title: Salinas Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison For Distribution Of Methamphetamine

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN JOSE – Gregory Smith, aka “OG Nutty” and “GNutty,” was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman handed down the sentence. Smith, 54, who previously resided in Salinas, was originally charged by complaint on Nov. 1, 2021, as part of an illegal firearms crackdown that led to charges being filed against multiple defendants in South Bay counties, and subsequently by a one-count information on Sept. 8, 2022. On April 9, 2024, he pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). According to court documents and the plea agreement, on Feb. 10, 2021, Smith sold approximately 41.8 grams of methamphetamine and a privately manufactured pistol, also known as a “ghost gun,” to an individual in Salinas for $1,425. The following week, on Feb. 17, 2021, Smith sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to the same individual in Salinas. In its sentencing memorandum, the government argued that Smith’s conduct presented a danger to the community and noted his estimated 54 prior parole violations. In addition to the prison term, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment. Smith was immediately remanded back into custody to begin serving his sentence. United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Topper made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal C. Hong prosecuted the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Investigative Unit, the Salinas Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.


title: Former New Jersey Resident Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud for Telemarketing Scheme Targeting Timeshare Owners Over the Age of 55

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: CAMDEN, N.J. – A former New Jersey resident recently pled guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his participation in a telemarketing scheme to defraud timeshare owners over the age of 55 from 2016 to 2020, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today. James Toner, a/k/a “Jason Turner,” a/k/a “James Turner,” a/k/a “Jason Thomas,” 43, of Lake Mary, Florida pleaded guilty today, before the Hon. Karen M. Williams, U.S. District Judge, Camden, to Counts One and Two of a 13-count Indictment, charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing that targeted or victimized timeshare owners over the age of 55 (Count One) and wire fraud in connection with telemarketing that targeted or victimized timeshare owners over the age of 55 (Count Two). Toner’s sentencing is scheduled for December 2, 2025. Toner was previously charged by indictment along with William O’Hanlon, a/k/a “Patrick Burns,” a/k/a “William Burns,” 61, Karen Stefanowski, 63, and William Chiusano, Jr., then-48, of Laguna Niguel, California. Chiusano is now deceased, and charges against him have been dismissed. O’Hanlon and Stefanowski previously pleaded guilty before Judge Williams to their roles in fraudulent telemarketing schemes from 2016 to 2023 on May 9, 2025 and April 30, 2025, respectively. In addition, Alex Klemash, 32, of Williamstown, New Jersey, Michael Lambe, 45, of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, and La’Tresa Jackson, 59, of Lindenwold, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before Judge Williams on March 8, 9, and 13, 2023, respectively, to related Informations charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the 2016 to 2020 telemarketing scheme. Accordingly, all living defendants charged for their roles in the telemarketing scheme from 2016 to 2020 have now pleaded guilty. The sentencings for the defendants are currently scheduled as follows: La’Tresa Jackson September 25, 2025 Alex Klemash September 23, 2025 Michael Lambe September 30, 2025 William O’Hanlon September 24, 2025 Karen Stefanowski September 4, 2025 James Toner December 2, 2025 According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charge to which Toner pleaded guilty arise out of his participation in a timeshare fraud scheme operated through businesses WILLIAMS ANDREWS BURNS LLC, RESORT BNB, INC., and WILLIAMS & BURNS, INC. (collectively referred to as “WAB”). As part of his plea agreement, Toner admitted that he was a manager and supervisor at WAB. From in or about October 2016 through in or about October 2020, Toner and additional co-conspirators (collectively referred to as “Conspirators”), engaged in a scheme to financially enrich themselves by selling fraudulent services to timeshare owners offered through WAB, including offering to rent and/or buy the owners’ timeshares under false and fraudulent pretenses or representations, and offering to recover monies timeshare owners had previously paid in connection with other scams. The Conspirators obtained lists of timeshare owners and their contact information, and cold-called them to pitch their various services in return for upfront fees. The Conspirators made numerous false and misleading statements to the timeshare owners, including falsely stating that the timeshare owners had “bonus” timeshare weeks which WAB would rent for them in return for an upfront fee, and falsely guaranteeing thousands of dollars in rental income for the timeshare owners. Once the timeshare owners had signed up and paid their fees for the phony rentals services, the Conspirators also generally pitched collections/recovery services, offering to obtain refunds of monies previously paid by the timeshare owners in other fraudulent scams, in return for fees. Again, the Conspirators made numerous false and misleading statements in many instances to both timeshare owners and the banks that issues their credit cards. One of the fraudulent pitches used by the Conspirators was to falsely claim that the timeshare owner had been identified as a victim of timeshare fraud and was entitled to monies that were held by a government entity, often referred to as the attorney general’s office or the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), and that WAB would obtain those monies for the timeshare owner in return for the payment of an upfront fee. The Conspirators also offered additional fraudulent services to timeshare owners, including occasionally offering timeshare buyouts/take-overs. Toner agreed to make restitution for any proven losses to victims of WAB. Each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud is punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison, including an enhancement of 10 years in prison for committing such fraud via telemarketing that targeted persons over the age of 55 or victimized 10 or more persons over the age of 55. The sentences on each count may run consecutively. Each offense also carries a potential fine of the greater of $250,000,or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, and the defendant may be sentenced to a term of supervised release after any term of imprisonment imposed. U.S. Attorney Habba credited agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs; special agents of the IRS Criminal Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; and special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Cooperative Disability Investigations – Eastern Region, Conor Washington, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elisa T. Wiygul and Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden. ### Defense Counsel: Lee Vartan, Esquire and Melissa Wernick, Esquire for William O’Hanlon Zach Intrater, Esquire for Karen Stefanowski Megan Davies, Esquire for James Toner Michael Baldassare, Esquire for La’Tresa Jackson Perry DeMarco, Sr., Esquire for Alex Klemash Ira M. Slovin, Esquire for Michael Lambe toner.indictment.pdf


title: Justice Department Supports Seattle’s Motion to Terminate Police Department Consent Decree

