title: Maryland Resident with Prior Domestic Violence Conviction Indicted for Illegal Firearm Possession

body_text: WASHINGTON – Christopher Forbes, 30, of Suitland, Maryland, has been indicted on federal firearms charges as part of the "Make D.C. Safe Again" initiative. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Make D.C. Safe Again is a public safety initiative led by U.S. Attorney Martin that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators. Forbes is charged in an indictment in federal court with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; and one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm. According to court documents, on April 5, 2025, at approximately 5:42 a.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the 1800 block of A Street SE after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire. Upon arrival, officers observed a man, later identified as Forbes, matching the suspect description. Officers located Forbes several blocks away on Independence Avenue SE and conducted a protective pat-down. During the encounter, officers recovered a loaded .40 caliber handgun from his waistband. The weapon was loaded with 2 rounds, including one in the chamber. Shell casings found near the scene matched the firearm’s caliber. Forbes was arrested on the scene. A review of law enforcement databases revealed that Forbes had a prior felony robbery conviction in Prince George’s County, Maryland, in 2024, and an active extraditable warrant for failure to appear related to that case. He also had a non-extraditable warrant out of Florida stemming from a prior conviction for discharging a firearm in public. Forbes was prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his felony conviction and his prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Mexican national indicted for trafficking cocaine and heroin into the U.S.

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old resident of Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has been charged with trafficking more than 12 kilograms of cocaine and nearly five kilograms of heroin and conspiracy to do so, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. A federal grand jury has now returned the four-count indictment against Albing Pablo Rivera-Leal. In custody since his arrest on a criminal complaint originally filed in the case, he will appear for his arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future. According to the criminal complaint originally filed in the case, authorities stopped Rivera-Leal April 5 for a traffic violation on I-35 north in Laredo. They conducted a search of the vehicle and allegedly found indications of tampering under the rear seats in the vehicle. The charges also allege a K-9 conducted a free air sniff and detected controlled substances in his car. Upon further inspection, law enforcement allegedly found several packages of cocaine and heroin concealed in a secret compartment inside the cabin of the vehicle. The charges allege the packages contained approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine and 4.5 kilograms of heroin. If convicted, Rivera-Leal faces up to life in prison and a $5 million fine. The Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan L. Oliver is prosecuting the case. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Venezuelan Nationals with TPS Charged in Miami with Defrauding U.S. Government-Funded Covid-19 Relief Program

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Freddy Urribarri, 42, and Mairilin Munoz 39, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with their submission of false and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. Both defendants are Venezuelan nationals who were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allowed them to remain in the United States temporarily after they had entered the country. They were living in Dania Beach, Fl. at the time of their arrests. According to allegations in the Indictment and statements made in open court, the defendants conspired with each other to commit fraud by submitting false PPP loan applications for Covid-19 era relief money meant to help struggling small business owners financially survive the pandemic. The defendants submitted two sole proprietorship loan applications with false and fraudulent supporting tax documents. Urribarri and Munoz also caused the submission of a false and fraudulent PPP loan application for FU&MM General Services, a company they controlled as president and vice president. The application inflated FU&MM’s income and number of employees. The lender accepted the false representations and approved a loan of about $438,000. Once they received the loan proceeds, the defendants engaged in a scheme to conceal the nature of the funds. Munoz also engaged in financial transactions over $10,000 using proceeds of the fraud. Urribarri and Munoz also submitted false and fraudulent tax documents in support of a PPP loan forgiveness application. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division, announced the charges. HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Bernstein is prosecuting it. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-20151. ###


title: Brewton Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Sending Death Threat to a South Alabama District Attorney

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: Montgomery, Ala. – Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama announced today that a Brewton, Alabama man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for sending a death threat to a district attorney in south Alabama. On April 28, 2025, a federal judge in Mobile sentenced 54-year-old William Terry Holmes to 60 months in prison after Holmes pleaded guilty to mailing a threatening communication. The sentence, the maximum allowed under the federal statute, will run consecutively to the state prison term Holmes is currently serving with the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) on unrelated charges. There is no parole in the federal system. In addition to the prison sentence, Holmes was ordered to pay $26,185.70 in restitution. According to court documents and Holmes’s plea agreement, the threat arose after a man that Holmes claimed to know was convicted of capital murder for the killing of a police officer. On March 19, 2024, Holmes, who was an inmate serving a state prison sentence with ADOC, sent a letter to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the capital murder case. The letter began, “I am personally writing you to inform you we know where you live,” and went on to identify Holmes as a member of a known white supremacist group. Holmes threatened that the district attorney, the district attorney’s family, and the judge involved in the case would suffer “a very horrible and painful death” in retaliation for the conviction and the pursuit of the death penalty against his alleged associate. On March 22, 2024, agents interviewed Holmes. During the interview, Holmes admitted to writing the letter and claimed he had associates watching the district attorney, warning that the prosecutor had only hours to live. Security precautions had already been taken to protect the district attorney and his family. Holmes pleaded guilty to mailing the threatening communication on January 28, 2025. “No one who serves the cause of justice, or the families of those who serve, should ever be threatened for doing their job,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson. “Our system depends on the courage of prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers. Threats against them are attacks on the rule of law itself and cannot be tolerated.” “There is no place in our justice system for threats of violence – especially leveled at officers of the court,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “The FBI is committed to ensuring those who serve justice can do so without fear and will hold offenders accountable.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mobile Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb from the Middle District of Alabama prosecuted the case.


title: Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Cockfighting Charges

component: Energy and Natural Resources Division

body_text: Onill Vazquez Lozada of Providence, Rhode Island, pleaded guilty today to two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. As part of his plea, Lozada admitted that on April 27, 2021, he possessed roosters for the purpose of having them fight. Lozada also admitted that on March 6, 2022, he sponsored and exhibited, and aided and abetted sponsoring and exhibiting, at least one rooster in a fight against another rooster. Cockfighting is a contest in which a person attaches a knife, gaff or other sharp instrument to the leg of a “gamecock” or rooster and then places the bird a few inches away from a similarly armed rooster. This results in a fight during which the roosters flap their wings and jump while stabbing each other with the weapons that are fastened to their legs. A cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue to fight. Commonly, one or both roosters die after a fight. Lozada faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge to which he pleaded guilty. Sentencing is scheduled for July 29. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Acting U.S. Attorney Sara M. Bloom for the District of Rhode Island made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division, Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro Police Departments. Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner and Assistant Chief Stephen Da Ponte of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams for the District of Rhode Island are prosecuting the case.


