title: Missouri Man Guilty of Travelling to Louisiana for Illicit Sexual Conduct with Twelve-Year-Old Girl

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERIC CHARLES FULLER (“FULLER”) , age 54, from Springfield, Missouri, pled guilty on February 4, 2025, before United States District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry, to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b). According to court documents, on or about December 7, 2023, law enforcement personnel, operating undercover online and pretending to be a twenty-nine-year-old mother with a twelve-year-old daughter, met FULLER on a social network and messaging application. Over approximately the next month, on numerous occasions, FULLER discussed his interest in engaging in various sexual acts with the “mother” and daughter.” These discussions culminated in FULLER making arrangements to travel from his residence in Springfield, Missouri, to the New Orleans, Louisiana area to engage in sexual contact, individually and collectively, with the ”mother” and “daughter.” During his conversations, FULLER described the contact he anticipated as “highly taboo,” “highly illegal,” “risky,” “not the worst way to be,” and “a way to have a happier life.” FULLER drove from Springfield, Missouri on about January 11, 2024, and arrived at a predetermined location in Mandeville, Louisiana, on January 12, 2024, in order to engage in sexual conduct with the individual FULLER believed to be a twelve-year-old female. FULLER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) years. FULLER also faces at least five (5) years, and up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. FULLER may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Guidry has been scheduled for May 13, 2025. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Charles Woods, 67, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that investigators identified Woods as a methamphetamine supplier for a drug trafficking operation between Akron, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Investigators searched Woods’ residence and obtained approximately 294 grams of methamphetamine. During his hearing, Woods admitted that he conspired to distribute and distributed between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine over a five-month period. Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Woods.


title: U.S. Army Major Sentenced to 70 Months for Smuggling Firearms to Ghana

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

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – Kojo Owuso Dartey, age 42, of Fort Liberty, was sentenced to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release for false statements made to an agency of the United States, false declarations before the court, conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, and illegally exporting firearms without a license. On April 23, 2024, Dartey was found guilty by a jury after trial. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kojo Owusu Dartey, 42, provided a tip that resulted in a 16-defendant marriage fraud scheme between soldiers on Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana. In preparation for and at the trial of U.S. v. Agyapong held between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey lied to federal law enforcement about his sexual relationship with a defense witness and lied on the stand and under oath about the relationship. During that trial, Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and tasked a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms there and send them to Dartey in North Carolina. Dartey then hid all the firearms inside blue barrels underneath rice and household goods and with assistance from an Army Chief Warrant Officer smuggled the barrels out of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, on a container ship to the Port of Tema in Ghana. The Ghana Revenue Authority recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attaché in Ghana and the ATF Baltimore Field Division. Daniel Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms (ATF), Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:23-cr-00165-M-RJ-1.


title: February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments Announced

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February Federal Grand Jury 2024-A Indictments. The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence. Derrick Adams. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Adams, 45, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. He is further charged with knowingly possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and maintaining a residence for the purpose of drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Attila Bogdan is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-036 Odon Ambros-Cagan. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ambros-Cagan, 24, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2020. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-023 Christopher Ray Barrett. Carjacking; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Barrett, 40, of Tulsa, is charged with taking a vehicle by force and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Further, Barrett is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Flesher and Jessica Wright are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-024 Brandon Allen Boone. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country; Attempted Witness Tampering by Corrupt Persuasion. Boone, 25, of Bristow and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into an occupied home and strangling an intimate dating partner. Further, Boone attempted to prevent the victim from speaking with law enforcement officials. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Bristow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Emily Dewhurst are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-025 Dylan Lee Boyd. Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country; Commission of Felony Sex Offense Involving a Minor by a Registered Sex Offender (superseding). Boyd, 27, of Quapaw and a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, is charged with knowingly engaging in a sexual act by force and threat with a minor victim under 16 years old in Nov. 2020. He allegedly knowingly engaged in sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact with the minor victim. Boyd is further charged with committing a felony offense with a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. The Quapaw Nation Marshals Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-114 Luis Fernando Contreras-Luviano. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Contreras-Luviano, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2022. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-026 Jose Guadalupe Franco-Colchado. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Franco-Colchado, 27, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Mar. 2019. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-027 Steven Leon Gibbs, Jr. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Gibbs, 34, of Glenpool and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with breaking into a home, and assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Weems and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-035 Santiago Lopez Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Gonzalez, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Jan. 2023. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-028 Jason Lynn. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Lynn, 31, transient and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with unlawfully killing Alan Underwood in Jan. 2025. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and Stephen Flynn are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-038 Simon Martinez-Gonzales. Kidnapping of a Child. Martinez-Gonzales, 44, a Mexican National, is charged with kidnapping a minor child in Dec. 2024. The Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, Webb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mallory Richard and Ashley Robert are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-029 Terry Lee Roland, Jr. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After a Misdemeanor Conviction of Domestic Violence. Roland, 33, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with assaulting a victim with a firearm and brandishing that firearm during a crime of violence. He is further charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of felonies and a domestic violence misdemeanor. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen N. Scaife and Valeria Luster are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-037 Zakkary Shawn Wayne Romannose. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country; Maiming in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Romannose, 32, of Vinita and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe, is charged with attempting to commit murder. He is further charged with torturing the victim by maiming him, which resulted in serious bodily injury. The FBI, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-034 Luis Ubense Ulloa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ulloa, 33, a Honduras national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2023. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-030 Benigno Villezcas-Alcantar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Villezcas-Alcantar, 41, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2015. The investigative agency is ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-031 Price Grayson Wasson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Wasson, 22, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-022


