title: Douglas Man Previously Convicted of Hate Crimes and Arson Sentenced to More than 36 Years

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Eric Duane Ridenour, 58, of Douglas, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 438 months in prison. On July 11, 2024, Ridenour was convicted at trial of six arson and hate crimes counts stemming from the burning of two churches on May 22, 2023. In 2023, Ridenour burned down two churches in Douglas, Arizona: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. The churches were located on Church Square, a historic district in the border town of Douglas, approximately two hours southeast of Tucson. It is believed to have been the only intersection in the nation containing churches from four different denominations: Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Methodist. Trial testimony established that Ridenour intentionally started the fires in both churches because of his hostility towards their practice of having women and members of the LGBTQ community serve in church leadership roles. Ridenour was arrested on May 23, 2023. “This is a case about two separate arsons and the motivations behind each,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “Defendant burned a church because he disagreed with its position that women and LGBTQ individuals may serve as ministers, and then he burned a second church, in the same historic square, for the same reason. Destruction of religious institutions is abhorrent to our Constitution. I add my voice to the prayers for healing in the Douglas community.” “ATF is dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans. We strongly share the same concerns of United States Attorney Restaino and the community. The sentencing of Ridenour is a testament to the collaborative work between all agencies involved in this investigation,” said ATF Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber. “We are proud to provide the expertise of the ATF Certified Fire Investigators (CFI) to assist in this prosecution. We remain committed to seeking justice and ensuring the safety of our community”. “There is no way to undo the damage Mr. Ridenour caused with his hateful and violent behavior, but we hope this sentence provides some measure of comfort,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and ensure those who perpetrate such acts of hate are held accountable.” Vindicating the victim churches’ rights in this case is part of a larger initiative implemented by this Office. With the creation of a Civil Rights unit in the Civil Division, and the designation of a hate crimes coordinator in the Criminal Divisions, U.S. Attorney Restaino has made the prosecution of hate crimes and the protection of civil rights a cornerstone of his tenure in the Office. On the civil side, the Office’s two civil rights AUSAs have participated in round tables, community meetings, and convenings with community and faith leaders and city and county officials to listen to community concerns and inform the communities about the work of the Office. On the criminal side, as part of the first cohort announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland in September 2022, the Office has participated in the Department’s United Against Hate (UAH) initiative, an effort designed to address and prevent unlawful acts of hate. For its UAH efforts, the Office has held five large-scale events, presenting on the importance of hate crime reporting to various underrepresented and often-targeted communities in Phoenix and Tucson. The purpose of the events was to hear from each community about its fears and concerns, start a dialogue between the communities and law enforcement, and get the USAO out into the communities it serves. The initiative has also resulted in increased civil rights prosecutions. Hate crimes and other bias incidents are unique because they have a devastating impact on entire communities. The USAO prosecuted Eric Celaya for providing guns to a person who then used them to shoot two Jewish community members in California. Celaya pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months in prison . The Office indicted Mark Adams Prieto for selling guns that he believed would be used in a mass shooting to incite a race war . In addition to hate crime charges, the Office has also prosecuted law enforcement agents for harming those they are sworn to protect, such as former Customs and Border Protection Officer Aaron Mitchell, convicted at trial for Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law arising out of the kidnaping and sexual assault of a cross-border student . This Office remains committed to investigating all potential hate crimes and color of law violations, and working closely with local and federal law enforcement to determine whether charges are appropriate. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Douglas Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Austin Fenwick, Ben Goldberg, and Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR 23-00908-TUC-SHR RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-001_Ridenour # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Third Ward narcotics dealer heads to prison

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 46-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for trafficking narcotics, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Demitrios Ramon Jerry pleaded guilty June 20. U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Jerry to serve 108 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court considered the fact that Jerry admitted to dealing fentanyl and meth out of a drug house in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of the quantity of fentanyl. A joint law enforcement operation revealed Jerry was selling narcotics from a drug house in Third Ward. Jerry sold counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl and ecstasy pills containing meth. During the operation, authorities searched the drug house and observed crack cocaine, powder cocaine, promethazine syrup and scales within the house. Jerry was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.


title: Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Mail

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Brice Allen Pomeroy, 26, of Hernshaw, pleaded guilty today to obstruction of mail. According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 11, 2023, Pomeroy knowingly and willfully threw away approximately 227 pieces of mail by depositing a large plastic bad containing the mail pieces into a trash can located outside a gas service station in Charleston. At the time of the offense, Pomeroy was employed by a United States Postal Service vendor as a mail handler at the vendor’s facility in Charleston. Pomeroy is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine. Pomeroy also owes $2,051.21 in restitution. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage 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-2. ###


title: Justice Department Secures Agreement with Vermont School District to Remedy Race-Based Harassment of Students

component: USAO - Vermont

body_text: Burlington, Vermont – The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District (EMUU) in Vermont to resolve its investigation into allegations that the district failed to adequately respond to student-on-student racial harassment. The investigation, conducted jointly by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, concluded that the district did not appropriately respond to serious and widespread harassment of Black and biracial students by their peers, primarily at Peoples Academy Middle Level. Harassed students endured frequent slurs and racist imagery, and a hostile environment where the use of the N-word and displays of confederate flags and Nazi symbols and salutes were commonplace. “Racial harassment makes students feel unsafe, deprives them of a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In the 21st century, no student should be subjected to racial slurs, Nazi salutes or other racially-charged hostilities. This agreement provides sound strategies for preventing and addressing racial harassment. We look forward to the district demonstrating to its students that racial bullying and harassment have no place in its schools.” “This settlement represents an important step towards ensuring that students of the Elmore-Morristown Unified Union School District are able to attend school without the fear of racial harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest for the District of Vermont. “The measures set forth in the settlement will help guide the school district towards swift and appropriate responses should any instances of racial bullying or harassment occur. In addition, all Vermont school administrators must take note. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that our schools are free from racial harassment and will take action if school districts are not addressing this destructive behavior.” The department opened its investigation in December 2023 under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department reviewed records and complaints from three school years, beginning with the 2021-22 school year, and interviewed administrators, teachers and parents. The district cooperated fully throughout the investigation and has already implemented some improvements, including adoption of a central reporting system it plans to use to track harassment incidents and ensure victims of repeated harassment are not overlooked. Under the agreement, EMUU will: Revise its anti-harassment policies and procedures to clarify that they cover conduct that is not directly aimed at a specific student but contributes to a hostile environment; Annually conduct multifaceted campus climate assessments, including listening sessions with student groups, and take responsive action to address identified concerns; and Educate students and train employees on the district’s policies and procedures for addressing race-based harassment. Protecting the constitutional rights of public-school students is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt/ and additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section . Information about the District of Vermont’s Civil Rights Program is available at www.justice.gov/usao-vt/civil-rights-program . To report a possible civil rights violation, please visit www.civilrights.justice.gov/ .


