component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A Florida woman, and dual U.S. and Colombian citizen, was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by, among other things, concealing tens of millions of dollars in undeclared foreign financial accounts, filing false tax returns, and evading taxes. The following is according to court documents: between 2010 and 2022, Gilda Rosenberg, 60, of Golden Beach, conspired with two family members to conceal from the IRS more than $90 million in assets and income held in undeclared bank accounts in Andorra, Israel, Panama, and Switzerland. Rosenberg’s family had maintained offshore accounts since the 1970s. By the late 1990s, Rosenberg — who was identified as an owner and an authorized signer on some of the accounts — knew that she and her family members had not disclosed their ownership of these foreign financial accounts to the U.S. government and that they had not paid any taxes on the income earned from the assets in those accounts as was required by law. Starting in the early 2000s, the family consolidated their assets at accounts with Credit Suisse in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Family members told Credit Suisse employees that they were U.S. persons and seeking to hide their assets from U.S. authorities. The assets remained at Credit Suisse until 2013, when Credit Suisse closed the accounts because the family members were U.S. persons. When Credit Suisse closed their accounts, the family moved their assets, which were typically titled in the names of nominee entities, to new accounts located at Bank Leumi in Israel, Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) and PKB Privat Bank SA in Switzerland, and an Andorran bank. Rosenberg was documented as the beneficial owner of accounts at UBP and the Andorran bank. She also signed false account opening documents that claimed she was a Colombian citizen and not a U.S. citizen. Rosenberg, as well as her relatives, did not file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBARS) disclosing their foreign financial accounts, as they were required to do. In addition, Rosenberg and her relatives continued to file false tax returns that omitted income generated by their offshore assets. In or about 2017, as part of a scheme to continue to evade their U.S. tax and reporting obligations, Rosenberg and the family members divided the family’s assets and signed documents to make it appear that Rosenberg and a relative gifted the offshore assets to another relative after he had renounced his U.S. citizenship. Rosenberg and her relatives then tried to covertly transfer assets to Rosenberg in the United States and to conceal their ongoing and historical tax evasion. To do so, Rosenberg and her relatives, among other things, created fake loan and investment documents to make it appear that transfers to and from Rosenberg were loans and business investments. From 2010 through 2017, Rosenberg filed false tax returns that did not report income she earned from assets in the account she concealed at UBP. For the 2009 through 2017 tax years, unreported income belonging to Rosenberg and two of her co-conspirators totaled more than $5.5 million, causing a tax loss of $1,927,342. Prior to her sentencing, Rosenberg had agreed to pay $1,927,342 in restitution to the IRS. She had also agreed to pay interest on the restitution. Separately, Rosenberg’s plea agreement required her to agree to pay a penalty of $5,857,045.50 to the IRS to resolve her civil liability for failing to file an FBAR. Rosenberg previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Texas to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to defraud the Army and Air Force Exchange Service by making and presenting false reports in order to avoid fully paying contractually required commissions. See United States v. Rosenberg , 4:24-cr-00062-ALM-AGD (E.D. Tex.). U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation’s International Tax & Financial Crimes Unit investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining important evidence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Litigation Counsel Mark Daly, as well as Trial Attorney Marissa Brodney of the Tax Division, prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-20005. ###


title: Sacramento Man Charged with Damaging Customs and Border Protection Vehicle

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: castillo_criminal_complaint.pdf SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A criminal complaint was filed today charging Jose Manuel Castillo Jr., 31, of Sacramento, with depredation of government property, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced. According to court documents, on July 17, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducted an operation at a Sacramento-area Home Depot store. During the operation, Castillo refused numerous commands to move away from law enforcement’s position and shouted obscenities at CBP agents as the agents were transferring arrested aliens to a van for transportation to immigration custody. Castillo was seen walking towards the SUV from the rear passenger side, and agents near the vehicle’s driver’s side heard a pop and a loud hissing noise. Castillo was seen walking away from the vehicle, and agents noticed the rear passenger side tire was punctured and completely flat. After being ordered to stop by law enforcement Castillo turned and ran away. After a short chase, agents caught Castillo and later searched him. In Castillo’s pants pocket, law enforcement found a folding pocketknife with a blade consistent with the width of the hole in the SUV’s tire. Castillo is not in custody and will appear for an initial hearing at a date and time chosen by the Court. This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If convicted, Castillo faces a maximum statutory penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Motel Shooting Leads to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Oklahoma City Man Who Illegally Possessed a Firearm and Methamphetamine

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – ANTJUAN LAMONT GAINES , 47, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 162 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to public record, on June 12, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to a motel on reports of a shooting. The victim told police that as she was attempting to leave the motel in her car, an individual she didn’t know, later identified as Gaines, shot at her several times from a separate vehicle. Nobody was injured as a result of the shooting. Officers executed a search warrant on Gaines’s room and seized more than 140 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm. Prior to this arrest, Gaines had been convicted of multiple felonies, including convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for larceny of a motor vehicle in case number CF-2006-479; assault and battery on a police officer and possession of a weapon in case number CF-2007-5284; and possession of methamphetamine and cocaine in case number CF-2011-2084. On September 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Gaines with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Gaines pleaded guilty on January 8, 2025, and admitted he possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a firearm despite his previous felony convictions. At the sentencing hearing on July 22, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Gaines to serve 162 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge DeGiusti noted the seriousness of the offense. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Laney Ellis prosecuted the case. SAUSA Ellis is an attorney with City of Oklahoma City whose position is funded by a federal Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) grant awarded to the City of Oklahoma City to enhance efforts to address and reduce violent crime. PSN is 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. This case is also part of “Operation Shots Fired,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of PSN, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Operation Shots Fired targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok . Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced for Re-Entry After Deportation

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally re-entering the United States after a prior removal. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Marvin Aguilar-Lopez , 24, to time served (approximately 4 months). Aguilar-Lopez pleaded guilty on May 29, 2025. According to court records, Old Orchard Beach police officers pulled over Aguilar-Lopez in March 2025 for a taillight violation. Aguilar-Lopez produced an invalid international license and told police he was from Guatemala. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the U.S. in 2023 and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the country. U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case. Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). ###


title: Santa Fe Woman Charged with Drug Distribution Resulting in Death

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Santa Fe woman has been charged by federal authorities in connection with a drug distribution case that resulted in a fatality. According to court documents, on October 6, 2023, Aimee Lamar , 34, distributed a mixture containing fentanyl and methamphetamine to an individual who died as a result of using the substance. Lamar is charged with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Lamar faces no less than 20 years and up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany DuChaussee and Louis Mattei are prosecuting the case. View the Indictment (Lamar).pdf An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Midwest City Man to Serve a Decade in Federal Prison after Pointing a Gun in Road Rage Incident, Shooting at a Home, and Other Incidents Threatening Violence with a Firearm