title: Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A Honduran national was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio today to 262 months in prison for his role as a leader of a drug trafficking organization. According to court documents, Marco Antonio Morales-Perez, 51, along with Pablo Torres-Zaragoza aka Jose Juan Zaragoza-Cardenas, 42, of Mexico, continued to lead an organization that trafficked methamphetamine and heroin to San Antonio and other areas of south Texas while they were both incarcerated at the Great Plains Correctional Institution in Hinton, Oklahoma on prior federal charges. Morales-Perez and Torres-Zaragoza used contraband cell phones that had been smuggled into the facility by drone to facilitate, broker and coordinate narcotics deliveries, relying on various contacts, acquaintances and intermediaries to ultimately accomplish the deliveries. Ultimately, more than 160 kgs of methamphetamine and 12 kgs of heroin was seized as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s investigative efforts. “The significant sentences of these two leaders of this sophisticated drug trafficking organization sends a strong message that we are equipped to investigate and infiltrate complex organizations to hold accountable those at the highest levels who are having dangerous drugs delivered to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I’d also like to thank the many local law enforcement agencies along with state and federal partners who have provided the essential investigative support to help prosecute these drug traffickers.” Torres-Zaragoza was sentenced Dec. 4, 2024 to 262 months in federal prison. Five additional co-defendants indicted alongside Morales-Perez have also been sentenced. Jesus Alfredo Palacios was sentenced to 150 months in prison; Juan Del Hoyo was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment; Manuel Montoya received a 34-month prison sentence; Jose Adam Alejandre-Navarro was sentenced to 108 months; and Israel Villegas Alcantar received a federal prison sentence of 47 months. The DEA investigated the case with valuable assistance from San Antonio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Great Plains Correctional Facility, Hollywood Park Police Department, Castle Hills Police Department, Live Oak Police Department, Leon Valley Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs prosecuted the case. This case resulted from the work of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. ###


title: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possessing 4½ Kilos of Methamphetamine, Unlawfully Possessing Ammunition as a Felon

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Tory Garvin, 49, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone to 180 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing large quantities of methamphetamine and unlawfully possessing ammunition. Garvin was charged by indictment in June 2022, and in October of last year pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of ammunition by a felon. “Tory Garvin was a significant supplier of methamphetamine in Philadelphia, found in possession of about 10 pounds of the drug,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “My office and our partners will continue to bring to justice the people flooding our neighborhoods with illegal narcotics, to help boost the city’s safety, health, and quality of life.” The case was investigated by the DEA and the Pennsylvania State Police as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy Lanni and Angella Middleton.


title: Honduran Man Pleads Guilty to Immigration Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Nolvin Alfredo-Diaz, also known as “Alfredo Diaz” and “Nolvin Alfredo Diaz,” 42, a Honduran national, pleaded guilty today to reentry of a removed alien. According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 21, 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Alfredo-Diaz in Lewisburg. Alfredo-Diaz admitted that he was a citizen of Honduras in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States. Alfredo-Diaz had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States. Fingerprints matched Alfredo-Diaz to two prior removals from the United States to Honduras. On December 27, 2006, Alfredo-Diaz was removed from the United States to Honduras following his felony conviction for controlled substance-possession Schedule I, to wit, heroin, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on September 25, 2006. On September 6, 2007, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Denver, Colorado, and convicted of controlled substance-possession Schedule II, to wit, cocaine, in Denver County, Colorado, District Court on December 20, 2007. On July 21, 2010, Alfredo-Diaz was found in Canon City, Colorado, and was removed from the United States to Honduras on August 5, 2010. Alfredo-Diaz never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States for either of the prior removals, nor did he seek to reenter the United States through other legal means. Alfredo-Diaz is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Alfredo-Diaz will be subject to deportation proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence. “This federal criminal case underscores our office’s commitment to pursuing illegal reentry cases, especially in circumstances where the offender has a criminal history,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Here, Mr. Diaz has two felony convictions for drug offenses and has been removed from the United States on multiple occasions. This will be Mr. Diaz’s third felony conviction. Our office will diligently and aggressively pursue these types of immigration cases.” Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-146. ###


title: Michigan man sentenced to 20 years in prison for traveling to sexually abuse a minor who he removed from home in Washington and took back to Michigan

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 31-year-old South Haven, Michigan, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20-years in prison for traveling with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Keith Daniel Freerksen was arrested in South Haven Township on January 31, 2024, following an investigation that stretched from western Washington to Michigan. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted the trauma inflicted on the victim and the victim’s family. For 30 days they searched for the victim, even calling every morgue in Washington State with fear their child was dead. Judge Lin said the victim, “Will continue to suffer trauma and pain.” “What happened in this case is every parent’s nightmare – a predator comes into the home via social media and computer screens and manipulates your child to run away,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “This defendant secreted a child away, leaving a distraught family searching desperately for their loved one. When the victim should have been involved in normal teenage activities, the teen was instead manipulated and ensnared by the defendant.” According to records filed in the case, the 14-year-old went missing on January 5, 2024. A local police detective requested help from the FBI. An agent who specializes in Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking investigations occurring in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan counties quickly assisted. By analyzing information on Uber rides that had been purchased for the victim by an unknown person, law enforcement was able to identify Freerksen, a registered sex offender in Michigan, as a potential suspect. Using information on Freerksen’s registered vehicle, they were able to trace his movement across the northern tier of states using license plate readers. The readers also captured Freerksen’s return trip through Idaho and Illinois in the days after the teen went missing. When the police in South Haven Township served a search warrant at the request of the FBI, they recovered the victim and arrested Freerksen. He was ultimately transported to Western Washington and has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac. In asking for the 20-year sentence Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson wrote to the court, “It is very alarming that neither of Freerksen’s family members intervened when he returned home with the then fourteen-year-old victim in tow. Freerksen was undeterred by his previous sex offense conviction, corresponding imprisonment, and registration obligation. The rapid recidivism between Freerksen’s release from prison following child pornography offenses and the dedicated months he spent manipulating and enticing (the victim) is evidence he is either unwilling or unable to refrain from sexually abusing minors.” The victim’s parents thanked law enforcement for finding and rescuing their child. The victim’s mother said, “I never imagined a predator would travel across the country to steal (my child).” The twenty-year sentence will run concurrent with a fifteen-to-seventy-year indeterminate state sentence in Michigan. Freerksen will serve his time in the federal prison system. Judge Lin ordered twenty years of supervised release to follow prison. Freerksen will once again have to register as a sex offender. The case was investigated by the Mount Vernon Police Department, FBI Seattle, and the Van Buren County, Michigan Sheriff’s Office and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.


title: Carrizo Springs Business Owner Indicted for 7 Counts of Tax Fraud

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment charging a Carrizo Springs man with seven counts of failure to account for and pay over withholding taxes. According to court documents, Mark Douglass Plocek, 60, handled the day-to-day operations, including payroll, as an owner, operator and vice president of Production Lease Operating Services Oil & Gas Services LP (PLOS). The indictment alleges that, from the second quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2019, Plocek used PLOS to make hundreds of thousands of dollars for his personal benefit while, at the same time, failing to truthfully account for and pay over to the IRS payroll tax withheld from PLOS’s employees’ paychecks. Plocek allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on discretionary living expenditures including but not limited to gambling, purchasing real estate and investing in an unrelated restaurant business. Plocek made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard B. Farrer of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Harris is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: International Arms Dealer Charged with Exporting U.S. Firearms to Russia

