title: Charleston County Magistrate Charged with Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Federal agents have arrested James Benjamin Gosnell, Jr., 68, of Charleston, on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of child sexual abuse material.* The complaint alleges that agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about multiple financial transactions with a known distributor of child sexual abuse material from the United Kingdom. The payments came from a peer-to-peer online money transfer account associated with Gosnell’s known phone number, address, and email account. The transactions occurred in November 2024. Thereafter, agents obtained a search warrant for Gosnell’s home and electronic devices. During the execution of the search warrant, agents located a flash drive containing numerous videos and images depicting child sexual abuse, including videos and images of prepubescent minors, infants, and toddlers engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Gosnell was arrested this morning and is set to be arraigned Wednesday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Molly Cherry. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc . The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Orville, Whit Sowards, and Emily Limehouse are prosecuting the case. All charges in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ### * The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. The Associated Press Stylebook also discourages the use of the phrase “child pornography.”


title: Slidell Man Sentenced to 12 Months and One Day in Prison for Machine Gun Possession

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on September 11, 2025, CUONG QUOC TRAN (“TRAN”) , age 39, of Slidell, La, was sentenced, by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, for possession of a machine gun, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 922(o). He was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, one-year of supervised release, a $10,000 fine and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. According to court documents, on January 5, 2022, the Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark intercepted a fishing vessel named the “Lucky Jean” approximately four nautical miles from Southwest Pass, and within the jurisdictional limits of the Eastern District of Louisiana. During their safety search, Coast Guard personnel found multiple rifles capable of fully automatic fire. The captain of the vessel, TRAN , was subsequently interviewed by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). TRAN admitted to possessing seven weapons found on the vessel which he had converted into weapons capable of being fully automatic, in other words, a machine gun. ATF subsequently tested the weapons, and determined them to be fully automatic. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. of the General Crimes Unit. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN . * * *


title: Browning woman sentenced to over 2 years in prison for embezzling from Heart Butte School District

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: GREAT FALLS – A Browning woman who took over $30,000 from Heart Butte School District was sentenced today to 25 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Jonnie Jo Fransis Spotted Eagle, 37, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The government alleged in court documents that while working for the Heart Butte School District, Spotted Eagle embezzled funds by using school credit cards and purchase orders, presenting such orders to local grocery stores, and obtaining and using gift cards for her own personal benefit, none of which was authorized. While doing so, Spotted Eagle forged the name of school employees to cover up the fraudulent transactions. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Weldon and Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. XXX


title: Warm Springs Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assault and Firearm Charges

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warm Springs, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison yesterday for assault resulting in serious bodily injury and prohibited possession of a firearm. Antoine Scott, 28, was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. According to court documents, in June 2023, Scott approached a truck on the Warm Springs reservation and began punching the passenger through the window. The passenger suffered a head injury as well as a hand injury requiring stitches. After being released from custody, Scott absconded from pretrial supervision. When arrested in June 2024, police recovered two firearms from Scott’s residence. Jefferson County deputies also recovered methamphetamine from Scott’s sock. On May 21, 2025, Scott pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and prohibited possession of a firearm. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Warm Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pam Paaso. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.


title: Noble Outdoors Associate Sentenced for Lacey Act Violation for 2019 Mule Deer Hunt

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Mark Cooper, 73, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 11, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for violating the Lacey Act. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Cooper to two years’ probation, a $5,000 fine, and $15,000 restitution. In addition to the sentence imposed, Cooper abandoned a 5 X 5 mule deer taxidermy mount originating from the illegal 2019 mule deer hunt associated with the conviction, three additional mule deer taxidermy mounts and antler sets, and several white-tailed deer antlers. Judge Bazis also ordered that Cooper shall not hunt, fish, trap, guide, outfit, or otherwise associate or be in the field with anyone engaged in those activities for a period of two years. Enacted 125 years ago, the Lacey Act protects the nation’s wildlife resources by prohibiting wildlife violations that cross state or international borders. A joint investigation conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Law Enforcement Division determined that Dustin Noble operated a big game guiding and outfitting business from his North Platte residence and provided illegal hunting and guiding services to paying clients, family, and other associates, many from outside the state of Nebraska, between 2015 and 2021. Noble also operated a commercial taxidermy business providing services of converting hides, skins, antlers, and other trophy parts of wildlife into taxidermy mounts. Some of Noble’s taxidermy clients included hunters unlawfully guided by Noble. During those hunts Noble’s friends, associates and clients agreed with Noble to violate Nebraska hunting laws to take wildlife including mule deer and wild turkeys. The investigation determined that on numerous occasions Cooper, a close associate of Noble, hunted with and on various occasions accompanied Noble while providing guiding services to hunting clients, and assisted Noble transporting raw hides for the Noble Outdoors taxidermy business. On October 31, 2019, Cooper illegally killed an approximately 172-inch 5 X 5 mule deer during the archery deer season in Lincoln County, Nebraska, while accompanied by Noble and two Noble Outdoors clients. Cooper killed the mule deer from a seated position within Noble’s pickup while parked on a public roadway with a center-fire rifle. Under Nebraska state law, hunters are prohibited from possessing firearms or using firearms to hunt deer during the archery season and from shooting from or over a roadway. On November 7, 2019, Cooper delivered a shipment of raw wildlife skins on behalf of Noble Outdoors to a commercial carrier. Cooper delivered the shipment containing numerous wildlife skins knowing the shipment was destined for a fur dressing company in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and knowing it contained illegally taken wildlife including at least Cooper’s 172-inch mule deer and another trophy-sized mule deer Cooper knew was taken illegally by Noble on October 28, 2019. The investigation substantiated 114 unlawful hunts conducted and provided by Noble during the course of the conspiracy. Noble’s unlawful activities primarily targeted trophy-sized mule deer, including early season mule deer in velvet antlers. As revealed by extensive evidence obtained during this investigation, Noble’s illegal hunts included the taking of more than 12 species of wildlife, including most notably: 61 mule deer, 33 wild turkeys, 4 pronghorn, 3 white-tailed deer, an American alligator, a timber rattlesnake, and approximately 12 upland game birds, migratory non-game birds, game fish, and furbearing or non-game animals. This sentencing completes the final prosecution of numerous defendants related to violations committed by Dustin Noble and Noble Outdoors associates and clients between 2015 and 2021. Twenty defendants have been collectively sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment, 15 years’ probation, 32 years’ hunt/fish/trap restrictions, and ordered to pay more than $275,000 in fines and restitution for state and federal convictions related to this case. The investigation included the seizure and subsequent forfeiture or abandonment of more than 50 trophy wildlife antlers or taxidermy mounts from 27 Noble Outdoors clients or associates. The operation was a joint investigation conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Law Enforcement Division.


