title: Mason City Man Sentenced to 11 years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearms and Intent to Distribute Meth

body_text: Jacob Shafer, 34, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced September 12, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Shafer pled guilty on May 7, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of illegal possession of a firearm. Shafer was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and trafficking in stolen weapons in Iowa in March of 2022. Both of these convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in March 2024, during the execution of a search warrant at Shafer’s home, law enforcement seized the following: four bags of methamphetamine; drug paraphernalia including pipes, bongs, grinders, and baggies; a digital scale; ninety-six .380 caliber Winchester rounds of ammunition; a Ruger LCP, .380 pistol, and a total of 6 rounds of ammunition, which included a round in the chamber; a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, and a total of 13 rounds of ammunition; an Intratec AB-10, 9mm pistol, and a total of 22 rounds of ammunition in the magazine; and a Rock Island Armory, .45 caliber pistol. Shafer admitted he had plans to distribute the methamphetamine that officers found. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Shafer was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment and will serve a four-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Shafer remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin C. Fletcher and Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-3055. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for  Possession of Child Pornography

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: Priest Morris, 21, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 12, 2025, to over 5 years’ imprisonment, in federal court in Sioux City. Morris pled guilty May 1, 2025, to possession of child pornography. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings, showed that from January 2024, through August 2024, Morris used the Discord, Twitter, Telegram, and Snapchat applications to receive, distribute, and possess visual depictions of child pornography including materials involving a prepubescent minor or minor under the age of 12. The Sioux City Police Department received two CyberTips about a Snapchat account uploading child pornography. Law enforcement connected the account back to Morris. During the execution of a search warrant on Morris’ electronics, Morris admitted he received and possessed child pornography, and it would be located on his phone and iPad. Forensic analysis of his electronics showed that Morris possessed over 1,500 images and 6 videos of child pornography including materials that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as infants and toddlers. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Morris was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the child victims. Morris must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Morris remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-4086. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Philippine Citizen Charged With Election Fraud Offenses

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Emily Custodio, 51, of Clementon, New Jersey, has been charged by indictment with one count of voter fraud and one count of voting by an alien. The defendant made her initial appearance in federal court on Wednesday. As alleged in the indictment, on or about July 18, 2020, Custodio, a citizen of the Philippines who does not hold American citizenship, applied online to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of State to register to vote in Pennsylvania. In doing so, the indictment alleges, the defendant falsely answered “Yes” to the question about whether she was a United States citizen. On or about July 21, 2020, based on the information allegedly provided by Custodio, including the false statement that she was a U.S. citizen, her application to register to vote was accepted and she was successfully registered to vote in Pennsylvania. The indictment further alleges that, on or about November 3, 2020, Custodio appeared in person at her assigned Philadelphia County polling place to cast a vote in the 2020 general election. The defendant allegedly presented photo identification, signed her name in the pollbook next to the statement “I hereby certify that I am qualified to vote at this election…” and cast a vote in the 2020 general election, which included the election for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States. “The integrity of our electoral system depends on every citizen having confidence that the process is fair, transparent, and free from manipulation,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Election fraud of any sort undermines public trust in our system, and illegal voting by non-citizens dilutes the voice of lawful American voters.” If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of six years of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $350,000 fine. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Potts and Mark Dubnoff. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.


title: Media Advisory- Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (CRMC) Case Updates

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: CASE NAME: United States v. Chesapeake Regional Medical Center , Criminal Case No. 2:25-cr-1 COURT: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division CASE SUMMARY: On January 8, 2025, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center (aka Chesapeake General Hospital, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare) (CRMC) was charged in a two-count criminal indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States and interfere with government functions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347, related to its alleged actions involving CRMC’s billing to insurance companies for Dr. Javaid Perwaiz ’s performance of surgeries and other procedures at its facility. CRMC made its appearance before the Court and entered a plea of not guilty. According to court documents, CRMC was a hospital in Chesapeake, Virginia. In April 1984, CRMC granted privileges to Perwaiz. In November 2020, Perwaiz was convicted of 52 counts of health care fraud and false statements in health care matters. Approximately 38 counts of the convictions were for procedures performed at CRMC, including unnecessary hysterectomies and other invasive and irreversible surgeries, elective inductions prior to 39 weeks of gestation without medical justification, and sterilizations of Medicaid patients without consent forms signed 30 days in advance. Perwaiz performed all his obstetric deliveries and inpatient surgeries, including hysterectomies, and other surgeries and procedures, at CRMC. From 2010 to 2019, CRMC received approximately $18.5 million in reimbursements from health care benefit programs for surgical and obstetric procedures Perwaiz performed at the facility. CASE STATUS: Two motions to dismiss were denied by the Court, but the order to deny is currently on appeal. VICTIM RESPONSE : To ensure that members of the public, including potential victims of CMRC’s alleged fraud, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a page on its website, available at the following link: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/united-states-v-chesapeake-regional-medical-center-crim-no-225-cr-1 The website currently includes a copy of the indictment and other pleadings filed in this case. Victims with questions can call 1-844-527-5299 and reference the above case name and docket number. Victim impact statements can be emailed to EDVA Victim Witness, or mailed to: U.S. Attorney’s Office Attn: Victim Witness 101 W Main Street Suite 8000 Norfolk, VA 23510-1671


title: Two Midlands Men Sentenced for Their Role in Drug Conspiracy

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Drain Maurice Mazone, 54, of Irmo, and Clinton Raymond Donaldson, 42, of Columbia, have been sentenced to 13 years and three years respectively in federal prison for their role in a drug conspiracy. Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Mazone and Donaldson, along with others, were involved in a drug conspiracy that began in Arizona. Drugs were purchased in Arizona and shipped to Mazone, who was involved in distributing them. Donaldson provided local addresses where packages would be shipped and also helped distribute the contraband. Proceeds from the drug sales were sent back to the distributor in Arizona. Some packages of drugs were shipped through the mail to Columbia, Florence, Myrtle Beach as well as locations in North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida. All four members of the conspiracy have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their involvement in the conspiracy. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Mazone to 156 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision and Donaldson to 36 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervision for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of marijuana. There is no parole in the federal system. This operation is part 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF . This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Manchester Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute More Than 3 Pounds of Methamphetamine Sourced from Lawrence

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Manchester man was sentenced on September 9 th , 2025, in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces. Joseph Coffey, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to 60 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. On February 25, 2025, Coffey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Coffey’s co-defendant, Zachary Austin, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison. “The defendant and his co-conspirator worked to introduce a significant amount of methamphetamine into the Manchester area,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. “Methamphetamine has inflicted tremendous damage on our communities over the past decade, and law enforcement in the Granite State will continue to relentlessly work to dismantle large-scale drug distributors.” “DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes poisons like methamphetamine in order to profit and destroy lives,” said Special Agent in Charge, Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take drugs off the streets, lives are saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, state and federal law enforcement efforts and our strong partnership with U.S. Attorney’s Office.” According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Coffey and Austin operated a methamphetamine distribution business out of their shared Manchester apartment. Between July and September 2024, Coffey and Austin sold methamphetamine to law enforcement on five occasions. Searches of their apartment and vehicle later uncovered additional methamphetamine. In total, law enforcement recovered approximately 3.66 pounds of methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case. ###


title: House of Prayer Christian Church Pastor Indicted for Enticement and Sexual Abuse of a Minor