title: San Jose Engineer Pleads Guilty to Bombings of PG&E Transformers, Causing Property Damage and Widespread Power Outages

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: Peter Karasev, 38, a U.S. citizen residing in San Jose, pleaded guilty in the Northern District of California today to federal charges related to two separate bombings of PG&E electrical transformers in late 2022 and early 2023. Karasev was indicted on Oct. 19, 2023, and pleaded guilty today to two counts of willful destruction of an energy facility. According to the plea agreement, Karasev admitted that on Dec. 8, 2022, and Jan. 5, 2023, he willfully damaged energy facilities involved in the production, storage, transmission, and distribution of electricity. In both attacks, Karasev used homemade explosive devices to cause significant destruction and widespread power outages in the San Jose area. “Attacks on America’s critical infrastructure are attacks targeting the heart of our nation’s security. They will be treated like the grave threat they are to our country,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “With today’s guilty plea, the defendant admitted to putting thousands of lives and businesses at risk and endangering essential services for countless more. The Justice Department will not rest until we disrupt and hold accountable those participating in these dangerous attacks.” “The defendant admitted to using homemade explosives to intentionally damage two electrical transformers and cause significant disruptions to more than 1,500 residences and businesses in San Jose. The search of his home following his arrest uncovered a staggering trove of explosive devices and hazardous chemicals. There can be no mistake as to the extent of destruction that could have resulted,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins for the Northern District of California. “We applaud the swift work of law enforcement officers to investigate these threats to critical infrastructure, bring the defendant to justice, and prevent further harm to the residents of San Jose.” “With today’s guilty plea, Karasev admits to using explosives to attack two electrical facilities which resulted in power outages to numerous homes and businesses in the San Jose area,” said Assistant Director David J. Scott of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “Americans rely on essential infrastructure as they go about their daily lives. The FBI works with our partners to protect that infrastructure, and we will hold accountable anyone who seeks to damage it.” The first attack, which occurred near the Westfield Oakridge Mall, resulted in the destruction of a PG&E transformer and left more than 1,450 customers without power for nearly 16 hours. The second attack, carried out near Plaza Del Rey shopping center, caused further destruction, damaging a transformer and adjacent building, and interrupted power to dozens more residents and businesses. In connection with his plea, Karasev admitted that the attacks were premeditated and deliberate. He conducted extensive internet searches regarding explosive materials, infrastructure attacks, and geopolitical conflicts. Upon his arrest on March 1, 2023, law enforcement agents discovered multiple homemade explosive devices, over 300 pounds of explosive precursor materials, hazardous chemicals, firearms, and remote detonation devices in his home, vehicle, and office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Karasev faces a stipulated sentence of between 102 and 126 months (approximately 8.5 to 10.5 years) in federal prison. He also agreed to pay restitution of no less than $104,076.26 for the damages caused. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 19. The FBI and the San Jose Police Department are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne C. Hsieh for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorney Jacob Warren of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.


title: New York Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking Operation

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jose Rivera, 37, of Queens, New York, was sentenced to 70 months for his role in a drug trafficking organization in Berkeley County. According to court documents and statements made in court, Rivera was one of the conspirators of the drug trafficking operation selling large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Rivera supplied nearly three kilograms of cocaine to another defendant, who then drove it to West Virginia to sell. Rivera will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative (agencies included are the West Virginia State Police, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sherriff’s Department, Ranson Police Department, Charles Town Police Department, and Martinsburg City Police Department); West Virginia State Police; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Hagerstown Police Department; the National Resources Police Department; FBI-New York Safe Streets Task Force; the New York Police Department; the New Jersey State Police; the Washington County (Maryland) Drug Task Force; the Maryland State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania investigated. 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). Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Former Monmouth County Resident Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Role in Fraudulently Obtaining Over $3.7 Million in Cares Act Loans

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A former resident of Monmouth County was sentenced to prison for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Kevin Aguilar, age 54, previously of Farmingdale, New Jersey, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court following Aguilar’s guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; seven counts of bank fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; three counts of wire fraud; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; one count of money laundering; and one count of aggravated identity theft. Aguilar was sentenced to 192 months in prison. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From April 2020 to April 2021, Aguilar conspired with others to submit seven fraudulent PPP loan applications and three fraudulent EIDL applications on behalf of four businesses. Based on the fraudulent applications, Aguilar received a total of approximately $3.3 million in PPP loan funds and approximately $450,000 in EIDL funds. After receiving the PPP and EIDL funds, Aguilar caused those funds to be transferred to other businesses that he created to give the false appearance that the PPP and EIDL funds were being used for legitimate purposes. Aguilar then used the PPP and EIDL funds to purchase residential properties in Sherman, Texas, a new truck for approximately $100,000, and to pay for other personal expenses. In addition to the 192-month prison term, Judge Shipp sentenced Aguilar to 5 years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $3,772,567 in restitution, as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $3,772,567. Judge Shipp also ordered the forfeiture of approximately $1,511,221.62 that law enforcement seized from twelve bank accounts, as well as the three real properties in Sherman, Texas. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca in New York; IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen; special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David V. Simunovich of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Health Care Fraud Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Kozar, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Economic Crimes United in Newark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Laserna of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of the five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. ### Defense counsel: Alyssa Cimino, Esq., Fairfield, New Jersey; Robert Brady, Esq., Newton, New Jersey


title: Willimantic Man Who Stole 38 Guns from Newington Store Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KWITZPATRICK DUFFANY, 37, formerly of Willimantic, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 108 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for offenses related to his theft of 38 firearms from a Newington gun store in 2023. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 27, 2023, during non-business hours, Duffany entered Hoffman’s Gun Store in Newington by climbing onto the balcony over the main entrance, cutting into the siding with a knife, and dropping down from the ceiling. Surveillance footage showed Duffany walking through the store and filling duffel bags with 38 guns. He then exited the store through the same hole. After stealing the guns, Duffany and two other individuals traveled to Hartford where Duffany traded several of the stolen guns for cash and drugs. In the following days, Duffany sold most of the remaining guns in exchange for cash and narcotics, or he provided guns to other individuals to sell. Duffany was arrested by the Connecticut State Police in Ashford in the early morning of June 1, 2023. Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station showed Duffany hiding a satchel in a soda display case shortly before his arrest. Investigators recovered the satchel and found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun and drugs inside the bag. The gun had been stolen from Hoffman’s Gun Store. To date, law enforcement has recovered only six of the stolen guns, including one that was recovered by Hartford Police during an investigation of a homicide that occurred on July 5, 2024. Duffany has been detained since his arrest. On February 3, 2025, he pleaded guilty to theft of firearms from a licensee, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Newington Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Willimantic Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington. Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman thanked the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New Britain for its cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.