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: WASHINGTON — The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today announced that it has filed a response in support of the City of Seattle’s Motion to Terminate the Consent Decree in United States v. City of Seattle . The decree required reforms in the Seattle Police Department’s practices regarding use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability. With support from the Justice Department, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) achieved sustained substantial compliance. The Justice Department brought this case pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Division and the Special Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division jointly investigated and found that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) had engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force that violated the Constitution and federal law. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington entered the consent decree in 2012. “We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this thirteen-year-old consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “This Civil Rights Division will continue to work with police departments across the country to help make America’s communities safe again.” “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, believes the district court should terminate the consent decree and monitorship, which have been in place for 13 years,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Seattle has been held up as an example of successful police reform and has done recent work on its crowd control policies and accountability systems. We trust it will continue to lead the way on constitutional policing.”


title: West Warwick, Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Conspiring to Export Heroin to Canada

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on July 21, 2025, Freddy Rodriguez, 40, of West Warwick, Rhode Island, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 57 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to export heroin from the United States to Quebec, Canada in September 2023. According to court records, United States Border Patrol (USBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents encountered Rodriguez on the night of September 18 into September 19, 2023, on the shore of Missisquoi Bay on Lake Champlain in Highgate, Vermont. The agents observed Rodriguez attempting to walk a kayak loaded with approximately 12 kilograms (inclusive of packaging) of suspected controlled substances into the lake to meet a boat that would transport the narcotics into Canada. Based on text messages recovered from Rodriguez’s phone, he appeared to have expected to receive a large quantity of cash and MDMA (ecstasy) in exchange for the controlled substances he was attempting to deliver. In the driveway of the property on Missisquoi Bay Rodriguez had rented for the event, agents seized a Ford F150 truck that was later found to have a sophisticated locking trap—a void used for secretly transporting large quantities of drugs or currency—under the truck’s rear seats. Later laboratory testing showed that the bricks from the kayak Rodriguez was walking into the water contained approximately 10 kilograms of heroin. Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the efforts of the USBP and HSI agents who positioned themselves around the property on Missisquoi Bay overnight, observed Rodriguez’s actions, apprehended him safely, and located the trap in his truck. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher. Rodriguez was represented by William J. Keefe, Esq.


title: Former Chinatown Walgreens Manager Sentenced to 147 Months in a Series of Inside-Job Robberies

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: WASHINGTON – Michael Robinson, 35, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 147 months in prison, for his role in seven inside-job robberies of a Walgreens drug store in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Robinson pleaded guilty on March 11, 2025, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery) and to using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. In addition to the 147-month prison term, the Honorable Jia M. Cobb ordered Williams to serve five years of supervised release and to pay $7,245.75 in restitution. Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office. Sentencing is pending for co-defendants Kamanye Williams, Gianni Robinson, and London Teeter, the last of whom was also a former Walgreen’s store manager. According to court documents, the four co-conspirators devised a scheme to carry out armed robberies of the Chinatown Walgreens store nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023, when either Michael Robinson or Teeter were working. As a store managers, Michael Robinson and Teeter knew the timing of cash transfers within the business. The co-conspirators would also relay information to each other on how many armed security guards were present in the Chinatown Walgreens and how much cash was in the manager’s office at any given time. When Michael Robinson was on duty, he gave inside information to his nephew, Gianni Robinson, who then relayed it to Williams so that Williams could more easily rob the store. The robberies occurred on July 18, 2023, Aug. 2, 2023, Sept. 2, 2023, Nov. 10, 2023, Dec. 4, 2023, Jan. 9, 2024, and Feb. 11, 2024. In their plea agreements, the co-defendants admitted that they stole and split at least $28,983. In each robbery, Williams entered the Chinatown Walgreens wearing clothing selected to disguise his identity. Williams brandished a firearm at employees of the Walgreens, and at Special Police Officers assigned to guard the store, and then demanded business proceeds located in the Manager’s Office. Williams forced employees into the manager’s office or accessed the manager’s office using a code provided by Michael Robinson or Teeter. Williams then robbed the employees and fled through a rear exit. Michael Robinson and Teeter took turns pretending to be the “victim” manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be captured on internal surveillance. Michael Robinson later admitted that he and Teeter reviewed internal surveillance footage of a robbery, and discussed how to make future robberies look more authentic. Michael Robinson asked Williams to assault him during the robberies to make it look more real. In response to the robberies, the Chinatown Walgreens hired armed Special Police Officers to protect the business. Undeterred, the co-conspirators continued the robberies and Williams escalated to stealing the firearms from the Special Police Officers. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Song and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Svetoslavov. 24cr96


title: Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting a Minor and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Wesley Chambers, 34, of Fort Collins, sexually abused a minor for years and recorded the abuse. Law enforcement found more than 200 sexually explicit videos and photographs of the minor on Chambers’ cell phone, and more than 20,000 photographs and 2,500 videos of the sexual abuse and exploitation of other minors. Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant also admitted to accessing child pornography on the dark web, including “hurtcore” sites. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 70 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office made the announcement. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts for the District of Colorado are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Florida Man Sentenced for Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud the IRS

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Miami man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS. Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil. Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte. In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use. Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States. The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys. In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts. In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement. Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case. Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, Trial Attorney William Montague, and former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.