title: Jury finds previous sex offender guilty of coercion and child pornography charges

body_text: BILLINGS – A previous sex offender from Billings who attempted to obtain nude photos from a person he was thought was 12 years old was found guilty by a federal jury today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Following a one-and-a-half-day trial, Steven Dwayne Scott, 51, was found guilty of one count of attempted coercion and enticement and one count of possession of child pornography. Scott faces 10 years to lifetime imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release on both counts of conviction. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for January 8, 2026. Scott was detained pending further proceedings. The government alleged in court documents and at trial that in March 2024, law enforcement, acting in an undercover capacity and posing as a 12-year-old juvenile female, electronically reached out to Scott on Facebook. Scott accepted the invite and the two parties began conversing. The communications eventually transitioned to KIK. The communications lasted from roughly March 7, 2024, until May 28, 2024. During the chats, Scott was put on notice of the “child’s” age, indicated he should not be talking to her yet continued, and sought pictures of her, including nude pictures. On May 21, 2024, Scott sent the “child” images of a gift card and payment for possible nude images from her. Scott provided instructions to the undercover officer as to the best way to verify money was on the card. Thereafter, on May 27, 2024, Scott sent a $25 Amazon gift card to the “child,” again for the purpose of obtaining images from the child. The last communication law enforcement received from Scott was on May 28, 2024. When law enforcement reached out to Scott, he was a registered sex offender as a result of a 1997 conviction for Sexual Abuse of a Minor, issued in the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. Finally, in 2018 Scott corresponded with multiple juvenile females online. One of those children was Jane Doe 1. A law enforcement investigation stemming from Jane Doe 1’s disclosure led to a search warrant of Scott’s Snapchat account and the discovery of his interest in juvenile females. Sexually explicit images of Jane Doe 2 were discovered on Scott’s Snapchat account. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI. 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 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 Justice.gov/PSC . XXX


title: Broken Bow Man Sentenced to 10 years in Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Reyes Ernesto Garcia-Urquizo, 38, of Broken Bow, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 11, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for Conspiracy to Distribute 500 grams or more of Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Garcia-Urquizo to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Garcia-Urquizo’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. However, he is also subject to immigration proceedings and faces deportation, having previously been found to be illegally in the United States. In late 2023, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and investigators with the CODE Drug Task Force discovered information about a subject picking up methamphetamine “in the middle of nowhere” and that the source of this methamphetamine was a Hispanic male in his late 30s or early 40s located in Broken Bow. In early 2024, CODE investigators would receive an anonymous tip that two Dawson County residents were distributing large amounts of methamphetamine that they received from a source located in Broken Bow. CODE investigators began investigating the Dawson County subjects and observed that they were frequently leaving town in their vehicles and then returning and going to residences in Lexington that belonged to known drug users or areas of reported drug activity. CODE then began conducting controlled buys. During one buy, the target advised he did not have methamphetamine with him and would be traveling to Broken Bow to get more. Investigators were able to conduct surveillance and ultimately identified Garcia-Urquizo as the likely source in Broken Bow. Through law enforcement investigation, the CODE investigators learned that an associate of Garcia-Urquizo would contact him and then meet up with Garcia-Urquizo at a rural intersection before returning to their respective places. Investigators learned Garcia-Urquizo’s source and found he traveled to a specific location in Colorado to pick up his methamphetamine at a known drop location for methamphetamine brought directly from Mexico. These cases were investigated by the CODE Task Force which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes federal partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, Nebraska State Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, North Platte Police Department, Lexington Police Department, and Army National Guard Counter Drug Unit. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Omaha Gang Member Sentenced to 220 Months for Fentanyl and Firearm Crimes

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Clifford Wright III, 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 10, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Wright to a total of 197 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Wright’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Chief Judge Rossiter also sentenced Wright to a consecutive 23 months’ imprisonment for violating his supervised release from a 2021 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. A jury convicted Wright of the three charges on June 6, 2025, after a seven-day trial. The evidence at trial established Wright, a documented member of the 29th Street Bloods in Omaha, who was observed on surveillance footage at a crowded gas station in north Omaha on October 31, 2022, making apparent hand-to-hand drug transactions from his vehicle. Shots erupted toward the crowded parking lot from across the street and Wright exited his vehicle holding a handgun, but his handgun appeared to malfunction or not fire. Omaha police identified Wright based upon prior investigations and their knowledge of Wright as a gang member. Wright has two prior convictions in federal court for illegal firearm possession, including the conviction for which he was on supervised release at the time. Wright was arrested on November 2, 2022. A search of a safe belonging to Wright pursuant to a warrant uncovered approximately 850 fentanyl pills and three loaded handguns, including a 9mm handgun that was visually consistent with the handgun Wright tried to fire at the gas station on October 31, 2022. The 9mm was the only handgun from the safe that had a round in the chamber. Two of the handguns had been reported stolen, including one stolen from the inventory of a federal firearms licensee in Omaha during a burglary. Review of extracted data from Wright’s cell phone showed that he had been dealing drugs dating back to February 2022, the month after he was most recently released from federal prison. Wright appeared to also be selling cocaine, ecstasy pills, and marijuana, based upon his text messages. This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also testified as a firearms expert at trial. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: North Platte Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