title: Claremore Man Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A Claremore man was sentenced today for involuntary manslaughter and assault that resulted in serious bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Jerry Dean Luton, III, 35, for Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Judge Russell ordered Luton to serve 84 months' imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Court records show that in August 2023, Timothy Austin was driving with his wife when Luton crossed the center line, hitting the Austins' vehicle head-on, killing Timothy and injuring his wife of more than 51 years. The investigation revealed that Luton was driving without a license and impaired by alcohol, methamphetamine, and marijuana in his system. Luton is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The FBI and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Cyran prosecuted the case.


title: Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: CLEVELAND – A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Marquise A. Billy, 31, of Long Pond, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $107,800. According to court documents, Billy collaborated with a co-conspirator, Rodney A. Martin, 62, of the Bronx, New York, to carry out a criminal scheme to find banks where they could cash fake checks. On Oct. 12, 2022, the two took a flight from New York to Ohio. After arriving in Columbus, Billy rented a car and the two proceeded to drive throughout the state to cash fraudulent checks at banks they had pre-selected to target. Billy provided Martin with counterfeit United States passport identification cards of 14 individuals to use as ID to cash checks. Martin rotated through the IDs and used a different one at each bank transaction. Using this tactic, Martin was able to fraudulently cash checks at several financial institutions in amounts ranging from $4,500 to $5,500. During the investigation, authorities discovered that the defendants, had in fact, made multiple trips to Ohio and elsewhere to carry out their conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The two men visited 21 bank locations where Martin cashed fraudulent checks using the fake IDs that Billy provided. In the Northern District of Ohio, the banks targeted were located in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Portage, Trumbull, and Wayne Counties. In total, Billy and Martin stole $107,800 from several community banks. On Feb. 6, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams sentenced Martin to 30 months in prison and five years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office , and the New York City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. White .


title: Operation Take Back America Leads to Criminal Charges Against Multiple Defendants For Firearms Offenses And Immigration-Related Violations

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that in April the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 11 defendants with criminal charges related to firearms offenses and immigration-related violations as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. The defendants facing federal firearms charges are: Steven Tyler Philbeck , 33, of Lincolnton, N.C., is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and distribution of methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that Philbeck distributed methamphetamine in Catawba County in February 2025, and illegally possessed a Glock 19 Gen4, 9mm handgun in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities. Naquan Damerius Blakeney , 24, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Blakeney illegally possessed a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber pistol, and did so knowing he was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a prior criminal conviction. Justin Lloyd Coleman , 33, of Huntersville, N.C., is charged with two counts of possession of a machinegun and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Coleman illegally possessed one more machineguns, a pistol, and a rifle. Coleman has prior felony convictions, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms. Kiren Nashawn Heath , 21, of Monroe, N.C., is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The indictment alleges that Pressley possessed a Walther, model P99, 9mm pistol frame with a Smith & Wesson, model SW99, 9mm pistol slide, and did so knowing he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Daquan Devonte Jeter , 33, of Charlotte, was indicted for the unlawful possession of a firearm. Jeter is alleged to have unlawfully possessed what is commonly known as a “sawed-off” shotgun, knowing he had prior felony convictions. Norris Lashane Myers , 47, of Lenoir, N.C., is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The indictment alleges that Myers possessed a Taurus PT92AF, 9mm handgun, knowing he was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Nathaniel Desean Nicholes , 25, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment alleges that Nicholes, knowing that he had previously been convicted of multiple state felony charges for Breaking and Entering, unlawfully possessed a Glock, model 19, 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol. The defendants charged with immigration-related violations are: Jose Guadalupe Cervantes Nava , 52, of Mexico, is charged with illegal reentry into the United States. Nava was previously deported from the United States four times in two months: on April 13, 2018, on April 20, 2018, on May 3, 2018, and again on May 20, 2018. Remedios Arroyo Beltran , 51, of Mexico, is charged with illegally reentering into the United States. Beltran was previously deported from the United States three times: on April 22, 2019, on July 7, 2019, and again on July 12, 2019. Erik Antonio Lopez-Hernandez , 21, of Honduras, is charged with illegally reentering into the United States. Lopez-Hernandez was previously deported from the United States in July 2023. He was arrested on February 22, 2025, by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, after the defendant allegedly attempted to flee and evade arrest for a traffic violation. Darwin Gonzalez Navarijo , 40, of Guatemala, is charged with illegal reentry into the United States. Navarijo was previously deported from the United States three times: in June 2009, in November 2010, and again in June 2017. The charges in the indictments are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Emergency Removal Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for their investigations that led to the charges. U.S. Attorney Ferguson also commended the local law enforcement agencies that assisted in the investigation and apprehension of the defendants, to include the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, the Hickory Police Department, and the Huntersville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the cases.


title: Mexican National Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States Following a Prior Felony Conviction

body_text: Greenbelt , Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Martin Martinez-Ballinas, 38, a citizen and national of Mexico, to 37 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for illegally reentering the United States following a felony conviction. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Baltimore Field Office. Martinez-Ballinas previously pled guilty in January 2025. According to the court filings, Martinez-Ballinas had been deported from the United States two previous times. In 2017, prior to his first deportation, Martinez-Ballinas was convicted in the state of Maryland of a felony automative offense stemming from a traffic accident that killed an off-duty Marine. Following his sentence in that case, Martinez-Ballinas was deported in 2020. After his initial deportation, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Martinez-Ballinas for attempting to cross the southern border into Texas in 2021. He was subsequently convicted of his first illegal reentry offense in the Southern District of Texas and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Following this sentence, in October 2022, Martinez-Ballinas was deported to Mexico a second time. In December 2023, Martinez-Ballinas knowingly and intentionally reentered the U.S. and then was apprehended by ICE in Maryland. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Department of Justice Trial Attorney Christopher Ting and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rosenthal who prosecuted the case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: University of San Diego Women’s Volleyball Team Joins U.S. Attorney’s Office and City Attorney’s Office to Launch Fentanyl Awareness Campaign