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – MARK RYAN JORDAN , 38, of Midwest City, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to public record, on October 28, 2024, a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) responded to a road rage incident. The reporting party told the deputy a man driving a truck, later identified as Jordan, followed her and her juvenile daughter, yelling, gesturing, and tailgating her vehicle near Broadway and Waterloo. Jordan followed the victims to a gas station, where he pulled out a firearm and pointed it at their vehicle. That same day, LCSO received another report that the defendant had stolen a shotgun and intended to get in a shootout with law enforcement. Public record further reflects that Jordan shot the bedroom window of a Midwest City home, then drove to the house of a family member of the homeowner in an attempt to find them. Officers with the Midwest City Police Department were waiting for Jordan at the family member’s house, and he was arrested soon after. In his vehicle, officers recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and several rounds of both live and spent ammunition. Prior to this arrest, Jordan had previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court that include domestic abuse by strangulation and domestic abuse – assault and battery in case number CF-2013-4060 and domestic abuse – assault and battery in case number CF-2016-170. On December 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Jordan with being a felon in possession of a firearm. On March 28, 2025, Jordan pleaded guilty and admitted he possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions. At the sentencing hearing on July 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Jordan to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the defendant’s escalating violence and the need to protect the public. This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Midwest City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Hutzell prosecuted the case. This case is part of “Operation 922” and Operation “Shots Fired,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. “Operation 922” prioritizes prosecution of federal firearms violations connected to domestic violence. “Shots Fired” targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok . Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Mexican National to Serve 14 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Reentry Into the U.S. Following Arrest for Assault and Battery of a Police Officer and Other Charges

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – JOSE REYES ZAMORA-DE LA TORRE , 33, of Mexico, has been sentenced to serve 14 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to public record, on January 16, 2025, Zamora-De La Torre was found to be knowingly within the United States after having previously been removed from the United States to Mexico on May 31, 2024. Zamora-De La Torre was encountered by immigration authorities after he was arrested on warrants related to state charges in Oklahoma County District Court for assault and battery upon a police officer, public intoxication, and obstruction of an officer in case number CF-2024-2332, and malicious injury to property of less than $1,000 in case number CF-2024-1809, crimes for which he has since been convicted. On February 28, 2025, Zamora-De La Torre was charged with illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal. Zamora-De La Torre pleaded guilty on April 4, 2025, and admitted he knowingly reentered the United States without proper consent. At the sentencing hearing on July 22, 2025, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Zamora-De La Torre to serve 14 months in federal prison. In announcing his sentence, Judge Russell noted the sentence was warranted because, while in the U.S. illegally, Zamora-De La Torre engaged in other criminal conduct for which he was convicted in state court. This case is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly prosecuted the case. 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. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: South Carolina Man Sentenced to Federal Prison in Connection With $1.4 Million Embezzlement and Identity Theft Scheme

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Robin Joseph, 64, of Murells Inlet, South Carolina, today, to 39 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, six months of which will be home detention. On April 25, 2025, Joseph pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in connection with a decades-long embezzlement scheme that caused losses of more than $1.4 million. Judge Gallagher also ordered restitution in the amount of $1,406,211.19. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office. Judge Gallagher previously sentenced Joseph’s wife and co-conspirator, Valerie Joseph, 61, of Murells Inlet, South, to 53 months in prison and one year of home detention in connection with her role in the scheme. According to court documents, from 2003 until August 2021, Valerie Joseph served as a bookkeeper for Victim Business 1, a wholesale greenhouse and garden center owned by Victim K.F., located in Caroline County, Maryland. Beginning in January 2011, at the latest, and continuing into August 2021, the couple conspired to defraud Victim Business l and Victim K.F. Robin and Valerie Joseph schemed to make unauthorized charges to three credit-card accounts —associated with Victim Business 1 and Victim K.F. — for personal gain. This included American Express and Capital One accounts, along with a Lowes/Synchrony financial account. Routinely, for more than a decade, Robin and Valerie Joseph used credit cards associated with the victims’ accounts to make numerous unauthorized purchases. The theft included unauthorized credit-card charges for $200,000-plus at Walmart; $53,000-plus to AT&T for personal phone bills; $30,000-plus at a Japanese steak and seafood restaurant; and $116,000-plus to PayPal. Robin and Valerie Joseph charged more than $90,000 to Easton Utilities for utility bills; $16,000 to Chesapeake College for tuition payments; $2,500 to the University of Hawaii for college expenses; and $3,800 for cosmetics. The couple also charged more than $195,000 to the Lowes Account. Several of the unauthorized Lowes account charges were to purchase materials and supplies to renovate their previous residence in Easton, Maryland. Additionally, Robin and Valerie Joseph paid for airline tickets, cruises, Airbnb expenses, and hundreds of retailor gift cards using the victims’ account. The couple also used the victims’ account to pay more than $33,000 in veterinary expenses and charged various items related to their pets, including high-end bird cages for their tropical birds. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Riley who is prosecuting the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Q Link Wireless LLC and Issa Asad to Pay More than $110M in Global Resolution to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations

component: Civil Division

body_text: Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs. Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs), such as Q Link, receive monthly federal payments for providing discounted phone services to qualified consumers who must use their Lifeline phones at least once every 30 days. In order to qualify for Lifeline payments, ETCs certify their compliance with Lifeline rules, including the requirement to de-enroll and to stop submitting claims for customers that are not using their Lifeline phones. The settlement resolves allegations that Q Link and Asad received monthly federal payments from the Lifeline Program that they were not entitled to through a scheme directed by Asad. The United States alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others conspired to knowingly submit and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent claims to Lifeline for customers who were not using their cellphones consistent with FCC usage regulations, including customers who did not possess activated phones. The United States also alleged that Q Link and Asad understood that Q Link was required to de-enroll and stop seeking payment for customers who were not using their phones consistent with the FCC’s usage rules. The United States further alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others, in order to deceive the FCC and in order to continue billing for Q Link’s customers, manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. The United States also alleged that, in order to obscure Q Link’s and Asad’s actions, Q Link provided false and fabricated records to the FCC purporting to show cellphone usage for customers who were not using their cellphones including for some cellphones that were actually in the FCC’s possession at the time. As a result of this alleged conduct, Q Link received approximately $38,438,541 in improper Lifeline payments between February 2018 and October 2019. Under the civil settlement, Q Link’s and Asad’s payment of the criminal restitution they owe related to the Lifeline Program will be credited toward the amount due under the civil settlement. “The Justice Department will take action where companies and individuals knowingly violate the rules of federal programs and claim federal funds to which they are not entitled,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to preventing fraud against important FCC subsidy programs like Lifeline.” “The FCC takes very seriously any instance of misuse of public funds and misrepresentation. Protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is central to our work,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “I thank our partners at the Justice Department and the tireless teams at the FCC – including the Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General – for their relentless pursuit of this matter.” “When individuals and corporations target programs that serve vulnerable populations to line their own pockets with millions, our office stands ready to investigate and pursue those allegations using all appropriate civil enforcement tools,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “This settlement addresses the integrity of the Lifeline Program, an important program that helps low-income Americans connect to people and information, a modern-day necessity.” “FCC OIG is committed to vigorously protecting FCC’s low-income subsidy programs and legitimate customers from telecommunications providers who use deceptive practices to perpetrate fraud,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “We appreciate the dedication and outstanding work of our investigative team, our law enforcement partners at DOJ, and our FCC colleagues, in particular OGC, who together strengthen the integrity of FCC programs and ensure that bad actors are held accountable.” As part of a global resolution, Q Link and Asad entered into criminal plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. On Oct. 15, 2024, Q Link and Asad pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and theft of government funds and defrauding the United States, related to the conduct at issue in today’s civil settlement. Asad also pled guilty to money laundering arising from conduct not related to the civil investigation. Q Link and Asad were sentenced by United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, II on July 24. In connection with the criminal resolution, Q Link and Asad further agreed to not participate in any program administered by the FCC and agree to cooperate in transitioning its Lifeline customers to other ETCs. The civil False Claims Act resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the FCC’s Office of General Counsel. The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Trial Attorney David M. Sobotkin, Assistant United States Attorney Rosaline Chan, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miriam L. Alinikoff and Christopher Cheek for the Southern District of Florida. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.