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects Over $33 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2024

component: USAO - Indiana, Southern

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers, announced today that the Office Asset Recovery Unit collected $ 33,855,363 in asset forfeiture and financial litigation debt in Fiscal Year 2024. Of this amount, $18,840,034.68 was collected through enforcement of criminal restitution debts and civil collections, and $15,015,329 resulted from criminal and civil forfeiture actions. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting the public and recovering funds for the victims of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “We are proud to have partnered with so many local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to compensate victims and hold criminals financially accountable.” The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to crime victims in federal cases. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelese Woods, Chief of the Office’s Civil Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Rota, Chief of the Office’s Asset Recovery Unit, as well as the Office’s outstanding support professionals and attorneys for their diligent efforts to uphold the law, hold wrongdoers accountable, and recover funds for victims of crime. ###


title: Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Tax Returns

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Orlando, FL – A Florida man was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for filing false tax returns with the IRS for two consecutive years that he knew underreported his business’s revenue. According to court documents and statements made in court, Jeremy Charles DeWitte owned and operated Metro State Special Services, a funeral-procession escort business located in Central Florida. DeWitte filed individual income tax returns for 2017 and 2018 that materially understated the revenue he received from operating his business. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed ordered DeWitte to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $70,000 in restitution to the United States. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division prosecuted the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.


title: West Wareham Man Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A West Wareham man was charged today in federal court in Boston and has agreed to plead guilty to possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Joshua Roe, 37, was charged by Information with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Roe was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the same offenses in September 2024 and has remained in federal custody since. According to the charging documents, on Sept. 6, 2024, during a search of Roe’s home, approximately 11 electronic devices belonging to Roe were recovered. A forensic examination of at least one device allegedly revealed images and videos depicting CSAM. The receipt charge provides for a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, supervised release of no less than five years and a maximum of life and a $250,000 fine. The possession charge provides for up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations; and Chief Walter Correia of the Wareham Police Department made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit. The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former Virginia Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Fraud

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Virginia man and former business owner pleaded guilty yesterday to not accounting for and paying employment taxes to the IRS. According to court documents and statements made in court, Richard E. Moore, of Augusta County, was the executive vice president and part owner of Nexus Services Inc., a Verona-based company that offered bond securitization and other services to immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Moore, who exercised control over Nexus’s business and financial affairs, was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from Nexus’s employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the IRS. He was also responsible for filing quarterly employment tax returns. For many quarters between the first quarter of 2015 and first quarter of 2024, Moore withheld the funds but did not pay them over to the IRS and did not file the returns. In total, he caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $3.1 million. Moore’s sentencing will be scheduled for a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of failing to pay employment taxes. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee for the Western District of Virginia made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys William Montague and Matthew Hicks of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.


title: Former deputy arrested for sexual assault while on duty

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – A 27-year-old former Webb County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged for allegedly depriving a victim of their right to bodily integrity and bodily privacy and falsification of records, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Ignacio Rodriguez IV is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher dos Santos at 9:41 am Jan. 9. A federal grand jury returned the sealed two-count indictment Jan. 7, which was unsealed upon his arrest. The indictment alleges that on Sept. 1, 2024, Rodriguez pulled over a car during the course of his duties. At that time, he sexually assaulted the victim driver and threatened use of a firearm, kidnapping, bodily injury, aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact, according to the charges. During the encounter, he also allegedly turned off his body-worn camera and dash camera, thereby obstructing justice. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison as to the civil rights violation and up to 20 years in prison for falsification of records. The charges also carry fines of up to $250,000. The FBI and Laredo Police Department are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie Ann Cortez and Brandon Scott Bowling are prosecuting the case. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Former Indiana Congressional Candidate to Plead Guilty to Falsifying Campaign Contributions

component: Criminal Division

body_text: INDIANAPOLIS- 2024 Indiana congressional candidate, Gabriel Whitley, 27, of Indianapolis, has agreed to plead guilty to lying to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by fabricating contributions purportedly made to his campaign, “Honest Gabe for Congress,” for the purpose of falsely portraying that his campaign had significantly greater support and financial resources than it actually did. According to court documents, Gabriel Whitley ran in the primary election for Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District and served as the treasurer of his campaign committee. Whitley admitted that he lied to the FEC in three separate reports about hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from supporters and loans from himself. Specifically, Whitley admitted that in October 2023, he falsely claimed that 67 people, whose biographical details he made up, had contributed approximately $222,690 to Honest Gabe for Congress. In January 2024, Whitley again falsely reported contributions from individuals whose biographical details he fabricated. Finally, in April 2024, Whitley falsified a $100,000 loan to his campaign. Whitley faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He will have a change-of-plea hearing and a sentencing hearing to be scheduled at later times. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Brent Wible, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; First Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Childress for the Southern District of Indiana; and Special Agent in Charge Herbert Stapleton of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Indianapolis Field Office is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Jacob R. Steiner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston of the Southern District of Indiana are prosecuting the case. All defendants are presumed innocent until they plead guilty or are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Former Charleston Physician Sentenced to Prison for Federal Opioid Crime