body_text: United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Michael W. Stroble, 32, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 11, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln for one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine actual. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Stroble to 138 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Stroble’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Between July 2022 and February 2023, Joey Romero, Jamie Hopkins, Michael Stroble, Luke Schwartz, and others conspired to sell methamphetamine in and around North Platte. The group was responsible for the distribution of pounds of methamphetamine and was subject to multiple controlled buys, search warrants, and arrests. By January 2023, Stroble and Hopkins were dating, living together, and selling methamphetamine together. On January 17, 2023, a controlled buy of 48 grams of methamphetamine from Schwartz and Stroble occurred less than half a mile from Hopkin’s home. On January 30, 2023, another controlled buy of 36 grams of methamphetamine from Hopkins and Stroble occurred at Hopkins’s home. A search warrant was served on Hopkins’s residence in North Platte on February 7, 2023. During the search, law enforcement found multiple baggies of methamphetamine to include on a nightstand, a bed, Hopkins’s purse, on the floor, and in the toilet. Law enforcement also found two bongs, 29 pills, owe notes, three scales, spoons with residue, 224 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a box of Winchester .380 ammunition with 23 rounds in it, and empty baggies in the house. Stroble’s co-defendants were sentenced in 2024. Schwartz was sentenced on September 5, 2024, to 120 months’ imprisonment; Hopkins was sentenced on October 17, 2024, to 120 months’ imprisonment; and Romero was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 120 months’ imprisonment. This case was investigated by the CODE Task Force which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Ogallala Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.


title: Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Ryan Keith Bailey, 47, of Beaver, was sentenced today to one year and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,134,900 in restitution for theft of government money. Bailey obtained $2,166,517.40 in loans through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for his business and instead converted nearly all the proceeds for his personal use. According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 20, 2020, Bailey applied for a $166,517.40 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan available under the CARES Act on behalf of his business, RKB Inc. Guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA), PPP loans were a source of emergency financial assistance provided by the CARES Act to Americans suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey certified that he would use the PPP loan proceeds only for permissible expenses, specifically to maintain payroll and cover mortgage interest, lease, and utility costs. Bailey’s PPP loan application was approved and $166,517.40 was deposited into the RKB Inc. business checking account on May 1, 2020. Between May 1 and May 19, 2020, Bailey transferred $160,000 of the PP loan proceeds to his personal bank accounts and a personal brokerage account, using those proceeds for his personal benefit. As part of his guilty plea, Bailey admitted that his certification was false and that only $6,517.00 of the PPP loan proceeds were spent for RKB Inc.’s legitimate business expenses. Loan forgiveness was allowed under the PPP program when proceeds went solely to eligible purposes. On November 30, 2020, Bailey falsely certified that the PPP loan proceeds were used only on permissible expenses when he applied to have RKB Inc.’s loan forgiven. The SBA ultimately forgave $157,456.50 of the $166,517.40 PPP loan for RKB Inc. Bailey also admitted to relevant criminal conduct as part of his guilty plea. Bailey obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for RKB Inc. from the SBA on January 6, 2021, and later successfully applied several times to increase its amount from $150,000 to the maximum allowable amount of $2,000,000. The CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDL program loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bailey admitted that he transferred over $1,974,900 of the EIDL proceeds to his personal bank accounts, his personal brokerage account, and a cryptocurrency exchange platform for his own personal benefit. Bailey paid $192,000 of the court-ordered restitution in advance of today’s sentencing. The United States has also frozen assets of Bailey totaling $1,348,249.81. “This defendant stole more than $2.1 million in taxpayer funds for his own personal benefit. Today’s sentence shows that this office will use all available means to bring those who commit such crimes to justice and recover their fraudulent gains,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “Prosecuting these schemes protects the contributions of hard-working Americans, preserves confidence in government relief programs, and ensures that aid from those programs reaches those who truly need it. I commend the excellent investigative work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the United States Secret Service, the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU), and since-retired Litigation Financial Analyst Steve Rowley from this office.” NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations. Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes prosecuted the case with assistance from Asset Forfeiture Assistant United States Attorney Justin Marlowe. Bailey’s brother, Ross Jay Bailey, 50, of Cool Ridge, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to theft of government money. Ross Jay Bailey obtained a $2 million loan through the CARES Act for his business and instead converted at least $1.4 million of the proceeds for his personal enrichment. Ross Jay Bailey is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12, 2025. Mark William Bailey, 53, of Beckley and a cousin of Ross Jay Bailey and Ryan Keith Bailey, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2023, to theft of government monies, admitting he stole approximately $451,237.51 in SBA loans he obtained through the CARES Act. On October 25, 2024, Mark William Bailey was sentenced to five years of federal probation, including one year on home detention, and paid $451,237.51 in restitution and an additional $451,237.98 as a civil penalty to settle False Claims Act allegations. 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 Nos. 5:24-cr-106. ###


title: Two San Fernando Valley Men Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging They Exported $611 Million of Electronics Obtained by Fraud

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Two San Fernando Valley men were arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging them with running a Van Nuys-based company that exported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of consumer electronics and gift cards, nearly all derived from criminal activities such as identity theft, credit card theft, and fraud. Saman Delafraz, 32, of Woodland Hills, and Benjamin Daneshgar, 34, of Studio City, are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. They are expected to make their initial appearances tomorrow in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Delafraz and Daneshgar owned and operated Wireless World, a company that operates from warehouses in Van Nuys and New Castle, Delaware. Wireless World uses these locations to aggregate electronics before shipping them out of the United States. Since 2019, Wireless World has exported more than $611 million in electronics from the United States, nearly all of which law enforcement believes to be crime proceeds. In addition, and pursuant to federal warrants, the Van Nuys and Delaware warehouses and Delafraz’s residence were searched today, and Wireless World’s bank accounts were seized. Delafraz and Daneshgar procured electronics and gift cards from many illicit sources, including Blade Bai, 37, of El Monte, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 of federal money laundering charges. Bai sold electronics and gift cards to Wireless World and those items were largely derived from telephone scams in which victims were duped into buying and providing gift cards numbers over the phone. Those gift cards then were used to buy electronics and laundered into new gift cards to conceal the source of the funds. Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, 58, a.k.a. “Parcero,” of Canyon Country, also sold electronics and gift cards to Wireless World, which he provided the company from December 2018 to August 2024. Thola is in federal custody and charged in a separate federal criminal case with acting as a coordinator and fence for South American crime tourism groups and other individuals who obtained electronics and gift cards using illegal means, including stolen bank cards. Thola and several other defendants are scheduled to go to trial in January 2026. Delafraz and Daneshgar also acquired electronics directly themselves through fraud. They bought electronics from Best Buy, The Home Depot, and other retailers using gift cards loaded with fraud proceeds – primarily via stolen credit cards. Those electronics often were shipped directly to the Wireless World warehouse or to mailboxes the defendants controlled. A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are investigating this matter. The Los Angeles Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department (Georgia) provided significant assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section and Assistant United States Attorney Ryan J. Waters of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.