title: Georgia Resident Found Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Romance Scam

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced the conviction of KENNETH G. AKPIEYI, a/k/a “Phillip Anderson,” age 44, of Marietta, Georgia, after a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo. The jury convicted the defendant on all three counts of the superseding indictment: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and mail fraud related to a years-long romance scam. According to the evidence presented at trial, AKPIEYI played a key role in defrauding women through a scheme where perpetrators represented themselves to victims, mostly women, as romantic partners. They often claimed to be generals, philanthropists, or entrepreneurs who lived outside the United States. Conspirators would meet victims on Facebook, Instagram, and similar social media platforms, gain the trust of the victims, and then ask the victims to move their conversations to WhatsApp or another encrypted platform. Thereafter, the perpetrators would foster a romantic relationship with their victims and then ask the victims to send money for fraudulent reasons, such as to help with charitable work or to assist sick family members Evidence at trial showed that AKPIEYI would then receive victim funds under the alias “Phillip Anderson” at his residence in Marietta, Georgia. AKPIEYI also used his company, KGA Autobrokers, LLC, to funnel money to other bank accounts, often using accounts at different banks to obscure the movement of victim money. On one occasion, AKPIEYI deposited two checks totaling $300,000 from the same victim at two different banks in the Marietta area on the same day, even though both checks were written to KGA Autobrokers. Frequently, victim funds ended up in bank accounts in foreign countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates. Eight victims testified at trial, explaining how they had been defrauded through the scheme. They testified to total losses of over $3 million. Judge Milazzo scheduled AKPIEYI’s sentencing for November 5, 2025. The maximum penalties for each of the counts of mail fraud and for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud are 20 years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The maximum penalties for conspiracy to commit money laundering are 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transactions, up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the FBI New Orleans Field Office in investigating this matter. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson also extended his thanks to the FBI Atlanta Field Office and the Cobb County, GA, Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit handled the prosecution.


title: Cranston Man Admits to Trafficking  Tens-of-Thousands of Methamphetamine-Laced Pills

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Cranston man today pleaded guilty to charges related to his trafficking of tens-of-thousands of counterfeit pills laced with methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Anthony Stevens, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to two counts of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2025. The sentences imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. According to information presented to the court, in November 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) opened an investigation into Stevens for trafficking in counterfeit Adderall pills. At the same time, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed information that Stevens was in possession of a large quantity of counterfeit pills. Subsequently, during an investigation that spanned nine months, DEA seized a total of 30,226 pills containing methamphetamine from Steven’s vehicle and from a Providence residence he utilized as a stash house, along with $3,360 in cash. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie White. The matter was investigated by the DEA and ATF. ###


title: Former Wilmington Tax Preparer Sentenced to 80 Months in Federal Prison

body_text: Wilmington, Del. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison for leading a fraud scheme that resulted in more than $9.1 million in disaster-relief loans being issued to more than 60 businesses across the country. None of the loans were ever repaid. According to court documents, Jady Solano, 43, was a tax preparer in Wilmington. Solano used his tax expertise to prepare fraudulent applications for loans available under the Paycheck Protection Program—a COVID-19 relief program designed to safeguard workers’ jobs during the pandemic. Solano prepared the applications on behalf of shell companies that, in fact, had no operations or employees. Solano falsely claimed, however, that the companies had substantial payrolls, sometimes north of $1 million annually. Solano also created false documents, including false tax forms and bank statements, to support the applications. In total, Solano prepared 62 fraudulent applications, resulting in more than $9.1 million in wrongful loan disbursements. Solano personally received nearly $1.4 million through the scheme, all of which he must repay to the federal government pursuant to a restitution order to be entered by the U.S. District Court. Across two charging instruments, seven other members of Solano’s scheme have been charged. Those members are: Defendant Case Number Stage of Case Shatoya Moss 24-cr-91-2 (JLH) Guilty plea entered; sentenced to 18 months in prison and restitution of $578,133.09 Carl Lawrence 24-cr-109-1 (JLH) Acceptance of guilty plea recommended by U.S. Magistrate Judge; recommendation now under review by U.S. District Judge Brigitte Miller-Levy 24-cr-109-2 (JLH) Indicted [1] Amber Baldwin 24-cr-109-3 (JLH) Indicted Marvin Edwards 24-cr-109-4 (JLH) Indicted Anthony McKinzy 24-cr-109-5 (JLH) Indicted Devlon Porter 24-cr-109-6 (JLH) Indicted Julianne Murray, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, stated, “The American taxpayers work hard for their money. And we will work hard to ensure that, when taxpayer money is misused—through waste, fraud, or abuse—the wrongdoers are brought to justice. Jady Solano led a nationwide scheme to steal more than $9 million from the federal government. And the funds he stole were meant for an especially important purpose: helping American workers keep their jobs during a deadly pandemic. Solano’s egregious misconduct warranted the substantial prison sentence the Court handed down today. We hope that sentence sends a message to other potential white-collar criminals: in this District, financial crimes simply will not pay. We thank our law enforcement partners at IRS-CI and the FBI for their tireless and terrific work on this important case.” “Today's sentencing of Jady Solano again emphasizes that the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation will continue their aggressive pursuit of those who use fraudulent methods in an attempt to corrupt our nation's tax system,” stated Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Philadelphia Field Office. “62 times – over and over and over again – Solano fabricated, embellished and lied to steal millions from the government and ultimately, every taxpaying citizen. Now he will pay for each of those lies with this lengthy sentence,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno. “The FBI will continue to partner with our fellow agencies to identify and unravel these fraud schemes and bring criminals to justice.” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace prosecuted the case. Agents of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the FBI Baltimore Field Office’s Wilmington Resident Agency investigated the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 24-cr-91 and 24-cr-109. [1] For all defendants who have been indicted and not adjudicated guilty, their involvement in the fraud scheme described above is merely an allegation, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Machinegun Offenses

