Wheeling attorney has been indicted for allegedly fraudulently handling client funds and using client funds to conduct unlawful monetary transactions. Paul J. Harris, 62, of Wheeling, was indicted on June 3 for mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions related to his allegedly fraudulent and unlawful handling of client funds between approximately April 2014 and June 2025. Harris faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the mail and wire fraud counts, up to 30 years in federal prison for each of the bank fraud counts, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the unlawful monetary transaction counts. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Jennifer T. Conklin are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, and the matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Read the indictment here.


title: Six Men Sentenced For Illegally Transmitting More Than $15 Million Dollars Using Hawala Network

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that HIRENKUMAR PATEL, the last of six defendants in a case involving an unlicensed money transmitting business that illegally sent millions of dollars in cash throughout the U.S. and between the U.S. and India, was sentenced to 21 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas. PATEL previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business on September 12, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik. “The anonymous transmission of money is a linchpin of international criminal activity, whether hacking, drug dealing, sex trafficking, or terrorism” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Unlicensed money transmission organizations, like the ‘halawa’ network operated by Patel and his cohorts, are tailor made for supporting international criminal activity. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will seek to shut down these unlicensed networks and stop the flow of dirty money to criminals who do harm to Americans from abroad.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said: “These six defendants engaged in an unregulated money transferring scheme responsible for illegally transmitting $15 million in less than a year. Illicit financial schemes like this one cause damage to our economic system that extends beyond the directly involved bad actors. The sentencings announced today demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to ensuring those who attempt to carry out illegal financial schemes face the repercussions in the criminal justice system.” According to allegations contained in the Complaint, the Information, court filings, and public court proceedings: In or about April 2021, law enforcement identified a vendor (“Vendor”) on the dark web who was offering, in exchange for a fee, a service to convert cryptocurrency into cash. The Vendor indicated to an undercover agent that some of his clients made money by selling drugs, his wealthiest clients were hackers, and that he had made approximately $30 million over the prior three years through the conversion of cryptocurrency to cash. In or about February 2023, law enforcement began working with a confidential source and learned that the Vendor was using a “hawala” [1] to obtain the cash that was ultimately exchanged for the cryptocurrency. As part of this hawala, several of the defendants collected cash along the East Coast of the U.S., which was later delivered to an individual who mailed the cash to the Vendor’s customers. All six defendants participated in the delivery of, and/or coordinated the delivery of, the collected cash. The persons who supplied the cash for collection, in turn, used the hawala to have their cash converted into rupees delivered to designated individuals in India. Of the approximately $15 million sent through the hawala between in or about February 2023 and in or about September 2023, PATEL was responsible for participating in 42 deliveries of bags of cash totaling more than $7.7 million. Neither PATEL nor his co-defendants were licensed or registered to operate as a money transmitting business in New York or under federal law. * * * A chart containing the names of the defendants, the charges they were convicted of, and the sentences they received is set forth below. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky in connection with this investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levander and Timothy Ly are in charge of the prosecution. Defendant Age Convictions Sentence Rajendrakumar Patel 52 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business 27 months in prison Brijeshkumar Patel 32 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business 18 months in prison Hirenkumar Patel 40 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business 21 months in prison Naineshkumar Patel 51 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business 12 months and one day in prison Nileshkumar Patel 33 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business 3 years of probation Shaileshkumar Goyani 36 Conspiracy to Operate an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business and Operation of an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business Time served [1] A “hawala” is an unregulated method of transferring money—usually internationally—from one person to another without the money being physically transported from one location another. Rather, someone who seeks to have money transferred relies on brokers who use their own capital to disburse money and informal ledgers to track the receipt and disbursal of money.