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office and Olé Foundation for the University of San Diego today launched a social media campaign featuring members of USD’s women’s volleyball team to promote fentanyl awareness and overdose prevention. The campaign coincides with the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day on April 29. The goal of this joint effort is to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, to reduce accidental use or overdose, and in the event of an overdose, to educate students on how to save lives in an emergency. “These student athletes are terrific ambassadors for the messages of fentanyl awareness and prevention,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “We are making progress every day in preventing accidental fentanyl poisonings, and we are grateful for such committed partners like the City Attorney’s Office and the University of San Diego knowing that their actions will help save lives.” “Fentanyl continues to claim lives across our communities, and awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight back,” said City Attorney Heather Ferbert. “We’re proud to partner with the Department of Justice and the University of San Diego’s student athletes to share life-saving information. By working together, we can help prevent tragedy and protect our community”. The student athletes are showcased in a video filmed at various locations on USD’s campus, each reciting a line about the dangers of fentanyl, recognizing the signs of an overdose, and the importance of naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan). Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication, available either as a nasal spray or an injector. Many pharmacies carry naloxone. In California, you can get naloxone from a pharmacist without a prescription. It is also possible to get naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments, free of charge. For more information about naloxone and how to get training on using it, visit: Naloxone Information . In the public service announcements, the student athletes state the following: Winning at the Division One level takes a lot of skill, a team committed to excellence, and maybe a little luck. Because I know some of us have our superstitions I must have this meal before every game I always put my left shoe on before my right shoe But the one thing I will not do is try my luck with a pill that I didn’t get at a pharmacy That’s because what you might think are common medicines like Adderall, Xanax, or Percocet Could contain a deadly amount of fentanyl Taking drugs is a risk that we just won’t take. Fentanyl doesn’t care about the win or the loss. It doesn’t care about your age. It doesn’t care about your family, teammates, or friends. It doesn’t care if you get lucky the first time. As a student athlete, I know I set an example to those around me, on our team and in our community. Know what Narcan is, and how to use it – or know who to call to get help. And know what those overdose signs are, like someone you can’t arouse, snoring sounds, shortness of breath, vomiting or turning blue. You have the power to keep our community safe. We here at USD are all members of the same team. And safety isn’t about luck, it’s about knowledge and prevention. Just remember, if you are ever in doubt, call 911. Let’s take luck out of it We are teaming up to save lives from fentanyl Because as a USD Torero, we know it takes a team. This campaign uses the hashtags #TakesMoreThanLuck #ItTakesATeam. The social media public service announcement can be found here . The campaign is being deployed over social media platforms, including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, LinkedIn, and YouTube, by the individual student-athletes, the Department of Justice, the University of San Diego Athletic Department, and other coalition members. This is the third time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have teamed up to feature student athletes in partnership with an NIL collective. For this social media campaign, the offices partnered with the Olé Foundation at USD, which is dedicated to empowering student-athletes by providing education, resources, and guidance to navigate the evolving landscape of NIL opportunities. The department helps scholar-athletes maximize their personal brand, ensuring they make informed decisions while maintaining integrity and balancing their academic and athletic commitments. Through strategic partnerships, mentorship, and compliance support, the department prepares student-athletes for success in the NIL space and beyond. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have previously partnered with the SDSU women’s soccer team, Aztec Link, the SDSU men’s basketball team and their NIL collective, the MESA Foundation, to create similar public service announcements and media campaigns that at the time were the first such collaborations of their kind. The campaigns have since received over a million impressions. Additional fentanyl prevention resources can be found at San Diego County’s Community & Parent Toolkits , which are available in both English and Spanish. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s participation in the social media campaign with USD’s NIL Department is not an endorsement of any product, service, or enterprise associated with the department.


title: Tribar Technologies, Inc. Sentenced For Violation Of The Clean Water Act

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – Tribar Technologies, Inc., a Southeast Michigan manufacturer, was sentenced today to pay a $200,000 criminal fine, pay $20,000 in restitution, serve five years of probation, and implement an environmental management system and compliance plan within the first six months of probation. Tribar pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act when it discharged insufficiently treated wastewater, a misdemeanor, Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck announced. According to court documents, Tribar is a manufacturer of decorative trim assemblies and components serving the automotive and commercial vehicle markets in Southeast Michigan. The Tribar facility where the events in this case occurred – Plant 5 – is a chrome plating facility in Wixom, Michigan, that uses an electroplating process to apply chrome finishing to plastic automotive parts. The summer of 2022, Tribar held an Industrial Pretreatment Program Permit, authorizing discharges of treated wastewater from Plant 5 into the Wixom sanitary sewer system. Tribar’s permit included a notification requirement for batch discharges and prohibited Tribar from bypassing its own treatment system. On July 23, 2022, Tribar Plant 5 accumulated approximately 15,000 gallons of untreated wastewater with high concentrations of hexavalent chromium. Tribar employees attempted to treat this wastewater, but by July 29, 2022, it still contained high levels of hexavalent chromium that required treatment before it could be released into Tribar’s wastewater treatment system. On the evening of July 29, 2022, a Tribar employee discharged a batch of approximately 10,000 gallons of insufficiently treated wastewater from a holding tank into Plant 5’s wastewater treatment system. The discharge activated approximately 460 alarm bells all of which were disabled, allowing the wastewater to be discharged into the Wixom sanitary sewer system. Tribar did not report this illegal discharge until August 1, 2022. “Tribar’s failure to adequately train and supervise its employees jeopardized the safety and quality of local water resources. This sentence recognizes the importance of strict adherence to regulatory standards and best practices intended to protect human health and the environment. Together with our partners we will continue to protect environmental resources in the Eastern District of Michigan,” said Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck. “Tribar illegally discharged industrial wastewater, posing a risk to downstream waterways,” said Special Agent in Charge Allison Landsman of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “The successful and cooperative effort by EPA, federal and state partners resulted in today’s sentencing, holding Tribar responsible for violating federal environmental law.” The investigation of this case was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.


title: Cleveland Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Antonio D. Moncrief, 35, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 71 months in prison for selling fentanyl in Ohio County. According to court documents and statements made in court, Moncrief, also known as “Tone,” was selling fentanyl on Wheeling Island. Investigators seized methamphetamine, cocaine, and 107 fentanyl pills at an apartment on North Front Street associated with Moncrief. Moncrief will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.


title: Source of Supply for Merced County Methamphetamine Distribution Sentenced to 22.5 Years in Prison