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –LOVON WHITE (“WHITE”) , age 22, was sentenced on July 23, 2025 by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $300 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute tapentadol and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2). According to court documents, WHITE was using social media to sell drugs and machinegun conversion devices. These devices turn a semi-automatic handgun into a fully-automatic firearm. In June of 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at WHITE ’s residence and recovered an Anderson Manufacturing Model AM-15 pistol and a Glock Model 21, .45 caliber pistol, both equipped with machinegun conversion devices; tapentadol and marijuana that WHITE intended to sell; drug trafficking supplies; and hundreds of dollars in drug sale proceeds. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.


title: Somali National with Familial Ties to ISIS-Somalia Sentenced for Committing Asylum Fraud

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Sowda Ahmed Mohamud, a citizen and national of Somalia, was sentenced in federal court today after pleading guilty to a three-count indictment charging her with false statements in immigration documents (asylum fraud) and false statements in her testimony before an immigration judge. According to court documents, the charges arose from a year-long counter-terrorism investigation by the FBI San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force (FBI-JTTF). On March 20, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mohamud after she illegally entered the U.S. and claimed asylum. During routine processing and checks of government data bases, agents determined that Mohamud was a positive match for an individual suspected of being involved in terrorism or terrorism-related activities. The FBI-JTTF then conducted an extensive investigation of Mohamud and her relatives living in the U.S. and abroad. Evidence developed in this investigation was used in Mohamud’s immigration proceedings, which resulted in the immigration judge dismissing her claim for asylum and withholding from removal with prejudice and ordering her removed from the U.S. According to the plea agreement, in her asylum application and sworn testimony at her removal proceedings, Mohamud falsely claimed that: (1) she had never previously applied for lawful status in the U.S. or any other country, when in fact she had previously attempted to apply for lawful status in the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Brazil; and (2) she fraudulently and intentionally withheld that she had a biological sister, who was residing in the U.S. pending a determination of her own immigration petition. According to court documents, as a result of the identification of Mohamud’s sister, agents were also able to determine that Mohamud also intentionally failed to state that she had a brother, Mohamed Ahmed Qahiye, a high-ranking member of the foreign terrorist organization ISIS-Somalia, who was engaged in obtaining money and weapons for that terrorist organization. In November 2022, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) placed Qahiye on OFAC’s Specially designated National and Blocked Persons (SDN) list for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, ISIS-Somalia. In the SDN designation, OFAC stated that in early 2020, Qahiye and Sheikh Mumin, the leader of ISIS-Somalia, met with Iranian nationals who paid more than $10,000 to ISIS-Somalia leadership. Separately, ISIS-Somalia senior leaders Qahiye and Mumin requested an arms shipment from Yemen that included more than 20 boxes of AK-47 ammunition, a dozen boxes of pistol ammunition, several boxes of rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and a Russian-designed machine guns. Mohamud, who was detained in immigration custody for approximately 15 months prior to being charged in this case, was sentenced to a time-served sentence of 48 days and will be removed from the United States. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the integrity of our immigration courts by prosecuting those individuals who seek to game our asylum laws through false and fraudulent claims,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, adding that, “the prosecution of Mohamud for asylum fraud also represents our commitment to ensuring that individuals who might pose a threat to our national security due to their family ties to foreign terrorist organizations are swiftly removed from the United States.” “Thanks to the efforts of the FBI San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force, Mohamud will be held accountable for her deliberate and fraudulent attempt to undermine our immigration system,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to rooting out anyone with potential ties to known foreign terrorist organizations intent on harming the United States. I commend the JTTF for their thorough investigative work to keep our communities safe." "The defendant in this case is alleged to have falsified immigration documents, an act that constitutes a felony and undermines the integrity of our nation's lawful immigration system," stated Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. "This investigation serves as a clear reminder that HSI and our law enforcement partners are firmly committed to apprehending individuals who seek to reside in our nation under false pretenses, regardless of where they attempt to hide.” DEFENDANT Case Number 25cr2049 Sowda Ahmed Mohamud Age: 27 SUMMARY OF CHARGES False Statements in Immigration Documents - Title 18 U.S.C., § 1546 (a) [Count1] False Statements to a Department of the United States - Title 18 U.S.C., § 1001(a)(2) [Counts 2 and 3] Maximum penalties: Count 1 – 10 years Counts 2 & 3 – 5 years, each INVESTIGATING AGENCY Federal Bureau of Investigation Homeland Security Investigation Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol Drug Enforcement Administration Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations


title: Brinks Armored Car Robbery Defendant Sentenced to Additional Time for Jail Stabbing

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Anthony McNair, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced earlier today to 42 months in prison for a jail stabbing that occurred on October 11, 2024, at the DC Central Detention Facility, located at 1901 D Street SE in Washington, D.C., announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. On January 27, 2025, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon for the jail stabbing. The Honorable Judith Pipe, of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, ordered McNair to the prison term on July 28, 2025. According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 11:00 a.m., on October 11, 2024, in the Southwest 2 housing unit of the DC jail, McNair used a sharp object to repeatedly stab another inmate, 28-year-old Tyjuan McNeal, in an apparently unprovoked attack. The attack was captured on the facility’s surveillance cameras. In the footage, McNair can be observed with a clenched fist repeatedly using a stabbing motion while holding a sharp, white object to stab McNeal all over his body, at one point pulling a shirt over McNeal’s face so that he could not see to defend himself. McNair did not stop assaulting McNeal until a correctional officer intervened. As a result of the attack, the victim sustained multiple stab wounds on his head, neck, shoulder, chest, and palm, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. At the time of the assault, McNair was in custody pending sentencing in a matter before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In that case, a federal jury found McNair guilty of charges stemming from his involvement in a series of armed robberies of Brinks armored cars in Washington, D.C., that took place in late 2021 and early 2022, and resulted in the loss of approximately $1.2 million. For his role in the robberies, the defendant was sentenced on March 26, 2025 by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth to 31.5 years. His co-defendants in the robbery case – William Brock and Erin Sheffey, were sentenced to 54.7 years and 18 years, respectively. McNair’s sentence for the jail robbery will run consecutive to any other sentence he is already serving, including the sentence for the Brinks robberies. Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Lieberman, who prosecuted the case.