title: Queens Man Pleads Guilty To Participating In A Conspiracy To Act As An Illegal Agent Of The Chinese Government In The United States

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced today that YUANJUN TANG, a naturalized citizen of the United States and resident of Flushing, Queens, pled guilty to conspiring to act in the United States as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl. TANG will be sentenced on January 29, 2026. “For years, Yuanjun Tang abused the trust he had gained among pro-democracy activists in New York City and around the United States by secretly accepting tasks from Chinese intelligence officers and reporting on persons of interest to the PRC and events conducted in support of democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Tang’s covert operations violated our nation’s sovereignty and threatened the security of New Yorkers exercising their fundamental rights to free speech and free association. Tang’s plea today illustrates our profound commitment to protecting American ideals from malign foreign influence.” “Today, Yuanjun Tang admitted that, for years, he willingly acted on orders of the Chinese government to report on the constitutionally protected activities of US-based Chinese dissidents,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “Tang's betrayal of the ideals of the US to help the Chinese government repress pro-democracy activists goes against the very values he claimed to promote. The FBI will continue to defend the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and bring to justice anyone willing to break the law by illegally acting on behalf of a hostile foreign nation.” As alleged in public court filings, statements at public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case: TANG is a former PRC citizen who was imprisoned in the PRC for his activities as a dissident opposing the one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”), the PRC’s sole ruling party, including during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. In 2002, TANG defected to Taiwan, and he was subsequently granted political asylum in the U.S. He has since resided continuously in New York City, where he has regularly participated in events with fellow PRC dissidents and leads a nonprofit dedicated to promoting democracy in China. Between at least 2018 and June 2023, TANG acted in the U.S. as an agent of the PRC by gathering information and completing tasks at the direction of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (“MSS”), which is the PRC’s principal civilian intelligence agency. The MSS is responsible for, among other things, the PRC’s foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, espionage, and political security functions. Specifically, TANG regularly received instructions from and reported to an MSS intelligence officer regarding individuals and groups viewed by the PRC as potentially adverse to the PRC’s interests, including prominent U.S.-based Chinese democracy activists and dissidents. This included providing the MSS information about specific individuals identified by the MSS as persons of interest, as well as naming, photographing, and recording individuals participating in pro-democracy activities in the U.S. TANG provided the MSS a range of additional information, such as contact information belonging to immigration lawyers based in New York City and details about the process for gaining political asylum in the U.S. TANG accepted monetary payments for his work and traveled at least three times to Macau and mainland China for face-to-face meetings with MSS intelligence officers, during which he submitted to polygraphs and questioning. During one of these meetings, he allowed the MSS to install an application on one of his cellphones to facilitate the instantaneous transmission of photographs and other information from his phone to the MSS and accepted a laptop for use in communicating with the MSS. TANG used a large number of electronic devices and online services to collect or transmit information on behalf of the MSS. Law enforcement agents recovered specific instructions TANG received from the MSS, including via encrypted methods, as well as photographs, videos, and documents that TANG collected or created for transmission to the MSS. TANG not only provided the MSS information about specific individuals and events but also helped the MSS infiltrate a group chat on an encrypted messaging application used by numerous U.S.-based PRC dissidents and pro-democracy activists to communicate about pro-democracy issues and express criticism of the PRC government. * * * TANG, 68, of Flushing, Queens, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, and thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, for its assistance. This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Yumi Chong is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Sean O’Dowd of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.


title: Henderson Man Indicted For Illegal Smuggling And Distribution Of Erectile Dysfunction Prescription Drugs Under Brand Names "Kinky Kong," "Kinky Pink," "Stif," Tbone," And "Ride"

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: Note: A previous version of this release included a link to a form to report suspected criminal activity related to FDA-regulated products. This has been updated to direct the public to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Public Dashboard. LAS VEGAS – A Henderson, Nevada, resident made his initial appearance in court on September 10, 2025, to face charges for allegedly smuggling misbranded prescription drugs containing sildenafil and tadalafil, the active ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs Viagra and Cialis, into the United States. According to allegations in the indictment, David Ralph Webber then sold the drugs to smoke shops, convenience stores, and adult novelty stores, as well as directly to consumers through his website, under brand names “Kinky Kong,” “Kinky Pink,” “Stif,” “Tbone,” and “Ride.” “Americans depend on the FDA to ensure that drugs are safe and accurately labeled,” said FDA Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s announcement illustrates our ongoing emphasis on holding accountable people who circumvent federal regulations and jeopardize public health.” A federal grand jury indicted Webber on July 30, 2025, with one count of introduction of a misbranded drug into interstate commerce, four counts of wholesale distribution of prescription drugs without a license, and seven counts of smuggling. According to allegations contained in court documents and statements made in court, Webber owned and operated two Nevada companies: Passion Plus Enterprises Inc. and Whole Science Health. He was not a registered pharmaceutical manufacturer with the FDA, nor was he licensed to administer prescription drugs or as a wholesaler of prescription drugs. As alleged, from at least 2018 to present, Webber purchased hundreds of thousands of capsules containing sildenafil and tadalafil—the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis—from manufacturers in India. Once Webber received the products, he allegedly distributed them in Nevada and throughout the southwestern United States, including to third-party stores and directly to consumers. According to allegations contained in the indictment, these products have potentially harmful effects if not properly administered by a licensed practitioner. This is particularly true for persons on heart and/or blood-thinning medications. As part of the scheme, Webber allegedly paid a packaging company to list false ingredients and false claims that the drugs were “100% Natural” and did not require a prescription. It is alleged that many, if not most, consumers were not aware they were taking prescription medicines containing the same active ingredients as Viagra and Cialis. A jury trial is set for November 18, 2025, before United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. Iwanicki of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FDA and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Jean Ripley is prosecuting the case. If you or someone you know has taken these products and/or suffered adverse health effects as a result of these products, please contact investigators at https://www.fda.gov/drugs/fdas-adverse-event-reporting-system-faers/fda-adverse-event-reporting-system-faers-public-dashboard . An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ###


title: Tips to NCMEC CyberTipline Lead to 20-Year Sentence for Lewiston Man Who Possessed, Distributed Child Pornography