title: Hunting show host receives lifetime hunting ban in Kansas

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A Georgia man was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered forever banned from hunting and fishing in Kansas after illegally hunting game. According to court documents, Matt Jennings, 35, of Bowdon, Georgia, pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal taking of a white tail deer in interstate commerce. On November 11, 2022, Jennings killed an antlered deer near Florence, Kansas. His antlered deer tag did not allow him to take a deer in this part of the state. The next day the defendant drove to Oklahoma where he fraudulently registered the kill in Oklahoma using an Oklahoma electronic tag. On November 19, 2022, the defendant killed another antlered deer near Wakeeney. Although he had a valid tag for that area of Kansas, killing of a second antlered deer in the same year is a violation of state law. He illegally exceeded the bag limit of one antlered deer per season. The defendant hosts a hunting show titled “The Game”. These two illegal hunts were featured as part of his show. A federal judge ordered Jennings to pay $15,000 in restitution to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, pay a $10,000 fine, and forfeit the antlers from the white tail deer he illegally hunted. During his five-year probation, Jennings is prohibited from guiding, hunting, trapping, fishing, or being with anyone engaged in those activities in Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks investigated the case with assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster prosecuted the case. ###


title: Inmate Sentenced To 57 Months In Prison For Assaulting Former Cellmate With Contraband Knife

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that DA’QUAN TUCKER was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern to 57 months in prison for repeatedly stabbing his former cellmate in the head and face with a 6‑inch contraband knife on April 3, 2024, while incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (“FCI”) Otisville. In March 2025, TUCKER pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and possessing contraband in prison. “Da’Quan Tucker brutally attacked a fellow inmate in the prison yard at FCI Otisville without provocation by repeatedly stabbing him in the head and face with a contraband knife,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Violence like this risks the lives and safety of inmates and prison staff and will not be tolerated in federal prison. Today’s sentence demonstrates that such conduct will be met with serious punishment.” According to the Indictment, court filings and statements made in court: On April 3, 2024, TUCKER was incarcerated at FCI Otisville, where he was serving a sentence related to a robbery he committed in July 2023 while he was on supervised release. That day, TUCKER, without provocation, repeatedly stabbed another inmate—his former cellmate—in the head and face using a six-inch contraband knife. Following the assault, TUCKER told prison staff that he would attack the victim again if he had the chance and would try to kill him. * * * In addition to the prison term TUCKER, 23 of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to three years of supervised release. Mr. Clayton thanked the staff of FCI Otisville for their assistance and praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shaun E. Werbelow and Justin L. Brooke are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Jacksonville Convicted Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty To Escaping From Halfway House

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Brian Keith Speights (68, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to escaping from federal custody at a halfway house in Jacksonville. At sentencing, Speights will face up to five years in prison. Speights was arrested on January 20, 2025, in Jacksonville and has been in federal custody since that time. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 19, 2025. According to court documents, in 2019, Speights was sentenced to serve 90 months in federal prison after being convicted of using his Jacksonville residence to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, and for possessing several firearms in furtherance of illegal drug trafficking. In May 2024, the Federal Bureau of Prisons lawfully transferred Speights into the custody of the Bridges Reintegration Center (Bridges), a halfway house located in Jacksonville. As part of his application requesting this transfer that he signed on May 7, 2024, Speights acknowledged that he remained in the custody of the Attorney General of the United States, and if he failed to remain within the limits of his confinement at Bridges, his failure to do so would be deemed as an escape. On January 2, 2025, Speights knowingly and willfully escaped by leaving the Bridges Reintegration Center without authorization and failing to return. On January 20, 2025, he was located at a residence in Jacksonville and arrested by deputies from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: United States Disrupts Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud and Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint Against $325,000 in Funds Involved in Money Laundering

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On July 17, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office obtained a temporary restraining order against the unidentified foreign operators of a fraudulent online cryptocurrency investment platform called “Triangular.” The order resulted in the suspension of online access to two websites used to access the platform. The United States also filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri against more than $325,000 in cryptocurrency seized from two addresses linked to the scam. According to the complaint, the FBI used blockchain analysis and other investigative techniques to determine that the cryptocurrency is connected to the theft and laundering of funds from victims of the Triangular investment fraud scheme. The complaint alleges that between July and October 2024, the two cryptocurrency addresses were used to launder millions of dollars in suspected scam proceeds. The complaint further alleges that a victim located in the Western District of Missouri lost more than $16 million to the fake Triangular investment platform. The scammers involved in this scheme lured victims through unsolicited messages on social media sites like LinkedIn. Once a relationship formed, the scammers introduced the victims to the fraudulent Triangular platform and made promises of immense investment gain with little to no risk of loss. After the victims made an initial investment through the sophisticated-looking platform, the scammers manipulated the victims’ account to appear to show exponential investment returns and encouraged victims to transfer more cryptocurrency. But when victims tried to withdraw their profit, they were told they needed to pay more in false withdrawal fees or “taxes.” The victims never recovered their money. Commonly referred to as a cryptocurrency confidence scam, fake investment schemes like Triangular cost Americans billions of dollars every year, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 Internet Crime Report. If you believe you are a victim of a cryptocurrency investment fraud or other cyber-enabled crime, report the fraud to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov , your local law enforcement agency, and the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov . The claims in the United States’ civil complaints are only allegations. The preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for August 6, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. The case is United States v. John Doe, No. 4:25-cv-00529-BCW. This investigation is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kansas City Field Office. The civil cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Constance. The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets


title: Justice Department Announces Formation of Strike Force to Assess Evidence Publicized by ODNI