title: Two CBP Officers Plead Guilty to Allowing Drugs to Enter the U.S. Through Their Inspection Lanes

body_text: SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo have pleaded guilty to conspiring with members of a Mexican-based poly drug trafficking organization (DTO) to allow drug laden vehicles to enter the United States free from inspection. As part of the scheme, Garcia, working at the Tecate, California Port of Entry, and Bonillo, working at the Otay Mesa, California Port of Entry, would let members of the DTO know what time and lane they were assigned by utilizing a secret emoji-based code. The DTO would then send the drug-laden cars through Garcia and Bonillo’s lanes knowing that Garcia, nor Bonillo, would inspect these vehicles. Garcia pleaded guilty on July 8, 2025, to nine counts of the indictment, including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl. Bonillo pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025, just before his jury trial was set to begin. He pleaded guilty to three counts of the indictment, including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances, and Importation of Fentanyl and Heroin. Bonillo admitted that as part of the conspiracy he allowed at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 4.5 kilogram of methamphetamine, and over 1 kilogram of heroin, into the United States. The United States has alleged that both defendants profited handsomely, funding both domestic and international trips as well as purchases of luxury items and attempts to purchase real estate in Mexico. Garcia and Bonillo’s sentencings are scheduled for September 26, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Van Demark, Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza, and Shauna Prewitt. DEFENDANTS Case Number 24cr0908-RBM Jesse Clark Garcia Age: 37 San Diego, California Diego Bonillo Age: 30 Chula Vista, Mexico SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21, United States Code, Sections 952, 960, and 963 Maximum Penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum Importation of Controlled Substances - Title 21, United States Code, Sections 952 and 960 Maximum Penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Federal Bureau of Investigation Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility U.S. Border Patrol Homeland Security Investigations Drug Enforcement Administration


title: Buchanan Man to Serve 24 Years on Child Exploitation Charges

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ROANOKE, Va. – A Buchanan, Virginia man, who exposed the genitals of a minor female during a party at his residence and took pictures of the victim on his cell phone, was sentenced today to 24 years in federal prison. Christopher Buono, 45, pled guilty in January 2025 to one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography. “Individuals who take advantage of children, be it online or in person, must be held accountable for their actions,” United States Attorney C. Todd Gilbert said today. “This sentence sends a clear message that anyone targeting children in the Western District of Virginia will be held accountable to the fullest extent possible.” According to court documents, in January 2024, a party was hosted at the defendant’s home in Buchanan, Virginia. At one point in the evening, Buono took a minor female, who was approximately six years old at the time, to Buono’s game room, and either the minor victim or Buono pulled down her pants and underwear, exposing her genitals. Buono then used his cellphone to take sexually explicit photographs of the minor victim. Later that night, Buono used a messaging application to send one of these photos to another individual with a sexual interest in minors. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security with assistance from the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff prosecuted the case for the United States The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/ .


title: East Orange Convicted Felon Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Possessing Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – An East Orange, New Jersey man was sentenced on July 24, 2025, to 120 months for possessing quantities of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine he intended to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Ibraheem Muhammad, 41, of East Orange, New Jersey previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an Indictment charging him with one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Law enforcement investigated Muhammad for his drug distribution from an apartment in East Orange (the “Residence”). On May 9, 2022, Muhammad was arrested on a warrant after law enforcement saw him exit the Residence and engage in a suspected drug transaction. He was caught in possession of numerous envelopes of suspected heroin and keys to the Residence. A subsequent search of the Residence revealed Muhammad to be in possession of controlled substances that subsequently lab tested positive for heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, and various glassine envelopes and other paraphernalia used for packaging drugs. Law enforcement also recovered approximately $14,000 in cash; a Girsan 9mm semi-automatic handgun, loaded with fourteen (14) rounds of 9mm ammunition; and an additional fifteen (15) rounds of 9mm ammunition. In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Muhammad to 3 years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., Newark Field Division; and the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Farhana C. Melo and Aja Espinosa of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. ### Defense counsel: Jacqueline Cistaro, Esq, New York, NY


title: Fresno Man Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison for Conspiring with Pharmacist to Illegally Traffic Hundreds of Thousands of Opioid Pills

body_text: Kelo White, 44, of Fresno, was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced. According to court records, from 2014 through 2018, White and Donald Ray Pierre, 56, of Fresno, obtained more than 450,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills based on fraudulent prescriptions that were filled by their co-conspirator, Ifeanyi Vincent Ntukogu, 49, of Fresno, who was a pharmacist in Madera. White was responsible for more than 250,000 of those pills. The fraudulent prescriptions were purportedly from more than 10 different doctors whose signatures had been forged. White and Pierre had Ntukogu review each prescription before he filled it to make sure that government regulators would not deem it suspicious. For example, Ntukogu reviewed and rejected prescriptions that were supposedly written by certain doctors or that were written for individuals who were having prescriptions filled at other pharmacies because he believed those prescriptions may raise red flags. White and Pierre paid Ntukogu in cash, and then they sold the pills for a significant profit. Ntukogu was sentenced on Nov. 25, 2024, to seven years and three months in prison. Pierre was sentenced on July 21, 2020, to nine years and four months in prison. This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the California Department of Health Care Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio Pataca and Joseph Barton prosecuted the case. The case was investigated under the DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF. This case was also part of the DOJ’s Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, which is a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.


title: Wetzel County Man Admits to Child Pornography Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Jon Talkington, 36, of New Martinsville, West Virginia, has admitted to the solicitation of child pornography. According to court documents and police records, a social media site forwarded a cyber tip to law enforcement regarding computer activity involving suspected child pornography images. Investigators determined Talkington had uploaded images and videos of child pornography to the social media platform site in an attempt to obtain additional child pornography material from other users on the platform. Talkington faces at least 5 and up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Perri is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police investigated. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.


title: Oxon Hill Man Found Guilty of Illegal Possession of Ammunition

body_text: Greenbelt, Maryland – After a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Lester Massey, Jr., 42, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, of being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland announced the conviction with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD). According to the evidence presented at trial, on August 11, 2023, ATF agents, with the assistance of PGPD officers, executed a court-ordered search-and-seizure warrant at Massey’s residence. During the search, law enforcement located and recovered 243 live rounds of ammunition throughout the apartment. Law enforcement also found assorted gun parts — including an AR style receiver — a slide, spring, barrel, two magazines, and gun tools. The ammunition traveled in interstate commerce prior to law enforcement finding Massey in possession of it in August 2023. Massey was previously convicted of a state crime punishable by more than two years imprisonment and was aware that his conviction prohibited him from possessing firearms and ammunition. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, October 1, at 2 p.m. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation. U.S. Attorney Hayes thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Appleby-Rumon and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Nicholas Potter who prosecuted the case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