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: FRESNO, Calif. — Raul Zamudio Hurtado, 42, of Oakdale, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 22 and a half years in prison and for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine arising from two separate cases, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, in May 2017, a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies investigated a group of Sureño gang members and associates in the Merced area for crimes of violence, drug sales, and illegal firearms possession. More than 50 individuals were arrested and 14 defendants were charged federally. Hurtado was the source of supply of methamphetamine to the suspected Sureño members and was indicted. On July 24, 2019, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and remained in custody pending sentencing in the first case. In April 2020, he was released with conditions. Between December 2021 and November 2022, Hurtado obtained and distributed methamphetamine in large quantities and received tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. On Nov. 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed, more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, and Hurtado was charged again. On June 3, 2024, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in this second case. These cases were the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Modesto Police Department Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Kimberly Sanchez prosecuted the cases. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, visit Justice.gov/OCDETF . This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Leaders of 764 Arrested and Charged for Operating Global Child Exploitation Enterprise

body_text: Note: View the criminal complaint . Leonidas Varagiannis, also known as War, 21, a citizen of the United States residing in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Prasan Nepal, also known as Trippy, 20, of High Point, North Carolina, are charged for their crimes operating an international child exploitation enterprise in connection with a nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) network known as 764. Nepal was arrested on April 22 in North Carolina. Varagiannis was arrested yesterday in Greece. According to the affidavit unsealed today in the District of Columbia, 764 is a violent online network that seeks to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government. “These defendants are accused of orchestrating one of the most heinous online child exploitation enterprises we have ever encountered — a network built on terror, abuse, and the deliberate targeting of children,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will find those who exploit and abuse children, prosecute them, and dismantle every part of their operation.” “These defendants allegedly recruited others to exploit children and created a guide for the disgusting online content they wanted,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Let me be very clear about our efforts. The FBI and our partners are determined to protect juveniles from predators, and we will track down and hold accountable those who engage in these criminal activities. We will continue to work closely with our partners at the Department of Justice to bring justice to the victims of such cruel abuse.” “The allegations in this case are not only disturbing, they are also every parent’s nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia. “The number of victims allegedly exploited by these defendants, and the depths of depravity are staggering. Justice demands that our response be swift in order to ensure public safety, hold the wrongdoers accountable, and bring the victims some sense of closure so they can heal.” As alleged, the defendants engaged in a coordinated criminal enterprise and led a core subgroup within 764 known as 764 Inferno, operated through encrypted messaging applications. As alleged, they directed, participated in, and otherwise caused the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and the defendants facilitated the grooming, manipulation, and extortion of minors. Varagiannis and Nepal allegedly ordered their victims to commit acts of self-harm and engaged in psychological torment and extreme violence against minors. The affidavit alleges that the group targeted vulnerable children online, coercing them into producing degrading and explicit content under threat and manipulation. This content includes “cut signs” and “blood signs” through which young minors would cut symbols into their bodies. The defendants and their co-conspirators around the world used the CSAM and other gore and violent material to create digital “Lorebooks,” which NVEs used as digital currency within the 764 network — traded, archived in encrypted “vaults,” and used as a means to recruit new members or maintain status within the network. The affidavit also details how the defendants instructed other members in grooming tactics and set content production expectations for new recruits. In multiple instances, the defendants threatened and caused their victims to engage in self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder. Also according to the complaint affidavit, the defendants exploited at least eight minor victims across multiple jurisdictions, with some content traced back to children as young as 13 years old. The network’s activities spanned from late 2020 through early 2025, with core leadership roles attributed to both defendants throughout the period. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. The FBI Washington Field Office and the FBI New York Field Office are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Charlotte Field Office, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Athens (Greece) Legal Attaché Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided crucial assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Hughes, Karen Ditzler Shinskie, and Jack Korba for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Iverson for the Middle District of North Carolina and Paralegal Specialists Marissa Mondelli, Kristina Hamil, and Jorge Casillas. 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . Charges in a criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Leader of the “Route Boys” Gang Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today in federal court in Central Islip, Jason Liriano, the founder and leader of the Route Boys gang, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 22 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and use of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking activity. Liriano pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2023. Liriano is the last of 10 defendants affiliated with the Route Boys gang to be sentenced in connection with charges in a third superseding indictment involving drug distribution, use of firearms, pharmacy burglaries, and ATM thefts. The Route Boys burglarized pharmacies and convenience stores in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, and Rockland Counties, as well as in New Jersey and Connecticut from 2020 through June 2022, when they were arrested. John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentences. “For two years the Route Boys, led by Liriano, engaged in a brazen crime spree targeting local businesses throughout the Tri-State area, stealing money and pharmaceuticals to fuel their illegal drug business, which they protected with threats of violence and illegal firearms,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “These significant jail sentences make our communities safer and are the result of my Office’s collaboration with our law enforcement partners, who are dedicated to the shared mission of protecting local businesses from criminals and holding accountable those who seek to flood our communities with dangerous drugs.” Mr. Durham thanked the New York City Police Department, Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Kings County District Attorney’s Office, Queens County District Attorney’s Office, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the investigation. “Jason Liriano, the leader of the Route Boys gang, orchestrated a three-year burglary spree targeting various businesses across the city to steal cash and controlled substances for illicit resale,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Liriano’s leadership tormented these local establishments and relied on firearms to further intimidate the gang’s victims into compliance. With the assistance from our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, the FBI maintains its steadfast resolve to dismantle any unlawful system that finances the gang presence in our communities.” As set forth in the third superseding indictment, the government’s sentencing memorandum, and other court filings, the Route Boys began committing burglaries in late 2020, breaking into convenience stores, check-cashing businesses, laundromats, and restaurants, stealing primarily cash and tobacco products. In addition, the gang stole free-standing ATMs, forcing them open and stealing the cash from inside the machines, netting tens of thousands of dollars. They then began targeting small “mom-and-pop” pharmacies throughout the Tri-State area by smashing through windows and stealing controlled substances such as oxycodone and promethazine-codeine cough syrup. Liriano possessed a 9mm handgun in furtherance of the drug trafficking operation. They sold the stolen pharmaceuticals on social media immediately after a night of burglaries. The government’s conservative estimate is that the Route Boys committed at least 100 burglaries in the Tri-State area between approximately November 2020 and the summer of 2022. The Route Boys’ crime spree continued after their arrests and incarceration. Some members engaged in witness tampering and possessed illegal cell phones and controlled substances like oxycodone and marijuana while incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn and on Rikers Island, and many brazenly posted on social media using the contraband phones (including a photo posted by Liriano declaring “F**k the Feds”). On numerous occasions, including after he pleaded guilty in federal court, Liriano possessed homemade weapons and drugs inside the MDC, and stabbed a fellow inmate with a long shank when the inmate was working as an orderly delivering his breakfast. Previously, nine other Route Boys members were convicted and sentenced to federal prison, including: Carlos Acevedo to 126 months in prison; Ramon Collado to 132 months in prison; Naresh Deonarrain to 180 months in prison; Devin Lopez-Dominguez to 60 months in prison; Charlie Maisonet to 96 months in prison; Cavier Nedrick to 120 months in prison; Eric Nunez to 144 months in prison; Alberto Santiago to 180 months in prison; and Jeffrey Vargas to 156 months in prison. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Alessi and Andrew P. Wenzel are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Dejah Turla. The Defendant : JASON LIRIANO (also known as “jay_bigfella”) Age: 25 Brooklyn, New York Defendants Previously Sentenced: CARLOS ACEVEDO (also known as “S.L.” and “cartier_am”) Age: 26 Brooklyn, New York RAMON COLLADO (also known as “Greedy,” “greedy.billzz” and “greedyyt2gg”) Age: 26 Brooklyn, New York NARESH DEONARRAIN (also known as “Kans” and “nocheck _ kans”) Age: 27 Brooklyn, New York DEVIN LOPEZ-DOMINGUEZ Age: 22 Brooklyn, New York CHARLIE MAISONET (also known as “Charlie_._rb”) Age: 21 Brooklyn, New York CAVIER NEDRICK (also known as “Chief,” “big.chiefs,” and “Caviar Nedrick”) Age: 26 Hauppauge, New York ERIC NUNEZ (also known as “Tok” and “therealtok”) Age: 26 Brooklyn, New York ALBERTO SANTIAGO (also known as “Kom” and “dot.kom”) Age: 27 Queens, New York JEFFREY VARGAS (also known as “Chito” and “chito_1838) Age: 23 Brooklyn, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-451 (S-3) (GRB)