title: Dual United States/Brazilian Citizen Sentenced To 40 Years For Producing And Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Octavio Nogueira Pessoa (33, Largo) to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for the production and possession of child sexual abuse material. Pessoa pleaded guilty on January 27, 2025. According to court documents, Pessoa produced child sexual abuse material of the 8-year-old daughter of a woman who resided in Brazil. Pessoa directed the woman to sexually abuse the child and to record the explicit conduct using an application that allowed Pessoa to watch the recordings in real-time. During the execution of a search warrant at his home, law enforcement discovered thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material on Pessoa’s devices. “This sentence reflects the dedication of HSI personnel to find and bring to justice those who weaponize technology to orchestrate and create child sexual abuse material and make lifelong victims out of vulnerable children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “Justice has been served, and HSI will always have a victim-first approach to our exploitation investigations. We will continue to pursue justice for all victims of these heinous crimes.” This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Favorit and Courtney Derry.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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.


title: Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in COVID-19 Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Damisha Brown, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Brown received $15,625 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). According to court documents and statements made in court, co-defendant Kisha Sutton conspired with Brown and others to obtain fraudulent PPP loans. Sutton submitted a PPP loan application on Brown’s behalf on April 25, 2021. The application listed Brown as a sole proprietor hair dresser who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, stating that the applicant had earned $75,000 in 2020. As part of her guilty plea, Brown admitted that she never earned $75,000 as a hair dresser in one year and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with her application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan. A PPP lender in California approved Brown’s loan application. The $15,625 in loan proceeds was deposited in Brown’s personal bank account on April 30, 2021. Brown admitted that she knew the $15,625 represented proceeds from the fraudulent PPP loan. Between April 30 and May 27, 2021, Sutton received $3,500 from Brown as her share of the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds. Brown transferred the money to Sutton using a digital wallet application. Brown admitted that she transferred the $3,500 as Sutton’s compensation for facilitating the submission of her fraudulent loan, in keeping with their agreement. Brown further admitted that she spent the remainder of the loan proceeds on ineligible personal expenses. The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020. Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Brown also owes $12,125 in restitution. Brown and Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, are among seven individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they and others conspired, as well as aided and abetted one another, to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. On March 25, 2025, co-defendant William Powell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and co-defendant Jasmine Spencer pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting bank fraud. Powell, 35, of Huntington, and Spencer, 32, of Charleston, are scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2025. The indictment against Sutton and the other defendants remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU). United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson have prosecuted the case. Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-192. ###


title: Guatemalan National Charged with Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Brighton, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Santos Misael Castro-Gonzales, 31, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Castro-Gonzales was arrested on May 9, 2025 and will make an appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. According to the indictment, Castro-Gonzales was previously deported from the United States on Feb. 1, 2016. It is alleged that sometime after his February 2016 removal, Castro-Gonzales illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crime Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Fentanyl dealers sentenced to federal prison

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – Two Texas residents have been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Hernan Cortez, 40, Houston, and Daniel Elizondo, 37, Laredo, pleaded guilty Jan. 8. U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now imposed a 63-month-term of imprisonment for Elizondo. Cortez previously received 66 months. Both must also serve four years of supervised release following completion of their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed how Cortez brought the fentanyl to Laredo and how Elizondo decided to hide the drugs after he learned law enforcement was watching the house. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Kazen noted that fentanyl is lethal and kills many people. Cortez transported approximately a half of a kilogram of fentanyl from Houston to Laredo Aug. 28, 2024. He intended to sell the drugs there with Elizondo’s assistance. The following day, Cortez brought the fentanyl to a stash house where Elizondo was located. Authorities conducting surveillance observed Elizondo exit the house wearing a black satchel bag and walk into an alleyway connected to an adjoining property. Shortly after, he returned without the bag. Authorities executed a search warrant and found 274 grams of fentanyl hidden in a tire wheel in the covered alleyway between the two properties. Cortez initially believed the narcotics were cocaine or heroin and tried selling them in Houston but couldn’t find any buyers because it was actually fentanyl. Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch prosecuted the case.


title: Honduran National Charged with Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Honduran national residing in Waltham, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Samuel Cruz Alvarado, 63, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Cruz Alvarado was arrested by immigration authorities on May 5, 2025. He will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. According to the indictment, Cruz Alvarado was deported from the United States on Nov. 26, 2012. It is alleged that sometime after his November 2012 removal, Cruz Alvarado illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Pittsburgh Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Supplying Cocaine to Street Gang