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Dr. Alexander V. Otellin, 57, formerly of Charleston, was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for the unlawful distribution of oxycodone. According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 27, 2017, Otellin distributed a quantity of oxycodone to a patient at his psychiatry practice in South Charleston. Otellin admitted that while his specialty was psychiatry, he treated the patient for pain management. Otellin further admitted that this distribution was without a legitimate medical purpose, outside the usual course of medical practice, and without proper authority. Otellin distributed controlled substances to the patient starting on or about February 6, 2014, until on or about July 15, 2020. During this time period, Otellin knew the patient was receiving opiates from another physician. Urine screens indicated the patient was abusing heroin and fentanyl, yet Otellin continued to prescribe medications that are dangerous when combined with illegal unprescribed drugs. For the first four years of this time period, Otellin did not review the patient’s medical history for substance abuse or habits or document a review of the database that tracks controlled substance prescriptions. For approximately five months during this time period, Otellin wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and other controlled substances for the patient without evaluating him. Otellin also prescribed oxycodone to the patient’s wife for pain management instead of referring the patient’s wife to a pain management specialist. Otellin only conducted three urine drug screenings over a five-year period that would have revealed whether the patient’s wife was using the prescription as prescribed, diverting it to her husband, or using other drugs. At least three pharmacists complained to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that Otellin’s prescribing practices appeared improper, including when he prescribed the opioid medication buprenorphine at dosages above clinically effective levels. One patient who received above-therapeutic buprenorphine prescriptions from Otellin also received the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, and the anti-seizure and pain medicine gabapentin from Otellin. This patient died from an overdose at age 41. The coroner indicated the cause of death was “due to Buprenorphine, Alprazolam and Gabapentin Intoxication.” Another patient of Otellin’s also died from an overdose. Otellin prescribed alprazolam, the sedative zolpidem, and amphetamine salts, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to this patient. The patient’s probation officer notified Otellin in a letter that the patient was exchanging his prescription medication for methamphetamine. A bag of methamphetamine and multiple pill bottles from Otellin’s prescriptions for this patient were found in the patient’s home after his death. The medical examiner indicated the cause of death to be “combined fentanyl, alprazolam, and diazepam intoxication” and that the patient “consumed unprescribed and prescribed prescription drugs in the setting of chronic drug abuse.” Otellin was believed to have fled the United States to Russia in order avoid prosecution following his indictment by a federal grand jury on September 22, 2021. Otellin possesses dual citizenship in the U.S. and Russia. The U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia worked with INTERPOL Washington to issue an Interpol Red Notice for Otellin. In September 2023, Otellin entered the country of Armenia and was arrested and detained by Armenian authorities. U.S. Marshals took custody of Otellin in Armenia and transported him back to the United States, arriving in Charleston on April 20, 2024. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Armenian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Otellin. Otellin has surrendered his medical license with the West Virginia Board of Medicine. “Dr. Otellin repeatedly prescribed opiates, stimulants and other drugs outside the normal course of medical practice in communities that continue to suffer from the overdose crisis,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) for the investigative work in this case, and the U.S. Marshals Service and the Office of International Affairs for ensuring Dr. Otellin faced justice.” United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Trial Attorney Charles D. Strauss of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division – Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Owen Reynolds and Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted 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. 2:21-cr-159. ###


title: South Florida Payroll Services Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crimes

body_text: A Florida man pleaded guilty today to not paying employment taxes withheld from his employees’ pay and to filing a false tax return. According to court documents and statements made in court, Matthew Brown, of Martin County, owned and operated businesses in and around Martin County. One of these businesses was Elite Payroll, a payroll services company. Elite Payroll provided such services to small businesses in and around St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach Counties. This included withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from the wages of its clients’ employees, and then paying over those funds to the IRS. Between 2014 and 2022, Brown did not pay over $20 million in taxes withheld from clients of Elite Payroll and from other businesses he controlled. Brown charged his clients the full amount of their tax liabilities, filed false tax returns with the IRS substantially underreporting those liabilities, and pocketed the difference. Instead of paying over the funds he held in trust for Elite Payroll’s clients, Brown purchased commercial and residential real estate, including his multi-million-dollar home, and high-value luxury assets including a Valhalla 55 Sport Yacht, a Falcon 50 Aircraft and a collection of cars including Ferraris, Porsches and Rolls Royces. In total, Brown caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $22 million. Brown will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Andrew Ascencio and Ashley Stein of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Porter for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Acosta assisted in the investigation.


title: Poplar man who stole truck after stabbing driver on Fort Peck Indian Reservation sentenced to 57 months in prison

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: GREAT FALLS — A Poplar man who admitted to robbery after carjacking a truck and stabbing the driver on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 57 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. The defendant, Brandon Lee Romero,30, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to robbery. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. In court documents, the government alleged that on April 14, 2023, the victim, identified as John Doe, was contacted by his sister who asked him to pick up Romero and give him a ride because she didn’t want him at her residence. John Doe agreed and, using his father’s truck, picked up Romero and began driving him to Poplar, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. When Romero got out of the truck, John Doe noticed that Romero had pulled out two knives. John Doe attempted to drive away, but Romero jumped into the truck bed, kicked out the back window, climbed into the truck and stabbed John Doe. The victim exited the truck, and Romero got into the driver’s seat. Romero drove the stolen truck into Williams County, near Williston, North Dakota, and was arrested later that day by law enforcement after he got into a high-speed chase. Romero drove the vehicle into a ditch to avoid spike strips set up by law enforcement, submerged the vehicle in a creek and fled on foot until ultimately surrendering. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Fort Peck Law Enforcement Services, the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office and the Williston (N.D.) Police Department conducted the investigation. XXX


title: Beckley Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – Devin I. Cresce, 28, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about July 13, 2023, Cresce sold approximately 53 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $500 while in a vehicle outside the Crossroads Mall in Mount Hope. Cresce admitted to the transaction. Cresce further admitted to selling approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine for $750 on July 18, 2023, approximately 24 grams of fentanyl for $1,800 on July 28, 2023, and approximately 62 grams of methamphetamine for $750 on August 8, 2023. Each distribution occurred at Cresce’s residence and involved the same confidential informant. On or about August 10, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cresce’s residence and seized approximately 94.5 grams of fentanyl and 63 grams of methamphetamine. Cresce admitted that he intended to distribute these controlled substances in and around the Southern District of West Virginia. Cresce is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5,000,000 fine. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Central West Virginia Task Force. United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the case. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-92. ###


title: Japanese Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty To Nuclear Materials Trafficking, Narcotics, And Weapons Charges