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced the formation of a Strike Force to assess the evidence publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and investigate potential next legal steps which might stem from DNI Gabbard’s disclosures. This Department takes alleged weaponization of the intelligence community with the utmost seriousness. Upon the formation of the Strike Force, Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated: “The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people. We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice.”


title: Springfield Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. Joseph Archer III, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 96 months in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 29, 2024, Archer pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On June 29, 2023, officers with the Springfield Police Department attempted to stop a Toyota Camry that was being driven by Archer. Archer fled from officers, leading them on a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit Archer crashed into an officer’s vehicle, disabling the police vehicle, and causing the officer to suffer minor injuries. As a result of that crash, Archer briefly lost control of his car before continuing to flee. The pursuit ended when Archer crashed the Camry into an outbuilding. Archer fled the scene of the crash on foot before the officers arrived. When officers searched the Camry, they located a stolen Taurus PT handgun. They also located a box of ammunition, fentanyl, methamphetamine, mail addressed to Archer, and his Missouri Department of Corrections ID in the glove box. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Archer has prior felony convictions for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Springfield, Mo., 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.


title: Jamaican National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that DWAYNE CLAUD SINGH, 37, a citizen of Jamaica residing in New Haven, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported. Singh was arrested today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven and was ordered detained pending a hearing that is scheduled for July 28. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2014, Singh was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court of drug, weapon, and forgery offenses and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. In December 2017, the U.S. Immigration Court in Hartford ordered Singh removed to Jamaica for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act. He was deported to Jamaica in January 2018. It is further alleged that Singh illegally reentered the U.S. and has been using Connecticut and California identifying documents in the name of “Kevin Anthony Smith,” and a Facebook profile in the name of “Poochie Gully.” Singh also has an active state arrest warrant for breach of peace and threatening offenses, which was issued by the Connecticut Superior Court in March 2023. If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Singh faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Ansonia Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking Charge, Faces at Least 10 Years in Federal Prison

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DAQWON GRAHAM, also known as “Seagull” and “Energy,” 31, of Ansonia, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to a fentanyl trafficking offense. According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Graham as a large-scale fentanyl distributor in and around Fairfield County. Investigators also connected Graham’s drug trafficking activities to an overdose death of a male victim in Branford in March 2023, and an overdose death of a female victim in Shelton in October 2024. In January and February 2025, investigators made multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Graham. On February 26, 2025, Graham was arrested on High Ridge Road in Stamford. He possessed more than 400 grams of fentanyl at the time of his arrest. Graham pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for October 16. Graham has been detained since his arrest. This matter has been investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.


title: Former FAA Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Deceased Mother’s Benefits

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Blue Springs, Mo., man pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud for stealing his mother’s Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits since 2019. Afshin Setoodeh, 62, became the representative payee for his mother’s SSDI benefits in 2018. In this role, Setoodeh was responsible for appropriately using these benefits for the care of his mother. After she returned to her home country of Iran in 2019, Setoodeh did not notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) that she had left the country as required, nor did he notify SSA when his mother passed away in 2022. Even after her death, Setoodeh continued to assert to SSA that his mother was alive and that he was spending the benefits appropriately. Setoodeh withdrew the benefits from his mother’s checking account which totaled approximately $55,000 from 2019 through 2024. Setoodeh also used his mother’s identity to open several credit cards both prior to and after her death. Setoodeh committed this crime while employed as a civil engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Kansas City. Under federal statutes, Setoodeh is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson. It was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.


title: Billings man sentenced to 7 months in prison for passport fraud

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: BILLINGS – An illegal alien who lived in Billings and assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen was sentenced today to approximately 7 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Diego Xiap, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of making a false statement in a passport application. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The government alleged in court documents that on February 3, 2021, Xiap, claiming to be John Doe 1, submitted Form DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport at the post office in Billings. For proof of identity, Xiap used a Montana driver license number that belonged to John Doe 1, issued May 8, 2020, which was set to expire on November 9, 2027. For proof of citizenship, Xiap submitted a birth certificate filed on November 9, 1976, and issued on May 1, 2003. Xiap’s application was deemed suspicious and eventually referred to a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Agent for investigation. The Agent quickly determined that Xiap, who appeared to have been living under John Doe 1’s identity for approximately 30 years, was not actually John Doe 1. The real John Doe 1 was born in Puerto Rico and has lived there his entire life. There are photos of Doe 1 in government records in Puerto Rico and he bears no resemblance to Xiap. Another DSS agent in Puerto Rico talked to John Doe 1’s brother and showed him photos of Doe 1 and Xiap. Doe 1’s brother immediately identified Doe 1 and said he had no idea who Xiap was. Further investigation revealed an Oregon Work ID card issued in the 1990s that was used by Xiap, but bearing the name of yet another different person, John Doe 2. On April 24, 2024, the DSS agent tracked down Xiap in Billings. Initially, Xiap fled from his job when the agent showed up, but the agent was able to find him at home. Xiap gave a statement insisting he was really John Doe 1 but had no knowledge of any of his relatives or history in Puerto Rico. Xiap then told the agent he might tell the real story but needed to speak to an attorney first. The interview was terminated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Diplomatic Security Service.


title: Jury Convicts Man Who Targeted Metro Air Support Helicopter in St. Louis with Laser