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 120 months of imprisonment, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Anthony Coker, 48, on June 4, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, between July 2022 and June 2023, Coker supplied cocaine and crack cocaine to members of the Drizzy Gang, who then redistributed the drugs in the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that the defendant’s crimes victimized addicts, their families, and the Hill District neighborhood, and encouraged the defendant to turn his life around following his sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Katherine C. Jordan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Coker. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Dominican National Charged with Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Lawrence, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Santos Eduardo Diaz Melo, 41, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Diaz Melo was arrested by immigration authorities on May 9, 2025. He will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. According to the indictment, Diaz Melo was deported from the United States on May 5, 2020. It is alleged that sometime after his May 2020 removal, Diaz Melo illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Mendota Man Pleads Guilty to Witness Tampering

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A Mendota, Virginia man – and self-described gang member- pled guilty yesterday to physically assaulting a fellow inmate at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority (SWVRJA) facility in Abingdon to prevent that individual from testifying in relation to a federal investigation. McKinley Lee Shaffer, 32, pled guilty to one count of to using physical force against a witness in relation to the witness’s testimony and potential cooperation in an official proceeding. At sentencing, Shaffer faces a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison. The witness was involved in a federal investigation involving a March 2024 shots-fired incident in Abingdon and a related federal investigation. Investigation revealed that Lakin Garrett had fired a pistol at a victim as part of a drug-related dispute. On November 24, 2024, Shaffer assaulted the victim at the SWVRJA facility in Abingdon. Surveillance equipment recorded the assault and shows Shaffer punch the victim without warning, and an ensuing physical altercation. In a later recorded video “visit” with another person, Shaffer stated he was a gang member, and that the victim had robbed an “Aryan Princess” and “told on her” for shooting at the victim. Shaffer was referring to the March 2024 shots-fired incident in Abingdon. Shaffer said that he “had to go beat him up.” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bristol, Virginia Police Department, and the Abingdon Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.


title: Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Setting Multiple Fires Around the Exterior of a Church; Assaulting Federal Officers

body_text: PROVIDENCE, RI – A Rhode Island man who intentionally set multiple fires around the exterior of a predominantly black church in North Providence, RI, in February 2024, and while detained at a federal detention center following his arrest assaulted two federal correctional officers, has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison. Kevin Colantonio, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to malicious damage by means of fire, obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs, and two counts of assault on a federal officer. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., to 78 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Colantonio previously admitted to a federal judge that on February 11, 2024, he used gasoline and a lighter he purchased minutes earlier at a gas station within walking distance of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, a predominantly black church with both an in-person and online following, to ignite five fires around the exterior of the church. The fires were quickly extinguished by North Providence officers who arrived at the church moments after the fires were lit, but not before the church sustained some damage. Due to the damage, church congregants were prevented from enjoying their free exercise of religious beliefs as church services were cancelled until the church could be reopened. Several hours prior to the fires being discovered, the pastor of Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries reported to police that he witnessed an individual on the church’s Ring camera doorbell attempting to break into the church. The pastor spoke to the male subject through the Ring camera, telling him, among other things, that the building was a church. The man continued trying to break in the door, and then broke the Ring camera off the side of the building. The pastor later identified Colantonio as the person he saw on the Ring camera. The day after lighting the fires, Colantonio privately messaged a family member that no one in the community cared about the arson; Colantonio called the church “Athiest God mockers,” adding that, “They’re busy dancing around collecting money.” During a February 15, 2024, court-authorized search of Colantonio’s residence, an accelerant detection canine indicated a positive reaction on several items of seized clothing. These items matched the clothing Colantonio was wearing on the night of the arson, based upon surveillance footage. Also seized were notebooks with writings such as “Eliminate Rich Snob global Elite Pastors, burn churches down to ground, when congregants move to next church, do the same… .” In a separate entry, Colantonio wrote, “hunt them down gun everyone down that isn’t white, if one is white spread the gospel. Always give our bloodline a chance.” In addition to admitting to setting the fires, Colantonio admitted to assaulting two federal correctional officers while he was detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility following his arrest. Colantonio admitted that he struck two federal officers with human bodily waste and fluid that were contained inside a mug he tossed at the officers. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made today’s announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan for the District of Rhode Island and Taylor Payne of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case. The fires set at the Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with members of the North Providence, RI, Police Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office. The assault of the federal officers was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. ###