title: Four Defendants Charged In Connection With Approximately $53 Million Check Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Edward Gallashaw, the Acting Inspector in Charge of the New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced today charges against MICHEAL PENA, HARRINGTON DELAHOZ, JOSHUA GUTIERREZ, and JAYSEN DORSEY. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. PENA and GUTIERREZ were arrested this morning. GUTIERREZ will be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses. PENA will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel C. Irick in the Middle District of Florida. DELAHOZ and DORSEY remain at large. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said: “As alleged, Micheal Pena and his co-defendants orchestrated a massive, multimillion-dollar scheme to steal innocent victims’ money. The defendants obtained real checks, including from the mail, forged the checks, falsified identities, sold the checks to others, and took advantage of multiple financial institutions. The defendants’ fraudulent scheme affected real people and the millions of Americans who rely on the United States banking system and the United States mail.” USPIS Acting Inspector in Charge Edward Gallashaw said: “These individuals allegedly devised a scheme to steal checks from the U.S. Mail and then, in some cases, sell the personal identifiable information on these stolen checks via an encrypted messaging platform to colluding individuals. They furthered their scheme by altering the payee and amount originally written on these checks, stealing from the unsuspecting public. Let today’s arrest serve as an example for those trying to make quick money while financially preying on the American public, Postal Inspectors will put an end to your criminal enterprise. We will vigorously pursue you and bring you to justice for your illegal acts against our customers and the Postal Service. We are thankful for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their dedication on this case.” According to the allegations contained in the Complaint: [1] From at least in or about April 2023 up to and including at least in or about October 2024, PENA, DELAHOZ, GUTIERREZ, and DORSEY carried out a national scheme to sell more than $53 million in stolen checks and fraudulently alter stolen checks that they then deposited at various financial institutions. As part of that scheme, PENA operated and used a channel on a particular messaging platform, which went by the moniker “White House Vibez” and had thousands of subscribers, to sell checks that had been stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. Below is an image that was posted on White House Vibez on or about February 19, 2024, depicting what appears to be numerous pieces of stolen mail and checks and advertising a forthcoming batch of checks for sale. Purchasers of checks were directed to send payments to several accounts on a popular mobile payment platform, at least two of which were set up by GUTIERREZ and DELAHOZ using false identification. Along with the stolen checks, purchasers were also sometimes offered personal identifying information of the victim-payors of the stolen checks. As an example, below is a check posted for sale, and listed as sold, on White House Vibez, along with an offer to sell the social security number and date of birth of the victim-payor. Additionally, during this period, PENA, DELAHOZ, GUTIERREZ, and DORSEY deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen checks at various financial institutions, including checks that had been previously posted for sale on White House Vibez. Before such checks were deposited, they were “washed,” which is a process by which the payee’s information and amount on the check are removed and rewritten to reflect another payee’s identity and amount. The defendants flaunted their success on White House Vibez, posting images of check deposit receipts and large cash withdrawals. * * * PENA, 26, formerly of Woodridge, New Jersey; DELAHOZ, 46, of Bronx, New York; GUTIERREZ, 30, of New York, New York; and DORSEY, 28, of New York, New York, are each charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the USPIS. This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Varun A. Gumaste is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. u.s._v._pena_et_al_complaint.pdf [1] The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: Dubuque Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gun Possession

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who possessed a firearm as a felon pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nicholas David Welter, age 32, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. In a plea agreement, Welter admitted that on October 18, 2024, law enforcement officers found him while he was sitting in a vehicle in Dubuque. There was a loaded stolen firearm near his feet. Welter admitted that he possessed the gun. Welter has prior felony convictions for theft second degree and burglary third degree. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Welter remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Welter faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 25-CR-1001. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Court Sentences Fentanyl Trafficker  to 33 Months Imprisonment

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – On April 29, 2025, United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Isaiah Lorenzo Bess, 28, to 33 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Documents filed with the court established that beginning in or around July 2023 and continuing to or about December 8, 2023, Bess conspired with others to distribute fentanyl pills throughout the Mobile area. Bess was indicted for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and pled guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Bess to 33 months in prison followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.