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced today that TAKESHI EBISAWA pled guilty in Manhattan federal court to conspiring to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Burma to other countries, as well as to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. EBISAWA pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, out of Burma. At the same time, he worked to send massive quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States in exchange for heavy-duty weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles to be used on battlefields in Burma and laundered what he believed to be drug money. It is thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, the career national security prosecutors of this Office, and the cooperation of our law enforcement partners in Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand, that Ebisawa’s plot was detected and stopped.” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said: “Today’s plea should serve as a stark reminder to those who imperil our national security by trafficking weapons-grade plutonium and other dangerous materials on behalf of organized criminal syndicates that the Department of Justice will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “This case demonstrates DEA’s unparalleled ability to dismantle the world’s most dangerous criminal networks. Our investigation into Takeshi Ebisawa and his associates exposed the shocking depths of international organized crime from trafficking nuclear materials to fueling the narcotics trade and arming violent insurgents. DEA remains positioned to relentlessly pursue anyone who threatens our national security, regardless of where they operate. Protecting the American people from such evil will always remain DEA’s top priority.” According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, the Superseding Indictment, and other information in the public record: Since at least in or about 2019, the DEA investigated EBISAWA in connection with large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking. During the investigation, EBISAWA unwittingly introduced an undercover DEA agent (“UC-1”), posing as a narcotics and weapons trafficker, to EBISAWA’s international network of criminal associates, which spanned Japan, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the U.S., among other places, for the purpose of arranging large-scale narcotics and weapons transactions. EBISAWA and his network, including his co-defendants, negotiated multiple narcotics and weapons transactions with UC-1. EBISAWA conspired to broker the purchase, from UC-1, of U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles, as well as other heavy-duty weaponry, intended for multiple ethnic armed groups in Burma (including the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Burma (“CC-1”)), and to accept large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine for distribution as partial payment for the weapons. EBISAWA understood the weapons to have been manufactured in the U.S. and taken from U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. EBISAWA planned for the heroin and methamphetamine to be distributed in the New York market. In addition, EBISAWA conspired to sell, in a separate transaction, 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of heroin to UC-1 for distribution in New York. In furtherance of that transaction, on or about June 16, 2021, and on or about September 27, 2021, one of EBISAWA’s co-defendants provided samples of approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine and approximately 1.4 kilograms of heroin. EBISAWA also worked to launder $100,000 in purported narcotics proceeds from the U.S. to Japan. Finally, beginning in early 2020, EBISAWA informed UC-1 and a DEA confidential source (“CS-1”) that EBISAWA had access to a large quantity of nuclear materials that he wanted to sell. Later that year, EBISAWA sent UC-1 a series of photographs depicting rocky substances with Geiger counters measuring radiation, as well as pages of what EBISAWA represented to be lab analyses indicating the presence of thorium and uranium in the depicted substances. In response to EBISAWA’s repeated inquiries, UC-1 agreed, as part of the DEA’s investigation, to help EBISAWA broker the sale of his nuclear materials to UC-1’s associate, who was posing as an Iranian general (the “General”), for use in a nuclear weapons program. EBISAWA then offered to supply the General with “plutonium” that would be even “better” and more “powerful” than uranium for this purpose. EBISAWA further proposed, together with two other co-conspirators (“CC-2” and “CC-3”), to UC-1 that CC-1 sell uranium to the General, through EBISAWA, to fund CC-1’s weapons purchase. Thereafter, on a February 4, 2022, videoconference, CC-2 told UC-1 that CC-1 had available more than 2,000 kilograms of Thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of uranium in the compound U3O8 — referring to a compound of uranium commonly found in the uranium concentrate powder known as “yellowcake” — and that CC-1 could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in Burma. CC-2 also advised that CC-1 had provided samples of the uranium and thorium, which CC-2 was prepared to show to UC-1’s purported buyers. CC-2 noted that the samples should be packed “to contain . . . the radiation.” Approximately one week later, EBISAWA, CC-2, and CC-3 participated in a series of meetings with UC-1 and CS-1 in Southeast Asia, to discuss their ongoing weapons, narcotics, and nuclear materials transactions. During one of these meetings, CC-2 asked UC-1 to meet in CC-2’s hotel room. Inside the room, CC-2 showed UC-1 two plastic containers each holding a powdery yellow substance (the “Nuclear Samples”), which CC-2 described as “yellowcake.” CC-2 advised that one container held a sample of uranium in the compound U3O8, and the other container held Thorium-232. With the assistance of Thai authorities, the Nuclear Samples were seized and subsequently transferred to the custody of U.S. law enforcement. A nuclear forensic laboratory in the U.S. examined the Nuclear Samples and determined that both samples contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium, and plutonium. In particular, the laboratory determined that the isotope composition of the plutonium found in the Nuclear Samples is weapons-grade, meaning that the plutonium, if produced in sufficient quantities, would be suitable for use in a nuclear weapon. * * * EBISAWA, 60, of Japan, pled guilty to six counts contained in the Superseding Indictment. A table containing the charges and minimum and maximum penalties is set forth below. COUNT MIN. AND MAX. PRISON TERM Count One: Conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials Maximum of 10 years in prison Count Two: International trafficking of nuclear materials Maximum of 20 years in prison Count Three: Narcotics importation conspiracy Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison; maximum of life in prison Count Six: Narcotics importation conspiracy Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison; maximum of life in prison Count Seven: Conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devices Maximum of life in prison Count Eight: Money laundering Maximum of 20 years in prison The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge. Mr. Kim praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit. Mr. Kim also thanked the DEA Tokyo Country Office, DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Chiang Mai Resident Office, DEA Jakarta Country Office, DEA Copenhagen Country Office, DEA New York Field Office, DEA New Delhi Country Office, the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and our law enforcement partners in Indonesia, Japan, and the Kingdom of Thailand for their assistance. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky, Alexander Li, and Kevin T. Sullivan are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the Counterterrorism Section.


title: Hartford Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Victims Who Advertised Goods on Internet Marketplaces

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN VILLEGAS, also known as “Kirby,” 26, of Hartford was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 156 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing a series of gunpoint robberies targeting individual sellers of luxury goods over online marketplaces. According to court documents and statements made in court, ATF, the Hartford Police Department, and the Middletown Police Department investigated a series of gunpoint robberies of individuals who advertised items for sale on internet marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. At an arranged meeting place to sell their items, which included cell phones and luxury sneakers and accessories, the purported purchaser would brandish a firearm, force the victim to hand over the luxury goods, and flee. The investigation revealed that Villegas and Jalen Lasalle committed five armed robberies in Hartford in late August and early September 2022. Villegas, with his sister Valerie Meneses, also committed an armed robbery in August 2022 in Middletown. Villegas has been detained since December 14, 2022. On September 12, 2024, he pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), and two counts of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Lasalle and Meneses, both of Hartford, pleaded guilty to related charges. On October 16, 2024, Meneses was sentenced to 63 months of imprisonment. Lasalle awaits sentencing. This matter has been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Hartford Police Department, and the Middletown Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and A. Reed Durham. U.S. Attorney Avery encouraged those who sell and purchase items online, and need to meet an individual in person to complete the sale, to use a visible, monitored location. Contact your local police department to see if it offers a monitored meeting location, or search online for a nearby monitored location.


title: Canadian National Sentenced to 40 Months for Multimillion-Dollar Export Control Scheme