title: Ecuadorian National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: An Ecuadorian national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced William Ariel Tamay Guaman , 23, to time served (approximately seven months in prison). Tamay Guaman pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025. According to court records, on February 4, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the FBI conducted surveillance at a South Portland residence. After observing Tamay Guaman get into a van, agents followed him and conducted a traffic stop. An ERO agent familiar with Tamay Guaman approached the driver and asked for their name. Tamay Guaman provided a false name and was directed to step out of the vehicle. After briefly fleeing on foot and resisting arrest, Tamay Guaman was taken into custody. He had previously been removed from the U.S. in September 2023. ICE-ERO investigated the case with assistance from the FBI. Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). ###


title: Honduran National Sentenced for Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Josue Osmin Montoya Acosta , 36, to time served (approximately 93 days). Montoya Acosta pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025. According to court records, on February 25, 2025, Montoya Acosta was observed by an officer from the Brunswick Police Department operating a vehicle with no front license plate and no light on the rear license plate. The rear plate was later determined to be a temporary plate from Indiana. When asked for his license, Montoya Acosta presented a Honduran passport and told the officer he did not have a driver’s license. When asked if he had a visa, he told the officer he did not. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed on two prior occasions. U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department. Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). ###


body_text: BOSTON – A Guatemalan national residing in Framingham has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Ariel Humberto Diaz, 33, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Diaz was arrested on May 5, 2025. According to the indictment, Diaz was most recently deported from the United States to Guatemala on March 16, 2022. It is alleged that sometime after his March 2022 removal, Diaz illegally reentered the United States without permission. Diaz had previously been removed to Guatemala in May 2014, April 2016, October 2016 and November 2018. Diaz has twice been convicted of illegal re-entry. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Ecuadorian National Charged with Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – An Ecuadorian national has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Luis Ernesto Caguana-Caguana, 33, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Caguana-Caguana was arrested on May 4, 2025. According to the indictment, Caguana-Caguana was most recently deported from the United States on March 6, 2014. It is alleged that sometime after his March 2014 removal, Caguana-Caguana illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Administrator Of Online Chatroom Dedicated To The Distribution Of Child Sexual Abuse Material Is Sentenced To 15+ Years In Prison

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously convicted sex offender who served as the administrator of an online chatroom dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was sentenced to 188 months in prison today for distributing child pornography, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Nicholas Tyler Banks, 24, of Burnsville, N.C., was ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay $26,000 in restitution. Chief Daniel Duckworth of the Boone Police Department joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement. According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, beginning in September 2023, a Boone Police Department detective was conducting an undercover investigation into the sexual exploitation of children online. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Banks was using a commonly available chat application to share images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children in a chatroom dedicated to sharing CSAM. All the files shared by Banks were made available for all users of the chatroom to view, download, and further distribute. The CSAM files depicted prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adults and some of the videos depicted sadomasochistic conduct. The investigation further revealed that Banks served as the administrator of the chat group, and in that role, he was in charge of adding new members to the group. In January 2024, a search warrant was executed at Banks’s residence. Several electronic devices were seized and forensically examined. In total, investigators found that Banks possessed the equivalent (when taking videos into account) of more than 47,700 CSAM images. Investigators also determined that Banks continued to collect and share additional CSAM even after the search warrant was executed. Banks was previously convicted of the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Sullivan County, in Tennessee, and as a result of that conviction he was a registered sex offender. On January 27, 2025, Banks pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography with a qualifying prior conviction. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the Boone Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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: Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to $3.8 Million Durable Medical Equipment Fraud Scheme

body_text: A Louisiana man pleaded guilty today in connection with a five-year scheme to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary medical equipment. According to court documents, Michael L. Riggins, 62, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) scheme. Riggins was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare (Bluewater), a DME supply company in West Monroe. From 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity in order to bill for it. Despite receiving hundreds of complaints regarding the fraudulent orders, Riggins submitted over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for supplying the DME and was reimbursed over $1.8 million. Riggins is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement. HHS-OIG is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Kelly Z. Walters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin McCoy for the Western District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit .


title: Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Laundering COVID-19 Relief Funds

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that William Chadwick, 62, of Akron, Colorado, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of Money Laundering and agreed to repay the fraudulent proceeds he laundered from COVID-19 relief programs. According to the plea agreement, from at least May 2020 through at least August 2022, Chadwick laundered proceeds obtained from COVID-19 relief programs, including Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program proceeds, and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan proceeds. Chadwick engaged in numerous financial transactions involving wire fraud proceeds and agreed to pay restitution on the estimated $228,284.09 that he laundered. The plea agreement further states that addresses tied to Chadwick were listed on over 100 UI benefits applications submitted on behalf of other individuals. Between May 2020 and August 2022, Chadwick also received approximately $97,161.00 of UI and ERA benefits issued on behalf of other individuals that were deposited directly in bank accounts he set up and controlled. In April 2021, Chadwick’s personal identifying information was used to submit a PPP application that contained materially false statements, and which was approved and funded in the amount of $20,833.00. 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 Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several federal programs expanded eligibility for unemployment benefits. In early 2021, Congress established the ERA program to provide financial assistance to eligible low-income households to cover the costs of rent, rental arrears, utilities, and other housing-related expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Cassidy. 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-00127-WJM


title: Social Security employee pleads guilty to multimillion-dollar fraud scheme

body_text: HOUSTON – A former Social Security employee has admitted to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. David Lam, 45, Pearland, was an operations supervisor and claims specialist for the Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Houston. As part of his plea, Lam admitted to stealing the personally identifying information (PII) of recently deceased men and then using that PII to facilitate fraudulent benefits applications. Lam admitted to working with various coconspirators—typically, women with children—to file fraudulent survivor benefits applications listing the deceased men as the children’s fathers or stepfathers. If true, this would have entitled the women to receive benefits while raising their children as widows. However, the women had no connection to the men listed on the applications and the deceased men did not father the children. To facilitate his scheme, Lam would utilize the deceased men’s names, dates of birth and death and Social Security numbers. He would also instruct the coconspirators to split the stolen funds with him. The women would transfer funds via applications like Zelle, CashApp or Chime. Lam agreed to take responsibility for causing $3,346,280 in loss to the SSA and has agreed to pay that amount in restitution. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake will impose sentencing Sept. 12. At that time, Lam faces up to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States on the conspiracy charge and a $250,000 maximum fine. He will also face two years for aggravated identity theft which must run consecutively to any sentence imposed. The SSA-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray is prosecuting the case.


title: Department Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against More Than $7.74 Million Laundered on Behalf of the North Korean Government