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A jury on Wednesday found a man guilty of a crime for temporarily blinding Metro Air Support pilots with a laser pointer. Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis took roughly 20 minutes to convict Joshua J. Johnson, 44, of one felony count of knowingly aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. The trial started Tuesday afternoon with jury selection. Evidence and testimony at the trial showed that shortly before 9:45 p.m. on August 9, 2024, Johnson used a blue laser to target a marked Metro Air Support helicopter that was flying over the Benton Park neighborhood in St. Louis in support of other officers. A St. Louis County Police Department pilot and a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department pilot were temporarily blinded when blue light flooded the cockpit. As the blue light started to wane, the officers were able to track the beam to the driver’s side of a vehicle below them. The officers then tracked the vehicle as it drove down the street. The driver aimed the laser at the helicopter again. The officers continued to track the vehicle and provided updates to officers on the ground, who stopped the vehicle and arrested the sole occupant – Johnson. After initially denying that he pointed the laser, he later admitted that he was responsible. He also admitted that fact in calls from jail. Laser pointers are widely available and range in power. The strongest models can permanently blind air crews. Those who point lasers at aircraft can also be subject to civil penalties of up to $11,000 imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Pilots reported 12,840 laser strikes to the FAA in 2024. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30. The crime carries a potential punishment of up to five years in prison. The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Air Support Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mohsen Pasha and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.


title: Former daycare director sentenced in large-scale cocaine trafficking conspiracy

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 34-year-old resident of Laredo has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Cynthia Elizabeth Arellano pleaded guilty Aug. 13, 2024. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now imposed a 45-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard how Arellano used her home, where her husband and three-year old daughter also resided, as a stash house for approximately 245 kilograms of cocaine and $428,411.00 in drug proceeds. “Drugs and violence often go together, so the idea of using your home where your three-year-old daughter lives, as a stash house, is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible,” said Ganjei. “The amount of money and drugs at her home demonstrates that the defendant was a trusted member of the conspiracy, and that kind of trust only comes from a long history of repeated transactions. She knew exactly what she was getting into, and, by extension, what she was getting her family into.” In April 2024, Cristian Jareth Flores arranged the sale of one kilogram of cocaine for $14,000. During the undercover operation, Juan Antonio Ochoa-Saucedo then delivered the drugs at a local retail establishment. The investigation revealed Ochoa-Saucedo picked up the brick of cocaine from Arellano at her residence and that he had done so on previous occasions. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Arellano’s home where they discovered two money counters and drug ledgers revealing extensive cocaine trafficking involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds. At the time of her plea, she admitted she committed the crime because she needed money. Flores and Ochoa-Saucedo also pleaded guilty for their roles and were sentenced to 36 and 57 months in prison. Arellano was permitted to remain bond and surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Laredo Police Department. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Ann Cortez is prosecuting the case.


title: Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Deputy Charged with Receipt and Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Carle Miranda Blum, 51, a sworn uniformed deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, was arrested today following the filing of a federal complaint charging her with receipt of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors and production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors. According to the complaint, Blum received multiple videos and images of the victim, who was 17 years old at the time, engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In the spring of 2025, Blum traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, where she recorded multiple videos of herself engaging in sex acts with the then-minor victim. The charge of production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors carries a mandatory-minimum of 15 years in prison and a statutory maximum of up to 30 years. The charge of receipt of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors carries a mandatory-minimum of 5 years in prison and a statutory maximum of up to 20 years. 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 Hayden P. O’Byrne and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office provided assistance in the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and FBI Atlanta assisted in Blum’s apprehension and arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilana R. Malkin and Major Crimes Deputy Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Astigarraga are prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 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. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org . The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously. “To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the HSI and other law enforcement agencies.” To learn more about the National Resource Hotline, visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org . To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking . You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-mj-02786. ###


title: Middleton Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Scott Chier, 63, Middleton, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 15 years of supervised release. Chier was also ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution to the victims of his crime. Chier pleaded guilty to the offense on April 30, 2025. After receiving information about an IP address associated with Chier distributing child pornography, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Chier’s residence in Middleton on July 27, 2022. Images of child pornography were located on electronic devices owned by Chier. Chier was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 3, 2022, but resolution of his case was delayed pending resolution of a legal issue by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that Chier’s conduct was very serious due to the nature of the images that Chier possessed, Chier’s distribution of the images, and Chier’s prior conviction for similar conduct. Judge Peterson explained that he was imposing the sentence to protect the public and deter Chier from further criminal conduct. The charge against Chier was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Waukesha, Hartford, and Middleton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case. This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.


title: 63 months for leader of years-long human smuggling conspiracy operating across southern U.S.