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Harold Clayton III , 35, to 20 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Clayton pleaded guilty on March 26, 2025. According to court records, in June 2022, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSPCCU) received two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and traced the identified phone number to Clayton. In September 2022, MSPCCU and the Lewiston Police Department executed a search warrant at Clayton’s residence. A cell phone and laptop seized from Clayton and the residence contained multiple images and videos of children, some as young as toddlers, being sexually abused by adult men. The cell phone also contained Telegram Messenger communications in which Clayton distributed such images and videos. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and MSPCCU investigated the case with assistance from the Lewiston Police Department. “HSI commends the reporting of this heinous abuse of children to the CyberTip line, enabling law enforcement to take action and make sure Harold Clayton faced the full weight of justice,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “It is critically important the public join us in this fight against online child sexual exploitation by reporting suspicious activity. Together, we can protect and safeguard our children.” To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, NCMEC received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678 . If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741 . Project Safe Childhood: 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 Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc . ###


title: Topsham Man Sentenced for Firearm Charges Stemming from Brunswick Burglary

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Topsham man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of firearms and possessing stolen firearms. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Christopher Tucker , 34, to 75 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Tucker pleaded guilty on March 19, 2025. According to court records, in May 2024, officers from the Brunswick Police Department responded to a citizen’s report of suspicious activity at a nearby residence. Responding officers found that the door of the residence’s garage was open and cabinets inside appeared to have been pried open, with ammunition scattered on the floor. Officers located a vehicle matching the description provided by the reporting witness. Tucker, the owner and only occupant of the vehicle, fled on foot. After a brief manhunt, he was located and arrested. Officers subsequently recovered 20 firearms from his vehicle, all of which had been stolen from inside the Brunswick residence. Tucker was prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. Project Safe Neighborhoods : This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn . ###


title: Oneida County Man Charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Receipt of Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – John Secor, Jr., age 44, of Rome, New York, appeared in federal court on Friday on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The complaint filed against Secor, Jr. alleges that beginning in or about May 2025, Secor Jr. began chatting online with a 16-year-old girl. Secor Jr.’s chats with the child quicky became sexual in nature with Secor Jr. requesting that the child create sexually explicit images and videos of herself for him, which she did. The complaint also alleges that on least one occasion Secor Jr. attempted to arrange a meeting with the child during which Secor Jr. planned to engage in sex acts with the child. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. Secor, Jr. is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The receipt charge filed against Secor, Jr. carries a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison and a maximum term of 20 years. The exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of 30 years. Both charges carry a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release between 5 years and life. Secor, Jr. would also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Secor Jr. was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric and ordered detained pending further proceedings. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated, “We thank HSI and the NYSP for their tireless work in this case that, once again, resulted in a dangerous sexual predator facing justice and a child saved from unspeakable horrors. The defendant’s conduct as alleged in the complaint is disgusting and despicable and my office will make sure he is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. He is also detained pending trial, which would not have happened had he been charged in a local court thanks to the bail ‘reform’ that has been plaguing New York State for eight years and counting.” Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Buffalo Field Office, stated, “These allegations represent some of the most reprehensible crimes imaginable, preying on the innocence of a child. HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting our communities by leveraging our investigative expertise and partnerships to bring predators like this to justice. We will continue to work tirelessly with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure those who exploit children are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Anyone involved in child pornography, promoting the acts of child predators, or performing predatory acts against children must understand that such crimes will not be tolerated. Through the partnership among members of the United States Attorney’s Office and the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations we were able to gather the necessary evidence and bring charges against Mr. Secor. The charges send a clear message as to the severity of the alleged crimes and our diligence in finding justice for the victims.” HSI and NYSP are investigating this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Florida Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Firearm Offense

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Akeem Davis, age 31, of Brandon, Florida, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), made the announcement. As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Davis admitted that he drove from Florida to Latham, New York, to sell a privately manufactured firearm—often referred to as a “ghost gun”— styled as a sub-machine gun in exchange for $1,200. Davis could not legally possess the firearm as he had been previously convicted of a Kansas state felony drug charge. Davis also offered to sell machine gun conversion devices and firearm silencers. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Akeem Davis, a convicted drug felon, traveled across state lines to peddle a highly dangerous ‘ghost gun’—a firearm that has no serial number and is virtually untraceable. His actions, fueled by blatant disregard for the law, are a reminder that this office will not tolerate felons who attempt to flood our streets with illegal, unregulated weapons. We will relentlessly pursue and prosecute individuals like Davis, using every available legal tool to ensure they face the full weight of the law. Our commitment to public safety is unwavering, and we will continue to dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities.” ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller stated:“Those who traffic in illegal firearms — including machine guns and silencers — will be held accountable. These weapons pose a serious threat to our communities, and we remain committed to working with our federal and local partners to disrupt this kind of dangerous criminal activity.” United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 2-year term of post-release supervision. ATF investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Paulbeck prosecuted this case. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn .


title: Three More Plead Guilty In 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Fraud Case

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: LYNCHBURG, Va. – Three former employees of 1 st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare, including the director of nursing, pled guilty today to healthcare fraud and misprision charges. Shekita Gore, a.k.a. Shekita Steele, 38, of Clinton, Maryland, and Eno Utuk, 47, of Stafford, Virginia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. At sentencing, both defendants face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Elizabeth Ilome, 41, also of Stafford, Virginia, pled guilty today to misprision of a felony. Ilome faces a maximum possible penalty of 3 years in prison. In recent weeks, Carolyn Bryant-Taylor, 61, of Clinton, Maryland, Kafomdi “Josephine” Okocha, 49, and Samuel Okocha, 52, both of Upper Marlboro, Maryland all pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to court documents, Bryant-Taylor, Josephine Okocha, and Samuel Okocha were owners and operators of 1st Adult N Pediatric Healthcare Service, a Medicaid-enrolled home health agency providing private duty nursing, personal care, and respite care services throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, including in the Western District of Virginia. Gore was the director of nursing, while Utuk and Ilome were employed by 1st Adult to provide nursing and personal care. The defendants conspired to submit false claims to Medicaid for services that were not provided to patients, including falsifying records and documentation in support of the fraudulent claims submitted for reimbursement. Gore admitted to filling out blank nursing notes to support the nursing services that 1 st Adult billed Medicaid for but were not provided. As part of this scheme, between 2017 and 2023, Bryant-Taylor and her co-defendant, Josephine Okocha, planned arrangements to pay the parents or guardians of patients in exchange for blank, signed nursing notes which would be filled out and used to support billing to Medicaid. In these arrangements, the amount billed to Medicaid either reflected nursing services that were not provided at all, or an amount of nursing services that was in excess of what was provided. Utuk and Ilome both worked to provide personal care to patients. They admitted to paying cash to the family members of those they provided care in exchange for signing blank nursing notes that would be used to bill Medicaid for skilled nursing services and personal care services that were not actually provided. Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Farina of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case, with assistance from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Jones and Laura Taylor, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, are prosecuting the case.