body_text: WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that North Korean information technology (“IT”) workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, all as a means of evading U.S. sanctions placed on North Korea. The funds were initially restrained in connection with an April 2023 indictment against Sim Hyon Sop (“SIM”), a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank (FTB) representative, who was conspiring with the IT workers. While the North Koreans were attempting to launder those ill-gotten gains, the U.S. government was able to freeze and seize over $7.74 million tied to the scheme. Today’s action was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Matthew R. Galeotti Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Sue J. Bai Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the Chicago Field Office. “Crime may pay in other countries but that’s not how it works here,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Any adversary who thinks they can benefit, financially, from executing a criminal scheme – whether directly or through the use of surrogates – had better rethink this ‘get rich quick’ strategy. It doesn’t work for the average citizen, and it certainly does not have a more positive outcome for foreign entities. Sanctions are in place against North Korea for a reason, and we will diligently investigate and prosecute anyone who tries to evade them. We will halt your progress, strike back, and take hold of any proceeds you obtained illegally.” “This forfeiture action highlights, once again, the North Korean government’s exploitation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem to fund its illicit priorities,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will use every legal tool at its disposal to safeguard the cryptocurrency ecosystem and deny North Korea its ill-gotten gains in violation of U.S. sanctions.” “For years, North Korea has exploited global remote IT contracting and cryptocurrency ecosystems to evade U.S. sanctions and bankroll its weapons programs,” said Sue J. Bai, Head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s multimillion-dollar forfeiture action reflects the Department’s strategic focus on disrupting these illicit revenue schemes. We will continue to use every legal tool available to cut off the financial lifelines that sustain the DPRK and its destabilizing agenda.” “Attacks from foreign adversaries, to include the alleged theft of cryptocurrency, remains a top national security concern for the FBI and we will continue to defend the homeland by identifying and eliminating any illegal actions by North Korea that are in violation of vital sanctions laws,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DePodesta. “Despite manipulative laundering techniques, this stands as one of the FBI’s first instances in which funds were successfully seized from North Korean IT workers before they could be used to undermine our nation’s safety. The FBI is committed to working with law enforcement networks around the world and committed prosecutorial partners to ensure that anyone who seeks to steal from or endanger the United States is brought to full justice.” According to the complaint, the North Korean government uses illegally obtained cryptocurrency as a means of generating revenue for its priorities. This illegally obtained cryptocurrency is generated, in part, through remote work done by North Korean IT workers deployed around the globe, including in the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation (Russia). Those IT workers have generated revenue for North Korea via their jobs at, among other places, blockchain development companies. To effectuate the scheme, these North Korean IT workers bypassed security and due diligence checks using fraudulent (or fraudulently obtained) identification documents and other obfuscation strategies. These tactics hid the North Koreans’ true location and identities, causing unwitting employers to hire these IT workers and often pay them in stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT. To send their illegally obtained cryptocurrency back to North Korea, the IT workers transferred the cryptocurrency using money laundering techniques. These techniques included: (1) setting up accounts with fictitious identities; (2) moving funds in a series of small amounts; (3) moving funds to other blockchains or converting funds to other forms of virtual currency (i.e., “chain hopping” and “token swapping,” respectively); (4) purchasing non-fungible tokens as a store of value and means of hiding illicit funds; (5) using U.S.-based online accounts to legitimize activity; and (6) commingling their fraud proceeds to hide the origin of the funds. After laundering these funds, the North Korean IT workers sent them back to the North Korean government, at times via SIM and Kim Sang Man (“KIM”). SIM is a North Korean official employed by North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank (FTB). KIM is a North Korean national who is the chief executive officer of “Chinyong,” also known as “Jinyong IT Cooperation Company.” Chinyong is subordinate to North Korea’s Ministry of Defense (formerly known as the Ministry of the Peoples’ Armed Forces), which the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added to its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) on June 1, 2017. Chinyong employs delegations of North Korean IT workers that operate in, among other countries, Russia and Laos. KIM acts as an intermediary between the North Korean IT workers and North Korea’s FTB by sending funds from the North Korean IT workers to SIM. On April 24, 2023, OFAC added SIM to its SDN list. On May 23, 2023, OFAC added Chinyong and KIM to its SDN list. Today’s forfeiture action follows the Department’s announcement of two federal indictments charging SIM for allegedly conspiring (1) with North Korean IT workers to generate revenue through illegal employment at companies in the United States and abroad; and (2) with over-the-counter cryptocurrency traders to use stolen funds to buy goods for North Korea. The forfeiture action also follows on successful actions to disrupt North Korean revenue generation taken by the Department in May 2024, August 2024, December 2024, and January 2025. Those actions, launched by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, targeted U.S. persons facilitating remote IT work and their North Korean co-conspirators. The FBI Chicago Field Office and FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit (VAU) are investigating the cases associated with this complaint. Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Rick Blaylock are handling the prosecutions and forfeiture action. Significant assistance was provided by former FBI Supervisory Special Agent Chris Wong. The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. In January 2025, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations.