body_text: MIAMI – Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs. Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs), such as Q Link, receive monthly federal payments for providing discounted phone services to qualified consumers who must use their Lifeline phones at least once every 30 days. In order to qualify for Lifeline payments, ETCs certify their compliance with Lifeline rules, including the requirement to de-enroll and to stop submitting claims for customers that are not using their Lifeline phones. The settlement resolves allegations that Q Link and Asad received monthly federal payments from the Lifeline Program that they were not entitled to through a scheme directed by Asad. The United States alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others conspired to knowingly submit and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent claims to Lifeline for customers who were not using their cellphones consistent with FCC usage regulations, including customers who did not possess activated phones. The United States also alleged that Q Link and Asad understood that Q Link was required to de-enroll and stop seeking payment for customers who were not using their phones consistent with the FCC’s usage rules. The United States further alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others, in order to deceive the FCC and in order to continue billing for Q Link’s customers, manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. The United States also alleged that, in order to obscure Q Link’s and Asad’s actions, Q Link provided false and fabricated records to the FCC purporting to show cellphone usage for customers who were not using their cellphones including for some cellphones that were actually in the FCC’s possession at the time. As a result of this alleged conduct, Q Link received approximately $38,438,541 in improper Lifeline payments between February 2018 and October 2019. Under the civil settlement, Q Link’s and Asad’s payment of the criminal restitution they owe related to the Lifeline Program will be credited toward the amount due under the civil settlement. “When individuals and corporations target programs that serve vulnerable populations to line their own pockets with millions, our office stands ready to investigate and pursue those allegations using all appropriate civil enforcement tools,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “This settlement addresses the integrity of the Lifeline Program, an important program that helps low-income Americans connect to people and information, a modern-day necessity.” “The Justice Department will take action where companies and individuals knowingly violate the rules of federal programs and claim federal funds to which they are not entitled,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to preventing fraud against important FCC subsidy programs like Lifeline.” “The FCC takes very seriously any instance of misuse of public funds and misrepresentation. Protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is central to our work,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “I thank our partners at the Justice Department and the tireless teams at the FCC – including the Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General – for their relentless pursuit of this matter.” “FCC OIG is committed to vigorously protecting FCC’s low-income subsidy programs and legitimate customers from telecommunications providers who use deceptive practices to perpetrate fraud,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “We appreciate the dedication and outstanding work of our investigative team, our law enforcement partners at DOJ, and our FCC colleagues, in particular OGC, who together strengthen the integrity of FCC programs and ensure that bad actors are held accountable.” As part of a global resolution, Q Link and Asad entered into criminal plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. On Oct. 15, 2024, Q Link and Asad pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and theft of government funds and defrauding the United States, related to the conduct at issue in today’s civil settlement. Asad also pled guilty to money laundering arising from conduct not related to the civil investigation. Q Link and Asad were sentenced by United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, II on July 24. In connection with the criminal resolution, Q Link and Asad further agreed to not participate in any program administered by the FCC and agree to cooperate in transitioning its Lifeline customers to other ETCs. The civil False Claims Act resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the FCC’s Office of General Counsel. The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Rosaline Chan and former Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Cheek for the Southern District of Florida, as well as Trial Attorney David M. Sobotkin, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Miriam L. Alinikoff. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20363. ###


title: Covington Woman Charged for Distributing Animal Crush Videos

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ARIEL KORNIENKO (“KORNIENKO”) , age 42, of Covington, Louisiana, was charged by bill of information on July 23, 2025 for distributing animal crush videos, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 48(a)(3). According to the bill of information, KORNIENKO distributed animal crush videos online, in particular, videos depicting the impaling of monkeys in the genitals, penetrating them with inanimate objects, and subjecting them to serious bodily injury and death. If convicted, KORNIENKO faces up to 7 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Acting United States Attorney Simpson reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Group in conjunction with HSI Wildlife and Environmental Unit. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.


title: Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charges Related to a $13M Ponzi Scheme

component: Criminal Division

body_text: An Arizona man pleaded guilty today to money laundering and conspiracy to obstruct justice for his role in a scheme to defraud investors. According to court documents, Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., 54, also known as Vincent Midnight, Delta Prime, and Director Vinchenzo, formerly of the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles but residing in Arizona, conspired with his co-defendant and others to defraud investors by falsely promising high-yield profits from investments in cryptocurrency markets using automated trading robots powered by artificial intelligence. “Vincent Mazzotta defrauded investors in a sophisticated cryptocurrency scheme and then doubled down by using a fake government entity to further victimize those who had entrusted him with their money,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Combatting fraud in digital assets is critical to the Criminal Division’s efforts to vindicate victims’ interests and to keep bad actors out of the crypto markets. The Department and its law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue and hold accountable fraudsters who use the veneer of legitimacy and public trust to steal from investors.” “New types of investments such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may seem alluring, but they also carry the risk of criminals using their relative novelty to prey on victims,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “I encourage investors to be skeptical when approached by anyone promising novel riches. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” “The defendants in this case purported to be U.S. governmental entities to legitimize their scams, before ultimately attracting the scrutiny of actual federal authorities who were special agents from IRS Criminal Investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s admission of guilt is another example of our resolve and unique ability to unravel complex financial transactions regardless of how sophisticated the scheme may be.” Mazzotta and his co-defendant, David Saffron, falsely promised victims short-term, high-yield returns from cryptocurrency trading if the victims invested with cryptocurrency investment companies Mind Capital, Cloud9Capital and others. They also created a fictitious government entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve (FCR) and further victimized the investors by soliciting thousands of dollars to hire the FCR to “investigate” Mind Capital, Cloud9Capital and other crypto-investment firms that had disappeared with the victims’ investments. Mazzotta and Saffron defrauded victims of more than $13 million. According to court documents, Mazzotta also conspired with others to obstruct justice. Specifically, Mazzotta worked with other co-conspirators after Saffron’s initial arrest to conceal and destroy evidence at Saffron’s apartment, including an iPad and the contents of a personal safe. Mazzotta also conspired to falsify the records of his business, Runway Beauty Inc., to conceal his involvement in the investment fraud scheme from a federal grand jury. Mazzotta pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the money laundering count and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to obstruct justice count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. IRS-CI is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hughes for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas .


title: Cadence Design Systems Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay Over $140 Million for Unlawfully Exporting Semiconductor Design Tools to a Restricted PRC Military University

body_text: Note: View a copy of the plea agreement and criminal information . The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) of the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (NDCA) today announced that Cadence Design Systems Inc. (Cadence), a multinational electronic design automation (EDA) technology company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to plead guilty to resolve charges that Cadence committed criminal violations of export controls by selling EDA hardware, software, and semiconductor design intellectual property (IP) technology to the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT). NUDT, a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the leadership of the PRC’s Central Military Commission, was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in February 2015 due to its use of U.S.-origin components to produce supercomputers believed to support nuclear explosive simulation and military simulation activities in the PRC. Today, the Department filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California a criminal information charging Cadence with conspiracy to commit export control violations and the Department’s plea agreement with Cadence, pursuant to which the company has agreed to plead guilty and pay criminal penalties of nearly $118 million to resolve the charges. In addition to the criminal charges, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) today announced the resolution of a parallel civil enforcement action against Cadence in which Cadence has agreed to pay over $95 million in civil penalties. The Department of Justice and BIS have coordinated the resolution of the parallel criminal and civil actions, with each agreeing to credit against their respective fines a portion of the payments made by Cadence to satisfy the other agency’s fine. After the Department of Justice and BIS credit payments made by Cadence under the coordinated agreements, Cadence will pay aggregate net criminal and civil penalties and forfeiture totaling more than $140 million. “Cadence has agreed to accept responsibility for unlawfully exporting sensitive semiconductor design tools to a restricted Chinese military university and has implemented a strong export compliance program to help prevent any further illegal transmission of American technology,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “American ingenuity is one of our Nation’s most precious assets, and the National Security Division will vigorously enforce U.S. export control laws to protect the technological advantage we enjoy because of that ingenuity.” “Export controls safeguard America’s advanced technological know-how from falling into the wrong hands, which is particularly important in the Silicon Valley as the epicenter of groundbreaking innovation,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “With this plea, Cadence has admitted to unlawfully exporting its semiconductor design technology to a restricted PRC military university using a front company, and accepted responsibility for its wrongdoing. Cadence’s remedial measures are a positive step toward rectifying the company’s violations of export control laws and demonstrating corporate responsibility.” “Protecting the U.S. semiconductor industry is critical to our national defense,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Working with NUDT, which has been on the entity list for a decade for its work to advance China’s military capabilities, is unacceptable. The FBI will stop at nothing to defend the homeland from China’s Communist Party.” According to Cadence’s admissions and court documents, from February 2015 to April 2021, Cadence and its indirectly owned and wholly controlled subsidiary in the PRC, Cadence Design Systems Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (Cadence China), engaged in a conspiracy to commit export control violations in connection with the provision of EDA tools that were subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to NUDT through Central South CAD Center (CSCC), an alias for NUDT, and another associated entity, Phytium Technology Co. Ltd. (Phytium), without seeking or obtaining the requisite licenses from BIS. Specifically, Cadence, Cadence China, and their employees exported, reexported, and transferred in-country U.S.-origin EDA tools to CSCC in the PRC, despite having knowledge that CSCC was an alias for NUDT. As a result, Cadence and Cadence China exported and caused to be exported EDA tools at least 59 times through September 2020, when Cadence terminated Cadence China’s business relationship with CSCC due to CSCC’s association with NUDT. In court documents, Cadence admitted that Cadence China employees installed EDA hardware on NUDT’s Changsha, China, campus and that NUDT personnel downloaded EDA software and IP technology from Cadence’s download portals while Cadence and Cadence China, through its employees, had knowledge that NUDT had been added to the Entity List. On Feb. 18, 2015, the same day that NUDT was added to the Entity List, Cadence’s export control officer emailed Cadence and Cadence China employees that NUDT had been added to the Entity List “meaning that export licenses will be required if sales are made.” Further, in March 2016, a Cadence China employee authored a presentation for a quarterly sales review meeting with her colleagues stating (as translated from Chinese) that as of Feb. 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce had “embargoed” four national supercomputer centers in the PRC, including NUDT, due to U.S. microprocessor chips being used in the “TianHe” supercomputing systems believed to be used for nuclear explosion simulation. Cadence also admitted that its employees who conducted work at CSCC’s location on NUDT’s campus knew about connections between CSCC and the PRC military. According to Cadence’s admissions and court documents, employees of Cadence China did not disclose to and/or concealed from other Cadence personnel, including Cadence’s export compliance personnel, that exports to CSCC were in fact intended for delivery to NUDT and/or the PRC military. For example, in May 2015, a few months after NUDT was added to the Entity List, Cadence’s then-head of sales in China emailed colleagues, cautioning them to refer to their customer as CSCC in English and NUDT only in Chinese characters, writing that “the subject [was] too sensitive.” Further, in October 2019, a Cadence China employee instructed another to recall and recirculate an updated version of a weekly email on Cadence China’s customers in the PRC. The updated version of the weekly email removed a reference to the People’s Liberation Army of the PRC in relation to CSCC that was written in the original version. Employees of Cadence’s subsidiaries, including employees of Cadence China involved in sales to CSCC, also received sales commissions that incentivized achieving sales quotas as part of their compensation packages. Further, in October 2020, while Cadence and Cadence China had knowledge that items previously sold and exported to CSCC had in fact been exported to NUDT in violation of U.S. export control laws, Cadence consented to CSCC’s assignment to Phytium, a semiconductor company closely associated with CSCC and NUDT in the PRC, of CSCC’s contracts for Cadence EDA tools. Prior to the transfer of Cadence’s business from CSCC to Phytium in or about October 2020, Cadence’s business with CSCC included contractual agreements with Phytium, reflecting Phytium’s ongoing collaboration with CSCC and NUDT during the period in which CSCC was used as an alias for NUDT. Cadence, through its subsidiaries, including Cadence China also had knowledge that Cadence China’s business with CSCC involved Phytium, and that NUDT personnel were affiliated with Phytium. Some of Cadence China’s contracts with CSCC listed Phytium as the contractual party and stated that the work would occur at NUDT. Internal Cadence communications show certain Cadence employees’ understanding that CSCC and Phytium were effectively the same entity both before and after the decision to transfer Cadence China’s business from CSCC to Phytium. Cadence and Cadence China transferred U.S.-origin EDA software and IP technology to Phytium until February 2021. In March 2021, Cadence placed Phytium on export hold as a result of its internal compliance review and discontinued transactions with Phytium without completing all of the originally anticipated transfers, including any hardware transfers. Phytium was later designated on the Entity List in April 2021. CES and NDCA entered into the plea agreement with Cadence after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The Department reached this resolution with Cadence based on a number of factors, including Cadence’s failure to voluntarily disclose the misconduct to NSD pursuant to the NSD Enforcement Policy; the nature and seriousness of the offense, which included exports of sensitive semiconductor design tools and technology to a restricted PRC military university involved in the development of supercomputers with applications for military and nuclear explosive simulations, and which included Cadence agreeing to an assignment of the hardware and software contracts to another PRC-based company despite being aware that those items had been unlawfully exported to a restricted PRC military university; Cadence’s willingness to accept responsibility for the actions of its employees and agents, including its subsidiary Cadence China, by entering into the plea agreement with the Department and resolving the parallel civil investigation with BIS; and Cadence’s efforts to remediate the root cause of the offense conduct by enhancing and agreeing to enhance further its export control compliance program. Cadence received partial credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which involved collecting and disclosing relevant evidence, facilitating interviews with certain employees, making detailed factual presentations, and agreeing to toll the statute of limitations, but Cadence did not receive full credit for cooperation because it failed proactively to obtain and disclose to the government relevant communications, and it failed proactively to facilitate interviews of certain China-based employees with information relevant to the offense conduct. Accordingly, the amount of the criminal monetary penalty attributable to the criminal fine reflects a 20 percent reduction off the statutory maximum fine. The plea agreement is subject to the approval of a federal district judge in the Northern District of California. BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case. Chief Counsel Ian C. Richardson, Deputy Chief Counsel Christian J. Nauvel, and Trial Attorney Emma Dinan Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, together with Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Cheng of the National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, are prosecuting this case.