title: Iowa City Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Ammunition as a Felon

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to public court documents, in May 2024, Alfred Washington, Jr., 46, possessed ammunition as a felon. A receipt for shooting accessories was found during the search warrant at Washington’s Iowa City residence and videos showing Washington at a gun range were found on Washington’s phone. Washington is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because he is felon, including a 2018 conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon and domestic abuser in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. After completing his term of imprisonment, Washington will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Davenport Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography While on Federal Supervised Release

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography. According to public court documents, David Anthony Tumea, 44, resided at a residential reentry center as a term of his federal supervised release resulting from a 2014 conviction for possessing an unregistered firearm and possessing ammunition as a felon. Residential Reentry Center staff located four flash drives inside Tumea’s hat when he entered the facility, which led to searches of Tumea’s vehicle and room where additional storage devices and a cell phone located. A total of 27 devices were seized from Tumea and multiple devices were found to contain child sexual abuse material. After completing his term of imprisonment, Tumea will be required to serve a ten-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Tumea was also ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution. Tumea’s supervised release for his prior federal conviction was revoked and the Court sentenced Tumea to 18 months imprisonment, consecutive to the 87-month sentence. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Scott County Sheriff's Office. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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: Muscatine Man Sentenced to 58 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon While on Federal Supervised Release

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Muscatine man was sentenced to 58 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. According to public court documents, in May 2024, Robert Owen Knapp, III, 33, fled on foot armed with a pistol, following an attempted traffic stop. Knapp was apprehended and had a pistol in his hand. At the time, Knapp was on federal supervised release due to a 2017 conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. After completing his term of imprisonment, Knapp will be required to serve a four-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Knapp’s supervised release for his prior federal conviction was revoked and the Court sentenced Knapp to a nine-month term of imprisonment, consecutive to the 58-month sentence. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Enterprise, Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Conspiracy Involving Shipments from California

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, AL – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced today that 35-year-old James Walker, of Enterprise, Alabama, has been sentenced to 43 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Walker pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced on September 16, 2025. Following his prison term, Walker will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court records and Walker’s plea agreement, the investigation began in March 2023 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service began investigating a drug-trafficking network moving fentanyl from California to Alabama. Investigators determined that Walker conspired with others, including 33-year-old Shanarion Lee of La Mesa, California, and 32-year-old Hillary Lewis of Lemon Grove, California, to ship controlled substances to multiple addresses in the Middle District of Alabama. Throughout 2023 and 2024, federal agents intercepted several packages containing counterfeit pills made to resemble oxycodone tablets. Laboratory testing confirmed that the pills contained fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid. On June 4, 2025, Walker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Lee and Lewis also pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges earlier this year. Lee was previously sentenced to 46 months in prison, while Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025. The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Enterprise Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Paul Markovits prosecuted the case.


title: Texas Man Sentenced to More than 17 Years in Prison for Kidnapping a Toddler

component: USAO - Alabama, Northern

body_text: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Texas man has been sentenced for conspiring to kidnap a toddler, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Steven Andrew Holguin, 42, of El Paso, Texas, to 210 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release. In April, Holguin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping. According to the plea agreement, on November 4, 2021, a police officer with the Birmingham Police Department responded to a call at a residence in Birmingham regarding the kidnapping of a three-year-old female from the residence. Holguin and his co-conspirator, Elis Salgado-Galindo, kidnapped the toddler with the intent of taking her to her father, who lives in Honduras. With Holguin’s assistance, Salgado-Galindo grabbed the toddler and fled the residence. An Amber Alert was issued and law enforcement along the Alabama/Mississippi state line were provided the description of the vehicle, toddler, and suspects. That same evening, deputies with the Rankin County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the description of Holguin’s vehicle. Deputies instructed Holguin, who was the driver of the vehicle, to exit the vehicle and walk back to the officer’s vehicle. Deputies then removed the other individuals from the vehicle, including the toddler. A deputy recognized the toddler from the Amber Alert and sent a picture of her to a detective with the Birmingham Police Department. The detective showed the picture to the toddler’s mother, who confirmed that it was her daughter. Both men were immediately taken into custody, and the toddler was safely returned to her mother. Holguin was previously convicted in 2020 in the United States District Court in the Western District of Texas for conspiracy to transport aliens. He was sentenced to six months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. In December 2023, Elis Salgado-Galindo, a citizen of Mexico, was also charged in federal court with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. On December 14, 2021, Salgado-Galindo was released from state custody on a bond, placed into ICE custody, and deported. A federal warrant for his arrests remains outstanding. Homeland Security Investigations, Birmingham, investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Pearl Mississippi Police Department, and the Rankin County Mississippi Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.


title: Honduran Nationals Extradited to the United States to Face Federal Fentanyl Trafficking Charges