title: Dominican National Indicted for Illegal Reentry

body_text: BOSTON – A Dominican man, unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Eddy Antonio Perdomo, 31, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. According to the charging documents, Perdomo was deported from the United States to the Dominican Republic on Oct. 3, 2023. It is alleged that sometime after his October 2023 removal, Perdomo illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston; and Chief of the Lawrence Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Castle Resident Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking

component: Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Kiara Jones, 25, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville to conspiring to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine between August 2023 and August 2024. Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Michigan State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Mercer County Drug Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security, and Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jones. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Cincinnati man sentenced to 25 years in prison for role in narcotics, firearms conspiracies

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: CINCINNATI – Mason Meyer, 32, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in federal court here today to 300 months in prison. Meyer is the final of 16 defendants charged in this case for their roles in narcotics and firearms conspiracies. The case originated with Meyer and another individual involved in an Aug. 7, 2020, police chase through Cincinnati that resulted in the deaths of two bystanders in Newport, Kentucky. Meyer and Kirsten Johnson, 26, of Cincinnati, were charged federally in August 2020. Ongoing investigation led to the additional 14 defendants and charges. According to court documents, officials with the ATF, Cincinnati Police and the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force were surveilling Meyer in Cincinnati on Aug. 7, 2020, when Meyer drove away. Cincinnati police officers attempted to stop Meyer when he fled, causing a police chase through Cincinnati and into Covington and Newport, Kentucky. Local court documents detail that Meyer’s vehicle struck and killed a couple dining on the patio of Press on Monmouth in Newport, Kentucky. Two other pedestrians were struck and suffered minor injuries. At the time of the chase, Meyer and Johnson possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, two loaded handguns and a loaded rifle. A grand jury indicted all 16 defendants in the federal case in July 2021, charging the defendants in a firearms conspiracy and in a narcotics conspiracy involving 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine and 10 grams or more of LSD, as well as detectable amounts of MDMA, DMT, marijuana and ketamine. In total, as part of this case, law enforcement seized 11 firearms and more than one kilogram of methamphetamine, more than 200 pounds of DMT, more than five kilograms of marijuana, more than 15 kilograms of hashish and hashish oil, more than one kilogram of MDMA, more than 19,000 dose units of LSD, fentanyl, cocaine, and other synthetic and counterfeit drugs. Meyer’s source of supply of methamphetamine, Ryan Haskamp, 36, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in February to 27 years in prison. Haskamp used at least five Cincinnati residences as stash houses to store and sell drugs. He also had others rent Airbnb locations and hotel rooms to further his drug trafficking. Haskamp had packages of drugs delivered to the Airbnb rental properties. Haskamp supplied drugs for redistribution in Cincinnati and Dayton via numerous co-defendants. Others convicted in this case include: Name Age City of Residence William Keith Jenkins 37 Cincinnati Michael Alden Mobley 42 Ghent, Ky. Michael Tyler Boeh 35 Cincinnati Victoria Stauffer 30 Cincinnati Quincy Pemberton 33 Cincinnati Damon Gene Wade 31 California, Ky. Kelly Marie Smart 35 Cincinnati Kevin Patrick Thiery 44 Cincinnati Crystal Randall 37 Cincinnati Rory Hartmann 30 Cincinnati Julie Renae Wetzel 34 Cincinnati Ashley Long 30 Cincinnati Haley Pennington 26 Moraine, Ohio Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Thomas A. Greco, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge and agencies with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force and Drug Abuse Reduction Task Force (DART) announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case. # # #


body_text: BOSTON – A Honduran national has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Jose Denis Guardado-Paz, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Guardado-Paz was arrested on May 5, 2025. According to the indictment, Guardado-Paz was most recently deported from the United States on Oct. 18, 2019. It is alleged that sometime after his October 2019 removal, Guardado-Paz illegally reentered the United States without permission. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.