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 21-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced to federal prison for exploiting social media, inclement weather and the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a multi-year conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Juan Francisco Reyna, 21, pleaded guilty Jan. 8 to conspiring to transport and harbor illegal aliens within the United States. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Reyna to serve 63 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. The court held him responsible for more than 100 aliens and further imposed enhancements for unaccompanied minors, reckless endangerment and being a leader/organizer in the conspiracy. “Over the past six months, the Department of Justice has made securing our national border the number one priority, and the Southern District is putting that promise into action,” said Ganjei. “Human smugglers may have had an easy time over the past few years, but those days are over. If you engage in these crimes, if you break our nation’s immigration laws, you will be caught and you will be punished. Simple as that.” The investigation revealed Reyna had been involved in human smuggling for at least five years. Between 2019 and 2023, he was repeatedly caught attempting to move individuals through the I-35 Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint north of Laredo. Reyna was also linked to the operation of multiple stash houses in the Laredo area and one his family operated in San Antonio. Reyna had recruited and paid others to harbor and transport aliens across the United States, including cities in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida. He also hired co-conspirators to collect and return bulk cash proceeds after the individuals reached their final destinations. Evidence on his cellphone contained information on dozens of illegal aliens, including photos, names, identifying details and countries of origin. Several were minors between the ages of 14 and 17. He had been coordinating transportation with co-conspirators in Mexico, moving aliens using tractor -trailers, box trucks, trains and even horse trailers. Reyna had also used Facebook to coordinate smuggling operations for the organization, relying on the platform to recruit, manage and communicate with co-conspirators. He routinely paid “scout” drivers to monitor the I-35 checkpoint, report on traffic and weather conditions and recommend the safest lanes to use. Messages revealed Reyna deliberately scheduled smuggling runs during fog, storms, rain and cold temperatures to reduce the likelihood of detection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reyna and co-conspirators advised drivers to claim they were enroute to medical appointments to expedite passage through checkpoints. He also designed walking routes through remote brush areas to bypass the checkpoints entirely. Load drivers were instructed to drop off individuals before the checkpoint, forcing them to walk four to five hours before being picked up on the other side. The San Antonio stash house linked to Reyna had harbored more than 30 illegal aliens awaiting transport. In April 2023, law enforcement apprehended multiple illegal aliens at the location and seized over $56,000 in U.S. currency, 69,000 in Mexican pesos and ammunition. He was ultimately arrested Nov. 7, 2024, after he had personally picked up suspected aliens at a warehouse in north Laredo. Authorities attempted to pull him over, but he soon led them on a nearly four-minute pursuit, recklessly weaving through traffic before stopping the vehicle, attempting to escape and ordering the passengers to flee on foot. Law enforcement apprehended him and five others, including an unaccompanied minor. All five were illegally present in the United States. He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, BP, Texas Department of Public Safety, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Defense Border Mission, Webb County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office and police departments in Laredo and San Antonio conducted the joint investigation. The case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation and coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. JTFA is a partnership with Department of Homeland Security. The Attorney General elevated and expanded it with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 390 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling, more than 350 U.S. convictions, more than 300 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets. This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood . Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day prosecuted the case.


title: Woman Who Tried to Impede Transfer of Alleged Gang Member to ICE Custody Charged in Assault on FBI Agent

body_text: WASHINGTON – Sydney Lori Reid, 44, of the District of Columbia, was charged by complaint today in U.S. District Court in connection with an assault on an FBI agent who was assisting with the transfer of an alleged international gang member at the DC Central Detention Facility, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Reid was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees. According to the complaint, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 22, two men -- alleged members of the violent transnational 18 th Street gang -- were being released from the D.C. Jail into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Both men previously had been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department, one of them on firearm related charges. The FBI agent was assisting two ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers outside the jail when Reid walked up close to the officers and started recording video. After multiple commands to step back, Reid tried to go around the ERO officers, placing herself between FBI agents and one of the suspects being transferred into their custody. As Reid tried to impede the transfer, one of the ERO officers pushed her against the wall and told her to stop. Reid continued to struggle and fight with the officer. The FBI agent tried to help the officer control Reid who was flailing her arms and kicking. During Reid's active resistance to being detained, the FBI agent's hand was injured from striking and scraping the cement wall causing lacerations while the FBI agent was assisting ICE ERO officers This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office and the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Dernbach of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 25crxxx


title: More Than $2.5 Million Recovered from Vancouver Real Estate Developer Convicted for Fraudulently Obtaining Covid-Relief Funds

body_text: PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that more than $2.5 million was collected from a real estate developer and part-time resident of Vancouver, Washington, for fraudulently obtained Covid-relief program funds. According to court documents, between 2020 and 2022, Michael James DeFrees, 63, submitted loan applications and obtained Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under false pretenses. In the applications, DeFrees falsely indicated that he had never been convicted of any disqualifying criminal offense or recently placed on parole or probation. In reality, at the time he submitted the applications, DeFrees was on probation following a 2017 felony conviction in the Western District of Washington for falsifying records in a bankruptcy proceeding. After receiving the loan payouts, DeFrees laundered a portion of the proceeds through a business entity not listed in his applications and spent the funds on personal expenses. On February 9, 2024, DeFrees was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining Covid-relief program funds and laundering a portion of the proceeds. DeFrees was also ordered to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $1,346,481 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Soon after, the Asset Recovery Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed liens against DeFrees’s real properties and obtained writs of execution to levy and sell his personal assets, including a 2016 Duckworth boat, a 2006 Ford F350, a 2006 MTI racing boat, two Honda Yeti snow bikes, and a 2011 Land Rover. The Asset Recovery Unit recovered the full restitution and forfeiture judgment amounts, more than $2.5 million, from the sale of DeFrees’s seized assets and one real property. The funds collected for restitution will be returned to the SBA, and funds collected to satisfy the forfeiture judgment will go to the Assets Forfeiture Fund, which pays for expenses related to the seizure, management, forfeiture and disposal of forfeitable assets. “Defendants who attempt to shield their assets from collection do so at their own peril, as the U.S. Attorney’s Office will aggressively pursue full payment from defendants who owe restitution to their victims,” said Katie de Villiers, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit for the District of Oregon. “The money recovered for victims—here, the taxpayers—is a direct result of the dedicated investigators, paralegals, and attorneys who work diligently, day in and day out, to ensure justice through their collection efforts.” This case was investigated by the SBA Office of Inspector General, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the FBI. Enforcement of the restitution order and collection of the forfeiture judgment was handled by Alex DeLorenzo, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. The United States Marshals Service levied assets subject to the writs of execution and coordinated with auction companies across the country to liquidate the seized assets.