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.— Two Honduran nationals were extradited from Honduras to the United States to face charges for their roles in conspiring to distribute fentanyl in Oregon. Teodoro Rodas Dubon, 32, and Erick Yojan Lopez Miralda, 38, made their initial appearances in federal court in Portland today. According to court documents, special agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) learned that beginning in 2022, Rodas Dubon directed and controlled the distribution of bulk quantities of fentanyl throughout the Portland area. Following law enforcement actions against Rodas Dubon’s drug trafficking organization, Rodas Dubon returned to Honduras where he resumed coordinating the distribution of fentanyl throughout the Portland area. On February 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Rodas Dubon with conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Additional court documents revealed Lopez-Miralda separately ran a fentanyl distribution cell operating in the Portland area in 2023. Following a multi-kilogram seizure of fentanyl, Lopez Miralda returned to Honduras. On April 3, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Lopez Miralda with conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Rodas Dubon and Lopez Miralda were both arrested by Honduran authorities pursuant to provisional arrest warrants in January 2025. On September 15, 2025, both defendants were extradited to the United States to face federal charges in the District of Oregon. Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were each arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin in November 2025. “Rodas Dubon and Lopez Miralda’s extraditions to the District of Oregon send a critical message: the United States will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those involved in trafficking fentanyl,” said United States Attorney Scott E. Bradford. “These cases reinforce our commitment to holding all individuals involved in illicit drug operations accountable for the devastating impact they’ve had in Oregon. I extend my gratitude to our federal and state partners and the Honduran authorities for their dedicated efforts in investigating, interdicting, and apprehending those involved, especially for the arrests and extraditions of Rodas Dubon and Lopez Miralda.” “The Drug Enforcement Administration and our partners will aggressively pursue threats like these no matter where they come from,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Mr. Rodas Dubon and Mr. Lopez Miralda are accused of serious crimes in the United States and we look forward to seeking justice in Oregon.” These cases were investigated by the DEA with assistance from the DEA Tegucigalpa, Honduras Country Office, the Tigard Police Department, the Sherwood Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team. It is being prosecuted by Paul T. Maloney, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Honduran authorities to secure the defendants’ arrests and extraditions from Honduras. 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Minnesota Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Harboring Fugitive

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A Minnesota man who harbored and concealed a fugitive in 2022 was sentenced today to nine months in federal prison. Jay Anthony Tapper, age 57, from Rosemount, Minnesota, received the prison term after a May 13, 2025, guilty plea to one count of harboring a fugitive. At his plea and sentencing hearings, it was established that, in August and September of 2022, Tapper knew there was a federal warrant outstanding for the arrest of Mary Kate Nguyen. Tapper booked hotels for Nguyen in his own name, bought her a camper in which to stay, and served as a lookout during a meeting with a potential fraud victim. Tapper intended to prevent Nguyen’s discovery and arrest on then-pending felony charges. During the time Nguyen was on the lam in 2022, Tapper and Nguyen submitted the winning $1.3 million bid to purchase the former U.S. Courthouse in Bemidji, Minnesota. Tapper later continued to have telephone calls with Nguyen while she was incarcerated, helping her with financial transactions. U.S. Marshals ultimately arrested Nguyen, and she was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment on fraud and contempt charges in January 2025. Tapper also admitted he made false statements to, and withheld documents from, a grand jury that was investigating Nguyen for financial crimes in 2022. Tapper was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Tapper was sentenced to 9 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Tapper was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-Special Enforcement Operations Bureau. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Woodbury (Minnesota) Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, and Iowa Division of Intelligence assisted in the investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file numbers are 25-CR-4024 (Tapper) and 21-CR-3037 (Nguyen). Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Theodore Man Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison for Trafficking Illegal Machinegun-Conversion Devices

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Theodore man was sentenced to nine months in prison for trafficking illegal machinegun-conversion devices. According to court documents, Bryan Figueroa Guzman, 29, was recorded on three occasions in early 2025 selling, purchasing, and possessing illegal machinegun-conversion devices (“MCDs”), commonly referred to as “Glock switches.” On January 20, 2025, Guzman sold two MCDs to a cooperating informant for $600. Later, on March 6, 2025, sold another MCD to the informant for $300. Finally, on March 14, 2025, Guzman purchased 20 MCDs from an informant and an undercover federal agent. When agents arrested Guzman, he was beginning to install one of the 20 MCDs on a Glock firearm that he had brought with him to the transaction. In addition to the nine-month prison term, Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Guzman to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Guzman to pay $100 in special assessments. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Jessica Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Bryan County Resident Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearm Offense

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Justin Eagle Chambers, age 39, of Colbert, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession of Firearm & Ammunition by Prohibited Person, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine. The Indictment alleged that on March 26, 2025, Chambers knowingly possessed a pistol and ammunition after a hearing in which he received actual notice of being subject to a court order restraining him from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner, or engaging in other conduct that would place an intimate partner in reasonable fear of bodily injury, and which by its terms explicitly prohibited the use, attempted use, or threatened used of physical force. The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Achille Police Department. The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Chambers will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.


title: Southwest Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Georgia, Middle

body_text: ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia man, who volunteered with local youth and worked on a college campus, admitted in federal court to distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online and is facing up to 20 years in prison for his crime. Andrew Brent Darbyshire, 45, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography, also known as child sexual assault material (CSAM), before Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner on September 10, 2025. Darbyshire faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment to be followed by a minimum of five years up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Darbyshire will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. His sentencing date is currently set for Jan. 8, 2026. “It is deeply disturbing whenever adults who work or volunteer with young people are found to be possessing or distributing child sexual abuse material,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “We are dedicated to seeking justice for victims of child exploitation and holding predators accountable for their crimes.” “This case highlights the relentless dedication of Homeland Security Investigations to protecting children from those who exploit their innocence. The actions of this individual are a betrayal of trust and a grave violation of the safety and well-being of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue predators who engage in these horrific crimes and ensure they are held accountable. Let this serve as a stark reminder: no matter where you hide or how you operate, HSI will find you, and justice will prevail.” According to court documents and statements referenced in court, federal investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Tacoma, Washington, discovered an online account which was controlled by a suspect in a separate child exploitation case in February 2024. The website contained various sub-channels based on categories of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). By May 2024, the website had about 658 members and approximately 5,700 files of child pornography being actively shared throughout the channel and sub-channels. One of the active members had a username “@teen_lover21.” HSI Tacoma tracked down the IP address, internet provider and phone number for the username, which turned out to be Darbyshire. As a result, in November 2024, HSI Tacoma reached out to HSI Atlanta’s Child Exploitation and Cyber Investigations Group (CECIG) about Darbyshire. Investigators learned Darbyshire worked at Albany State University (ASU) in maintenance and was involved in local organizations, including volunteering at a local high school and Boy Scouts. On Nov. 25, 2024, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant of his residence, seizing two cell phones. One cell phone contained 112 images and 195 videos of CSAM depicting prepubescent females between the ages of three and ten years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adult males. The other phone had various social media links, including the website investigated by HSI. That phone also contained about 945 images and 22 videos of prepubescent females between the ages of three and ten years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adult males. Darbyshire received and shared CSAM on the website and, specifically to this case, he distributed a digital media file that depicted prepubescent females engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The case was investigated by HSI Atlanta’s Child Exploitation and Cyber Investigations Group (CECIG) with assistance from HSI Tacoma, Washington, and the Washington State Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Lim is prosecuting the case for the Government.