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: Nikolay Goltsev, 38, of Montreal, Canada, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for conspiring to commit export control violations. Goltsev masterminded a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian companies, including Russian military companies. Some of the electronic components shipped by Goltsev were later found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. “Today, Nikolay Goltsev joins the growing list of defendants held accountable for unlawfully procuring and profiting from the sale of U.S. technology to further Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is sparing no effort to ensure that those who violate America’s export controls to feed Russia’s war machine answer for their crimes in American courtrooms.” “When Russia, its supporters, and its military companies lie and scheme their way around sanctions, they do not just violate the law – they endanger our Ukrainian allies and the freedoms they are fighting to protect,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “We cannot allow crimes like those committed by Mr. Goltsev to be ignored; to do so would only increase the risk they will be repeated. I commend the extraordinary Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations who, alongside their federal and international law enforcement partners, are working diligently and bravely to support the people of Ukraine and hold accountable the perpetrators of Russia’s unlawful, unjust, and unprovoked war of aggression.” “Today’s sentencing brings accountability to Nikolay Goltsev for his conspiracy to ship millions of dollars of electronics to Russia in support of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Goltsev and his co-conspirators circumvented U.S. export control laws, used intermediary front companies to hide their crimes, and sold sophisticated electronics to Russia for use in its weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable those who violate U.S. laws and provide aid to our adversaries.” “Goltsev’s sentence sends a strong message that those who break our laws and contribute to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue those who procure the component parts that make Russia’s war machine tick. This case demonstrates that these wrongdoers will be found and punished accordingly.” “Goltsev and his wife thought they would ‘get rich’ by running an illicit global procurement scheme to supply sanctioned end users in Russia,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland of the Department of Commerce. “Instead, they got jail time.” “Simply put, Russia cannot effectively manufacture advanced weapons without U.S. technology,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s sentence goes a long way in preventing Russia’s access to U.S. electronics for use in the unlawful war against Ukraine. Today’s sentencing makes clear that the United States Attorney’s Office is committed to stopping Russia’s illicit acquisition of U.S. technology.” Goltsev used two Brooklyn companies, SH Brothers Inc. and SN Electronics Inc., to unlawfully source, purchase and ship millions of dollars in dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers to sanctioned end users in Russia. Some of the electronic components and integrated circuits shipped by the defendants through SH Brothers have been found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. Some of these components were critical to Russia’s precision-guided weapons systems being used against Ukraine. During the period charged in the indictment, SH Brothers made hundreds of shipments valued at over $7 million to Russia. To carry out the defendants’ criminal scheme, Goltsev purchased the electronic components from U.S. manufacturers and distributors under the auspices of SH Brothers and SN Electronics and arranged for the items to be shipped from those manufacturers and distributors to various locations in Brooklyn. The co-conspirators then unlawfully shipped the items to a variety of intermediary front companies located in other countries, including Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, where they were rerouted to Russia. Goltsev’s communications show that he had a sophisticated understanding of export control laws. For example, in a message in February 2023, Goltsev advised another co-defendant to “write something more substantial [to the U.S. company] so that there are no more questions.” The co-defendant responded, “is it better to provide them with a Chinese end user,” to which Goltsev stated, “yes should be ok.” Goltsev’s communications also show that he knew the electronic components were going to Russia for use in Ukraine and support of Russia. In a May 30, 2023 text message conversation between co-defendant Kristina Puzyreva, Goltsev’s wife, the defendants discussed a drone attack in Moscow and their support of Russia: Puzyreva: what is Putin waiting for. He needs to destroy Ukraine. Goltsev: yeah they’re gonna get f---ed either way. Puzyreva: He needs to put fear into them. Those losers. Goltsev: Well the way he is acting they have the right to do the same. Puzyreva: I hate [ethnic slur for Ukrainians] anyway. The scheme involved millions of dollars and proved to be lucrative for the defendants. In a text message exchange on or about Jan. 13, 2023, Goltsev complained to Puzyreva that a subordinate of a co-conspirator “asked me to make 80 accounts . . . I am making accounts for 3 mln [i.e., million]. Fingers hurting already from the laptop.” Puzyreva responded, “Lot of money? We will get rich.” The government seized $20,000 in cash from the New York hotel room in which defendant Goltsev was arrested. In total, the government has seized approximately $1.68 million in connection with this export scheme. On July 24, co-defendant Kristina Puzyreva was sentenced to 24 months in prison for conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the export scheme. Co-defendant Salimdzhon Nasriddinov is awaiting sentencing. The BIS, HSI, and FBI are investigating the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Artie McConnell, Ellen H. Sise, and Laura Mantell for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Christopher M. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The case was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states. Task Force KleptoCapture is an an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.


title: Lexington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Charge

component: USAO - South Carolina

body_text: LEXINGTON, S.C. — R’Mani Jy’Mere Holloway, 26, of Gaston, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Evidence presented in court revealed that on Feb. 9, 2023, deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department arrested Holloway on outstanding state warrants related to probation violations. During the arrest, authorities recovered a loaded .45 caliber handgun, 16.12 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone (commonly known as MDMA), ammunition, and digital scales from Holloway’s car. In addition, a search of a hotel room he was living in revealed additional ammunition and gang-related artwork. Holloway has a criminal history that includes prior convictions for third-degree burglary, third-degree domestic violence, public disorderly conduct, and discharging a firearm into a dwelling. At the time of the February 2023 incident, he was serving probation for the firearm-related conviction. Due to his prior felony convictions, Holloway is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. United States District Judge Mary Geiger-Lewis sentenced Holloway to 60 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. 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. This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case. ###