body_text: SAVANNAH, GA - A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, indicted a pastor connected to the House of Prayer Christian Church of America (HOPCC) for various sex offenses involving a minor. On September 10, 2025, a federal court unsealed a five-count indictment. The indictment charges: BERNADEL SEMEXANT, age 35, of Hinesville and Savannah, Georgia, with Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography. “Our law enforcement partners work relentlessly to protect our most vulnerable citizens from harm and exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “This indictment demonstrates the continued success of those efforts.” “The allegations in this indictment reflect a profound betrayal of trust by an individual in a position of spiritual authority. The FBI is committed to pursuing those who exploit children and ensuring they are held accountable”, said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We urge anyone with information about Pastor Semexant or others in positions of trust within HOPCC to come forward—your voice matters, and you may help protect other potential victims.” The maximum penalties for Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity are not less than 10 and up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. The maximum penalties for Sexual Abuse of a Minor are up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. The maximum penalties for Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor are up to 10 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 3 years of supervised release. The maximum penalties for Receipt of Child Pornography are up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. The maximum penalties for Possession of Child Pornography are up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. Each count also requires registration as a sex offender and mandatory restitution. Pastor Bernadel Junior Semexant may have worked at multiple HOPCC locations around the United States. HOPCC has locations in the following areas: Hephzibah, Georgia; Hinesville, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Tacoma, Washington; Waco, Texas; and Clarksville, Tennessee; among others. If you and/or your minor dependent(s) are actively being victimized, please immediately notify local law enforcement or call 911. The FBI and the United States Attorneys Office are seeking additional information. If you and/or your minor dependent(s) have information concerning Pastor Bernadel Junior Semexant or any other individual serving in a position of trust for HOPCC, or have any information relevant to this investigation, please fill out this short form at https://fbi.gov/SEMEXANTHOPCC . This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Assistant United States Attorneys Frank M. Pennington, II and Sherri A. Stephan are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: 49 Members of a Violent Gang Charged with Drug Trafficking and Firearms Violations in Bayamón, Puerto Rico

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On September 3, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging 49 violent gang members from the municipality of Bayamón with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, possession and distribution of controlled substances, and firearms violations, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Puerto Rico Police Bayamón Strike Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with the collaboration of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bayamón Municipal Police, the Guaynabo Municipal Police, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO). “Today is the anniversary of 9/11 – the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil that took nearly 3,000 innocent lives. After the attack, Americans came together in unity, resolve, and determination to confront those who sought to harm us.Today, we face another threat to our communities – one that comes to use from criminal cartels – now rightly designated as foreign terrorist organizations – flooding our streets with fentanyl, other deadly drugs, and violence. In recent years, overdose deaths, mostly from fentanyl, have averaged over 100,000 per year. Just as 9/11 demanded a national response, the toll of gang violence and drug trafficking in our communities demands action and unity,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners, including those who participated in this morning’s operation, are responding and taking action to make our communities and our streets safer. We are unified and our resolve is firm.” “This investigation, which falls directly under the Attorney General’s “Commitment to Targeting Violent Crime” is an example of how working together with our federal, state, and local partners creates an outcome that is positive for the community,” said Gordon Mallory, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives, Miami Field Division. “The men and women of ATF continuously strive to take the necessary measures to fight violent crime to include the illegal use and possession of firearms. Because of the hard work of these individuals, the residents of this community can take their neighborhood(s) back.” The indictment alleges that from 2019 through the present, the defendants worked as part of a drug trafficking organization known as “Bin Laden Records” that distributed illegal drugs for significant financial gain and profit -- including heroin, cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), cocaine, marihuana, fentanyl, Oxycodone (commonly known as Percocet), and Alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax) – all within 1,000 feet of the Virgilio Dávila Public Housing Project (PHP), and within 1,000 feet of a public or private school and/or playground. The charging documents further allege that when the members of the gang perceived threats to the organization and/or its members, they incurred in violent acts, including, but not limited to, murder to protect themselves and their organization. They also transported, distributed, and profited from the distribution of kilogram quantities of cocaine into the continental United States. The defendants also engaged in the trafficking of illegal firearms and ammunitions. As part of the operations of the drug points, the defendants and co-conspirators would obstruct and delay the work of law enforcement agents by obstructing the main entrance of the Virgilio Dávila PHP with shopping carts. The defendants acted in different roles to further the goals of the drug trafficking conspiracy, including acting as leaders, drug point owners, enforcers, runners, sellers, lookouts, and facilitators. The defendants charged in the indictment are: [1] Jonathan Berríos Rojas, a.k.a. “Manita” [2] Adalberto Rivera Robles, a.k.a. “Batata/Bata/Gordo/B” [3] Jonathan Bermúdez Valdés, a.k.a. “Valdes/V” [4] Jovany Rivera Robles, a.k.a. “Wiliador 1” [5] Raymond Sánchez Santiago, a.k.a. “Churrun/Peca” [6] Luis Ramos Oyola, a.k.a. “Homero/Father/Gordo” [7] Brian Rivera Robles, a.k.a. “Calva/Calvita/Carba/Calvi” [8] Joseph Siraguza De Jesús, a.k.a. “Joker” [9] Oscar Rosa Marrero, a.k.a. “Josky/Oski” [10] Edgar Joel Figueroa Rondón, a.k.a. “Chencho/Edgar” [11] José Romero Rivera, a.k.a. “Chaleco/Chale/Ñeco/Wiliador 3/Ñecombel” [12] John Michael Díaz Díaz, a.k.a. “Oxy” [13] Roberto Hernández Pacheco, a.k.a. “Chino/Pri” [14] Jonathan De Jesús Bonilla, a.k.a. “Abuelito” [15] Ángel Gabriel Mojica Valdés, a.k.a. “Tazmania” [16] Ardwin Fuentes Rojas, a.k.a. “Bartolo/Barto” [17] Raúl González Santiago, a.k.a. “Mambru” [18] Luis Esteban Rivera Pérez, a.k.a. “Teta” [19] José Rivera Nazario, a.k.a. “Jose” [20] Carlos Victor Ruiz Jiménez, a.k.a. “Bimbo/Bin-B” [21] Carlos Javier Reyes Núñez, a.k.a. “Dutty/Duty” [22] Ricardo Rivera Figueroa, a.k.a. “El Viejo” [23] Ricardo Rivera González, a.k.a. “Ricky/Kiki” [24] Geraldino Castillo Genao, a.k.a. “El Domi” [25] Suriel Rivera González [26] Wilfredo Jesiel Barros Robles, a.k.a. “Wiliador 2/Wilo” [27] Ángel Ocasio Cancel, a.k.a. “Garabato” [28] Michael Paredes Tollinchi, a.k.a. “Tonka/Tractor” [29] William Nieves Díaz, a.k.a. “Willy” [30] Yeriel Dávila Cosme, a.k.a. “Yiyo/Guillo” [31] Luis A. Malpica Negrón, a.k.a. “Malpi” [32] Cristian Reyes Bonilla, a.k.a. “Bebo Magali” [33] Wesley De Jesús Serrano, a.k.a. “Boss” [34] Jomar Vélez Bermúdez, a.k.a. “Borra” [35] Kevin O’neill Rodríguez Rosa [36] Kiven J. Rodríguez Rosa, a.k.a. “Boli” [37] Josué Raúl Cantres Ríos, a.k.a. “Bolita” [38] Rafael González Lastra, a.k.a. “Rafy/Rafi” [39] Efraín Ramírez Cortés, a.k.a. “Banano” [40] Orlando Dávila Bonilla, a.k.a. “Alex Magaly” [41] Christian J. Rivera Maldonado, a.k.a. “Plo Plo” [42] Christian Malpica Sánchez [43] Carlos Javier Vázquez Rodríguez, a.k.a. “El Javi/Javi” [44] Luis Cartagena Cabezudo, a.k.a. “Nenguito” [45] Edwin Rivera Román, a.k.a. “Zuldo” [46] Rodney Alexis Maldonado Marquez, a.k.a. “Ronni” [47] Joel Manuel Vélez Bally [48]Arnaldo Rivera Rondón, a.k.a. “Nandy” [49] Taina Michelle Colón De Jesús, a.k.a. “Griselda” Sixteen of the above-listed defendants also face one charge of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and five of those defendants are facing one count of possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Upon conviction, all defendants are subject to a narcotics forfeiture allegation of $50,735,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort; Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares; AUSA Andrés Orr Sevilla, and Puerto Rico Department of Justice Special AUSA Javier Rivera Rivera, are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted on the drug trafficking charges, the defendants face a minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison. If convicted of both the drug trafficking and the firearms charges in Count Seven, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison. The defendants charged with possession of machineguns in furtherance of drug trafficking in Count Eight face a mandatory sentence of thirty years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence imposed on the drug trafficking charges. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 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: Atlanta travel agent sentenced to over a year in prison for taking money from his clients for travel services he never provided