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, an indictment was filed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Sergei Zharnovnikov, an arms dealer and citizen of Kyrgyzstan, with conspiring to export firearms from the United States to Russia without the necessary licenses and with illegal smuggling. Zharnovnikov traveled from Kyrgyzstan to the United States last month and was arrested on January 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was attending the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show to meet with U.S. arms dealers. Zharnovnikov has been detained pending trial and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (BIS-OEE), announced the arrest and charges. “As alleged, the defendant operated a sophisticated scheme to circumvent export controls and to export semi-automatic firearms and send them to Russia,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “Today’s indictment sends a message to the world that we will vigorously enforce statutes that control and restrict the export of items that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States, in this case, preventing U.S.-made firearms from getting into the wrong hands.” Mr. Durham thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada for its assistance with the case. “Violations of export control laws carry significant consequences for perpetrators in the U.S. and abroad,” said DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our partners to hold accountable those who violate our laws to smuggle firearms to prohibited destinations such as Russia.” “Attempting to illegally sell arms to Russia using multiple companies may seem like a method to evade United States sanctions, it is however a definite way to end up under arrest. Sergei Zharnovnikov is alleged to have knowingly conspired with others to violate the export control laws of the United States to provide U.S made firearms to Russian companies. The FBI will continue to enforce the export control laws enacted to safeguard our national security,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy. “The Bureau of Industry and Security is committed to aggressively investigating the illegal transshipment of US firearms to adversaries like Russia through third countries,” said BIS-OEE Special Agent in Charge Carson. “Companies that provide false information to BIS to obtain export authorizations to circumvent our controls will be found out and held accountable.” As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, since at least March 2020, the defendant, together with others, conspired to export firearms on the United States DOC Control List from the U.S. to Russia. The defendant, the General Director and owner of an arms dealer located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyzstan Company-1), entered into a five-year, $900,000 contract with a company located in Chesapeake, Virginia (U.S. Company‑1) to purchase and export U.S. Company-1 firearms to Kyrgyzstan. DOC issued a license for U.S. Company-1 to export firearms to Kyrgyzstan Company-1, but the license prohibited the export or re-export of the firearms to Russia. Nevertheless, the defendant exported and re-exported U.S. Company‑1 firearms to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. These illegally exported firearms included semi‑automatic hybrid rifle-pistols from U.S. Company-1. As alleged, after Kyrgyzstan Company-1 entered into a contract with U.S. Company-1, a second arms dealer company in Bishkek associated with the defendant (Kyrgyzstan Company-2) entered a contract with a Russian arms dealer (Russian Company-1) located in Moscow. The contract between Russian Company-1 and Kyrgyzstan Company-2 provided that Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 would export “Goods” to Russian Company-1 in the amount of $10 million and noted that the “Goods” could be delivered in batches. In correspondence in 2018, Russian Company-1 described the defendant’s company, Kyrgyzstan Company-1, as its “partner company.” On or about February 3, 2021, U.S. Company-1 received an export license from DOC to export over $800,000 worth of firearms and parts to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The license stated that items within the scope of the license “may not be reexported or transferred (in-country),” subject to certain exceptions not applicable here. On or about July 2, 2022, the defendant emailed his banker: “Make payment according to the invoice attached to the letter,” and attached a commercial invoice from U.S. Company-1, which listed, among other things, 25 semi-automatic rifle-pistols with 25 unique serial numbers. Two days later, on or about July 4, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑2, sent $67,000 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1. The next day, on or about July 5, 2022, Kyrgyzstan Company‑1 paid U.S. Company-1 $65,564—the full amount listed in the invoice from U.S. Company-1. According to an Electronic Export Information (EEI) made on July 7, 2022, Company-1 exported semi-automatic rifles from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 pursuant to its February 3, 2021 export license on or about July 10, 2022. According to the EEI filing, the value of the export from U.S. Company-1 to Kyrgyzstan Company-1 was over $59,000. The EEI filing’s corresponding license application indicated that the firearms were for “commercial resale in Kyrgyzstan.” On or about August 8, 2022, the defendant received a spreadsheet titled “Supply [U.S. Company-1] ([Russian Company-1]) weapon numbers.” Russian Company-1 is a Russian company, and the DOC license did not authorize the export or re-export of the U.S. Company-1 firearms to Russia. The spreadsheet listed the same semi-automatic rifle-pistol the defendant purchased from U.S. Company-1 and serial numbers matching the U.S. Company‑1 Invoice. On or about November 14, 2022, the General Director of Russian Company‑1 executed a form used by tax authorities of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes both Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The form listed the seller as Kyrgyzstan Company‑2 and the buyer as Russian Company-1 with an address in Moscow, Russia, and identified the goods as the same semi‑automatic rifle‑pistols that U.S. Company-1 exported to Kyrgyzstan Company‑1, the defendant’s company. The defendant did not apply for, obtain or possess a license to export or re-export the semi‑automatic pistol-rifles to Russia. The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, the defendant faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Ellen H. Sise is in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), with assistance from Litigation Analyst Rebecca Roth and CES Trial Attorney Scott Claffee. The case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression. The Defendant : SERGEI ZHARNOVNIKOV Age: 46 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-45 (ENV) 25-cr-45_-_indictment.pdf


title: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Entering the US After a Prior Removal

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to entering the United States after a prior removal. According to court records, in November 2024, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent conducted a records check on Jorge Martinez-Urizar , 50. The check showed that he had been removed from the country on three prior occasions, most recently in July 2005, and that he had not filed any applications or petitions granting him permission to reenter or remain in the United States lawfully. Martinez was removed in 2005 after serving a 70-month sentence in Oregon for a 1999 conviction for assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon. Martinez-Urizar faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000. ICE investigated the case. ###


title: Raleigh County Woman Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Melanie E. Hussain, 25, of Crab Orchard, pleaded guilty today to distribution of a quantity of fentanyl. According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 2, 2022, Hussain sold approximately 4.2 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $300. Hussain admitted to the transaction and to selling 2.3 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant in exchange for $300 on November 3, 2022. Hussain conducted both transactions at her Crab Orchard residence. Hussain is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department. United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-137. ###


title: Air Force Member Sentenced to 96 Months for Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Kyle J. Logan, age 25, of Safety Harbor, Florida was sentenced on January 30, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Logan to 96 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Logan will be placed on a 5-year term of supervised release. Logan was also ordered to pay special assessments of $5,000.00 under each of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) and the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act (AVAA). This investigation began in April 2023, when a minor victim living in West Virginia, contacted her local police to report she met an Air Force member, Logan, while playing Call of Duty online. The minor reported she had been in a relationship with Logan, which started after meeting him on the gaming platform and communicating with him on Discord. The minor reported being twelve years old at the time she began speaking to Logan. During the communication with Logan, their conversations turned sexual, and the minor disclosed Logan requested she send sexually explicit pictures of herself to Logan, which she did. The United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) opened an investigation into Logan who was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and ultimately interviewed Logan about his conduct with the minor. Logan admitted to knowing the minor was fifteen years old and requesting and receiving sexually explicit photos of the minor. AFOSI obtained search warrants for Logan’s Discord account and electronic devices. The searches revealed Logan possessed videos and images of the minor who initially reported Logan, as well as images and videos of a second victim. Ultimately, Logan was held accountable for possessing a total of 14 videos and 119 images of child pornography. 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 United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. This case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.


title: New York Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud, False Use of Passport, and Aggravated Identity Theft

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine : A New York woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland today to bank fraud, false use of a passport, and aggravated identity theft. According to court records, in February 2024, Theresa Hartung , 62, entered a credit union in Gray and attempted to use a falsified passport card to withdraw money from an account. The falsified passport card presented by Hartung bore her picture with the personal information of an account holder. She also presented the victim’s Social Security number. Hartung faces up to 30 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $1 million, and up to five years of supervised release on the bank fraud charge. She faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years supervised release on the false use of a passport charge. On the aggravated identity theft charge, she faces a mandatory prison term of two years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed; a $250,000 fine; and up to one year of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. ###


title: Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty to Committing Bank Fraud

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – AARON D. JOHNSON , 42, of Oklahoma City, has pleaded guilty to defrauding Farmers Bank, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On January 3, 2025, Johnson was charged by Information with bank fraud. Between September 2017 and November 6, 2018, Johnson was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Bank (the Bank), with branches in Carnegie and Oklahoma City, and had access to the Bank’s operating account credit card. According to the Information, between September 2017 and July 30, 2018, Johnson used the Bank’s card to pay his personal expenses, causing an overdraft in the Bank’s operating account of approximately $200,000. On July 30, 2018, Johnson approved a modification to a loan, without approval from the Bank’s board of directors, that renewed the loan in an increased amount. The Information further alleges that Johnson caused a $200,000 advance on the loan, wired the money into an account he controlled, and used the $200,000 to repay the overdraft that he caused. On February 4, 2025, Johnson pleaded guilty, and admitted he knowingly executed a scheme to obtain money from the Bank by means of false or fraudulent pretenses. At sentencing, Johnson faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry is prosecuting the case.


title: 3 men believed to be part of South American Theft Group indicted for federal crimes related to burglary of NFL player’s Cincinnati home

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury in Cincinnati has charged defendants believed to be operating as part of a South American Theft Group with transporting stolen goods interstate and falsifying records in a federal investigation. The three men allegedly committed the Dec. 9, 2024, burglary at the home of a local NFL player. A federal complaint was filed on Feb. 3 and the indictment was returned today, charging Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales, 23, and Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello, 38, all of Chile. “Our investigation remains ongoing as these individuals seem to be the alleged tip of the iceberg of South American Theft Groups committing crimes throughout our district and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “We owe it to the victims, whether they are or are not professional athletes, to follow the evidence into these alleged criminal networks and hold the law-breakers accountable. I cannot thank our law enforcement partners enough for their commitment to working together to track down these perpetrators. Today is a day that law enforcement scored and spiked the ball.” “South American Theft Groups have been a major concern in the Cincinnati area,” said FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “We appreciate the partnerships of all the agencies involved in the Southwest Ohio South American Theft Group Task Force for their hard work on this investigation.” “The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission was created for – and excels at – these types of complex, multi-jurisdictional cases,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “I’m proud of the work done so far, and look forward to more results as our task force continues its work.” According to charging documents, law enforcement responded to the NFL player’s home around 8:14pm on Dec. 9, 2024, in reference to a reported burglary. An associate of the homeowner had been dropped off at the residence shortly after 8pm and discovered rooms were unusually messy and a primary bedroom window on the back side of the home had been broken. It is believed the burglary likely occurred between 6pm and 8pm. The homeowner was away from his residence playing in an NFL game in Dallas. During a security detail shift change at the home at approximately 6pm, security personnel walked the perimeter of the house and no windows appeared to be broken at that time. Continued investigation at the Cincinnati home led investigators to discover a trail camera image of a man carrying luggage and walking through the wooded area behind the home. Law enforcement tracked the subjects in various states following the burglary, and subsequently located the vehicle at the La Quinta hotel on University Boulevard in Fairborn. The Ohio State Highway Patrol later stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation. Phone analysis shows Cabello allegedly deleted photographs of the stolen goods and the back of the victim’s home during the traffic stop with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, thus falsifying records in a federal investigation. Additional cell phone analysis revealed other photos of the defendants in southeast Florida days after the burglary with luxury luggage and wearing the stolen jewelry. Also in the car with the defendants were punch tools to break glass, as well as an old Louisiana State University shirt and a Cincinnati Bengals hat believed to be taken from the victim’s home. The men were taken into local custody at the time of the traffic stop. Interstate transportation of stolen property is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Falsification of records in a federal investigation carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The three men were previously charged locally and those state charges remain pending. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission’s Southwest Ohio Burglary Task Force; Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey; Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Charles A. Jones; Clark County Sheriff Christopher D. Clark; and Angie M. Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit; announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case. Charging documents merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. # # #


title: Three Individuals Sentenced for Harboring Aliens Arriving in Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The last of three defendants was sentenced today to prison for harboring aliens that arrived in Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic. Together, defendants Katia Janette Nieves, Junior Melo, and Iris J. Nieves-Ríos coordinated the pickup in August 2023 of at least 50 individuals arriving unlawfully via boat on the west side of Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic. Despite knowing that these individuals were aliens not lawfully in the United States, the defendants transported them to a residence in San Juan, Puerto Rico, harbored them, and demanded money from family members in order to release the individuals. Junior Melo was sentenced on December 16, 2024, to 72 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Katia Janette Nieves was sentenced on January 15, 2025, to 72 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Iris J. Nieves-Ríos was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and five years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement. The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora and Assistant U.S. Attorney Linet Suárez prosecuted the case. ###


title: Mt. Pleasant Business Owner Sentenced to 1.5 Years in Federal Prison

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Jonathan Ramaci, 60, of Mt. Pleasant, was sentenced to one and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and filing a false income tax return. Evidence presented to the court showed that Ramaci defrauded the Small Business Administration in his application and receipt of approximately $214,000 of fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans that were authorized pursuant to the CARES Act. Evidence showed that Ramaci submitted fraudulent tax documentation to the SBA and its approved third-party lenders, which were relied on to fund a PPP loan Ramaci received. For the fraudulent EIDL loans, Ramaci falsely represented to the SBA revenue and costs of goods sold for the businesses he was applying for. As for Ramaci’s tax offense, evidence submitted to the court showed that from 2017 to 2021, Ramaci either failed to file and/or filed false income tax returns and owes the IRS $289,531. Specifically, Ramaci was paying for personal expenses from a business he owned and operated, Elements of Genius, headquartered in Charleston and was not reporting the expenses paid as income. “This defendant’s actions, as evidenced by his guilty plea to two separate fraud schemes, cost the taxpayer and the government hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “His deceptive financial scheme warrants this prison sentence and sends the message that such practices will not be tolerated.” “Financial fraud erodes public confidence in our financial institutions and jeopardizes America’s economic future, said Steve Jensen Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia field office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously investigating and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.” “IRS Criminal Investigation, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigorously pursue individuals who do not properly report or file taxes,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS-CI. "This guilty plea and sentence reinforces the IRS’ commitment to ensuringall Americans are held to the same standard of paying their tax obligations." United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Ramaci to 18 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. As part of the judgement, the court ordered Ramaci to pay $538,178.88 in restitution for the offenses of conviction. The court also ordered Ramaci to pay restitution in the amount of $1,009,684.00 to victims of offenses that the defendant did not plead guilty to, which was agreed to by the parties in the plea agreement. 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 . This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Midwest City Man Sentenced to Serve 160 Months in Federal Prison for Manufacturing Crack Cocaine and Illegal Firearm Possession

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – ANTONIO LARINGO KNOX , 53, of Midwest City, has been sentenced to serve more than 13 years in federal prison for manufacturing cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine, and illegal possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On January 17, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment against Knox, charging him with manufacturing cocaine base and being a felon in possession of firearms, amongst other charges. On November 7, 2024, following a two-day trial, a federal jury convicted Knox of these two charges. According to evidence presented at trial, on September 12, 2023, Oklahoma City Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Mr. Knox’s home, where they found cocaine base, razor blades, digital scales, ammunition, and firearms. Mr. Knox admitted to manufacturing the cocaine base that was recovered. At the sentencing hearing on January 31, 2025, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Knox to serve 160 months in federal prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, along with Knox’s criminal history. Public record reflects that Knox’s criminal history includes convictions in Oklahoma County District Court for conspiring to distribute a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2004-3693 and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction in case number CF-2006-6617. This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Hoch and Matthew Anderson prosecuted the case. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Stamford Man Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing 3 Banks in 2020

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FRANCESCO PENSIERO, also known as Frank Pensiero, 52, of Stamford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing three Connecticut banks in 2020. According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 13, 2020, Pensiero and an associate robbed the Chase Bank located at 2855 Main Street in Stratford. During the robbery, Pensiero’s associate displayed a handgun on the teller counter and presented the teller with a note that read “this is a robbery give me all your money.” The teller provided Pensiero’s associate with approximately $1,000 and Pensiero and his associate exited the bank. Later on October 13, 2020, Pensiero robbed the People’s United Bank located at 1160 Kings Highway Cutoff in Fairfield. During the robbery, he pulled out a handgun and presented the teller a note that stated “This is a robbery.” The teller provided Pensiero with $5,458 and Pensiero exited the bank. On October 28, 2020, Pensiero and his associate robbed the People’s United Bank located at 95 Main Street in New Canaan. Pensiero displayed a handgun, provided the teller with a note demanding money, verbally threatened to kill the teller and other employees, and ordered the bank employees to lie on the floor. Pensiero and his associate stole $9,130 during the robbery, and fled from the bank in a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. The following day, the car was set on fire on Green Avenue in New Canaan. Pensiero was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on January 27, 2023. On June 3, 2024, he pleaded guilty to bank robbery. Pensiero’s criminal history includes convictions for bank robbery and other offenses. Pensiero’s associate was convicted of related state offenses stemming from these robberies. This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Stratford, Fairfield, and New Canaan Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures 51-Month Sentence in Vehicular Homicide Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Sanostee man was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $8,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter for a fatal drunk-driving crash that occurred on the Navajo Nation. According to court documents, at approximately 6:30 a.m. on August 12, 2023, Leonardo Robbie Duncan , 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was driving while intoxicated on Navajo Route 36 near Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, when he crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a vehicle occupied by Jane and John Doe. Duncan fled the scene on foot without checking on or assisting the victims. An off-duty Southern Ute Tribal police officer attempted to stop Duncan from leaving but was unsuccessful. John Doe died at the scene; Jane Doe passed away en route to the hospital. Both victims were enrolled members of the Navajo Nation. Duncan turned himself in to Navajo Nation Police six hours after the crash. At the time of surrender, his blood-alcohol content was 0.08. At the time of the incident, Duncan was on state probation for Battery on a Household Member and had recently violated this probation with an open-container offense. He also had a prior State conviction for Driving While Intoxicated from 2018. Upon his release from prison, Duncan will be subject to three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. # # #


title: Inmate Sentenced to More than Four Years in Prison on Assault Charge

body_text: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a federal inmate for assaulting a corrections officer, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples. U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Christopher McCallum to 51 months in prison based on his September 2024 guilty plea to assault of an officer. According to the plea agreement, McCallum was a federal inmate of the Bureau of Prisons at FCI Talladega, serving a sentence for a previous federal conviction. On February 29, 2024, McCallum became disruptive, walked toward the staff with clinched fists, and ultimately assaulted a female corrections officer. McCallum punched her in the head and upper torso area. The corrections officer sustained multiple injuries. FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Felton prosecuted the case.


title: Lawton Man Sentenced to Serve Life in Federal Prison for Murder After Woman's Body is Found in Wildlife Refuge

body_text: Co-Defendant Previously Sentenced to Serve 96 Months for Accessory After the Fact to Murder OKLAHOMA CITY – TEVIN TERRELL SEMIEN , 30, of Lawton, has been sentenced to serve life in federal prison for second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to public record, on May 17, 2023, Karon “Dinkers” Conneywerdy Smith, 68, was found dead in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Investigators searched Smith’s home, which was within Indian Country, and observed blood consistent with a violent struggle. Smith’s vehicle was missing as well. On May 21, 2023, Texas law enforcement observed Smith’s vehicle driving south of Dallas, Texas. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the vehicle fled at a high speed and eventually crashed into a lake. The two occupants of the vehicle, later identified as Semien and Nicole Leigh Logsdon, attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended. On October 17, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a four-count Indictment against Semien and co-defendant Nicole Leigh Logsdon , 25, also of Lawton. The Indictment charged Semien with one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one alternative count of second-degree murder, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm after a previous felony conviction. Logsdon was separately charged with accessory after the fact to murder. On April 22, 2024, Semien pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea, Semien admitted to deliberately and intentionally killing Smith. On January 10, 2024, Logsdon pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and admitted to helping Semien in his attempt to avoid arrest and prosecution. On July 15, 2024, Logsdon was sentenced to serve 96 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. At the sentencing hearing on February 3, 2025, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Semien to serve life in federal prison. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, pointing out that Semien’s choices and conduct amounted to an “unfathomably cruel and depraved murder.” Judge Friot also noted Semien’s criminal history. Public record further reflects that Semien has previous felony convictions which include burglary in Jefferson County, Texas, and conspiracy to commit second degree burglary in Comanche County District Court case number CF-2022-292. This case is in federal court because Smith and Logsdon are enrolled members of the Comanche Nation and the murder occurred within Indian Country. This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City, Dallas, and New Orleans field offices; the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Comanche Nation Police Department; the Comanche County Sheriff’s Office; the Lawton Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Rice, Texas Police Department; and the Navarro County, Texas Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell and Trial Attorney Mark Stoneman with DOJ’s Criminal Division (former AUSA with the Western District of Oklahoma) prosecuted the case. The case furthers the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons efforts to address violence against Native American individuals. More information about this initiative is at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip . Reference is made to public filings for more information.


title: Guatemalan National Charged with Transportation, Distribution, and Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal complaint has been unsealed charging GUSTAVO GORDILLO , 41, of Guatemala, with transportation, distribution, and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, in July 2020, investigators with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) received a cyber tip after files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were uploaded to a Google Photos account. The affidavit alleges that the suspect who uploaded the photos, later determined to be Gordillo, lived in Oklahoma City. OCPD detectives investigated the tip, as well as additional tips from Facebook, and learned that Gordillo had communicated with a child living out of state. The affidavit further alleges Gordillo provided CSAM to and received CSAM from the child. In December 2024, additional investigation led law enforcement to a residence in the Oklahoma City metro that was connected with Gordillo. Gordillo was charged by Complaint on January 27, 2025, and was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and OCPD on January 29, 2025. Public records show Gordillo had entered into the United States on a temporary visa that had expired. If found guilty as charged in the Complaint, Gordillo faces up to sixty years in federal prison. The public is reminded these charges are merely allegations, and that Gordillo is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is the result of an investigation by HSI and OCPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Palm Bay Man Sentenced To More Than 11 Years In Federal Prison For Receipt Of Child Sex Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Erik Bjorndal (49, Palm Bay) to 11 years and 4 months in federal prison for receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Bjorndal previously pled guilty on August 21, 2024. According to court documents, Bjorndal downloaded multiple videos depicting the violent sexual abuse of children. Some of the videos included sadistic and masochistic conduct and bestiality. Thereafter, the FBI executed a search warrant at Bjorndal’s home and discovered hundreds of CSAM images on his devices. During an interview with FBI agents, Bjorndal admitted to viewing CSAM for “a while,” perhaps since his late 20s. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.


title: Ohio Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

body_text: CLEVELAND - Conner Matthew Walker, 21, of Rocky River, Ohio, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan, after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), and one count of possession of child pornography. He was also ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release after imprisonment. Walker admitted to harming his victims and recording the sexual abuse on his cellphone from September 2023 through January 2024. He connected with an 11-year-old victim through a children’s app and coerced her to send him sexually explicit photos. Two additional victims were identified as toddlers at a home daycare in Parma Heights, Ohio, where Walker resided occasionally. He further exploited his young victims when he uploaded and shared the content he produced to social media chat forums. Investigators searched Walker’s cellphone and discovered he possessed more than 1,000 additional CSAM images and videos. The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio. To report child sexual abuse, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Border Patrol Announce Arrest in Smuggling Case Involving Unaccompanied Juveniles

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Mexican national faces federal charges after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested him for allegedly attempting to smuggle two undocumented juveniles through New Mexico. According to the complaint, on January 23, 2025, Border Patrol agents encountered Jesus Antonio Rodriguez-Bermudez , a Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally in December 2024, driving on New Mexico State Road 26, a highway that has been exploited by smugglers. After observing suspicious driving behavior, agents conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, agents discovered two unaccompanied juvenile males concealed under a blanket in the back of the vehicle. It was later determined that the two juveniles are brothers, ages 7 and 9. When questioned by the agents, Rodriguez-Bermudez allegedly admitted to transporting the juveniles, who were not U.S. citizens, from El Paso, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico as part of a smuggling scheme. Rodriguez-Bermudez will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Rodriguez-Bermudez faces up to 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Scott Good of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today. The U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ry Ellison is prosecuting the case. # # #


title: Sorrento Man Indicted For Circle K Robberies In Lake And Orange Counties

body_text: Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jose Flores Avila (33, Sorrento) with two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Each robbery offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The firearm offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years, up to life, in federal prison, which must be served after any prison term imposed for the robberies. According to the indictment, Avila robbed a Circle K store in Zellwood, Florida, on May 23, 2024. During the robbery, Avila brandished a firearm and took currency and cigarettes from an employee of the business. Two days later, on May 25, 2024, Avila robbed a second Circle K store in Sorrento, Florida. In that robbery, he again took currency and cigarettes from a store employee. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Guilty Plea in Domestic Assault Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man pleaded guilty to assault after admitting to attacking the victim during a domestic dispute. According to court documents, Orlyn Vigil , 48, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, admitted that on November 16, 2021, he assaulted Jane Doe during an argument. Vigil stated that he became upset and struck Jane Doe, placed his hands around her neck, and threw her into trash cans, causing her to strike her head on the bar of the trash can holder. When Jane Doe attempted to go outside to call the police, Vigil pushed her to the ground from behind. As Jane Doe walked toward her vehicle, Vigil knocked her to the ground at a slow speed using his vehicle. Vigil will remain on condition of release pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. At sentencing, Vigil faces up to 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today. The Jicarilla Apache Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Mia Ulibarri-Rubin and Nicholas J. Marshall are prosecuting the case. # # #


title: Distributor of Child Sexual Abuse Material Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A West Palm Beach federal judge has sentenced 38-year-old Texas man James William Latta to 20 years in prison followed by 25 years supervised release for advertising and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through social media. During the summer of 2024, Latta used a social networking application to communicate with a person he believed was the mother of an eight-year-old child. Latta sent sexually explicit videos of himself during the exchanges and asked about sex between the mother and child. Latta also created and operated chat rooms on the social networking application through which he distributed CSAM. In one chatroom – with dozens of members – Latta distributed CSAM more than 200 times over two months, posting a hyperlink to a website with more than 3,000 images and videos of CSAM. Latta was identified and arrested in Texas. After his arrest, he was transferred to the Southern District of Florida, where he pled guilty. In addition to imposing prison and supervised release terms, District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ordered Latta to register as a sex offender. A hearing will be scheduled to determine the amount of restitution Latta must pay his victims. U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami made the announcement. HSI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting it. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/project-safe-childhood . Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847]. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80115. ###


title: Maryland man convicted of supplying cocaine and fentanyl to Fredericksburg drug trafficker

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Maryland man today of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, over 40 grams of fentanyl, and a detectable amount of p-fluorofentanyl. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least July 1, 2022, through June 8, 2023, Sean Shaka Myles Sr., 50, of Baltimore, supplied Omar Jermel Dixon , 48, of Fredericksburg, with cocaine, fentanyl and p-fluorofentanyl, which Dixon then supplied to a number of individuals for redistribution in and around Fredericksburg. Myles faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison when sentenced on June 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the verdict. The Fredericksburg Regional Narcotics Task Force assisted in the investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gilliland, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office are prosecuting the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-95.


title: Middlesex County Man Charged With Participating In Multimillion-Dollar Overbilling Scheme; Two Co-Conspirators Have Pleaded Guilty

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County man was charged with participating in a conspiracy to defraud Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and another national transportation and logistics company through overbilling for trucking services, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Jose Pena, 46, of Monroe Township, New Jersey was charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Pena owned and operated a trucking firm that subcontracted with a national transportation and logistics company (referred to in the Complaint as “Company-1”) to provide delivery services in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area for Williams-Sonoma, Inc., a publicly-traded home goods company, out of Williams-Sonoma’s distribution center in Cranbury, New Jersey. From approximately June 2018 through September 2020, Pena conspired with others who worked at Williams-Sonoma and Company-1, among others, to overbill the victim companies for over $3.6 million in fabricated deliveries and services that Pena and his firm did not complete. In exchange for his co-conspirators’ participation in the scheme, Pena paid to them lavish kickbacks, including cash, checks, a sport utility vehicle, and a Rolex watch. After an internal audit revealed the fraud and the victim companies no longer wished to contract with Pena, Pena hid his interest in another trucking firm that contracted directly with Williams-Sonoma in September 2021. Pena continued to work with a subset of his co-conspirators to overbill Williams-Sonoma for fabricated deliveries through June 2024, resulting in nearly $1 million in additional losses to Williams-Sonoma. Two of Pena’s co-conspirators, Raymond DeLeon and Cintia Elaxcar, pleaded guilty last month for participating in this conspiracy in their capacities as former employees of Company-1. Raymond DeLeon, 38, of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on January 3, 2025 before Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. DeLeon worked as an operations general manager for Company-1 and received over $200,000 in kickback payments in exchange for his role in causing the fraudulent billing requests to be submitted to the victim companies. Cintia Elaxcar, 40, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on January 15, 2025 before Judge Quraishi in Trenton federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Elaxcar worked as a billing and dispatch manager for Company-1 and received over $435,000 in kickback payments in exchange for her role in causing the fraudulent billing requests to be submitted to the victim companies. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud – which Pena is charged with and which DeLeon and Elaxcar have each pleaded guilty to – carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison. It also carries a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hatley, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### Defense counsel: Michael Critchley, Esq. for Pena Nicholas Moschella, Esq. for DeLeon Maria Noto, Esq. for Elaxcar pena.complaint.pdf elaxcar.information.pdf deleon.information.pdf


title: Jury convicts a man of possessing 80 grams of meth for distribution

body_text: MIAMI – On Jan. 28, a federal jury found a Jensen Beach man guilty of possession with intent to distribute meth. On June 14, 2023, law enforcement officers stopped Otis Furman Crabbe, III, 54, of Jensen Beach, Fla., because of the dark window tinting of his white Mercedes Benz sedan, while he was driving in downtown Stuart, Fla. Crabbe told the officers that he was partially blind and that he needed the dark tinting due to light sensitivity. The law enforcement officers conducted a canine inspection of Crabbe’s vehicle and discovered a suitcase in his trunk containing approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on April 17 at 11:30 a.m. Crabbe faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division and Sheriff John Budensiek, of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), made the announcement. The HSI Fort Pierce Field Office and MCSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Breezye Telfair prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-14037. ###


title: Steele County Man Sentenced to Over 17 Years for International Sexual Exploitation of Children

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Blooming Prairie man has been sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, beginning in April 2022, Steven John Sokel, 61, began communicating over the internet with the mother of a pre-pubescent minor victim in Thailand. On September 1, 2022, Sokel traveled to Thailand and stayed with the victim and the mother for almost a full month. During his time abroad, Sokel produced images of the minor victim engaging in sexually explicit activity. According to court documents, on September 29, 2022, Sokel left Thailand and had a layover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi airport has a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facility for passengers flying to the United States. After finding items like sexual pleasure devices, handcuffs, and condoms in Sokel’s luggage, CBP officers conducted a search and found the child sexual abuse material on Sokel’s password-protected laptop. Sokel was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric T. Tostrud on one count of sexual exploitation of children. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.


title: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzling from Employer

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – The former finance director of a Florida-based company pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $5.7 million from his employer. Paul Schnitzer, 51, of Clermont, Fla., pleaded guilty to wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2025. Schnitzer was first charged in May 2024, indicted by a grand jury in June 2024, and detained in October 2024 after violating his conditions of pretrial release. Between January 2022 and May 2024, Schnitzer made more than 100 transfers out of his employer’s operating bank account into an investment account he controlled, disguised as “equity distributions.” To hide these transfers, Schnitzer falsified financial reports to the Massachusetts-based investment firm that owned the company. Schnitzer also secretly used a line of credit to replenish the balance in the company’s operating account after he had stolen from it. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the loss to the victim. 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 Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Provo Man Accused of Attempting to Receive Carfentanil for Distribution in Utah is Detained

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah County man was ordered to detention in federal court today after he was indicted by a federal grand jury last week and charged with a federal drug crime for allegedly attempting to have carfentanil shipped to Utah for distribution. Carfentanil is most commonly used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times more potent than heroin. According to court documents, Clint James Pendleton, 29, of Provo, Utah, attempted to receive a package containing approximately 20 grams of carfentanil on January 22, 2025. The package was destined for an address in Payson, Utah, but was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Los Angeles International Airport in California. The package was opened and the suspected carfentanil was tested and presumptively identified as carfentanil and weighed approximately 20 grams. Subsequently, the package was tracked to Pendleton who had signed up to receive tracking updates on the package. Additionally, law enforcement discovered Pendleton allegedly had a history of his criminal activity written in a notebook that included amounts of controlled substances purchased, prices, and tracking numbers, including for carfentanil. The DEA has identified carfentanil as “crazy dangerous” and a serious growing concern as it is becoming more prevalent in our communities. Pendleton is charged with attempted possession of carfentanil with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment was February 5, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement. The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC). Special Assistant United States Attorney Pete Reichman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Four sentenced in conspiracy using victim’s Social Security numbers to steal funds

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI – A 41-year-old Newark man has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identify theft, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Cory Scott Becker pleaded guilty Oct. 24, 2024. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now imposed a 36-month-term of imprisonment for Becker. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence of his and others’ roles and the scheme to steal funds. Christopher Carr, 37, Corpus Christi, previously received 12 months and a day in prison, while Joseph Aguilar, 37, Corpus Christi, and Emmett Jimenez, 45, Yoakum, received 12 and 18 months, respectively. The investigation began after a complainant reported $30,000 was taken out of her account at a credit union in Corpus Christi. The bank’s risk management team discovered that from Feb. 16, 2022, until approximately March 8, 2022, 44 unauthorized transactions occurred from approximately 18 accounts. Law enforcement interviewed account owners and verified the unauthorized withdrawals. The investigation revealed they were made through an interactive teller machine which allows fund withdrawals using a holder’s Social Security and bank account numbers. Authorities subsequently discovered Becker, Carr, Aguilar and Jimenez conspired to use the numbers and accounts to illegally withdraw funds from credit union account holders. Becker was permitted to remain on bond pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.


title: Member of deadly human smuggling ring sent to prison

body_text: BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 28-year-old Roma man has been sentenced for conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens resulting in multiple deaths, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Jose Refugio Torres pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2023, admitting he conspired to transport illegal aliens from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now imposed a 36-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the severity of human smuggling involving death and admonished Torres that should he ever return to the smuggling business, he could be facing potential life in federal prison. “As this case sadly demonstrates, human smuggling is a crime that takes lives and puts the public at risk,” said Ganjei. “Securing the border is the Southern District of Texas’ number one priority, and breaking up these smuggling rings is a key component of that. We will continue to use all available resources to aggressively pursue those that flout our immigration laws and put profit ahead of human lives.” “Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is dedicated to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of citizens across all communities in the United States,” said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge, Craig Larrabee. “We will remain focused on investigating and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that jeopardize the well-being of individuals.” Jose Refugio Torres was involved in the attempted smuggling of illegal aliens in March 2019 by motor vehicle from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States. During this failed attempt in Duval County, a vehicle rolled over and caused the deaths of four people with serious injuries to six others. The victims included citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador as well as a 17-year-old boy from Ecuador. Torres was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol; Coast Guard; Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations; police departments in Port Mansfield and South Padre Island; Texas Rangers; Texas Game Wardens; sheriff’s offices in Kenedy, Duval and Willacy Counties; and the Willacy County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose E. Arreola Jr. and Jose Esquivel Jr. prosecuted the case.


title: Connecticut Man Sentenced for Selling Fraudulently Obtained Gold Coins

body_text: BOSTON – A Connecticut man was sentenced today for fraudulently obtaining more than 100 gold coins and then transporting them outside of Massachusetts. William Dawson, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to five years of probation, with one year of home confinement, and ordered to pay restitution. In April 2024, Dawson pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. Dawson was arrested and charged in October 2023. Dawson held himself out as a property buyer and reseller. Person-1 operated a home cleanout business in Massachusetts that sold property contained in decedent estates. In or around December 2022, Person-1 was retained by a decedent estate to clean out a residence in Shrewsbury, Mass. In that home, Person-1 found 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins, collectively worth approximately $290,000. With approval from the estate, Person-1 agreed to sell 120 of the gold coins to Dawson. In January 2023, Dawson met with Person-1 in Millbury and purchased the 120 gold coins with two checks totaling $198,800. However, Dawson had significantly less than $198,800 in the relevant bank account when he wrote the checks to Person-1. Later that same day, Dawson called Person-1, falsely claiming that his car had been broken into and that the gold coins had been stolen. The next day, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Pawtucket, R.I. where he sold 43 of the gold coins in exchange for $80,442. On several occasions in February 2023, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Cranston, R.I., where he sold 19 more of the gold coins in exchange for a total of approximately $35,094. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Milford Police Department and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.