title: Canadian National Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Multi Million Dollar Export Control Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Nikolay Goltsev was sentenced by United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to 40 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to commit export control violations. Goltsev, a Canadian national, masterminded a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian companies, including Russian military companies. The electronic components shipped by Goltsev were later found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Merrick B. Garland, United States Attorney General; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations New York (HSI); James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (EEO), announced the sentencing. “Simply put, Russia cannot effectively manufacture advanced weapons without U.S. technology. Today’s sentence goes a long way in preventing Russia’s access to U.S. electronics for use in the unlawful war against Ukraine,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “My Office is committed to stopping Russia’s illicit acquisition of U.S. technology.” Mr. Peace also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their valuable assistance with the investigation. “Today, Nikolay Goltsev joins the growing list of defendants held accountable for unlawfully procuring and profiting from the sale of U.S. technology to further Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine,” stated Attorney General Garland. “The Justice Department is sparing no effort to ensure that those who violate America’s export controls to feed Russia’s war machine answer for their crimes in American courtrooms.” “Goltsev’s sentence sends a strong message that those who break our laws and contribute to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine will be held accountable,” stated Assistant Attorney General Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue those who procure the component parts that make Russia’s war machine tick. This case demonstrates that these wrongdoers will be found and punished accordingly.” “Nikolay Goltsev’s sentencing today sends a message to those seeking to bypass export control laws in support of the Kremlin’s inhumane attacks on Ukraine: HSI will do whatever it takes to prevent U.S. military technology from ending up on the Russian battlefield. HSI’s counter-proliferation investigators work tirelessly to combat the illegal export and proliferation of sensitive U.S. military and dual-purpose technology,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Walker. “Standing alongside our law enforcement partners, we are committing to stopping the Russian war machine in its tracks.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy stated, “Nikolay Goltsev served as a vehicle to reinforce Russia’s militant efforts against Ukraine through the distribution of electronics to sanctioned entities. Goltsev selfishly prioritized profits from this multi-million-dollar scheme at the expense of safeguarding United States technology against adversarial nations. May today’s sentencing reinforce the FBI's commitment to confront foreign countries which steal our technology to advance their nefarious and warmongering goals.” “Working with our law enforcement colleagues, the Office of Export Enforcement will continue to target networks that facilitate illicit shipments that support Russia’s war. Today’s sentencing is just the latest example of our resolute efforts to target, disrupt and dismantle these networks,” stated Department of Commerce EEO Special Agent in Charge Carson. Goltsev used two Brooklyn companies, SH Brothers Inc. and SN Electronics Inc., to unlawfully source, purchase and ship millions of dollars in dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers to sanctioned end users in Russia. Some of the electronic components and integrated circuits shipped by the defendants through SH Brothers have been found in seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. Some of these components were critical to Russia’s precision-guided weapons systems being used against Ukraine. During the period charged in the indictment, SH Brothers made hundreds of shipments valued at over $7 million to Russia. To carry out the criminal scheme, Goltsev, along with co-defendant Salimdzhon Nasriddinov and others, purchased the electronic components from U.S. manufacturers and distributors under the auspices of SH Brothers and SN Electronics and arranged for the items to be shipped from those manufacturers and distributors to various locations in Brooklyn. The co-conspirators then unlawfully shipped the items to a variety of intermediary front companies located in other countries, including Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, where they were rerouted to Russia. Goltsev’s wife, co-defendant Kristina Puzyreva, laundered the funds of the export control scheme. Goltsev’s communications show that he had a sophisticated understanding of export control laws. For example, in a message in February 2023, Goltsev advised another co-defendant to “write something more substantial [to the U.S. company] so that there are no more questions.” The co-defendant responded, “is it better to provide them with a Chinese end user,” to which Goltsev stated, “yes should be ok.” Goltsev’s communications also show that he knew the electronic components were going to Russia for use in Ukraine and support of Russia. In a May 30, 2023 text message conversation with Puzyreva, the defendants discussed a drone attack in Moscow and their support of Russia: Puzyreva: what is Putin waiting for. He needs to destroy Ukraine. Goltsev: yeah they’re gonna get f---ed either way. Puzyreva: He needs to put fear into them. Those losers. Goltsev: Well the way he is acting they have the right to do the same. Puzyreva: I hate [ethnic slur for Ukrainians] anyway. The scheme involved millions of dollars and proved to be lucrative for the defendants. In a text message exchange on or about January 13, 2023, Goltsev complained to Puzyreva that a subordinate of a co-conspirator “asked me to make 80 accounts . . . I am making accounts for 3 mln [i.e., million]. Fingers hurting already from the laptop.” Puzyreva responded, “Lot of money? We will get rich.” The government seized $20,000 in cash from the New York hotel room in which Goltsev was arrested. In total, the government has seized approximately $1.68 million in connection with this export scheme. On July 24, 2024, co-defendant Kristina Puzyreva was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the export scheme. Co-defendant Salimdzhon Nasriddinov is awaiting sentencing. The case was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states. Task Force KleptoCapture is an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Artie McConnell and Ellen H. Sise are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Christopher M. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Mary Clare McMahon. Assistant United States Attorney Laura Mantell of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters. The Defendant : NIKOLAY GOLTSEV AGE: 38 Montreal, Canada Defendants Previously Sentenced: SALIMDZHON NASRIDDINOV AGE: 54 Brooklyn, NY KRISTINA PUZYREVA AGE: 33 Montreal, Canada E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-452 (LDH)


title: Japanese Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Nuclear Materials Trafficking, Narcotics, and Weapons Charges

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan, New York, today to conspiring with a network of associates to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Burma to other countries, as well as to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. “Today’s plea should serve as a stark reminder to those who imperil our national security by trafficking weapons-grade plutonium and other dangerous materials on behalf of organized criminal syndicates that the Department of Justice will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This case demonstrates DEA’s unparalleled ability to dismantle the world's most dangerous criminal networks,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Our investigation into Takeshi Ebisawa and his associates exposed the shocking depths of international organized crime from trafficking nuclear materials to fueling the narcotics trade and arming violent insurgents. DEA remains positioned to relentlessly pursue anyone who threatens our national security, regardless of where they operate. Protecting the American people from such evil will always remain DEA’s top priority.” “As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, out of Burma,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim for the Southern District of New York. “At the same time, he worked to send massive quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States in exchange for heavy-duty weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles to be used on battlefields in Burma and laundered what he believed to be drug money from New York to Tokyo. It is thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, the career national security prosecutors of this Office, and the cooperation of our law enforcement partners in Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand, that Ebisawa’s plot was detected and stopped.” According to the court documents and evidence presented at court, since at least in or about 2019, the DEA investigated Ebisawa in connection with large-scale narcotics and weapons trafficking. During the investigation, Ebisawa unwittingly introduced an undercover DEA agent (UC-1), posing as a narcotics and weapons trafficker, to Ebisawa’s international network of criminal associates, which spanned Japan, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and the United States, among other places, for the purpose of arranging large-scale narcotics and weapons transactions. Ebisawa and his network, including his co-defendants, negotiated multiple narcotics and weapons transactions with UC-1. Ebisawa conspired to broker the purchase, from UC-1, of U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles, as well as other heavy-duty weaponry, intended for multiple ethnic armed groups in Burma (including the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Burma (CC-1)), and to accept large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine for distribution as partial payment for the weapons. Ebisawa understood the weapons to have been manufactured in the U.S. and taken from U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. Ebisawa planned for the heroin and methamphetamine to be distributed in the New York market. In addition, Ebisawa conspired to sell, in a separate transaction, 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and 500 kilograms of heroin to UC-1 for distribution in New York. In furtherance of that transaction, on or about June 16, 2021, and on or about Sept. 27, 2021, one of Ebisawa’s co-defendants provided samples of approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine and approximately 1.4 kilograms of heroin. Ebisawa also worked to launder $100,000 in purported narcotics proceeds from the U.S. to Japan. Finally, beginning in early 2020, Ebisawa informed UC-1 and a DEA confidential source (CS-1) that Ebisawa had access to a large quantity of nuclear materials that he wanted to sell. Later that year, Ebisawa sent UC-1 a series of photographs depicting rocky substances with Geiger counters measuring radiation, as well as pages of what Ebisawa represented to be lab analyses indicating the presence of thorium and uranium in the depicted substances. In response to Ebisawa’s repeated inquiries, UC-1 agreed, as part of the DEA’s investigation, to help Ebisawa broker the sale of his nuclear materials to UC-1’s associate, who was posing as an Iranian general (the General), for use in a nuclear weapons program. Ebisawa then offered to supply the General with “plutonium” that would be even “better” and more “powerful” than uranium for this purpose. Ebisawa further proposed, together with two other co-conspirators (CC-2 and CC-3), to UC-1 that CC-1 sell uranium to the General, through Ebisawa, to fund CC-1’s weapons purchase. Thereafter, on a Feb. 4, 2022, videoconference, CC-2 told UC-1 that CC-1 had available more than 2,000 kilograms of Thorium-232 and more than 100 kilograms of uranium in the compound U3O8 — referring to a compound of uranium commonly found in the uranium concentrate powder known as “yellowcake” — and that CC-1 could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in Burma. CC-2 also advised that CC-1 had provided samples of the uranium and thorium, which CC-2 was prepared to show to UC-1’s purported buyers. CC-2 noted that the samples should be packed “to contain . . . the radiation.” Approximately one week later, Ebisawa, CC-2, and CC-3 participated in a series of meetings with UC-1 and CS-1 in Southeast Asia, to discuss their ongoing weapons, narcotics, and nuclear materials transactions. During one of these meetings, CC-2 asked UC-1 to meet in CC-2’s hotel room. Inside the room, CC-2 showed UC-1 two plastic containers each holding a powdery yellow substance (nuclear samples), which CC-2 described as “yellowcake.” CC-2 advised that one container held a sample of uranium in the compound U3O8, and the other container held Thorium-232. With the assistance of Thai authorities, the nuclear samples were seized and subsequently transferred to the custody of U.S. law enforcement. A nuclear forensic laboratory in the United States examined the nuclear samples and determined that both samples contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium, and plutonium. In particular, the laboratory determined that the isotope composition of the plutonium found in the nuclear samples is weapons-grade, meaning that the plutonium, if produced in sufficient quantities, would be suitable for use in a nuclear weapon. Ebisawa pleaded guilty to six counts contained in the superseding indictment. A table containing the charges and minimum and maximum penalties is set forth below. COUNT MIN. AND MAX. PRISON TERM Count One: Conspiracy to commit international trafficking of nuclear materials Maximum of 10 years in prison Count Two: International trafficking of nuclear materials Maximum of 20 years in prison Count Three: Narcotics importation conspiracy Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison; maximum of life in prison Count Six: Narcotics importation conspiracy Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison; maximum of life in prison Count Seven: Conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devices Maximum of life in prison Count Eight: Money laundering Maximum of 20 years in prison A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The DEA is investigating the case with assistance from the DEA Tokyo Country Office, DEA Bangkok Country Office, DEA Chiang Mai Resident Office, DEA Jakarta Country Office, DEA Copenhagen Country Office, DEA New York Field Office, DEA New Delhi Country Office, Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and our law enforcement partners in Indonesia, Japan, and the Kingdom of Thailand. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF . Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky, Alexander Li, and Kevin T. Sullivan for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section.