title: Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting a Minor and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to sexually exploiting a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Wesley Chambers, 34, of Fort Collins, sexually abused a minor for years and recorded the abuse. Law enforcement found more than 200 sexually explicit videos and photographs of the minor on Chambers’ cell phone, and more than 20,000 photographs and 2,500 videos of the sexual abuse and exploitation of other minors. Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child and one count of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant also admitted to accessing child pornography on the dark web, including “hurtcore” sites. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 70 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office made the announcement. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and the FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorney Rachel L. Rothberg of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts for the District of Colorado are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Florida Man Sentenced for Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud the IRS

body_text: Defendant Hid Millions in Swiss Accounts and Lied to the IRS During Audit MIAMI – A Miami man was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts and claiming to the IRS that those assets were not his and instead belonged to foreign nationals. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta, a dual Brazilian and U.S. citizen, hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS. Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil. Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte. In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, he nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use. Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS audited him. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States. The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys. In 2017, after Rotta presented the false evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that he owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that he controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also, as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from his Swiss accounts. In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. In an attempt to avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations could make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which might offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to him were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also falsely claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because that nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, that nominee had two children. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith for the Southern District of Florida ordered Rotta to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date. U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office made the announcement. Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, investigated the case. Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, and Trial Attorney William Montague, as well as former Trial Attorney Patrick Elwell of the Tax Division, prosecuted the case. You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20113. ###


title: Operation Grayskull Culminates in Lengthy Sentences for Managers of Dark Web Site Dedicated to Sexual Abuse of Children

body_text: Operation Grayskull Eradicated Four Dark Web Child Abuse Sites and Led to the Convictions of 18 Offenders to Date, Who Have Collectively Received More than 300 Years in Prison MIAMI – Today, the Justice Department announced the results of Operation Grayskull, a highly successful joint effort between the Department of Justice and the FBI that resulted in the dismantling of four dark web sites dedicated to images and videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). To date, the operation has led to the convictions of 18 offenders, including a Minnesota man who was sentenced yesterday to 250 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for his involvement with one of these dark web sites. He was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution. “Yesterday’s sentencing reaffirms our steadfast commitment to protecting our children, the most vulnerable among us, from those who exploit and harm them through the despicable trade in child sexual abuse material,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Thomas Peter Katsampes and his co-conspirators ran some of the darkweb’s most heinous networks, enabling horrific crimes against innocent victims, but Operation Grayskull has shut these sites down and delivered justice. We applaud the FBI and our international partners for their tireless work, and let this be a clear warning: we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute anyone engaged in such atrocities, no matter how they attempt to cover their tracks.” “Today’s announcement sends a clear warning to those who exploit and abuse children: you will not find safe haven, even on the dark web,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These offenders thought that they could act without consequences, but they were wrong. Thanks to the relentless determination of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners we have exposed these perpetrators for who they are, eliminated their websites and brought justice to countless victims.” “This operation represents one of the most significant strikes ever made against online child exploitation networks,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “We’ve not only dismantled dangerous platforms on the dark web, but we’ve also brought key perpetrators to justice and delivered a powerful message: you cannot hide behind anonymity to harm children.” Thomas Peter Katsampes, 52, of Eagan, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise and conspiracy to distribute child pornography on Feb. 27. According to court documents, Katsampes joined a dark web site dedicated to CSAM in 2022, advertised and distributed CSAM over the website, including CSAM depicting prepubescent children, and eventually worked his way up to a staff position on the web site, which, among other things, involved moderating the site, enforcing the site’s rules for posting CSAM, and advising the site’s users about how to post CSAM. In addition to Katsampes, eight individuals have been convicted and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement in running the primary site targeted by Operation Grayskull. Defendant Residence Case Status Selwyn David Rosenstein Boynton Beach, Florida Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography, five counts of advertisement of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Sentenced on Dec. 12, 2022, to 28 years in prison and ordered to pay $80,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. Matthew Branden Garrel Raleigh, North Carolina Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 1, 2023, to 20 years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $158,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. Robert Preston Boyles Clarksville, Tennessee Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 15, 2023, to 23 years and four months in prison and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. Gregory Malcolm Good Silver Springs, Nevada Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 22, 2023, to 25 years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $93,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. William Michael Spearman Madison, Alabama Pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. Sentenced on Jan. 23, 2024, to life in prison and ordered to pay $123,400 in restitution to victims of his offense. Joseph Addison Martin Tahuya, Washington Pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. Sentenced on April 18, 2024, to 42 years in prison and ordered to pay $174,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. Joseph Robert Stewart Milton, Washington Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on April 18, 2024, to 23 years and 9 months in prison and ordered to pay $19,500 in restitution to victims of his offense. Keith David McIntosh Grand Rapids, Michigan Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography, both as a person with a prior conviction for possession of child pornography. Sentenced on Dec. 19, 2024, to 55 years in prison. The website’s leaders advertised and distributed CSAM, promulgated rules for the website, enforced the rules by banning or scolding users who violated them, held staff meetings, recruited members to serve as staff members, recommended users for promotion, edited and deleted user posts, praised individuals for participating in and contributing to the website, kept records of CSAM posts made by individual members, and paid for and maintained the website servers, among other things. Operation Grayskull resulted in the dismantling of a total of four sites dedicated to images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. These websites were some of the most egregious on the dark web, and they included sections specifically dedicated to infants and toddlers, as well as depictions of violence, sadism, and torture. The websites also contained detailed advice on how to avoid detection by law enforcement – for example, by using sophisticated technologies. In other judicial districts around the country, nine additional individuals have been convicted for their involvement with these websites, including the following: Charles Hand, of Aberdeen, Maryland, was prosecuted in the District of Maryland and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison; Michael Ibarra, of Wenatchee, Washington, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Washington and was sentenced to 12 years in prison; Clay Trimble, of Fordyce, Arkansas, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas and was sentenced to 18 years in prison; David Craig, of Houston, Texas, was prosecuted in the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced to nine years in prison; Robert Rella of Chesapeake, Virginia, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison; Samuel Hicks, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was prosecuted in the Northern District of Indiana and was sentenced to 16 years in prison; Richard Smith of Dallas, Texas, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Texas and was sentenced to 14 years in prison; Patrick Harrison, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was prosecuted in the Western District of Michigan and was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison. Thomas Gailus, of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and his sentencing is pending. Two other individuals in the United States died before being charged for their involvement with the websites. The operation also resulted in arrests in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Belgium, and South Africa. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and Miami Field Office, West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the cases. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller of the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Chief Kyle P. Reynolds, and Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) coordinated the operation and prosecuted the defendants in the Southern District of Florida. Substantial assistance for the cases prosected in the Southern District of Florida was provided by FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies in Huntsville, Alabama; Reno, Nevada; Clarksville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Madison, Wisconsin; Tacoma, Washington; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Minneapolis, Minnesota; CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Alabama, District of Nevada, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of Wisconsin, Western District of Washington, Western District of Michigan, and District of Minnesota. 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-80053. ###