title: California Man Pleads Guilty to Operating an Illegal Gambling Business, Tax Evasion, and Money Laundering

component: Tax Division

body_text: A California man pleaded guilty today to operating an illegal gambling business, tax evasion, and money laundering. According to court documents and statements made in court, Christopher Scott King, of Santa Monica, California, operated an illegal bookmaking business. Working out of Los Angeles County, King used a sports betting website based in Costa Rica to facilitate bettors wagering on sporting events in violation of both California state and federal law. King also evaded his taxes. Between 2019 and 2022, King concealed $13,586,493 of income from the IRS by, among other things, not reporting all of his income on his tax returns. On his 2022 income tax return, for example, King reported $143,258 in taxable income, but, in reality, he earned more than $5 million in income that year. King laundered his money by channeling it through real estate development projects and gold. King also used money he received from his illegal gambling business to fund his brokerage and financial accounts. As part of his plea agreement, King has agreed to pay $10 million in a personal money judgment of forfeiture at the time of sentencing. In total, King caused a tax loss to the IRS of $3,804,218. King is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion, operating an illegal gambling operation, and accepting a financial instrument for unlawful internet gambling, and 10 years in prison for money laundering. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation’s International Tax and Financial Crimes group and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys John C. Gerardi and Charles A. O’Reilly of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Attempting to Distribute Child Pornography

body_text: MOBILE, AL – Michael Edward Terrell, age 46, was sentenced today to 135 months in prison after entering a guilty plea to a count of Attempted Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Terrell entered his guilty plea on January 30, 2025. According to court documents, between August 22, 2017, and September 5, 2017, an FBI Online Convert Employee identified Terrell as a person who was distributing child pornography online. FBI executed a search warrant at his home, seized his electronic devices, and found child pornography on his devices. On December 3, 2019, an ALEA SBI Special Agent was notified that Terrell was soliciting child pornography on Twitter. ALEA obtained the contents of the Twitter account and confirmed that Terrell, using an explicit username, was engaging in conversations with other Twitter users in which he would request that they send him “hard core” images of child pornography. At sentencing, Judge Steele imposed the 135-month sentence of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon his future release. During his term of imprisonment, Terrell will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment, and mental health treatment. Terrell will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Terrell was ordered to pay $30,500 in restitution to the victims of his offenses and $5,100 in special assessments. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources


title: Brazilian National Charged with Illegal Reentry

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Brazilian national residing in Worcester, Mass. has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. Thiago Aquino-De Paula, 34, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Aquino-De Paula was charged by complaint March 2025 and is currently in federal custody. According to the charging documents, Aquino-De Paula was deported from the United States on three previous occasions including on or about Nov. 4, 2021. It is alleged that sometime after his Nov. 4, 2021 removal, Aquino-De Paula illegally reentered the United States without permission. Aquino-De Paula was found in Massachusetts after being arrested in Uxbridge for allegedly operating under the influence. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison for COVID-19 and Tax Fraud

body_text: An Arizona man was sentenced to 4 years in prison for filing false tax returns and loan applications to obtain COVID-19 disaster relief. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, to create the appearance that he was operating several businesses, Roy Layne of St. David, Arizona filed paperwork with the IRS, applied for a business license from the City of Tuscon, opened business bank accounts, and filed false employment-related tax returns. In April 2020, he filed an application with the U.S. Small Business Administration, that claimed he operated a “wholesale” business with 17 employees that had revenue of more than half a million dollars a year. In 2021, he submitted a false application for a Paycheck Protection Act Loan, claiming that same “wholesale” business had 31 employees, and $1.2 million in revenue. Layne ultimately received $306,700 in COVID-19 related loans to which he was not entitled. In addition, Layne used the personal identifying information and identity of another person to file false claims for refunds with the IRS. In total, Layne claimed over $7.4 million in false refunds, of which the IRS paid $590,000. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker ordered Layne to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $856,692.91 in restitution to the United States. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine of the District of Arizona made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the investigation. Trial Attorney Matthew R. Hoffman of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier of the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.


title: Two California Men Sentenced to Prison Terms for Conspiring to Launder the Proceeds of a Fraud from a Resident of New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – Two California men were sentenced to prison terms for conspiring to launder money that originated from internet-related fraud that targeted a law firm based in New Jersey and from fraudulently obtained loans from the U.S. Small Business Association, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. Eric Bullard, 62, of Los Angeles, California was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and Anthony Hannah, 61, of Moreno Valley, California, was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Bullard and Hannah each previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to informations charging them with conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In June 2020, Victim-1 communicated via email with a law firm in New Jersey that was advising Victim-1, a resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, on a real estate transaction. A business email compromise is a method of wire fraud often targeting businesses or individuals working on business transactions involving high-dollar wire transactions. The fraud is carried out by compromising and/or “spoofing” legitimate email accounts through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to cause employees of a target company, or other individuals involved in legitimate business transactions, to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds, most often to accounts controlled by the fraud perpetrators. A co-conspirator conducted a business email compromise and sent an email to Victim-1 purporting to be on behalf of the law firm with fraudulent instructions to wire approximately $560,000 to a bank account controlled by Bullard. Relying on the fraudulent instructions, Victim-1 wired approximately $560,000 into a bank account controlled by Bullard. After receiving the funds, Bullard made several cash withdrawals and transferred money to other co-conspirators, including approximately $230,000 of the fraudulently obtained proceeds to an account controlled by Hannah. In addition to laundering proceeds from the business email compromise, Bullard and Hannah also obtained and laundered funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program based on fraudulent loan applications. EIDL loans were intended to be for small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, Bullard received into a business bank account that he controlled approximately $143,100 from an SBA EDIL loan intended for a pharmacy company with a listed location in Colorado. Hannah also received approximately $145,400 from the SBA for a loan intended for a pharmacy company with a listed location in Idaho. Hannah then transferred approximately $51,395 to a bank account controlled by Bullard. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Arleo sentenced Bullard and Hannah each to three years of supervised release and to pay $705,400 in restitution to the victims. Judge Arleo ordered forfeiture of $611,395 for Bullard and $375,400 for Hannah, constituting proceeds derived from the conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI Woodland Park Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. ### Defense counsel: Bullard: Brandon Minde, Esq., Cranford, New Jersey Hannah: Areeb Salim, Esq. Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark


title: U.S. Attorney Ed Martin Jr. Highlights Successful Local Prosecutions During First 100 Days

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON –U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. marked his first 100 days in the office by highlighting a 25 percent drop, year-to-date, in violent crime across the District. “This office is working diligently and collaboratively to achieve a lower rate in violent crime and in crime, across the board, for the residents and visitors to our nation’s capital,” said Martin. Martin is a member of the President Trump’s “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” Task Force. According to data provided by the Metropolitan Police Department, robberies have declined by 30 percent and homicides have decreased, year-to-date in 2025. “I am proud of the tireless work that the people in this office do, day in and day out, to serve this community and their country,” Martin said. The Office has brought charges in D.C. Superior Court against individuals who committed violent crimes against law enforcement officers, near neighborhood schools, and other violent acts. Recent cases include: Fifth Defendant Charged in March 11 Assault on Metropolitan Police Department Officers Charges Filed in Assault on Metro Transit Police Officer Armed Robber Who Also Assaulted a Correctional Officer Gets 104 Month Prison Term Two Teens Indicted on Charges of Assault with Intent to Kill and Other Charges After Opening Fire Near High School D.C. Man Admits to 2023 Killing at a Navy Yard Metro Station Sexual Assaulted Aboard Metro Train Yields Prison Term 35-Year Sentence for Man Convicted of 2023 Stranger Rape and Kidnapping That Followed Robbery Attempt For more information on the cases being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, go to: www.justice.gov/usao-dc , or follow us on social media: Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .


title: North Providence Man Admits Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy,  ID Theft, and Firearm Offense

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – Jamal Mansaray, 35, of North Providence, today pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and prohibited person in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Mansaray admitted to a federal judge that he and others fraudulently obtained checks issued and mailed by individuals and businesses, including checks that were stolen from the U.S. Mail. Mansaray admitted also that he and others obtained identity information of third parties that was used to alter stolen checks, create checks, and to access bank accounts. Among the checks stolen and altered were checks issued by four towns in Massachusetts and mailed to a special education contractor. The checks were stolen from a curbside commercial mailbox used by the contractor and were altered to include the personal identification of others. Bank surveillance video recorded in December 2022 shows Mansaray being present at banks in Rhode Island when fraudulent checks were deposited and the subsequent withdrawal of the funds. A court-authorized search of Mansaray’s residence in May 2023 resulted in the seizure of hundreds of personal and business checks, blank “washed” checks, more than 1,000 blank check stock used to create and print counterfeit checks, multiple laptops and printers, checks in various stages of alteration, Social Security cards, debit cards, and a temporary driver’s license in the name of others. U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspectors also located a loaded firearm and ammunition inside a backpack belonging to the defendant. Mr. Mansaray was convicted of a felony offense (bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated ID theft) and sentenced to 60 months’ incarceration in October 2018, thus he was prohibited from being in possession of a firearm. Mansaray is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and John P. McAdams. The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Rhode Island State Police. ###


title: One Federal Inmate and 2 Georgia Residents Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Meth into S.C. Federal Prison

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: FLORENCE, S.C. — Jerrell Antonio Roberts, 36, a current federal inmate, Antoinette Tyeisha Ricks, 36, and Tyree O’Bryant Russell, 23, both of Savannah, Georgia, were sentenced to multi-year terms in federal prison after pleading guilty in connection with a scheme to smuggle methamphetamine into federal prison. Russell was sentenced to two years and Ricks was sentenced to more than three years after each pleaded guilty to attempting to provide methamphetamine to a federal prisoner. Roberts was sentenced to more than nine years after pleading guilty to attempting to possess methamphetamine as a federal prisoner. Evidence presented to the court showed that in November of 2022, Roberts was incarcerated at a federal prison in South Carolina in connection with federal charges out of Georgia. In the early morning hours of Nov. 6, 2022, an unmanned drone crashed in the yard at the prison facility. The drone was equipped with a skyhook, which would enable it to carry something. Near where the drone crashed, law enforcement recovered a package wrapped in electronics chargers. The package contained approximately 38 grams of pure methamphetamine. Additional investigation revealed that Roberts was working with Ricks and Russell to obtain methamphetamine for distribution in the federal prison. “Crime doesn’t stop when defendants enter the prison gates,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan P. Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Contraband smuggling schemes like this are not only illegal but dangerous, and the sentences handed down today reflect the seriousness of these crimes.” United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Russell to 24 months imprisonment. Judge Dawson sentenced Ricks to 39 months of imprisonment. Judge Dawson sentenced Roberts to 110 months of imprisonment; Roberts’s 110-month term of imprisonment will run consecutive to the term of imprisonment he was serving on the federal charges out of Georgia at the time he engaged in the attempt to smuggle methamphetamine into the federal prison in South Carolina. All three defendants’ sentences will be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Billings man arraigned on child pornography charges

body_text: BILLINGS – A Billings man accused of distributing child pornography appeared today for arraignment, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The defendant, Kole David Kuntz, 41, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with 2 counts of distribution of child pornography. If convicted of the charges contained in the indictment, Kuntz faces a mandatory minimum 5 years to 20 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to lifetime of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Tim Cavan presided. Kuntz was released pending further proceedings. The indictment alleges that in November 2024, the defendant knowingly distributed a visual depiction using any means or facility of interstate commerce, including by computer and the internet, the production of such visual depiction involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and the visual depiction was of such conduct. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC . The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. PACER case reference. 25-40. The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html . To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl .


title: Members of trafficking ring sent to prison for high-caliber weapons purchases

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: McALLEN, Texas – Two men have been ordered to federal prison for firearms trafficking and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Mexican national Juan Antonio Cantu-Cavazos, 37, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to firearms trafficking and for being an alien in possession of a firearm. Jose Luis Caballero, 30, Alamo, admitted his guilt in September 2024 to firearms trafficking and illegal exportation of firearms. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now handed Cantu-Cavazos and Caballero each a 48-month-term of imprisonment. Caballero was further ordered to serve three years of supervised released following his prison term. Not a U.S. citizen, Cantu-Cavazos is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence. At the hearing, the court noted the significant number of weapons involved and that serial numbers were being obliterated prior to weapon’s exportation. Judge Crane also emphasized the dangerousness and complexity of the trafficking scheme. In September 2022, Cantu-Cavazos had purchased 32 firearms, to include 15 AK-47s and three AR-15 variant rifles. The investigation revealed Cantu-Cavazos was purchasing the firearms as part of a firearms trafficking ring. He was working with Caballero to acquire firearms a Mexican co-conspirator had requested. Cantu-Cavazos was to retrieve the firearms from various purchasers, disassemble and wrap them in cellophane and deliver them to warehouse or truck drivers so they could be trafficked into Mexico. Caballero’s role was to purchase firearms in various states, including Alabama and Texas, and coordinate their exportation. Cantu-Cavazos and Caballero purchased more than 150 firearms between October 2021 and September 2022, which were ultimately trafficked into Mexico. Most were high-caliber rifles. Cantu-Cavazos will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Caballero was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender at a later date. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Fry prosecuted the case under the criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw purchasing of firearms.


title: Upshur County Man Admits to Firearms Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – John Felix Cathell, III, age 55, of French Creek, West Virginia, has admitted to the unlawful possession of a firearm. According to court documents, officers were called to a shooting at a home. At the scene, Cathell admitted to shooting his neighbor’s dog. The defendant is prohibited from having firearms because of prior firearms convictions. Officers searched Cathell’s home and recovered multiple firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition. Cathell is facing up to 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office investigated. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.