title: Former and Present Owners of Standish Surveying Company Plead Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the United States Department of Transportation

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: BAY CITY – Jeffrey Bartlett and Brian Bartlett, current owners and executives of Surveying Solutions Inc. (SSI), a surveying firm based in Standish, Michigan, and Andrew Semenchuk, a former owner and executive of SSI, have pleaded guilty today to defrauding the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced. Gorgon is joined in this announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michigan Division, and Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge United States Department of Transportation – Midwestern Region. Jeffrey Bartlett, 52, of Standish, Michigan, Andrew Semenchuk, 53, of Rives Junction, Michigan, and Brian Bartlett, 50, of Bentley, Michigan pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. According to facts made public at the plea hearings, from approximately February 2011 through July 2019, the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others owned and operated SSI, a surveying company that was directly or indirectly awarded millions of dollars in highway construction contracts by MDOT. Those contracts were funded almost entirely by federal funds through USDOT. In the course of seeking and participating in MDOT contracts and reimbursement for work performed on those contracts, the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others engaged in fraudulent overbilling resulting in MDOT making millions of dollars of overpayments to SSI, a large portion of which the Bartletts, Semenchuk, and two others distributed among themselves. This fraudulent overbilling included reporting false and non-existent employee and information technology costs, reporting improper and inflated equipment and real property lease costs, and concealing the true ownership of and control over the SSI entities to justify the overbillings. “Today’s guilty plea highlights a calculated attempt to exploit the competitive contracting process for personal enrichment,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “Fraud of this nature erodes public trust, undermines the integrity of government programs, and unfairly disadvantages honest businesses. I want to commend the dedicated agents of our Bay City Resident Agency for their thorough and meticulous investigative efforts. The FBI in Michigan remains steadfast in our commitment to work alongside our law enforcement partners to uncover complex financial crimes and ensure those responsible are held fully accountable under the law.” “Contracting with the United States government demands fairness and integrity,” said Anthony Licari, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “Our agents will continue to collaborate closely with law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to identify and dismantle fraud schemes that undermine public trust and compromise DOT-funded programs in Michigan and across the nation.” This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen L. Reyolds, T. Patrick Martin, William Vailliencourt, and K. Craig Welkener.


title: Shelton Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offense

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that BURNEST GEYER, JR., 32, of Shelton, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a child exploitation offense. According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation revealed that Geyer had told an individual that he possessed child pornography videos, and that he had communicated with a second individual through Telegram, an encrypted phone messaging application, about his child pornography collection. During a Telegram communication in July 2024, Geyer shared his laptop screen and showed pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Geyer was arrested on October 8, 2024. On that date, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of his residence and seized his iPhone and other items. Analysis of the Telegram app on the iPhone revealed more than 3,000 images and videos depicting child pornography, including the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. The investigation further revealed that Geyer engaged in dozens of conversations with others on Telegram and WhatsApp regarding his interest in the sexual abuse of minors, and offered to pay adult content creators to sexually exploit their children over video calls with him. Geyer pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled. Geyer, who is currently released on a $100,000 bond, has a detention hearing scheduled for tomorrow in Bridgeport. This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Bridgeport Police Department and the Shelton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon. This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com .


title: Neshoba County Man Sentenced to Prison  for Possessing Child Pornography

component: Department of Justice

body_text: Jackson, MS –A Neshoba County man was sentenced to over fifteen years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon and Robert Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office, made the announcement. According to court documents, Brandon Keith Farmer, 23, filmed himself engaging in sexual contact with a female minor. Court records show that the offense occurred in the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation in July of 2024. In addition to being sentenced to federal prison for 182 months, once released, Farmer will serve a twenty-five-year term of supervised release. Farmer was also ordered to pay $3,000.00 to the Child Pornography Victims Reserve Fund established by the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018. The Choctaw Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian K. Burns and Kevin J. Payne prosecuted the case.


title: Armed Drug Cocaine Trafficker Convicted At Trial

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Georgelys Natal Vazquez (29, Hudson) guilty of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Natal Vazquez faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge and a consecutive term of at least 5 years’ imprisonment for the firearm offense. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 28, 2025. Natal Vazquez was charged in a superseding indictment on March 28, 2024, along with twelve other co-conspirators for charges related to drug trafficking. The others all previously pleaded guilty. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Natal Vazquez was a high-ranking member in a familial drug trafficking organization operating between Puerto Rico and the Middle District of Florida. Natal Vazquez had over 470 grams of cocaine in her freezer and a loaded firearm in her home on January 18, 2024, during the execution of a search warrant at her home. Natal Vazquez was also seen delivering cocaine to a home used by the drug trafficking organization. Agents obtained a warrant for her phone following her arrest and located photographs of Natal Vazquez with suspected cocaine and the same firearm recovered during the search warrant. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Beckman and Jeff Chang.


title: Detroit Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Huntington Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Mark Lawrence Lowe, also known as “Cell,” 24, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Lowe admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area. According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least September 2023 through November 2023, Lowe participated in the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl at various locations in the Southern District of West Virginia and elsewhere as part of the DTO. On September 9, 2023, Lowe and co-conspirator Paul Anthony Rucker were transporting fentanyl and methamphetamine from Huntington to Nitro when law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of their vehicle on Interstate 64 in Cabell County. An officer seized approximately 149 grams of fentanyl and 222.62 grams of methamphetamine from the vehicle during the traffic stop. As part of his guilty plea, Lowe admitted that he and Rucker intended to distribute the seized controlled substances. Rucker, 48, of Nitro, was sentenced on July 15, 2024, to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Lowe and Rucker are among 27 individuals indicted on charges alleging the DTO distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. Lowe, Rucker and 22 other defendants have pleaded guilty, including one who pleaded guilty to a separate charge in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment. Charges against the remaining defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180. ###


title: Kansas man sentenced to 30 years in prison for child pornography production

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse materials while engaging in acts of voyeurism. According to court documents, Clell Lacy, 78, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child (production of child pornography). In May 2024, Lacy used closed-circuit recording devices to surreptitiously record two minor teenagers engaging in sexual acts. He then used the Secure Digital (SD) card from the camera to print images, which he stored at his home. In August 2024, these materials were discovered and reported to law enforcement. The Wichita Police Department and Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart prosecuted the case. 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 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 . ###