title: Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Escape

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ronald Edward Tinsley, 52, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to escape after failing to return to a federal reentry facility. According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 19, 2025, Tinsley failed to return from an approved work pass to Dismas Charities Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility in St. Albans. Law enforcement officers arrested Tinsley on the resulting warrant on May 13, 2025. Tinsley was confined at Dismas Charities as a result of his conviction for possession of a stolen firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 18, 2021. Tinsley is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service . United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-88. ###


title: Wetzel County Man Admits to Child Pornography Charge

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Lee Lemasters, 61, of Paden City, West Virginia, has admitted to the possession of child pornography. According to court documents and police records, law enforcement received a tip that Lemasters had child pornography on his cell phone. A search of Lemasters’ phone uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting children in sexual situations. Lemasters faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Probation Office investigated. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.


title: Jury Finds Winner Man Guilty of Sex Trafficking of Children and Production of Child Pornography

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Richard Alan Kucera, age 67, of Winner, South Dakota, was found guilty of two counts of Sex Trafficking of a Child and two counts of Production of Child Pornography following a four-day federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on July 18, 2025. Each count of Sex Trafficking of a Child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Each count of Production of Child Pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. Kucera and co-defendant Ivy Heron, age 37, also of Winner, South Dakota, were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023. At trial, the evidence established that between 2019 and 2021, Kucera and Heron entered into an agreement to recruit local girls to engage in sexual activity with Kucera in exchange for payment. Heron received a fee for each girl she recruited whom Kucera selected. Between 2020 and 2021, Heron recruited two sixteen-year-old girls, each of whom Kucera paid to engage in sexual activity. Kucera also created child pornography images and videos of both minor victims, which he uploaded to Facebook. The arrangement between Kucera and Heron was discovered in June 2022, when the minor victims were interviewed by law enforcement. Heron pleaded guilty on April 9, 2025, to Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking of a Child. She is in custody awaiting sentencing. This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted 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 . A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has not yet been set. Kucera was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.


title: Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Attempted Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who was convicted of Attempted Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025. Elliott Anderson, age 28, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2022. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025. The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 7, 2022, and March 8, 2022, when Anderson attempted to possess materials which contained images of child pornography. More specifically, during that timeframe, law enforcement agents engaged in a joint undercover child exploitation/human trafficking operation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On March 7, 2022, Anderson made contact via the online application MeetMe and then via text messages on his cell phone with what he believed was a 15-year-old female but was a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity. Anderson asked the undercover persona to provide photographs of sexually explicit conduct. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted 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 . Anderson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Utah Man Pleads Guilty in Making Threats Against Palestinian Rights Organization

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: WASHINGTON – Kevin Brent Buchanan, 63, of Tooele, Utah, pleaded guilty yesterday in the District of Columbia in connection with threatening violence against the employees of a D.C.-based Palestinian rights organization, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Buchanan pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 18, 2025. Buchanan faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Joining in the announcement were Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office. According to court documents, between Oct. 31, 2023, and Nov. 2, 2023, Buchanan used his cell phone to call and leave five voice mail messages for members of the organization. In his November 2 message, Buchanan stated in part: “Your families are going to be followed and watched;” “You don’t even belong in America;” “I hope every Muslim in the United States [expletive] croaks;” and “You are all going to [expletive] die, you pieces of [expletive] traitors.” Buchanan admitted that he intentionally targeted the organization because its staff and members are Palestinian, and because the organization advocates on behalf of Palestinians. The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI Salt Lake City and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. Prosecuting the case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Visser and Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. 24cr256


title: Rapid City Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Federal Prison for Failure to Appear

body_text: RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Appear After Release. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025. Rayzohn Bertrand, 24, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Bertrand was indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Appear After Release in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 12, 2025. Bertrand was previously convicted of the federal offense of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. As part of his sentence, he was required to comply with conditions of supervised release. On release, Bertrand was alleged to have violated conditions of his supervised release and was arrested to have revocation proceedings. A United States Magistrate Judge released Bertrand from custody pending his revocation hearing, instructing him that he is required to appear at all court proceedings. Defendant was released and failed to appear for his revocation hearing, in violation of federal law. Bertrand admitted to the violation of supervised release on July 21, 2025, and was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. This sentence is to run consecutively to the 30-month sentence above. This case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service and the Summerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case. Bertrand was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.