title: Tennessee Man Sentenced for Using Drone to Fly Marijuana into Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex

component: USAO - Mississippi, Southern

body_text: Jackson, Miss. – A Tennessee man was sentenced today to 2 months in prison for providing marijuana to an inmate of a federal prison. He will placed on supervised release for 3 years following his release from federal prison. According to court documents, Mark Anderson, 50, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, flew a drone carrying approximately 195 grams of marijuana over the Federal Correctional Complex in Yazoo City and delivered it by releasing it from the air where an inmate would later retrieve it during the early morning hours of October 2, 2021. Anderson pled guilty on September 26, 2024. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway prosecuted the case.


title: Former Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty To Accepting Bribes In Exchange For Smuggling Narcotics Into Rikers Island

body_text: Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that GHISLAINE BARRIENTOS, a former corrections officer, pled guilty today to bribery in connection with her participation in a scheme to accept bribes in exchange for smuggling narcotics into Rikers Island. BARRIENTOS pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Ghislaine Barrientos took bribes when working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island. Rikers Island is less safe, for inmates and officers alike, when corrections officers and others in positions of public trust accept bribes to smuggle contraband. We will not tolerate any breach of trust or corruption that jeopardizes the well-being of inmates and staff.” As reflected in the Complaint, Information, and statements made in court: BARRIENTOS, a former New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”) correction officer, conspired with others to smuggle contraband, including cocaine, smokeable synthetic cannabinoids (known as “K2”), and food to inmates housed at the Robert N. Davoren Complex on Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe payments. For example, on April 11, 2024, CC-1, an associate of an inmate (“Inmate-1”), and BARRIENTOS discussed CC-1 sending BARRIENTOS a package through a delivery service. On April 15, 2024, surveillance footage showed BARRIENTOS entering Inmate-1’s cell, where surveillance footage could not capture her actions. Two days later, DOC searched Inmate-1’s cell and recovered sheets of paper that tested positive for the presence of cocaine. On April 24, 2024, CC-1 sent BARRIENTOS another package using the delivery service. When BARRIENTOS went to work later that day, a drug-detecting canine alerted for the presence of narcotics. DOC employees searched BARRIENTOS’s belongings and found approximately 10 sheets of paper that tested positive for the presence of K2. In an interview with law enforcement, BARRIENTOS falsely stated, among other things, that no inmate had ever asked her to bring them contraband. Law enforcement officers then searched BARRIENTOS’s vehicle and recovered additional sheets of paper, as well as approximately $2,466 in cash, as shown in the following photographs: * * * BARRIENTOS, 37, of Mount Vernon, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The statutory maximum sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption and Narcotics Units. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Coyle is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Ute Man Charged With Murder of Child on Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation

component: USAO - Colorado

body_text: DURANGO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jeremiah Hight, 23, of Towaoc, Colorado, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of second-degree murder of a child in Indian Country, and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Hight was previously charged by a criminal complaint authorized by Magistrate Judge James Candelaria on December 19, 2024. Hight was arrested on the Navajo Reservation on December 24, 2024, and made an initial appearance in the District of Arizona on December 26, 2024. Hight is currently being transported to the District of Colorado. According to the complaint and indictment, in the early hours of December 11, 2024, Hight fired a rifle twenty-four times into a residence, killing a seven-year-old member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The investigation is ongoing. The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey K. Graves, R. Josh Player, and Lisa Franceware. Case Number: 25-cr-0003-GPG


title: Acton Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – An Acton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston to 20 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Patrick Baxter, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In January 2024, Baxter was convicted after a jury trial of one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of sexual exploitation of children. Baxter was previously arrested and charged in December 2022. “Child pornography is not just an image or video, there is an innocent child behind that lens who has been victimized. Each time someone views these images, the victims are revictimized, causing immeasurable harm,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Nothing can reverse the damage that child exploitation does to its victims, but we hope that our commitment to holding perpetrators accountable, will serve as a stark warning to others.” “Not only did Patrick Baxter amass hundreds of images of child sexual abuse, but he also sexually exploited a seven-year-old child for his own sick gratification,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are working every day to find and bring to justice anyone actively harming children like this.” Baxter downloaded CSAM from the internet on multiple occasions in 2021. A computer hard drive seized during a search of Baxter’s residence was found to contain approximately 427 video files depicting CSAM featuring prepubescent and pubescent minors engaged in various types of sexual acts and the lascivious display of their genitals. Baxter also produced CSAM in his home (then in Melrose) of a child known to him. U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Melrose Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Jessica L. Soto of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case. The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: U.S. Attorney, FBI Announce Federal Charges Against Navajo Man for Murder