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Atlanta travel services vendor was sentenced today to one year and one month in prison for defrauding multiple individual and institutional victims. According to court documents, Maurice Eugene Smith, 45, operated a luxury travel company called EUGENE TORIKO LLC, which offered customized travel planning services. From at least September 2022 through November 2024, Smith took customers’ money for booking travel and converted it to his own personal use instead of paying to secure reservations that he or his employees booked. Customers paid Smith and EUGENE TORIKO thousands of dollars for luxury vacations to destinations such as St. Lucia, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Guatemala. Smith then used customer money to provide refunds to earlier customers or for his own personal enrichment, including on sports betting sites or to pay for his own travel to such destinations as Mexico and Panama. Customers often learned that their travel and hotel accommodations were not paid shortly before departing for or upon arriving at their destinations. The cost had to be covered by the customers, who had already paid, and some were reimbursed by credit card or travel insurance companies. In addition to individuals who booked travel through Smith and EUGENE TORIKO, two university sports programs and a college paid for travel services that were not provided. A university baseball team paid Smith for airline travel, but ultimately had to pay additional funds for and utilize transportation by bus because Smith failed to use the money the university paid to EUGENE TORIKO to purchase airline tickets. A college booked a trip to Thailand for faculty and students, but EUGENE TORIKO purchased one-way airline tickets for all travelers but one. Faculty and students realized that Smith had only purchased one-way tickets after they were already in Thailand. The faculty and parents of students had to pay for their return tickets out-of-pocket and were reimbursed by the college. Through a third-party sports event marketing company, a university and its foundation paid for travel arrangements to the Bahamas for its men’s basketball team to participate in a basketball foreign tour. The travel accommodations included, among other things, round trip airfare from Virginia to the Bahamas; ground transportation by charter bus; hotel accommodations including daily breakfast and lunch on tournament days; and sightseeing to a minimum of two destinations. On April 17, 2024, the university foundation sent a wire transfer of $55,914.60 to the sports event company. Two days later, Smith invoiced the company for the services that EUGENE TORIKO was supposedly arranging for the basketball team. The company wired Smith $40,800. On May 20, 2024, Smith sent another invoice for the balance owed, $103,841. The company invoiced the university foundation, which sent a wire transfer of $103,841 to the company, which in turn paid EUGENE TORIKO $57,736.07 on May 29, 2024, and $11,220 on June 10, 2024. In total, the company paid EUGENE TORIKO the entire amount of the above invoice, $109,756.07, using funds paid by the university foundation. Additional family members, friends, and supporters of the basketball team also paid the company and EUGENE TORIKO to accompany the team on their trip to the Bahamas. Although Smith reserved seats on flights from Virginia to the Bahamas and reserved a block of rooms, he made no payments toward any legitimate cost associated with the trip. As a result, the resort and the airline canceled the reservations. Instead, Smith used the money in part to pay for his own personal travel and to refund other victims from whom he had stolen money. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Hood prosecuted the case. 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. 1:25-cr-73.


title: Mexican Citizen Living Illegally in Charleston Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Immigration Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Bernabe Montalvo Salas, 24, a Mexican citizen living illegally in Charleston, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, to reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to time served. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has an immigration detainer on Salas and he will be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings. According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 28, 2025, law enforcement officers encountered Salas in the South Charleston area. ICE agents confirmed that Salas was a citizen of Mexico in the United States illegally and that he had previously been deported from the United States. Salas had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States. Salas was removed from the United States to Mexico on or about March 4, 2019, after being found at or near Roma, Texas, on March 1, 2019. Salas 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. ICE agents encountered two brothers of Salas living illegally in Charleston. Maximino Montalvo Salas, 20, was deported after pleading guilty on July 24, 2025, to the felony offense of knowingly possessing a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”). Federico Montalvo Salas, 22, pleaded guilty on July 1, 2025, to reentry of a removed alien and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2025. ICE has an immigration detainer on Federico Montalvo Salas so he will be transferred to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings at the conclusion of any sentence. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 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. 2:25-cr-81. ###


title: Federal Search Warrants Executed

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

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – On September 11, 2025, federal search warrants were executed at the following locations in the Des Moines metropolitan area: 800th block of SW Ordnance Road, Ankeny; 1400th block of Arlington Avenue, Des Moines; 1200th block of Wall Avenue, Des Moines; 2500th block of East 23rd Street, Des Moines; 1300th block East Sheridan Avenue, Des Moines; 900th block of Emma Avenue, Des Moines; 100th block of East 28th Street, Des Moines; 1600th block of Army Post Road, Des Moines; 2200th block of Lyon Street, Des Moines; 2900th block of Dubuque Avenue, Des Moines; and 3000th block of Gateway Drive, Carlisle. The searches at these locations were an official law enforcement action involving officers, agents, investigators, and analysts from Des Moines Police Department, FBI Des Moines Resident Agency of the Omaha Field Office, Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (MINE), Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement East (MINE East), Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force, Metro Special Tactics and Response (STAR), FBI Omaha Field Office, Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI Omaha SWAT, FBI Kansas City SWAT, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa State Patrol SWAT, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Story County Sheriff’s Office, Clive Police Department, West Des Moines Police Department, Altoona Police Department, Carlisle Police Department, Knoxville Police Department, Ankeny Police Department, Marshall County’s Sheriff’s Office, Urbandale Police Department, Windsor Heights Police Department, Newton Police Department, Pleasant Hill Police Department, Suburban Emergency Response Team (SERT), and Cedar Rapids Police Department.


title: Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Reentry; Faces Deportation

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jose Miguel Molina-Echavarria, age 40, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced yesterday to time-served (nearly 4 months in prison) by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. for illegally reentering the country after having previously been removed. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Molina-Echavarria was indicted by a federal grand jury after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence and related charges in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on May 18, 2025. Molina-Echavarria had previously been removed from the United States pursuant to a court order in 2024. Molina-Echavarria pleaded guilty to illegal reentry before being sentenced. The case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francis P. Sempa and Tatum Wilson prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Molina-Echavarria still faces pending state charges in Franklin County, and an ICE detainer is lodged against him for deportation proceedings. # # #


title: Ocean County Man Admits to Traveling to a Foreign Place to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a Minor

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County man admitted to traveling to a foreign place to engage in sexual conduct with a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced. Jacob Bauer, 29, of Toms River, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to a one-count Information charging him with engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From December 1, 2023 through December 10, 2023, Bauer, then 27 years old, traveled from the United States to Norway to engage in sexual activity with a 14-year-old female. Once in Norway, Bauer, staying at a hotel, engaged in sexual activity with the victim. After returning to the United States, Bauer communicated over social media platforms with the victim and others about his sexual activities with the victim. During those conversations, Bauer acknowledged the victim’s age and status as a minor. After members of an online community that Bauer was active in learned of his sexual activities with a minor, Bauer was “doxxed” (his public information published online) by members of that community. The charge of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place carries a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026. Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited the special agents and task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. She also thanked the New Brunswick Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Vincent Sabo, the Manchester Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Antonio Ellis, the FBI Legal Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark, the FBI Legal Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, Warsaw, Poland, the Jackson County, Georgia Sheriff's Office, INTERPOL, the Norwegian Politiet, Troms District, the Norwegian Politiet, NC3 KRIPOS, and the Poland Policja CBZC, Central Cybercrime Bureau for their assistance in the investigation. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC . The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton. ### Defense counsel: Andrea Aldana, Esq., Federal Public Defenders. bauer.information.pdf


title: Multiple Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Running Commercial Pill Press Operation in Hillyard

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington –United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice has sentenced Timothy Gary Maddox, 44, of Spokane, Washington to a 20 year term of incarceration, to be followed by 5 years of court supervision upon his release stemming from his role in running a commercial pill press operation out of a residence in the Hillyard neighborhood of Spokane. According to court documents and information discussed during the sentencing hearing, Maddox and his co-defendant Nicholas Adams obtained a commercial pill press via mail from China and set up a ‘pill mill’ the basement of Adams’ residence, mixing powder fentanyl and cutting agents to make their own fentanyl pills for bulk distribution into the community. Search warrants were executed at multiple locations in November 2023 and yielded a massive amount of fentanyl powder, cutting agents, pill press parts, and multiple firearms along with an operational commercial pill press (below). Given the extremely hazardous conditions and contamination of nearly every flat surface created by operating a pill lab, the Department of Ecology assisted in the execution of the search warrant at Adams’ residence. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s calculations, the amount of fentanyl powder Maddox and Adams had on hand to produce pills was easily enough to make over 2,000,000 fentanyl pills containing a lethal dose. Put another way, the amount of fentanyl powder they had on hand to make these illicit pills could kill the entire population of Spokane County almost four times over. In addition to their fentanyl pill production, Maddox and Adams possessed large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana. They were each armed with multiple loaded firearms in their respective residences, which included loaded (and chambered) handguns, loaded modified shotguns, and AK-type rifles. In Maddox’s residence, he also had a loaded firearm (with a round chambered) that had a “Glock switch,” making it a fully automatic machine gun, along with a loaded large drum magazine as well as three sets of body armor. Notably, Maddox engaged in this conduct after already amassing multiple criminal convictions over the course of the last 30 years, including, residential burglary, vehicle theft, domestic violence, negligent driving, protection order violations, assault, and drug trafficking. Maddox also has a previous federal conviction for drug trafficking in 2015, when he told arresting officers that he had been dealing drugs “for years” in the Spokane area and that he was one of the area’s largest drug dealers. He further advised that during the two years before that arrest, he was dealing approximately one pound of methamphetamine and one ounce of heroin every other day. His criminal history also shows that when he was engaged in the conduct at issue in this case, he committed a drive-by-shooting during which he fired eight rounds into an occupied residence and several days later, fired approximately 17 times into an occupied vehicle (Spokane County Superior Court Case Number 23-1-10840-32). “Stopping the production and flow of fentanyl into our communities is one of the most challenging crises we face as law enforcement. This is a matter of importance as it will protect public health. This investigation and prosecution provide a tremendous example of the collaborative approach we take to fighting this serious and ever-increasing threat to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Serrano. “The volume of fentanyl that this investigation took of the street is truly staggering. I cannot overstate the impact our team made here, by identifying a repeat criminal who was manufacturing vast quantities of this deadly drug while heavily armed. Removing him for decades will protect this community in ways seen and unseen. We want the public to know that these threats exist and that our team is working tirelessly to combat them wherever and whenever they appear.” “Mr. Maddox is a career criminal who endangered the safety and health of our community with a truly lethal mix of homemade counterfeit fentanyl pills and automatic weapons,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “Mr. Maddox made fentanyl even more dangerous by recklessly mixing substances at home, where he could include anything he chose into his deadly concoctions. Mr. Maddox spent years peddling misery and death for his own enrichment and I am proud that DEA and our partners could put an end to his trafficking with this sentence.” "HSI Seattle answered the President's call to confront our nation’s fentanyl crisis head-on by bringing justice in one of Eastern Washington’s largest pill manufacturing cases,” said HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson. “With this sentencing, Maddox is held accountable for endangering a residential neighborhood by operating a makeshift narcotics lab that housed enough fentanyl to produce over two million lethal pills. Clearly, Maddox had no regard for public safety and was only out to make a profit. This case underscores HSI’s unwavering dedication to safeguard our communities and protect the well-being of the American people.” “I am confident that the removal of this significant and lethal amount of fentanyl, other dangerous drugs, and cache of weapons, combined with the equipment used to produce and distribute these deadly pills rapidly, saved lives,” stated Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. “This is a direct result of the strong partnership between our local law enforcement agencies and our federal colleagues. Together, we share the goal of eliminating this destructive poison from our community and ensuring that those who pedal it are held accountable.” Adams is still pending trial which is currently set for December 2025. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement & Narcotics (RAVEN) Task Force, and the Spokane Police Department. It is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin Baunsgard.


title: Oskaloosa Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DES MOINES, Iowa – An Oskaloosa man was sentenced on September 10, 2025, to 18 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a child. According to public court documents, Matthew Scott Beal, 42, produced child pornography of a minor child. Beal also used the internet to distribute four videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement account operated by the Homeland Security’s Newark Child Exploitation Task Force. Later, law enforcement seized Beal’s phone during a search of his home in Oskaloosa. Beal’s phone contained over 100 images and videos of child pornography, including prepubescent children engaged in sex acts with adults. After completing his term of imprisonment, Beal will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Beal was also ordered to pay $15,938.50 in restitution to multiple victims. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations Newark Child Exploitation Group, the Oskaloosa Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Oklahoma City Daycare Owner Convicted of Obstructing Audit and Embezzling Funds Meant for Childcare

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Western

body_text: OKLAHOMA CITY – PRISCILLA ORANGE , 67, of Oklahoma City, has been convicted of obstructing a federal audit and two counts of federal program theft, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. On April 16, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a three-count Indictment against Orange, charging her with the crimes listed above. On September 10, 2025, after a two-day trial, a federal jury found Orange guilty on all counts. Orange owned and operated Rainbow Connection Child Care & Learning Center (Rainbow Connection), a childcare center with multiple locations in the Western District of Oklahoma. Evidence presented at trial indicated that, in 2021, the Oklahoma Department of Education launched an audit of reimbursements provided to Rainbow Connection by the Child Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CACFP funded nutritious meals and snacks for low-income children at participating childcare centers. Since at least 2013, Rainbow Connection participated in CACFP and received approximately $1,555,000. The 2021 audit was intended to verify that Orange had served as many meals and snacks to children as she had previously claimed each month and for which she had been reimbursed. Testimony at trial showed that, in an attempt to obstruct the audit, Orange submitted false and fraudulent food-related expenses to the Oklahoma Department of Education. Additionally, trial evidence showed that Orange applied for and received childcare stabilization grants (CCSGs), money allocated by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Childcare centers that received CCSGs were required to use the money for approved business expenses. In all, Rainbow Connection received nearly $500,000 from the CCSG program. Evidence at trial showed that Orange used Rainbow Connection accounts to gamble at local casinos and otherwise diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal use. At sentencing, Orange faces up to 25 years in federal prison, and fines of up to $750,000. This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys D.H. Dilbeck and Jackson D. Eldridge are prosecuting the case. Reference is made to public filings for additional information.


title: Evansville Career Criminal to Spend Two Decades in Federal Prison for Armed Dealing in Fentanyl, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine

body_text: EVANSVILLE- Troy Ogburn, 44, of Evansville, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, beginning in October of 2024, members of the DEA Evansville Resident Office and Detectives with the Evansville Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force (EVCDTF) initiated an investigation into the Troy Ogburn Drug Trafficking Organization after receiving information that Ogburn was selling large amounts of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl out of his Evansville apartment. On October 24, 2024, during a search of Ogburn’s apartment, members of the EVCDTF recovered 1,470 grams of methamphetamine, 143 grams of fentanyl in pink powder form, 25 grams of cocaine, 109.8 grams of fentanyl in pink pills marked “K/56” and 238.6 grams of fentanyl in blue pills marked “M30.” Additionally, detectives recovered two sets of digital scales, a loaded, stolen, Glock 21, .45 caliber handgun and two 9mm handguns, each with 14 rounds in the magazine, as well as a total of $1,695.00 in cash and a drug ledger indicating names of buyers and dollar amounts paid. At the same time as the apartment search, Ogburn was arrested during a traffic stop. During a search of his vehicle, officers recovered another drug ledger and $4,572.00 in cash. Ogburn has a prior federal conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute Five Grams or More of a Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base and a felony for Dealing in Marijuana, which prohibit him from ever legally possessing a firearm again. “Trafficking deadly amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl fuels addiction, overdoses, and violence in our communities,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “This sentence ensures that a dangerous offender is removed from our streets and sends a clear message: those who deal in these poisons while armed with illegal firearms will face serious federal prison time.” The Drug Enforcement Administration and Evansville Police Department investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by the Evansville Vanderburg County Drug Task Force. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookaman. U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Wheatley, who prosecuted this case. ###


title: Maryland Felon Convicted by District Federal Jury for Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Glock Pistol

body_text: WASHINGTON – Anthony Eugene Burns, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of being in unlawful possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled sentencing for Nov. 24, 2025. According to the evidence presented to the jury, on Feb. 25, 2024, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were on patrol in Southeast when they received a call about a disorderly group of people at an apartment building on the 2700 block of Wade Road Southeast. As officers walked to the building, they observed Burns quickly turn and sprint away. As Burns ran, officers saw him make an overhead throwing motion, appearing to toss a dark-colored object over a fence and into a large vacant lot. Burns continued to run through an alley between Eaton Road Southeast and Sumner Road Southeast. Officers briefly lost sight of Burns in the alley; however, they soon found him hiding on the 1200 block of Sumer Road Southeast. Officers returned to where they observed Burns throw an object and recovered a black Glock 27 pistol with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one in the chamber. Burns previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2017 in connection with a violent armed robbery spree, that included conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Burns was still on probation for those charges at the time of this offense. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Special Assistant United States Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti. Former Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Craft provided valuable assistance as did Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Robinson, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Litigation Technology Specialist Charles Bruce and Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling. 24cr151


title: St. Louis Lawyer Admits $379,900 Pandemic Fraud

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis lawyer on Thursday admitted defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration out of $379,900 by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic loan. John J. Diehl Jr., 60, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. Diehl admitted that on March 30, 2020, he applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) on behalf of his law firm, the Diehl Law Group. The EIDL program was designed to help struggling small businesses during the pandemic by providing deferred, low interest loans to be used strictly for working capital, payroll and other fixed debts of the business caused by the pandemic. Diehl signed a loan authorization and agreement form in which he falsely represented and certified that Diehl Law Group “…will use all the proceeds of this Loan solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by disaster occurring in the month of January 31, 2020 and continuing thereafter….” On April 16, 2020, an advance of $1,000 on the EIDL loan was deposited into a Diehl Law Group bank account. On April 27, 2020, Diehl made a $1,320.15 payment to a country club for personal dues and charges, a payment that inappropriately included those EIDL funds. On June 9, 2020, the remainder of the EIDL loan, $93,900, was transmitted into his law firm’s bank account. Diehl transferred some of the funds to his personal bank accounts and between June 10, 2020, and August 16, 2021, he impermissibly used the EIDL loan proceeds for unauthorized personal use and purposes. Those included payments on personal Tesla, Audi and Jeep automobiles, personal credit cards, a personal home mortgage, a family member’s college tuition, pool maintenance, country club dues and fees and cash withdrawals for personal use and expenses. On Sept. 16, 2020, Diehl also transferred $50,039.55 of the EIDL proceeds to the Diehl Law Group’s retirement plan in which Diehl was the only participant. In March of 2022, Diehl requested an EIDL loan modification. He again pledged that Diehl Law Group will use the funds “to alleviate economic injury caused by disaster.” On April 12, 2022, the additional loan proceeds of $285,000 were wired into the Diehl Law Group bank account. Diehl then transferred some of the funds into his personal bank accounts. Between April 14, 2022, and June 21, 2023, Diehl inappropriately used the EIDL funds for payments on personal credit cards, fees paid to a St. Louis law firm for a personal legal matter, college tuition, residential mortgage payments and cash withdrawals for personal use and expenses. On Sept. 16, 2022, Diehl also inappropriately transferred $150,000 of the EIDL modified loan proceeds into his retirement plan. In total, Diehl obtained $379,900 in EIDL loan funds through his fraud scheme. Diehl is scheduled to be sentenced on December 19. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine. He has repaid the EIDL loan proceeds to the United States Treasury, his lawyer said Thursday. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.


title: Beaufort Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

body_text: CHARLESTON, S.C. — Michael Thomas Martin, 54, of Beaufort, was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Evidence presented in court revealed that Martin received multiple pounds of methamphetamine through the mail. The shipments originated with a Mexican cartel, moving from Tucson to Phoenix before reaching Martin in South Carolina. To avoid detection, Martin used sophisticated packing methods to send and receive the drugs. On March 5, 2024, DEA agents conducting surveillance watched Martin complete a drug deal in a North Charleston area known for high crime and narcotics trafficking. Agents followed him, conducted a traffic stop, and discovered a magnetic box hidden in the engine compartment containing 56 grams of crystal methamphetamine. A later search of Martin’s residence uncovered more crystal methamphetamine, along with marijuana, fentanyl, and ammunition. United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Martin to 70 months in prison to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Goose Creek Police Department, Charleston Police Department, and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Former Fiscal Officer for Brooklyn Charity Sentenced to  21 Months’ Imprisonment for Embezzlement

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: BROOKLYN, NY – Marcia Joseph was sentenced today by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano in federal court in Brooklyn to 21 months’ imprisonment for embezzling funds from her employer, a non-profit organization based in Brooklyn that provides employment and education services for those in need (the Non-Profit). Joseph pleaded guilty to wire fraud in January 2024. As part of her sentence, Joseph was also ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution and forfeiture in the amount of $2.3 million. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) announced the sentence. “By stealing from a charity she was entrusted to serve, the defendant shamefully diverted resources from those in need to line her own pockets,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Today’s sentence makes clear that those who exploit non-profits for personal gain will face the loss of their freedom and serious financial penalties. Our Office is committed to protecting non-profit organizations and the communities that rely on them from fraudsters.” “Marcia Joseph abused her position and access within a non-profit charity to steal more than two million dollars intended to fund critical employment and education services for the city,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “For nearly two decades, Joseph selfishly prioritized her extravagant lifestyle at the expense of those who truly needed the financial aid. The FBI remains committed to protecting vulnerable populations from becoming targets of fraudulent and exploitative schemes.” “Non-profits that receive City funding provide critical services to New Yorkers. As a senior fiscal officer, this defendant had a duty to act in the best interests of this City-funded organization; instead she abused her position and access to steal over $2.3 million, generating fictitious documentation to hide her theft for almost two decades. DOI thanks our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI for their commitment to protect the City’s precious resources for the benefit of their intended recipients,” stated DOI Commissioner Strauber. According to court filings and statements made in court, Joseph was a former senior fiscal officer for the Non-Profit. Joseph admitted stealing $2,339,700 from the Non-Profit and funneled the funds to a sham company she had set up. The invoices described services purportedly provided in connection with a New York City Department of Education educational program focusing on students in shelters and, later, job training for adults in shelters. Over the course of nearly 17 years, Joseph generated and submitted more than 500 fictitious invoices and manipulated the Non-Profit’s accounting systems to avoid detection. She used the stolen funds to pay for numerous personal expenses, including approximately $235,000 in mortgage payments, $207,000 in credit card payments, $98,000 in car payments, $45,000 in Amazon expenses, and various other personal items, such as home remodeling, spa treatment, landscaping expenses, and luxury goods. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Silverberg is in charge of the prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Claire S. Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Saavedra of the Office’s Financial Litigation Program is assisting with restitution matters. The Defendant : MARCIA JOSEPH (also known as “Marcia James,” “Marcia Lewis,” and “Marcia Peters”) Age: 59 Baldwin, Long Island E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-04 (ENV)


title: Nadine Menendez Sentenced To 54 Months In Prison For Bribery, Foreign Agent, And Obstruction Offenses

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that NADINE MENENDEZ was sentenced to 54 months in prison for bribery, foreign agent, and obstruction of justice offenses. NADINE MENENDEZ was sentenced for her critical role in a corruption and foreign influence scheme involving her husband, convicted former Senator Robert Menendez, and others. NADINE MENENDEZ was convicted on April 21, 2025, following a five-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein, who imposed today’s sentence. “The defendant and her partner in crime, former Senator Robert Menendez, engaged in the most brazen form of public corruption—gold bars, cash, and a luxury car in exchange for a Senator’s power,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s sentence sends an important message: our elected officials are not for sale.” According to the Superseding Indictment, the evidence at trial, and public filings: Robert Menendez, at all relevant times, was the senior U.S. Senator from New Jersey and held a leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (the “SFRC”), first as the Ranking Member and then the Chairman. Shortly after Robert Menendez began dating his now-wife NADINE MENENDEZ, then known as Nadine Arslanian, in early 2018, NADINE MENENDEZ introduced Robert Menendez to her long-time friend Wael Hana, a New Jersey businessman who was originally from Egypt and maintained close connections with Egyptian officials. Hana was also a business associate of Fred Daibes, a New Jersey real estate developer and long-time donor to Robert Menendez, and Jose Uribe, who worked in the New Jersey insurance and trucking business. Between 2018 and 2022, when they learned of the federal investigation, Robert Menendez and NADINE MENENDEZ agreed to and did accept hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of bribes from Hana, Daibes, and Uribe. These bribes included gold, cash, a luxury convertible, payments toward NADINE MENENDEZ’s home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job for NADINE MENENDEZ, home furnishings, and other things of value. In June 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) executed a court-authorized search warrant at the New Jersey home of Robert Menendez and NADINE MENENDEZ. During that search, the FBI found many of the fruits of this bribery scheme. Over $480,000 in cash—much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe—was discovered in the home. Some of the envelopes contained the fingerprints of Robert Menendez or Daibes. Law enforcement agents also found home furnishings provided by Hana and Daibes, the luxury vehicle paid for by Uribe parked in the garage, and over $100,000 worth of gold bars in the home, which were provided by either Hana or Daibes. In exchange for these and other things of value, NADINE MENENDEZ and Robert Menendez agreed and promised that Robert Menendez would use his power and influence as a Senator to seek to protect Hana’s, Uribe’s, and Daibes’s interests and to benefit a foreign country. Through this corrupt relationship, NADINE MENENDEZ and Robert Menendez promised and agreed that Robert Menendez would take a series of official acts. First, Robert Menendez took actions to benefit the Government of Egypt and Hana, including by seeking to pressure an official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an attempt to protect a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt, and by secretly representing the interests of Egypt by, among other things, ghostwriting a letter for Egypt to be provided to his own Senate colleagues and providing non-public information and assistance to Egypt. Second, Robert Menendez took actions seeking to disrupt a criminal investigation undertaken by the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General related to Uribe and his associates. Third, Robert Menendez recommended that then-President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey whom Robert Menendez believed he could influence to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution undertaken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey of Daibes. Finally, NADINE MENENDEZ conspired and endeavored to obstruct justice in connection with the federal investigation into this scheme. * * * In addition to her prison term, NADINE MENENDEZ, 58, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of $922,188.10. [1] Robert Menendez, Hana, and Daibes were convicted on July 16, 2024, following a nine-week jury trial. Robert Menendez, Hana, and Daibes were sentenced principally to 11 years, more than eight years, and seven years in prison, respectively, for bribery, foreign agent, and obstruction of justice offenses. Uribe previously pleaded guilty pursuant to a cooperation agreement to conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and wire fraud. Sentencing for Uribe is scheduled for October 9, 2025. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation for its invaluable assistance on the investigation and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section for its support of the case. This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli J. Mark, Paul M. Monteleoni, Lara Pomerantz, Daniel C. Richenthal, and Catherine Ghosh, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Clark, are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shirel Garzon and former Paralegal Specialist Arjun Ahuja. [1] The Court ruled that NADINE MENENDEZ’s conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent charge was subsumed by the bribery conspiracy count and did not impose a separate sentence for it.


title: Stamford Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Charges Related to Theft of More Than $28 Million from Mars, Inc.

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PAUL R. STEED, 58, of Stamford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to fraud and tax offenses stemming from his commission of multiple frauds against his former employer Mars, Inc. According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately 2011 and 2023, Steed was employed by Mars Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars. Inc. (“Mars”), working remotely from his home in Stamford. Steed served in several positions at the company and last served as Global Price Risk Manager for Mars Wrigley’s Global Cocoa Enterprise. As part of his employment, Steed was responsible for managing Mars Wrigley’s participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Sugar-Containing Products Re-Export Program. In approximately 2016, Steed created a company, MCNA LLC, to mimic an actual Mars entity, Mars Chocolate North America. He then diverted more than $15 million in Mars assets to a bank account he set up in MCNA’s name by directing sugar refineries purchasing Mars’s re-export credits, obtained through the USDA program, to pay MCNA LLC as if it were a legitimate Mars entity. Mars had an ownership interest in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (“ICE”), a financial services company that operated financial exchanges and clearing houses, and received quarterly dividends in connection with that ownership. In 2017, Steed directed Computershare Limited (“Computershare”), a company that ICE utilized for stock-related services, to pay MCNA LLC for Mars’s dividends from its ownership shares in ICE. As a result, more than $700,000 in dividend payments were diverted to the MCNA LLC account. In 2023, after Steed had used a fraudulent letter purportedly from the Mars Treasurer authorizing him to trade ICE shares, Steed directed Computershare to sell Mars’s ICE shares entirely. Computershare issued a check in the amount of more than $11.3 million, which Steed deposited into the MCNA LLC account. In addition, from 2013 through 2020, Steed used a company he owned called Ibera LLC to invoice Mars for services Mars did not receive. Mars paid Ibera LLC more than $700,000 through this scheme. Steed failed to report and pay taxes on his stolen income on his 2014 through 2023 federal tax returns. Steed pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count, and one count of tax evasion, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Steed has agreed to pay restitution of $28,410,489 to Mars, Inc., and the government has calculated that he owes the IRS an additional $10,310,680 in back taxes. The government has seized, and Steed has agreed to forfeit, more than $18 million from bank accounts controlled by Steed, and the government is seeking to forfeit, or alternatively liquidate for restitution, a Greenwich home that Steed is alleged to have purchased with nearly $2.3 million in stolen funds. It is alleged that another $2 million was sent by Steed to Argentina, where he is a dual citizen, has family ties, and owns a ranch. Steed was arrested on March 26, 2025. He is released on a $5 million bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for December 9. This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.


title: Deering, Alaska man convicted of abusive sexual contact on airline flight to Seattle

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – A 28-year-old Deering, Alaska man was convicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle of abusive sexual contact, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Trayton C. Ballot was arrested on January 15, 2025, when the Alaska Airlines flight he was on arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International airport. The jury deliberated about an hour following a two-day trial. Jurors found Ballot repeatedly rubbed the inner thigh of a 17-year-old seated next to him on the plane for his sexual gratification. Ballot faces up to two years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on December 15, 2025. According to records filed in the case, the 17-year-old victim was flying with her mother and a friend from Anchorage to Seattle. Ballot was seated in the middle seat in a row near the back of the plane. The victim was in the window seat. Ballot appeared to be asleep but then moved his hand onto the victim’s inner thigh and began rubbing her thigh. The victim removed Ballot’s hand. Two more times Ballot moved his hand onto the 17-year-old’s inner thigh, and she removed his hand. After the third time, the victim lowered her tray table and wedged a stuffed animal under it to protect her lap. Despite those barriers, Ballot moved his hand under the armrest and attempted to place it over the victim’s thigh. The victim pressed down on the stuffed animal to stop the assault and Ballot took his hand away. The victim typed into her phone that the man seated next to her had touched her and showed the message to her mother who was seated in the row behind her. At her mother’s instruction, the victim notified the flight attendants who moved her to a different seat. Ballot was arrested when the plane arrived in Seattle. The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Port of Seattle Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn Forstein and Cindy Chang.


title: Two Akwesasne Men Charged with Alien Smuggling

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joseph Coffey, age 35, and Darren Cook, age 32, of Hogansburg, New York, were indicted yesterday for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and three additional counts of alien smuggling. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector made the announcement. On August 8, 2025, Coffey and Cook are alleged to have conspired with an alien smuggling organization in Canada to smuggle three aliens—two of which were from China, with the third being from the United Kingdom—across the St. Lawrence River and into the United States for profit. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The defendants will appear in federal court to be arraigned on the indictment before United States Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro. The defendants were previously ordered detained and are presently in custody. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said: “As alleged, Coffey and Cook, through their own greed to make a quick dollar, furthered the interests of dangerous alien smuggling organizations that put the people of our country in danger. What’s more, they utilized the Akwesasne Reservation ,which has been used by smugglers as a revolving door for moving aliens, drugs, and other contraband into the United States. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute alien smugglers, like Coffey and Cook, who put our country at risk.” Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said: “The United States Border Patrol remains steadfast in its commitment to securing our borders and protecting the American people. Human smuggling is a dangerous and exploitative enterprise that preys on vulnerable individuals, placing them in harm’s way for the sole purpose of profit. Smugglers show a complete disregard for human life and the rule of law, often subjecting their victims to inhumane conditions and perilous journeys. We will continue to work tirelessly with our local, state, and federal partners, including the United States Attorney's Office, to dismantle these criminal networks and ensure justice is served. Let this serve as a warning to smugglers and traffickers: we will apprehend you, and we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” The charges of alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling carry a mandatory minimum prison term of 5 years and a maximum prison term of 15 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. United States Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt is prosecuting the case.


title: Bowdoinham Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearms

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: PORTLAND, Maine: A Bowdoinham man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony offense. According to court records, in September 2024, Brunswick police responded to a Walmart regarding a potential shoplifting incident. Upon arrival, officers were directed to Rodney Skipper , 46, who had gone outside to his vehicle. Officers noticed Skipper had an empty pistol holster on his hip, and were told that Skipper had been seen with a firearm in the holster before their arrival. A subsequent search of Skipper’s vehicle resulted in the recovery of a 9mm pistol, a .40 caliber pistol, and a 10mm pistol. Skipper was prohibited from possessing firearms by virtue of a prior felony for assaultive conduct. Skipper faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release for up to three years following any imprisonment. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with the assistance of the Brunswick Police Department. Project Safe Neighborhoods : This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn . ###


title: East Weymouth Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – An East Weymouth woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits. Debora A. Siler, 68, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Dec. 15, 2025. Siler was charged in August 2025 . Siler fraudulently obtained approximately $61,685.13 in Social Security benefits from June 2015 through September 2020. Siler had access to the checkbook and debit card of a Social Security beneficiary who died in May 2015. Instead of reporting the beneficiary’s death to the Social Security Administration or the bank where the benefits were deposited, Siler accessed the improperly paid benefits by forging the deceased beneficiary’s name on several checks and regularly depleting the account funds through debit card transactions. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.


title: Las Vegas Man Sentenced To Over 10 Years In Prison For Distribution Of Methamphetamine And Fentanyl

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas resident was sentenced today by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to 130 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for selling approximately 100 fentanyl pills and over six pounds of methamphetamine. The government recommended a prison sentence of 151 months. According to court documents, between January 10, 2023, and February 28, 2023, Richard Gleason conspired with others to sell methamphetamine and fentanyl in Las Vegas. As part of the conspiracy, he sold approximately 10.5 grams of fentanyl and 2,724.6 grams of actual methamphetamine. In June 2025, Gleason pleaded guilty to one-count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance (Methamphetamine and Fentanyl). Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Deputy Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis for DEA’s Los Angeles Division made the announcement. The DEA investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. ###


title: Farmington Hills Nihilistic Violent Extremist Charged with Producing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – A Farmington Hills man has been charged in a criminal complaint with possession and production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, and the interstate transmission of extortionate threats and threatening communications, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Justin Miller (23) was charged in a federal criminal complaint which detailed his participation in online groups as a Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE). NVEs are individuals who engage in criminal conduct in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive from the hatred of society and a desire to bring about its collapse by encouraging social instability. As detailed in the criminal complaint, Miller was an administrator of an online group which facilitated and encouraged self-harming. Miller is accused of encouraging victims to inflict “cutsigns”—the process of cutting his screenname into their flesh. Miller also allegedly groomed and coerced underage girls to produce and send him sexually explicit videos and images. “The alleged crimes are sick and twisted. Nihilistic violent extremists shamefully terrorize vulnerable victims in our communities to create chaos and instability,” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said. “We will do everything in our power to root out and prosecute this perverse behavior.” "The federal charges announced today against Justin Miller reaffirm the FBI’s unrelenting commitment to protecting children from exploitation,” said Reuben Coleman, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. "Safeguarding our children from violence, coercion and exploitation is a top priority for the FBI. I extend my gratitude to the dedicated members assigned to this investigation, who will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, as this case moves forward.” This case is being investigated by agents from the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Ramamurthy. A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Naturalized United States Citizen from Pakistan Charged  With Attempting to Kidnap a Minor Child in Canada

body_text: DETROIT – Today, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging Shahzad Hameedi, a.k.a. Sheraz Hameed, 46, with attempted kidnapping of a minor child, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. Hameedi is a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan who resides in Wayne County, Michigan. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz, Homeland Security Investigations, Detroit. According to the criminal complaint, Hameedi began dating a single mother in Windsor, Canada under the alternate name Sheraz Hameed. After she restricted his access to her minor child, Hameedi embarked on an operation to kidnap the child in June 2025. During the investigation, agents recovered a laminated ransom note, and evidence showed that Hameedi had researched tranquilizers and assembled items such as a stun gun, a toddler life vest, zip ties, duct tape, rubber gloves, and strong cold medication with a funnel. Evidence also showed that Hameedi then surreptitiously crossed the border to Canada and entered the child’s home at night, where he tried to strangle the mother before being chased away. Two days later, Hameedi returned to the home and assaulted the child. “The defendant’s alleged plan to kidnap a young child by sneaking across the border and entering Canada, breaking into a mother’s home at night, strangling her and then assaulting her innocent, young child two days later is diabolical. No parent or child should ever be subjected to this wickedness. We will bring the full force of the law against violent predators.” U.S. Attorney Gorgon said. “HSI is committed to working with our Canadian partners to hold criminals accountable and safeguard innocent children on both sides of the Northern border,” said ICE HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “I’m proud of the HSI agents, the Windsor Police Service and the prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring charges in this case.” A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. It is the burden of the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Windsor Police Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Nee, Matthew Roth, and Eaton Brown.


title: Former Boston Children's Hospital Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – A former pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital pleaded guilty today to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Christopher Sheerer, 37, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography; one count of possession of child pornography; and one count of sexual exploitation of children. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18, 2025. Sheerer was arrested and charged in July 2024 and has remained in federal custody since. Sheerer was a fellow in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and previously a fellow in pediatric anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. In May 2024, an investigation began into a user of an online, encrypted chat application who belonged to a group described as a place for “dads, uncles, and babysitters” to chat, share live material and meet up. The group required prospective members to verify their status as a male guardian or family member by uploading a nude photo of a child under 13 years old, next to a handwritten sign bearing the group’s name. The target user was subsequently identified as Sheerer, with an IP address tracing to Johns Hopkins University. Sheerer uploaded imagery of a child known to him to gain admission to that group. Following a search of Sheerer’s residence in Boston the night of his arrest, multiple chats were discovered on Sheerer’s phone, several of which contained pictures and videos appearing to be CSAM involving children as young as infants. A number of devices, including his phone, a tablet and computers were seized for further forensic analysis. Forensic analysis showed that Sheerer was involved in dozens of chats with users of the encrypted application, several of which included the exchange of CSAM. Several pornographic images of the child known to Sheerer which appeared to have been created in 2023 were also located. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Districts of Maryland and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Homeland Security Investigations in Baltimore and Harrisburg; and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Soto and Anne Paruti of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Clay County Pharmacy Investigation and Prosecution Ends in Guilty Pleas

component: USAO - Tennessee, Middle

body_text: NASHVILLE – Thomas K. Weir, 65, majority owner of Oakley Pharmacy d/b/a Dale Hollow Pharmacy and Clay County Xpress Pharmacy (“Xpress Pharmacy”); William L. Donaldson, 65, former owner and pharmacist of Dale Hollow Pharmacy (then known as Donaldson Pharmacy); and Pamela Spivey, 55, co-owner of Xpress Pharmacy (all of Celina, Tennessee), have pleaded guilty a week before a criminal trial was set to begin in Cookeville, Tennessee, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Weir pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, a conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and a conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Donaldson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances and a conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Spivey pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances and a conspiracy to commit health care fraud. A minority owner of Dale Hollow Pharmacy, Charles Robert “Bobby” Oakley, 74, of Manchester, Tennessee, and the pharmacists-in-charge of each pharmacy; John Polston, 64, of Tompkinsville, Kentucky; and Michael Griffith, 41, of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, all previously pleaded guilty. The guilty pleas end a years-long investigation and prosecution involving the pharmacies in the small town of Celina, Tennessee, who between 2014 and 2019 dispensed large volumes of controlled substances to patients despite obvious signs of abuse and diversion by the patients and other indications that the prescriptions were not for legitimate medical purposes. In May and June of 2016, diversion investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) inspected Dale Hollow Pharmacy and in 2017, Weir, Oakley, and Polston signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA related to violations of the regulations governing the dispensing of controlled substances. Dale Hollow Pharmacy, through the conspirators, violated that agreement, and the dispensing at Dale Hollow Pharmacy and neighboring Clay County Xpress Pharmacy continued to increase, as did the obvious signs that patients were abusing and selling the substances, including dispensing to patients who traveled long distances together to fill controlled substances prescriptions in the small town. The conspirators, through Dale Hollow Pharmacy and Xpress Pharmacy, also submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare Part D plans, and to TennCare, for controlled substances dispensed to Medicare and TennCare beneficiaries. The conspirators submitted claims for payment to Medicare and TennCare for medically unnecessary combinations of controlled substances that they knew were highly sought after and abused. Weir and Donaldson also pleaded guilty to a kickback scheme that involved Donaldson receiving kickbacks to recruit patients to Dale Hollow Pharmacy. The conspirators also paid patient co-payments and gave patients a fake currency called “Monkey Bucks” that patients could exchange for cash. Weir also paid patients cash in exchange for filling their prescriptions at Dale Hollow Pharmacy that were then billed to Medicare and TennCare. Weir has agreed as part of his guilty plea to pay $1,419,974.00 in restitution to Medicare and TennCare, and to forfeit properties associated with the pharmacies. Weir and Spivey will be sentenced on January 5, 2026. Donaldson will be sentenced on January 22, 2026. At sentencing, Weir and Spivey each face a maximum penalty of ten years on the conspiracies to distribute and dispense controlled substances and health care fraud. Donaldson faces a maximum penalty of twenty years on the conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Weir and Donaldson each face a maximum of five years on the conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Weir and Spivey each face a potential fine between $250,000 and $500,000. Donaldson faces a potential fine between $250,000 and $1 million. This case was investigated by the DEA; the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services-Office of Inspector General; and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; with the assistance of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Celina Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah K. Bogni and Zachary T. Hinkle prosecuted the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Bowden-McIntyre is handling parallel civil litigation. # # # # #