title: Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 4 ½ Years in Federal Prison  for Possessing Ammunition as a Felon

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on September 8, 2025. Lamont Victor Garrett, 52, was sentenced to four 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. Garrett was indicted for Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He was found guilty by a jury on June 11, 2025. Garrett possessed ammunition in his residence in Sioux Falls on August 21, 2024. The ammunition was discovered when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence. Garrett is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his previous felony convictions. This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Garrett was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Meridian Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

component: Department of Justice

body_text: Jackson, MS – A Meridian man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, September 2nd in federal court to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 28, 2023, Jimmy Hodges, 40, was identified by East Mississippi Drug Task Force members as a distributor of narcotics in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Officers determined that Jimmy Hodges sold methamphetamine on multiple occasions in the district. While executing a search warrant of his home, law enforcement discovered that the home was outfitted with an internal barricade, surveillance system, and delivery door for drug sales along with quantities of methamphetamine and other drugs. Jimmy Hodges is scheduled to be sentenced on January 5, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson made the announcement. The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating the case with assistance from the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office and the East Mississippi Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Mexican National Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States for the Fourth Time

body_text: Jackson, MS - A Mexican national was sentenced to two years in federal prison today for illegally reentering the United States following multiple prior deportations. According to court documents and statements made in court, Francisco Rios-Munoz was found illegally present in Rankin, County, Mississippi on February 2, 2025, after having been previously removed from the United States three times. Rios-Munoz was encountered after being arrested by Rankin County Sheriff’s Department for aggravated assault. Rios-Munoz was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2025, and pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after removal of an alien on June 6, 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi; Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana made the announcement. The United States Department Homeland Security and the Rankin County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber S. Jones prosecuted the case. This case was investigated by the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America . HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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).


title: JAMAICAN CITIZEN PLEADS GUILTY TO ATTEMPTED ILLICIT SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jevan Antonio Miller, 28, a Jamaican citizen residing in Thomasville, Georgia, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I deeply appreciate the commitment of our state and federal law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue the offenders who seek to sexually exploit and victimize our children. It is one of my office’s top priorities to aggressively prosecute predators, like this defendant, who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our community – our children – and we will use the full force of the law to hold him accountable for his heinous crimes.” Court documents reflect that between April 10, 2025, and April 12, 2025, detectives of the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, along with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), participated in a joint undercover operation in Leon County focused on identifying individuals using the Internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, investigators identified Miller, an adult male who was soliciting an undercover detective, whom Miller thought was a 15-year-old girl, for sex through an online website. Miller believed he was going to be engaging in sexual activity with a minor when he drove from Thomasville, Georgia, to a meeting location in Tallahassee where he was intercepted by law enforcement and immediately arrested. Miller faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years’ imprisonment, a maximum of life imprisonment, followed by five years to life of supervision upon release. The case involved a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen. Sentencing is scheduled for November 20, 2025, at 11:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before United States District Mark E. Walker. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Neshoba County Man Found  Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

body_text: Jackson, MS – On September 10, 2025, following a three-day jury trial, a Neshoba County man was found guilty of second degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of the murder. Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office made the announcement. According to court documents, Brian Keith Bell, 56, of the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation used a handgun to shoot and kill another tribal member. In April of 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Bell on the charges of Murder in the Second Degree and the Use of a Firearm in a Crime of Violence. Honorable Daniel P. Jordan, III., United States District Judge, presided over the trial and scheduled Bell’s sentencing for November 14, 2025. Bell faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He is currently being held in federal custody. Acting United States Attorney Lemon commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Payne and Brian K. Burns.


title: Oconto County Hunting Guide Banned from Hunting for Illegal Bear Baiting

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 15, 2025, United States District Judge Byron B. Conway ordered Timothy J. Collar (age: 64) to pay a $3,000 fine and banned him from hunting for 12 months after Collar was convicted of illegal bear baiting on federal property. Collar is a bear hunting guide who commonly planned and guided hunts on federal property in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest in northern Oconto County, Wisconsin. Court records indicate that in preparation for the 2023 bear hunting season, Collar unlawfully placed numerous oversized plastic bait barrels in several locations in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest. The barrels were placed there for the purpose of baiting bear, and they were uncapped, close to public roads, and significantly oversized. Collar also damaged natural resources for the purpose of gaining access to the bait sites. The hunting ban will prevent Collar from hunting on federal property during the 2025 Wisconsin bear hunting season that runs from September 3, 2025, to October 7, 2025. This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the United States Forest Service. # # # For further information contact: Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero (414) 297-1700 Follow us on X


title: Luzerne County Man Sentenced To 180 Months In Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Brandon Christopher Heck, age 25, a resident of Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., for production of child pornography. According to the Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between July 26, 2023, and July 27, 2023, Heck communicated with a 7-year-old child via the Likee application. Over a twenty-four-hour period, Heck, who posed as a 14-year-old boy, directed the child to take and remit sexually explicit images of herself. A subsequent forensic review of Heck’s cellular device confirmed that in addition to producing child pornography, Heck distributed child pornography via Telegram throughout 2024. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Philadelphia Division. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . # # #


title: Tampa Man Indicted For Producing And Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Michael Antwohn Wilson (38, Tampa) with producing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted on all counts, Wilson faces a maximum penalty of 80 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Wilson that the United States intends to forfeit a camera, cellphone and SD cards, which are alleged to have been used in the commission of the offense. According to the indictment, on April 27 and February 23, 2023, Wilson produced and attempted to produce CSAM in the Middle District of Florida. From an unknown date until June 26, 2025, Wilson possessed CSAM, including material depicting minors under the age of 12. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .