title: Lead Defendant in Bowling Green Methamphetamine Conspiracy Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison

body_text: Bowling Green, KY – On February 25, 2026, Scottie Starks, Jr. , the lead defendant, in a Bowling Green methamphetamine conspiracy was sentenced to serve 200 months in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Director Tommy M. Loving of the Bowling Green/Warren County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Drug Task Force made the announcement. According to court records, Scottie Starks, Jr. , 46, was supplying methamphetamine to Cristopher Patterson , Bryan Murphy , and Isaac Hayes . He was responsible for trafficking over 5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine. Starks , a convicted felon, also possessed a handgun illegally. Starks had previously been convicted in Warren County, Kentucky on May 21, 2012, of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (greater than 4 grams of cocaine); also in Warren County, Kentucky on September 24, 2007, of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence; and again in Warren County, Kentucky on January 24, 2000, of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Starks also pled guilty to possessing his handgun in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. Starks was sentenced on February 25, 2026 to serve 200 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine (2 counts), possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Several of Starks ’ co-defendants previously sentenced for their roles in connection to this drug conspiracy. Patterson was sentenced on November 13, 2025, to serve 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Hayes was sentenced on January 20, 2026, to serve 2 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Murphy is scheduled for final sentencing on March 5, 2026. United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner commended the strong cooperation between state and federal law enforcement in achieving a significant result. Mr. Bumgarner further stated, “Starks is a career drug trafficker who has had multiple opportunities to put aside his drug trafficking career. Despite repeated state drug trafficking convictions, Starks continued to distribute poison into our community. Hopefully, Starks’ 16 year and 8-month sentence sends a strong message to other career drug traffickers to stop dealing and stop now. Otherwise, they will be joining Starks in federal prison for nearly a generation.” ATF Special Agent in Charge John Nokes stated, “Scottie Starks used violence and drug trafficking to torment this community and will now face a lengthy prison sentence for his crimes. ATF is proud to partner with the WCDTF and the WDKY USAO to remove armed drug traffickers from our community.” Bowling Green/Warren County AHIDTA Drug Task Force Director Tommy M. Loving stated, “This case brings closure to a lengthy investigation into a major drug trafficker who was responsible for distributing crystal methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana throughout Warren County and South Central Kentucky. It stands as a clear example of what can be achieved when agencies work together with a unified mission. Through the strong partnerships we share with the ATF, the United States Attorney’s Office, and our state and local law enforcement partners, we are able to disrupt significant drug operations and make our communities safer.” There is no parole in the federal system. The case was investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office and the Bowling Green/Warren County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, 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. ###


title: U.S. Department of Justice Announces Distribution of Over $15 Million for Victims of Global Securities Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that the Roger Knox Remission Fund distributed more than $12.4 million in funds forfeited to the United States from Roger Knox and his co-conspirators to over 8,000 victims. An additional $3.1 million turned over to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to the securities fraud scheme was also distributed to the victims. Knox, with others, operated a Swiss-based asset management firm called Silverton, and later renamed Wintercap. Through this business, Knox helped facilitate pump-and-dump schemes by selling massive quantities of microcap securities on behalf of undisclosed control groups who secretly owned the stock through nominee entities formally owned by third parties. The shares were generally held by the nominees in blocks of less than 5% of the issuer’s total outstanding shares in order to evade the disclosure obligations and sale limitations in the federal securities laws. To generate investor demand for the shares, the undisclosed control groups simultaneously orchestrated promotional campaigns to artificially inflate the price and trading volume of the shares. Knox then funneled the proceeds of the pump-and-dumps – totaling over $137 million between just 2016 and 2018 – to co-conspirators in the United States and around the world through a complex money transfer system that disguised the source and nature of the funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has pursued assets domestically, as well as in the United Kingdom, Malta, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Switzerland. In January 2020, Knox pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston. In October 2023 , Knox was sentenced to three years in prison and, in January 2024, was ordered to pay over $58 million in restitution to more than 8,000 victims. “Illegal pump-and-dump schemes cause financial hardship on countless innocent investors and erode the integrity of our capital markets. Not only is my office is committed to identifying fraudsters like Mr. Knox and holding them accountable,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We are fully committed to recovering funds to compensate victims of crime and ensuring that crime does not pay.” “As Roger Knox whittled away his time behind bars for his role in a staggering global securities fraud scheme that defrauded thousands of victims out of tens of millions of dollars, the FBI’s been hard at work ensuring those victims are compensated for the significant financial and emotional harm they suffered,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “The distribution of $15 million is an important first step in making these unwitting investors whole and putting market manipulators on notice that they too will pay a hefty price for their criminal conduct.” In addition to forfeited funds recovered from Knox, and funds recovered by the SEC, forfeited funds recovered from other related defendants Eric Landis , Richard Targett-Adams and Morrie Tobin were applied to the Knox Victim Remission Fund. Previously, in 2022, $1.9 million in forfeited funds were applied to satisfy restitution ordered for over 1,000 victims in a related microchip stock fraud scheme. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work diligently to recover additional assets for these victims. U.S. Attorney Foley; A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service’s Complex Asset Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, handled forfeiture and restitution in the case. The Department of Justice, through the Asset Forfeiture Program, works diligently to compensate victims of crime. Since 2000, the Criminal Division’s MNF, which oversees the Asset Forfeiture Program’s victim compensation program, has successfully used its specialized expertise to return more than $12 billion in forfeited assets to victims of crime. MNF Attorney Advisor Brittany R. Van Camp with the section’s Program Management and Training Unit is leading the remission process.


title: Iowa Man Remains Detained on Federal Child Pornography Charges

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – Joseph Lee Rhodes, Jr., 41, of Muscatine County, was detained pending trial today in connection with an indictment charging him with five counts of transportation of child pornography. On January 14, 2026, Rhodes made his initial appearance. Following the March 2, 2026, detention hearing, a United States Magistrate Judge ordered Rhodes to remain detained pending trial. If convicted, Rhodes could face a mandatory minimum of five years up to 20 years imprisonment for each count. United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Lousia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this case. This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Houston man gets 20 years for sex trafficking minor

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 27-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison after luring a minor away from her family and forcing her to engage in prostitution, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Trevyeon Deshawn Prater pleaded guilty July 28, 2025. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt has now ordered Prater to serve 240 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information including a victim letter indicating how Prater’s conduct had negatively affected her over the years. In handing down the prison term, the court noted the crime was part of an evil cycle that takes advantage of people and how terrible it is to do so to a young lady. He added that this was a pattern which involved months of intentional acts. Prater will also serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Prater will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. On Nov. 29, 2022, a 13-year-old minor was reported missing. The investigation led law enforcement to the Bissonnet “blade,” where authorities recovered her. She described how Prater personally coached her in person and over the phone. The minor victim also stated going to the blade over a period of months for Prater. The blade or “track” is an area near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street in Houston where pimps and traffickers commonly place their victims to engage in commercial sex. At the time of his plea, Prater admitted he recruited the minor victim to engage in prostitution and knew she was a minor. He communicated with her by cell phone and lured her away from her family. Prater has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Leo and Celia Moyer prosecuted the case. FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance from Houston Police Department as part of the of Human Trafficking Rescue alliance. HTRA law enforcement includes members of HPD, FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor, DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – OIG, Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties. Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.


title: MS-13 gang member previously convicted of conspiring to commit murder sent to federal prison

body_text: HOUSTON – A 28-year-old El Salvadorian national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Ronald Alberto Rivas-Aguilar pleaded guilty Nov. 10, 2025. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has now ordered Rivas to serve 23 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the country. “Rivas-Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit murder, was convicted, and removed from the United States—and still, he came back,” said Ganjei. “Gang members who believe that a prior removal is nothing more than an inconvenience should look carefully at what is happening in the Southern District of Texas. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will ensure that you never have the chance to bring your violence back into our country. In 2016, Rivas and another MS-13 gang member conspired to murder a rival gang member in Fort Bend County. Rivas transported the victim to Buffalo Run Park and tied the victim’s ankles with his shoelaces. A coconspirator then beat the victim to death with a machete. Rivas was subsequently removed to El Salvador after pleading guilty for conspiring to commit a murder. However, he illegally returned to the United States. In July 2025, authorities encountered him during a traffic stop and took him into custody. Rivas has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Valenti and Amanda Alum 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Honduran national ordered to federal prison for fifth illegal reentry

body_text: HOUSTON – A 40-year-old man who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally reentering the country again, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Kevin Alexander Bueso-Medina pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2025. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Bueso-Medina to serve 24 months in federal prison. Already on supervised release for a previous drug conviction, the court further imposed a 12-month sentence to be served consecutively for a total 36-month term of imprisonment. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the crimes he committed while illegally present in the United States. Bueso-Medina has multiple previous convictions for illegal reentry, importation and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, manufacture/delivery of cocaine and driving while intoxicated. Law enforcement first removed Bueso-Medina from the United States in February 2007. He later returned illegally multiple times and was removed in June 2018, September 2019 and May 2023. Most recently, authorities found him again Sept. 25, 2025, in Harris County, with no authorization to be in the United States. Bueso-Medina has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Whitney 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Federal Jury Convicts Miami Man of Kidnapping, Alien Smuggling, and Racketeering-Related Violent Crimes

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A federal jury in Miami convicted Victor Rafael Arcia Albeja, also known as “Vitico,” 32, of Miami, on Feb. 20 for his role in a violent human smuggling scheme that kidnapped and extorted Cuban migrants, holding them captive and threatening brutal harm to force payments from their families. Arcia Albeja was the last of six defendants to be convicted for their roles in a South Florida-based alien smuggling and extortion scheme. Co-defendants Osmel Benitez, 40, of Opa-Locka; Victor Manuel Perez Cardenas, 40, of Tampa; Jhonny Walther Izaguirre Lopez, 46, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Yoelys Prada Ramos, 45, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jose Angel Marrero Rodriguez, 52, of Houston, Texas, previously pleaded guilty. “This was an organized human smuggling enterprise enforced through kidnapping, torture, and terror,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants smuggled vulnerable Cuban migrants into our country and then treated them as commodities, imprisoning them, beating them with machetes, staging mock executions, and putting guns to their heads to extort ransom from their families. These are not immigration violations. They are violent federal crimes. If you exploit desperation for profit in South Florida, you will be hunted down, prosecuted federally, and face the full weight of the law.” “The depravity of this kidnapping and smuggling operation is almost beyond description,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “Arcia Albeja and his co-defendants kidnapped, extorted, and tortured victims and their families by putting them in nightmarish circumstances such as a mock hanging, being beaten by a machete, and extorting large sums of money. Now all convicted, these defendants justly face significant prison sentences for their inhumane actions.” According to the evidence presented at trial, in March and May 2024, Arcia Albeja and Perez Cardenas transported Cuban nationals by boat from Cayo Coco, Cuba to Key Largo. Benitez and other members of the alien smuggling enterprise then transported the aliens to a safe house in Miami Gardens, where members of the enterprise demanded $15,000 in smuggling fees per person from the aliens’ families and friends. To enforce payment and deter noncompliance, members of the enterprise used threats and violence. When the aliens brought in March 2024 failed to pay, Prada Ramos showed the aliens a video depicting a man battering a victim with a machete, then shooting the victim dead. This video was shown to aliens who came on the May 2024 voyage before they boarded the boat. Further, Arcia Albeja and other members of the enterprise implemented a policy that no alien would be released until full payment was received. On May 18, 2024, Arcia Albeja and Perez Cardenas brought approximately 15 aliens to Key Largo. After some attempted to flee, members of the enterprise pursued them. Meanwhile, Perez Cardenas drove some of the aliens to the safe house. At the safe house, enterprise members threatened the aliens with harm if payment was not made. When several aliens’ families failed to pay, five aliens were transported to a vacant farm property in northwest Miami-Dade County used for cockfighting. At that location, members of the enterprise resumed their efforts to collect the aliens’ smuggling fees, including staging and recording acts of violence and sending the videos to aliens’ families. One alien testified that Izaguirre Lopez put her on a FaceTime call with her mother, put a gun to her head, and told her mother that if she did not pay, she would receive her daughter’s head. In another instance, Benitez and Arcia Albeja forced one of the aliens to participate in a mock hanging while being beaten with a machete . When the extortion scheme failed, members of the enterprise attempted to transport the aliens to Louisiana for forced labor to satisfy the smuggling debts. On May 20, 2024, law enforcement stopped Izaguirre Lopez on the Florida Turnpike in Sumter County, arrested him, and rescued the aliens. The jury convicted Arcia Albeja of conspiracy to kidnap, four counts of kidnapping, conspiracy to bring an alien to the U.S., bringing an alien to the U.S., and four counts of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering. Arcia Albeja faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the kidnapping-related charges. He also faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the alien smuggling counts and up to 20 years in prison on each count of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dwayne E. Williams and Bertila Fernandez are prosecuting the case. FBI Miami is investigating the case. The Homestead Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable assistance. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from FBI Miami, Homestead Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Related court documents and information may be found on the website for the United States District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20397. ###


title: New Britain Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Cocaine Trafficking Ring

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS TORRES ORTIZ, 25, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force identified Joseph Giovanni Soto as the leader of a cocaine trafficking operation that involved the shipment of parcels containing kilogram quantities of cocaine from U.S. Post Offices in Puerto Rico to various “drop addresses” in New Britain and Meriden, Connecticut, as well as addresses in Holyoke and West Springfield, Massachusetts. The organization used “runners” to pick up the parcels from the drop addresses and deliver them to Soto’s residence in Bloomfield and the residence of Soto’s uncle, Ramon Soto, in New Britain. Typically, Ramon Soto, at Joseph Soto’s direction, then delivered the cocaine to individuals in the Bronx, New York, and elsewhere, in return for payment. During the investigation, task force members intercepted and seized 10 suspicious parcels, each of which contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and identified approximately 280 suspicious parcels likely containing kilogram quantities of cocaine that had been delivered to the various drop addresses. Joseph Giovanni Soto was arrested on May 1, 2023. In August 2023, investigators saw a reemergence of suspicious parcels coming from Puerto Rico to the New Britain and Meriden areas, and then to a Waterbury address where Jatniel Morales Gonzalez was living. Investigators determined that Morales Gonzalez and Soto had worked together prior to Soto’s arrest, and that Morales Gonzalez had assumed control of the Connecticut side of the cocaine trafficking network after Soto’s arrest. Investigators identified several new drop addresses for suspicious parcels and observed Morales Gonzalez, Torres Ortiz, and others retrieving the parcels and bringing them to Morales Gonzalez’s residence before they were ultimately delivered to the Bronx. During this part of the investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified more than 90 additional suspicious parcels, 24 of which had been shipped to Torres Ortiz’s residence in New Britain. Court-authorized searches of four seized parcels found that they each contained approximately two kilograms of cocaine. Torres Ortiz was arrested on December 19, 2024. On September 19, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Torres Ortiz, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 21. Joseph Giovanni Soto, Ramon Soto, and Morales Gonzales pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison terms of 14 years, 10 years, and 10 years, respectively. This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force, which includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police, the Hartford Police Department, and the Plainville Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Levick and Konstantin Lantsman.


title: Jury Finds Man Guilty of 2011 St. Louis County Murder-For-Hire

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Monday found a man guilty of conspiring with a woman to have her fiancé killed at his St. Louis County home in 2011. Jurors convicted Michael Grady, 70, of one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, aiding and abetting murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Evidence and testimony at the trial, which began last Monday, showed that Grady hatched the idea to kill Charles Harris III so that he and Harris’ financially struggling fiancée, Victoria Rena Williams, would receive an insurance payout. Grady also hired the person or persons who shot Harris in his home on Langford Drive on Oct. 5, 2011, telling Williams, “I have two young shooters,” the trial showed. “Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Grady was at the center of this,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj told jurors Monday. Williams, 67, pleaded guilty in September to the same three counts and is awaiting sentencing. Wiliams said that Grady witnessed an argument over money between her and Harris in the summer of 2010 and told her she “shouldn’t be going through that.” Prompted by Grady, Williams called an insurance company that he recommended and asked if an accidental death policy would pay out in the event of a fatal robbery. On Aug. 27, 2010, Williams started the application process for a $250,000 policy for Harris. The murder occurred after the pair knew the policy was in effect and after Grady learned a different insurance scheme was not likely to pay out. Harris worked for an alarm company and sold suits out of his home to people he knew or through trusted referrals. Williams told Harris that the shooters were interested in buying suits. She told jurors that after backing out twice, when she tried to back out again, Grady told her that they were too far along, and it could be “bad for you” if she did. Williams eventually received $224,444 from one life insurance company and then obtained a cashier’s check for $110,000 payable to Grady’s wife. Williams also received $175,762 from another insurance policy. A trail of electronic evidence detailed the communications between Williams and Grady while they planned the murder and between Williams and Grady and one of the shooters before and after the murder was carried out, as well as the movements of the shooters and Grady. The shooter or shooters have not been identified. Only Grady knows their identity, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Boyce told jurors in his opening statement. Grady is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4 and faces life in prison. He is already serving a 226-month federal prison sentence for aiding a large-scale, violent drug conspiracy by trying to determine who was cooperating with investigators and prosecutors. The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Boyce, Nino Przulj and Ryan Finlen are prosecuting the case.


title: Two Sentenced After Pleading Guilty To Fentanyl Related Deaths

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Thomas Galiano III, 26, of Colorado Springs, and Hailee Anne Helton, 26, of Colorado Springs were separately sentenced after each pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with an intent to distribute a substance containing fentanyl. Galiano III was sentenced to 144 months. Helton was sentenced to 168 months. According to the plea agreements, in August 2022, the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to a call to a unit at the Mountain View Apartment Homes on West Meadow Drive. Inside the unit, police found a 31-year-old man who was deceased. Evidence gathered at the scene included one blue tablet bearing an M-30 imprint, which later tested positive for fentanyl. Evidence collected at the scene, and electronic data, including CashApp payments and social media communications, demonstrated that Helton and Galiano sold the deceased man the drugs. In October 2022, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence on Park Road in Rye, Colorado, after a call about an unresponsive 18-year-old woman. At that scene, investigators found a small black bag with three blue tablets bearing an M-30 imprint, which later tested positive for fentanyl. Evidence, including electronic data from social media, connected the pills to Helton and Galiano. In a third incident, also in October 2022, an undercover officer in Colorado Springs engaged Helton and Galliano in a drug deal in which the undercover officer purchased 16 fentanyl pills for $150 from Helton and Galiano. “Fentanyl is a scourge on our society, and it has claimed the lives of two more young people in our community,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “These cases should serve as a warning to other fentanyl dealers that selling even just a handful of pills can put you in federal prison for a very long time.” “Fentanyl continues to take lives within our community, and two lives are lost due to the careless actions of these drug dealers,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski. “Working jointly with the Colorado Springs Police Department, FBI Denver was able to bring a measure of justice to their families and accountability to those responsible. We will not stop and will continue to target drug traffickers who bring violence and misery to our community.” “While no sentence can bring the victims in this case back, we hope this outcome provides a measure of justice and comfort to their families and loved ones,” said Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. “We remain unwavering in our commitment to aggressively pursuing those who profit from poisoning our community.” “The loss of a life to fentanyl is devastating, and we take every overdose death seriously. Our crime scene and narcotics detectives’ exceptional work in this case ensured that those who supplied the drugs were brought to justice,” said Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero, “This outcome reflects our commitment to treating these cases with the seriousness they deserve.” United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney presided over the sentencings. The FBI Colorado Springs Resident Agency, the Colorado Springs Police Department, and the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation. The Transnational Organized Crime and Money Laundering Section handled the prosecution. Case Numbers: 23-cr-00371-CNS


title: Coral Gables Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Videos Depicting Sexual Torture of Baby Monkeys

body_text: MIAMI – Francisco Javier Ravelo, 36, of Coral Gables, pleaded guilty today to distributing videos depicting the torture of monkeys, in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute. Ravelo was charged in October 2025. According to court documents, Ravelo created some and administered some online chat groups dedicated to the distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and burned, including baby and adult monkeys. Ravelo personally distributed more than 40 of these obscene crush videos. “In his first term, President Donald J. Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law to end animal crushing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “If you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.” “This case is deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “As a former state court trial judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I was trained to recognize lethality factors, warning signs that violence is escalating. Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags. It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendant didn’t merely view this material. He created and administered online groups devoted to it and distributed dozens of obscene animal torture videos. That conduct fuels a market built on brutality. Animal crushing is a serious federal crime. In the Southern District of Florida, we will enforce that law firmly and without hesitation.” “Our team worked diligently to ensure Ravelo was held accountable for his egregious crimes and to prevent further harm,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “We are grateful for the collaboration that brought this case to resolution and Ravelo to justice.” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gustafson, U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Wright made the announcement. HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting 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 No. 25-cr-20477. ###


title: KC Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Cocaine Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Antoine R. Gillum, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole. On June 19, 2024, investigators of the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department contacted Gillum inside a gas station convenience store. Gillum had discarded a Taurus, Model G3, 9mm pistol in an aisle between merchandise. Gillum also discarded a pill bottle containing cocaine base, oxycodone and acetaminophen, and oxycodone. Officers searched the vehicle Gillum arrived in and located approximately 32 grams of cocaine base. On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. Operation Take Back America This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Former President of Eastern Iowa Business Convicted of Bankruptcy Crimes

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: The former president of a defunct Eastern Iowa telecommunications infrastructure business, who concealed assets and otherwise made false statements under penalty of perjury in his personal bankruptcy proceeding, was convicted on all counts by a jury on February 28, 2026, after a five-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Dennis Clifford Bruce, age 51, from Marion, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy, two counts of bankruptcy concealment, one count of false bankruptcy declaration, two counts of false statement under oath, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity. The verdicts were returned following about five hours of jury deliberations. The evidence at trial showed that Bruce was the owner and president of BDC Group, Inc., an Eastern Iowa telecommunications infrastructure business that did business throughout the United States. In 2023, BDC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to reorganize but, in early 2024, the bankruptcy court converted BDC’s corporate bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding. In March 2024, Bruce filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Bruce told the bankruptcy court that he had less than $50,000 in non-exempt assets. He sought to discharge over $30 million in debt from his creditors in his personal bankruptcy, which to a large degree consisted of personal guarantees on BDC’s loans. The United States’s bankruptcy laws permit debtors a “fresh start” so long as they are scrupulously honest with the bankruptcy court, the trustees who oversee the debtor’s property, and creditors. The evidence at trial established that Bruce concealed assets and repeatedly made false statements to the bankruptcy court, trustees, and creditors about his property and prior transfers. The concealment and false statements included Bruce’s sale of a $50,000 pontoon boat and his ownership interest in an Eastern Iowa conduit company. The trial evidence also established that Bruce hid an ownership interest in a limited liability company in Marion, which another person purported to operate from Bruce’s basement. On paper, the company was put in the name of that other person, but Bruce had obtained approximately $300,000 in seed money for the company and profited from its operations. The company solicited business from some of BDC’s prior customers, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”), on the false premises that the company was “woman owned.” For example, the company successfully obtained a nearly $500,000 contract with NASA to build a blast-proof bunker at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. While his Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding was pending, Bruce and another person received “rent” payments from the new company, compensation for a root canal, and a new deck on Bruce’s home in Marion. Evidence at trial revealed that the company’s internal financial records contained false statements to conceal these payments that benefited Bruce. Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Bruce remains free on bond previously set pending sentencing. Bruce faces a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $1,750,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Dan Chatham and was investigated by NASA, Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-CR-49. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Bosnian Man Sentenced to Prison for  Receiving Child Pornography

body_text: A man who received child pornography was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison. Hazim Kapic, age 61, from Bosnia, who was living in Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 17, 2025, guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography. In a plea agreement, Kapic admitted that he downloaded child pornography from February 2020 until August 2024. In August 2024, law enforcement officers searched his home in Waterloo, Iowa, and seized a hard drive with thousands of images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent minors. Kapic had depictions of child pornography involving an infant or toddler, and depictions involving sadistic and masochistic conduct. Kapic was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Kapic was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $18,000 in restitution to victims in the case. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” Kapic is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-CR-2025. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Rochester man going to prison for selling fentanyl that led to a death

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Herschel Dawson, 35, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of distribution of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 156 months in prison by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGrath, who handled the case, stated that in April 2022, members of the Brockport Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a fatal fentanyl overdose at a Gordon Street residence. After a thorough investigation by local law enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, into the circumstances of the overdose, Dawson was identified as the drug dealer responsible for distributing the fatal dose of fentanyl. The investigation, which included an undercover purchase, also determined that Dawson was engaged in drug dealing for several years prior to the overdose incident. The sentence is the result of an investigation by the Brockport Police Department, under the direction of Chief Paul Wheat, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.


title: Westchester Construction Contractor Pleads Guilty To Filing False Tax Returns

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Harry T. Chavis, Jr., announced that PHILIP CASTRACUCCO pled guilty today to filing false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns before U.S. District Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke in White Plains federal court. “As he admitted today in court, Philip Castracucco filed false tax returns that underreported income from his business,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Castracucco attempted to avoid paying his full obligation back to the government, one we all collectively share for essential services and infrastructure. He has now pled guilty to a federal crime and faces time in prison. Cheating on your taxes is stealing from your fellow New Yorkers.” “Philip Castracucco concealed income from the IRS and evaded the payment of taxes, contributing to our nation’s tax gap in the process. With today’s guilty plea, he is being held accountable. This outcome demonstrates the strength of our investigative efforts and our commitment to safeguarding the public from financial misconduct. He now faces the consequences of choosing fraud over compliance,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr. According to the Information, public court proceedings and filings, as well as CASTRACUCCO’s admissions during his plea allocation: CASTRACUCCO was the owner of a contracting business (“Company-1”) that performed construction work, primarily for masonry projects in the vicinity of Westchester County, New York. From 2017 through 2022, CASTRACUCCO caused Company-1 business receipt checks in a total amount of more than $3.5 million to be cashed through a check cashing business and converted to cash, rather than deposited into Company-1’s business bank account. CASTRACUCCO used this cash to pay salaries and wages to himself and his employees; for other items purchased for his own benefit; and for materials used by Company-1. From 2018 through 2023, CASTRACUCCO filed with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) U.S. Income Tax Returns for an S Corporation, IRS Forms 1120-S, for Company-1 that omitted its gross receipts from the aforementioned checks and more than $1 million of salaries and wages paid by Company-1 to CASTRACUCCO and others. CASTRACUCCO also caused to be filed with the IRS Forms 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Returns, for Company-1 that omitted these salaries and wages. From 2020 through 2023, CASTRACUCCO filed and caused to be filed with the IRS personal U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, IRS Forms 1040, that omitted more than $900,000 of business income CASTRACUCCO received from Company-1. * * * CASTRACUCCO, 63, of Tuckahoe, New York, pled guilty to one count of making and subscribing to false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. CASTRACUCCO has agreed to pay restitution to the IRS, representing the additional tax due and owing as a result of his conduct, in an amount no less than $359,646.57. Sentencing before Judge Clarke is scheduled for September 9, 2026. The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed on the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of IRS-CI in this case. The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Coffman is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Man Found Guilty of Child Exploitation

component: USAO - Puerto Rico

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On February 25, 2026, after a three-day jury trial, Luis Ángel Domenech‑Acabá was found guilty of two counts of child exploitation: production and possession of child pornography. United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colón presided over the trial. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Yariel Ramos, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, announced that, according to the evidence presented at trial and reviewed by the jury, Domenech‑Acabá sexually exploited a female minor from in or about September 2017 to in or about September 2018. The evidence showed that he used a cellular phone and internet messaging services to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce the minor to engage in sexual activity for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. “Protecting children from sexual exploitation is one of our highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. “This verdict sends a clear message that those who exploit minors and trade in child sexual abuse material will be held fully accountable and face significant consequences for their crimes.” “This verdict brings hope for all the victims that suffered unbelievable pain caused by this individual who was a trusted adult close to the family. Now that our law enforcement efforts brought him to justice, the victims can now focus on their healing process. HSI will continue collaborating with our local partners to identify and process those who prey on our children,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Yariel Ramos. During trial, the government presented testimony and digital evidence establishing that, using cellphones and other devices, Domenech‑Acabá produced images and videos depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also possessed images and videos of the minor and of other minors in sexually explicit conduct, which he kept in a secured folder on his cellphone. For production of child pornography, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison; for possession of child pornography, he faces up to 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for May 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The defendant was ordered detained in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons pending sentencing. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daynelle Álvarez‑Lora and Emelina Agrait Barreto of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking, and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. ###


title: Lebanon Man Sentenced To 96 Months’ Imprisonment For Possession of a Machine Gun and Conspiracy to Manufacture and Sell Firearms without a License and Possess Machine Guns

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Luis Rosa-Hernandez, formerly of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for possession of machine guns and conspiracy to manufacture firearms without a license and possess machine guns. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, between June and November of 2022, Rosa-Hernandez sold 31 machine gun conversion devices and two stolen handguns with reason to believe the recipient would possess or use them unlawfully. Machine Gun Conversion Devices are firearm parts designed and intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun. Rosa-Hernandez, originally from the Dominican Republic, is subject to deportation pending the completion of his sentence. 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. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott F. Ford prosecuted the case. # # #


title: Northumberland County Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

body_text: WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Scott Eric Snyder, age 54, of Northumberland County, PA, was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann on a charge of production of child pornography. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Snyder produced child sexual abuse material in July of 2012 and July of 2013 after entering the minor victim’s home at night. The victim and two members of the family addressed the Court at the sentencing hearing. In imposing the maximum sentence, Chief Judge Brann referred to the case as “one of the most heinous crimes” he has encountered during his thirteen years on the bench. The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . # # #


title: North Fort Myers Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Arsenal of Firearms

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – Frederick Charles Kutchinsky (54, North Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possessing multiple firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The sentencing is set for May 29, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, on January 24, 2025, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit (FWU) responded to Kutchinsky’s home in North Fort Myers to serve an active felony arrest warrant from Georgia. While in the process of getting Kutchinsky to come outside, FWU deputies observed multiple firearms in plain view through the residence windows, one of which was a .50 caliber rifle. Kutchinsky exited the home and was taken into custody. FWU deputies obtained and executed a search warrant and located more than 50 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside the residence as well as a work bench with firearms parts and tools for modifying firearms. As a previously convicted felon, Kutchinsky is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: GAINESVILLE FELON INDICTED FOR UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A FIREARM

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

body_text: GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Kenneth Ellis Wetherington, 59, of Gainesville, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge. Wetherington appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for March 25, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida. Wetherington faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment if convicted. The case is being jointly investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner. An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. 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. As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Previously Convicted Felon from Fort Myers Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Charge

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – Jose Manuel Caraballo-Torres (39, Fort Myers) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The sentencing is set for May 22, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, on September 27, 2025, Caraballo-Torres was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Based on an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and the lack of a medical marijuana card, the deputy removed the passengers, one by one, and conducted a pat down for the deputy’s safety. During the pat down of Caraballo-Torres, the deputy located a loaded Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol on Caraballo-Torres’s person. This firearm had been reported stolen out of Orlando. As a previously convicted felon, Caraballo-Torres is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law. This case was investigated by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: California Man Sentenced To Over 24 Years For Transporting 132 Pounds Of Methamphetamine To Tampa International Airport

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Jacob Paul Arjona (32, Bakersfield, CA) has been sentenced to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This sentence is to be served concurrently with Arjona’s sentence in a separate federal methamphetamine trafficking and kidnapping case, in which he was sentenced in August 2025 to 17 years and 7 months’ imprisonment. Arjona has been in custody since February 25, 2025, he pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Arjona recruited Hernan Cruz-Moreno and Agustin Ortiz-Sanchez to transport more than 120 pounds of methamphetamine to Tampa in their luggage on a flight from Los Angeles, California to Tampa International Airport (TIA) on May 3, 2023, while Arjona traveled to Florida separately to oversee the distribution of the methamphetamine. After Cruz-Moreno and Ortiz-Sanchez were stopped and arrested at TIA and their luggage was seized, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) had packaging from the seized methamphetamine tested and received a positive match on fingerprint testing for Arjona. Airline records showed that Arjona had traveled to Tampa later and flew out of Orlando on May 3, 2023. Cruz-Moreno previously pleaded guilty to trafficking charges and was sentenced in April 2024 to 7 years and 3 months’ imprisonment. Ortiz-Sanchez fled after he was released on bond and remains a fugitive from justice. Airline records also connected Arjona to similar ventures in other jurisdictions involving marijuana and methamphetamine. In addition, airline and baggage records the HSI agents had gathered while investigating this case helped the Drug Enforcement Administration connect Arjona to an unrelated October 2023 drug and kidnapping case in Holiday, Florida. Arjona pleaded guilty in that case in December 2024. “The coordination and cooperation by our law enforcement partners were effective in disrupting the trafficking of methamphetamine from coast to coast,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “We will continue to work together to prevent the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities across the Middle District of Florida.” “Illicit narcotics like methamphetamine pose a grave threat that destroys lives, tears apart families, and undermines the safety and well-being of neighborhoods across the country,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Calvo. HSI, alongside our partners at Tampa International Airport Police Department, are dedicated to stopping these criminals from importing the devastating effects of illegal drugs into our communities.” This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Tampa International Airport Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.


title: TALLAHASSEE MAN SENTENCED TO DECADES IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG & GUN CHARGES RELATED TO SECOND-DEGREE MURDER

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Triston Chacoey Aric Johnson, a/k/a “C.J.,” 21, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to multiple federal gun and drug offenses, and at sentencing was found responsible for a second-degree murder committed in Tallahassee on July 17, 2024. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This felon was a plague on our community, flooding our streets with drugs and deadly violence, and today’s sentence ensures his reign of terror is over. This was precisely the case that President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi had in mind when they launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward removing the perpetrators of violent crime from our communities. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute cases like this until the citizens of the Northern District of Florida get the safe, drug-free streets that they deserve.” “This was a senseless tragedy that should have never happened,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Harrell. “Thanks to Tallahassee Police Department, FAMU Police Department and federal prosecutors, the suspect won’t be able to threaten public safety again for a long time.” Court documents reflect that Johnson was responsible for crimes stemming from incidents on two separate dates. On October 1, 2023, Johnson fled on foot from a Florida A&M University (FAMU) police officer, during which surveillance video showed Johnson hide a purple bag near a parked car. A FAMU employee reported finding a firearm and a purple bag the following morning, and the bag was found to contain a second firearm, marijuana packaged for sale, mushrooms, a digital scale with marijuana residue, and credit and debit cards belonging to Johnson. On July 17, 2024, Johnson got into a verbal argument with another individual who was returning home in the early morning hours. The altercation escalated to physical violence when Johnson shot the other individual, fatally striking him in the heart. Following the homicide, the Tallahassee Police Department executed a search warrant at Johnson’s apartment, finding loose oxycodone pills, approximately 1.4 pounds of marijuana, over 25 empty one-pound vacuum seal bags with marijuana residue, various types of ammunition, and a short-barreled rifle that had been previously stolen from a Leon County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. Johnson received a sentence of 30 years in prison, which will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Johnson was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later hearing. The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Florida A&M University Department of Campus Safety and Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain. 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. As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years for the Interstate Transportation of Stolen Avionics Equipment

body_text: Tampa. Florida – Mario Mercier Hernandez (61, New Port Richey) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle to the statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison for the interstate transportation of stolen property. Mercier pleaded guilty on July 25, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, beginning around 2019, Mercier embarked on a string of thefts of avionics equipment from more than forty airports across the United States, including airports in Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, Maryland, and South Carolina. Mercier, using his knowledge and skill as an FAA-certified pilot, entered each airport, broke into airplanes, and stole valuable electronics equipment from the planes. In total, Mercier stole more than $1.1 million worth of avionics electronics from his victims. Mercier’s thefts continued until May 23, 2024, when he was arrested while stealing equipment from aircraft at the Caldwell Executive Airport in Caldwell, Idaho. Mercier owned and operated JWG International and JWG Aviation in the Middle District of Florida. These companies purported to provide aid to impoverished children in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine. Mercier used these companies to sell the stolen avionics equipment on various websites to unsuspecting purchasers around the United States. Previously, in 1993, Mercier was convicted in the Eastern District of Texas for a series of avionics burglaries across Texas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont. In 2007, Mercier was also convicted of transportation of stolen property in the Middle District of Florida, relating to a similar scheme to steal and resell avionics equipment. “This investigation spanned multiple states and involved numerous agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Clearly, it demonstrates the ability and resolve of our law enforcement partners to extend their reach and bring criminals to justice.” “Today’s sentencing sends a clear and unequivocal message that those who engage in extensive, far-reaching schemes to steal, transport, and resell avionics equipment will face serious consequences,” said Greg Thompson, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Region. “Together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we will relentlessly pursue those who seek to exploit our transportation systems and ensure they are brought to justice.” This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), St. Mary's Sheriff's Office (Lexington Park, Maryland), Canyon County Sheriff's Office and Caldwell Police Department (Caldwell, Idaho), Wilkes County Sheriff's Office (Wilkesboro, North Carolina), McClain County Sheriff's Office (Purcell, Oklahoma), Concord Police Department (Concord, North Carolina), Baxter County Sheriff’s Office (Mountain Home, Arkansas), Moore County Sheriff's Office (Carthage, North Carolina), Hillsborough Township Police Department (Hillsborough, New Jersey), Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina), Statesville Police Department (Statesville, North Carolina), Dorchester County Sheriff's Office (Summerville, South Carolina), Asheboro Police Department (Asheboro, North Carolina), Oconee County Sheriff's Office (Walhalla, South Carolina), Nashau Police Department (Nashau, New Hampshire), Citrus County Sherriff's Office (Inverness, Florida), Greenwood County Sheriff's Office (Greenwood, South Carolina), Lane County Sheriff's Office (Eugene, Oregon), Ontario County Sheriff's Office (Canandaigua, New York), Stow Police Department (Stow, Massachusetts), Burke County Sheriff's Office (Morganton, North Carolina), Iredell County Sheriff's Office (Mooresville, North Carolina), Charles County Sheriff's Office (Waldorf, Maryland), Thomasville Police Department (Thomasville, Georgia), Clarksville Police Department (Clarksville, Tennessee), Macon County Sheriff's Office (Franklin, North Carolina), Lincoln County Sheriff's Office (Lincolnton, North Carolina), McMinn County Sheriff's Office (Athens, Tennessee), Robertson County Sheriff's Office (Springfield, Tennessee), Lumberton Police Department (Lumberton, New Jersey), Bedminster Police Department (Bedminster, New Jersey), Spanish Fork Police Department (Spanish Fork, Utah), and Vancouver Police Department (Vancouver, Washington). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Schmidt.


title: LAFAYETTE WOMAN SENTENCED TO 48 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR HER ROLE IN A MULTI-STATE VEHICLE THEFT, OBLITERATING VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS, AND IDENTITY THEFT CONSPIRACY

body_text: United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Adrienne Marie King, age 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, to 48 months in federal prison following her convictions for conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle; altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number; and possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices. The Court further sentenced King to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment and ordered her to pay $127,000 in restitution. In imposing King’s prison term, and according to admissions as part of her plea, the Court found that, between October 2021 and March 2022, King, Dennis Lloyd Sizemore, Robert Brazell, and Chrisopher Don Byerley carried out a coordinated and complex operation extending across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in which the group stole and then used or sold the stolen and altered vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value of over $250,000. The conspiracy involved tampering with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) to disguise the identity of stolen property; using a chop shop, fraudulent documentation, and false business fronts such as “Hevyquip L.L.C.” to sell stolen equipment; and possessing without authorization over 900 identities and access devices to further conceal the criminal activities. In February 2022, an investigation of a shoplifting incident in the Juban Crossing Shopping Center led Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives to uncover from a stolen pickup truck being operated by Byerley and King an unregistered firearm silencer; an FN Model 509 9mm pistol and ammunition; documentation detailing parts orders for silencers all in Byerley’s handwriting; multiple text messages and photographs pointing to intent to traffic firearms and circumvent federal regulations; and numerous documents, records, emails, text messages, and photos that led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise. Byerley was recently sentenced to 115 months in federal prison following his convictions in this conspiracy and for firearm violations. Sizemore and Brazwell await sentencing. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Saint Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Sheriff’s Department, and Lafayette Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton III and M. Patricia Jones.


title: United States Seeks Forfeiture of Oil Tanker and 1.8M Barrels of Crude Oil That Supported Iran and Venezuela

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: A complaint has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to forfeit the Motor Tanker Skipper – a crude oil tanker seized by the United States on the high seas in December 2025 – and approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil cargo supplied by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the state-owned oil company of Venezuela. As alleged, the Skipper and its cargo are forfeitable as property affording a person a source of influence over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). “Under President Trump's leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will deploy every legal authority at our disposal to completely dismantle and permanently shutter any operation that defies our laws and fuels chaos across the globe.” “This forfeiture complaint for the M/T Skipper and its oil cargo demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. sanctions and thwarting hostile regimes who exploit the global oil trade,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI, working alongside our interagency partners, will continue aggressively identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the financial networks used by our foreign adversaries to fund terrorist organizations and destabilize international security. We remain steadfast in safeguarding both the integrity of the international financial system and the security of the American people.” “Because of the coordinated efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, a ghost tanker that for years secretly moved illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela around the globe has been taken off the seas,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s actions are an important step in making America and the world safer by disrupting the flow of millions of dollars to foreign terrorist organizations. The Criminal Division will continue to use every tool at our disposal to end to terrorist financing.” “For too long, a shadow fleet of stateless and falsely registered vessels has operated with impunity while shuttling illicit oil around the world, generating billions in revenue for adversary regimes and foreign terrorist organizations,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “This forfeiture complaint reflects the National Security Division’s commitment to shutting down those networks and enforcing U.S. sanctions.” “We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and relentlessly pursue ghost fleet vessels whose illicit oil shipments have served as revenue sources for the IRGC and its terrorist proxies,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “With the continued seizures and forfeitures of tankers and related profits, we are sending a clear message that there will be no safe harbor for sanctions evasion – and that we will deny Iran the ability to fund terrorism through its shadowy maritime networks.” “Homeland Security Investigations played a critical role in the investigation that led to today’s forfeiture complaint against the Motor Tanker Skipper and its illicit cargo. By leveraging our expertise, partnerships, and unwavering commitment to protecting the homeland, HSI helped disrupt a complex sanctions-evasion and illicit finance network supporting designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “I am proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our special agents and law enforcement partners, whose collaborative efforts were instrumental in advancing this case. HSI remains committed to safeguarding national security and upholding the rule of law by targeting criminal organizations that threaten global stability.” The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme, between at least 2021 and the present, to facilitate the shipment and sale of petroleum products for the benefit of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. During this time, the Skipper moved crude oil from Iran and Venezuela and, through ship-to-ship transfers, delivered it to various locations around the world, including to other rogue regimes. The Skipper disguised its illicit activities by spoofing its locations, flying false flags and employing other tactics to obfuscate its routes and conceal its sanctions evasion. For example, as alleged in the complaint, in 2024, the Skipper delivered approximately three million barrels of crude oil from Iran to Syria. The Skipper continued to transport illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela into 2025, including loading oil from Iran at least twice in 2025. For its facilitation of illicit oil shipments, on Nov. 3, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Skipper (then named the Adisa). The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product, which was loaded onto the Skipper from Venezuela before it was seized, is part of the Skipper’s scheme to perpetuate its operations in support of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. As alleged, revenue from the sale of petroleum products supports the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism and both domestic and international human rights abuses. The ghost fleet, including the Skipper, plays an essential role in generating revenue for these regimes by moving Iranian and other illicit oil around the world. Most recently, in November 2025, the Skipper loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan-origin crude oil at the José Terminal in Venezuela. According to bills of lading, approximately 1.1 million barrels of the Skipper’s oil cargo were to be delivered to Cubametales, the Cuban state-run oil import and export company that was designated by OFAC in July 2019. On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. law enforcement seized the Skipper on the high seas pursuant to a judicially authorized seizure warrant. At that time, the Skipper was claiming a false Guyanese flag, rendering it stateless. The Skipper and its cargo were thereafter transported to the waters off the coast of Texas. FBI Minneapolis Field Office and HSI Washington D.C. Field Office are investigating the case. Substantial assistance was provided by HSI New York Field Office. Trial Attorney Josh Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dilorenzo and Rajbir Datta of the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.


title: Massachusetts Man Indicted and Arrested for Fraudulently Using Government Seals

body_text: Ocala, FL – Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr. (50, Massachusetts) has been charged by indictment and arrested for the fraudulent use of government seals. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Dos Santos is the president of an organization called Chaplain Emergency Management Agency Inc. (CEMA), which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In doing so, Dos Santos fraudulently used the seals of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Neither Dos Santos nor CEMA have authorization to use the seals of DHS, FEMA, or FBI, nor are they otherwise affiliated with DHS, FEMA, FBI, or any other department or agency of the federal government. As outlined in the court documents, Dos Santos has organized multiple CEMA chaplaincy training courses throughout the country. At these trainings, Dos Santos provided participants with identification cards, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates containing the seals of various departments and agencies of the United States. As shown in the redacted images below, the identification cards contain one of CEMA’s logos, which consists of the DHS seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.” The back of the identification cards contain the DHS/FEMA seal with no alterations. The certificates contain the FBI seal and a slightly different version of the CEMA logo—an older version of the FEMA seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.” Dos Santos also offered various CEMA merchandise for sale, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders—all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal. During an undercover operation conducted at a training held on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased merchandise items, pictured below: CEMA’s website and social media accounts all display the CEMA logo (an altered version of the DHS seal) and falsely identify CEMA as a government organization or federal agency. Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings. In connection with his immigration case, Dos Santos submitted multiple fraudulent documents, including a “Certificate of Ordination” and a diploma from the “University of Berkley” in Michigan, which does not exist. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with material support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos. Indictment Criminal Complaint


title: Texas Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Theft of Government Money and Aggravated Identity Theft

body_text: Fort Myers, Florida – Kristin Cara Kunstler (43, Amarillo, TX) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to five years and one month in federal prison for theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. Kunstler pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $2,797,083, the proceeds of the theft of government money. United States Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, on January 2, 2025, Kunstler knowingly stole money belonging to the United States Treasury by depositing a U.S. Treasury check belonging to the victim. Kunstler identified herself using the victim’s name and opened a bank account in the name of the victim at a bank branch located in Naples, FL. Kunstler used the victim’s name, date of birth, and driver license number to open the account without the victim’s knowledge or consent, then deposited a U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $2,797,083 made payable to the victim. Kunstler was the sole signer on the bank account. By February 19, 2025, Kunstler had withdrawn at least $1.5 million from the bank account. She used the money for her own use and the use of another. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava. Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench is handling the forfeiture.


title: Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual Activity

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Jerry Alexander Cobb (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to using his cellphone and the internet to attempt to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Cobb faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 27, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, between July 18 and August 1, 2025, an FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was conducting an undercover operation on an online social media application (app) to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this operation, UC and app user “Jerry,” later identified as Cobb, exchanged several private online text messages on the app. After UC advised “Jerry” that “she” was only 13 years old, “Jerry” texted, “[w]e can be friends” and repeatedly asked for the location of the “child’s” residence, whether the “child” could “sneak out at night,” and if “she” was a “virgin.” On July 30, 2025, “Jerry” texted the “child” that they should meet and texted, “[y]ou want to just get a hotel room?” “Jerry” suggested that they engage in sexual activity in the hotel room and promised that he would bring and use a condom. On July 31, 2025, Cobb texted the “child,” “[y]es I’m serious that we can [have] sex.” The next day, Cobb and the “child” made plans to meet for sexual activity later that day in Jacksonville. That evening, Cobb traveled to the location where he intended to meet the purported 13-year-old “child” for sex. Upon arrival, Cobb was arrested by FBI agents. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


component: Department of Justice

body_text: WASHINGTON – A complaint has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to forfeit the Motor Tanker Skipper – a crude oil tanker seized by the United States on the high seas in December 2025 – and approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil cargo supplied by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the state-owned oil company of Venezuela. As alleged, the Skipper and its cargo are forfeitable as property affording a person a source of influence over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). “Under President Trump's leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will deploy every legal authority at our disposal to completely dismantle and permanently shutter any operation that defies our laws and fuels chaos across the globe.” “This forfeiture complaint for the M/T Skipper and its oil cargo demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. sanctions and thwarting hostile regimes who exploit the global oil trade,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI, working alongside our interagency partners, will continue aggressively identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the financial networks used by our foreign adversaries to fund terrorist organizations and destabilize international security. We remain steadfast in safeguarding both the integrity of the international financial system and the security of the American people.” “We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and relentlessly pursue ghost fleet vessels whose illicit oil shipments have served as revenue sources for the IRGC and its terrorist proxies,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “With the continued seizures and forfeitures of tankers and related profits, we are sending a clear message that there will be no safe harbor for sanctions evasion – and that we will deny Iran the ability to fund terrorism through its shadowy maritime networks.” “Because of the coordinated efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, a ghost tanker that for years secretly moved illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela around the globe has been taken off the seas,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s actions are an important step in making America and the world safer by disrupting the flow of millions of dollars to foreign terrorist organizations. The Criminal Division will continue to use every tool at our disposal to end to terrorist financing.” “For too long, a shadow fleet of stateless and falsely registered vessels has operated with impunity while shuttling illicit oil around the world, generating billions in revenue for adversary regimes and foreign terrorist organizations,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “This forfeiture complaint reflects the National Security Division’s commitment to shutting down those networks and enforcing U.S. sanctions.” “Homeland Security Investigations played a critical role in the investigation that led to today’s forfeiture complaint against the Motor Tanker Skipper and its illicit cargo. By leveraging our expertise, partnerships, and unwavering commitment to protecting the homeland, HSI helped disrupt a complex sanctions-evasion and illicit finance network supporting designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “I am proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our special agents and law enforcement partners, whose collaborative efforts were instrumental in advancing this case. HSI remains committed to safeguarding national security and upholding the rule of law by targeting criminal organizations that threaten global stability.” The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme, between at least 2021 and the present, to facilitate the shipment and sale of petroleum products for the benefit of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. During this time, the Skipper moved crude oil from Iran and Venezuela and, through ship-to-ship transfers, delivered it to various locations around the world, including to other rogue regimes. The Skipper disguised its illicit activities by spoofing its locations, flying false flags and employing other tactics to obfuscate its routes and conceal its sanctions evasion. For example, as alleged in the complaint, in 2024, the Skipper delivered approximately three million barrels of crude oil from Iran to Syria. The Skipper continued to transport illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela into 2025, including loading oil from Iran at least twice in 2025. For its facilitation of illicit oil shipments, on Nov. 3, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Skipper (then named the Adisa). The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product, which was loaded onto the Skipper from Venezuela before it was seized, is part of the Skipper’s scheme to perpetuate its operations in support of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. As alleged, revenue from the sale of petroleum products supports the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism and both domestic and international human rights abuses. The ghost fleet, including the Skipper, plays an essential role in generating revenue for these regimes by moving Iranian and other illicit oil around the world. Most recently, in November 2025, the Skipper loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan-origin crude oil at the José Terminal in Venezuela. According to bills of lading, approximately 1.1 million barrels of the Skipper’s oil cargo were to be delivered to Cubametales, the Cuban state-run oil import and export company that was designated by OFAC in July 2019. On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. law enforcement seized the Skipper on the high seas pursuant to a judicially authorized seizure warrant. At that time, the Skipper was claiming a false Guyanese flag, rendering it stateless. The Skipper and its cargo were thereafter transported to the waters off the coast of Texas. FBI Minneapolis Field Office and HSI Washington D.C. Field Office are investigating the case. Substantial assistance was provided by HSI New York Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dilorenzo and Rajbir Datta of the District of Columbia, Trial Attorney Josh Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government. ###