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Navajo man has been charged with second degree murder in Indian Country. According to court documents, on July 26, 2022, officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to reports of a shooting near Ojo Encino. Upon arrival, officers discovered John Doe deceased at the scene with a gunshot wound to his chest and right arm. Witnesses identified Jason Lee Martinez , 51, a member of the Navajo Nation, as the shooter, who fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Investigators recovered seven .40 caliber bullet casings from the scene, and the autopsy confirmed fatal gunshot wounds consistent with a single bullet that traveled through John Doe’s chest, heart, lung, and liver. On August 26, 2022, FBI agents interviewed Martinez , who admitted to being involved in the altercation with John Doe. Martinez will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled . If convicted, Martinez faces up to life in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: Tulsan Convicted by Federal Jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Strangulation

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – Today, a federal jury convicted Denzil Austin Berryman, 38, of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force and Threat in Indian Country and Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Suffocating in Indian Country. “The victim courageously testified about this horrible act against her,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I want to thank her and the prosecution team for bringing Mr. Berryman to justice.” In June 2023, Berryman was with the victim at her apartment. Berryman became enraged when he saw that the victim had gummy bears that he believed were a gift from someone else. The victim testified that Berryman began screaming at her, punched the bedroom door, broke several electronics in the apartment, and threatened to harm her cat. The victim further described that Berryman forced her into the bedroom and began sexually assaulting her. When the victim said no and asked Berryman to stop, he proceeded to strangle her. After passing out, the victim woke to Berryman forcibly raping her. Berryman is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Previously released on bond, Berryman was taken into custody, pending sentencing at a later date. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Ihler and Stephen Scaife prosecuted the case.


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Secures 19-Year Sentences for Defendants in 2020 Murder Case

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Two defendants have each been sentenced to 19 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $5,355.60 for their roles in the brutal 2020 murder of Jane Doe. There is no parole in the federal system. On January 23, 2020, Stacey Yellowhorse , 53, and her then-boyfriend Timothy Chischilly , 51, both enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, invited Jane Doe to Chischilly ’s home in Mexican Springs. That night, they restrained Doe by nailing her hands and head to the floor and then bludgeoned her to death before burning her remains and scattering them across various locations in the Navajo Nation. Following the murder, Yellowhorse and Chischilly misled Doe's family about her whereabouts, falsely claiming that Yellowhorse had dropped Doe off at a local restaurant. They visited Doe’s family a few days after the murder, and Yellowhorse assured them that they would find her safe, including telling Doe’s seven-year-old daughter that Yellowhorse was going to look for the girl’s mother and would bring her back safe. On January 27, 2020, after Jane Doe was reported missing, Chischilly confessed to his family, detailing how he and Yellowhorse had killed Doe. This confession led to their arrest on February 1, 2020. Chischilly pled guilty to second-degree murder in February 2024. Shortly before trial was set to begin in March 2024, Yellowhorse also pled guilty to second-degree murder. Upon their release from prison, Yellowhorse and Chischilly will be subject to five years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department, Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations and the Gallup Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Brawley and Tavo Hall are prosecuting the case. # # #


title: U.S. Attorney's Office Charges Dulce Man with Domestic Violence

component: USAO - New Mexico

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man is facing federal charges for assault by strangulation after the victim was hospitalized with serious injuries. According to court documents, on February 19, 2024, officers responded to a fight on Veneno Street in Dulce. There they encounter Chalmers Dedios , 32, and the victim. Officers determined that the victim was in distress, showing signs of fear and wearing heavy clothing despite warm weather. After Dedios was arrested on unrelated charges, the victim told officers they had been assaulted multiple times, including strangulation incidents on February 10 and 14. The victim was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center for serious injuries, including an active brain bleed. During a subsequent interview, Dedios admitted to strangling the victim. Dedios and the victim are enrolled members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation Indian Tribe. Dedios is in custody pending trial, which has not been set . If convicted of the current charges, Dedios faces up to 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today. The Jicarilla Apache Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Pecoraro is prosecuting the case. View the Criminal Complaint (Dedios).pdf A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # #


title: Montgomery Man Convicted of Illegally Possessing a Firearm Recovered at Scene of Shooting Where Four-Year-Old Child was Injured

component: USAO - Alabama, Middle

body_text: MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On January 7, 2025, a federal jury convicted 27-year-old Grenden James Jordan, from Montgomery, Alabama, on the charge of illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony offense, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. “The illegal use of guns by individuals that have no regard for the safety of our communities, our children, or anyone but themselves will not be tolerated,” stated Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting all violations of federal firearms laws to deter criminals like Grenden Jordan from engaging in these public shootings and placing innocent bystanders in harm’s way.” According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 16, 2024, an officer with the Montgomery Police Department heard gun shots being fired on Atlanta Highway near the Eastern Boulevard overpass and responded to the scene. Upon arrival, the officer saw three men walking away from a blue Dodge Challenger that was stopped in one of the lanes of traffic. One of the men, later identified as Grenden James Jordan, was observed by the officer throwing a firearm towards the side of the road. This was also captured on the officer’s dash cam video. The three men fled the scene. Witnesses stated that the three men were occupants of the Dodge Challenger and had exchanged gunfire with a red sedan, which left the scene when law enforcement arrived. Numerous bullet holes were found on the Dodge Challenger. There was a third vehicle on the scene that had been caught in the crossfire and had gunshot damage as well. This vehicle was occupied by innocent bystanders including a mother, father, and four-year-old child. The child sustained injuries from broken glass caused by the gunshots and was treated. Officers recovered an AR-style pistol from the area where the firearm had been thrown by Jordan, along with a high-capacity drum magazine with ammunition. During the trial, the jury saw a photo taken prior to March 16, 2024, showing Jordan posing with an AR-style pistol matching the one found on the scene of the shooting. In reaching their verdict, the jury determined that Jordan was in possession of the firearm recovered at the scene of the shooting. Jordan has previous felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Following this conviction, Jordan faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison with no parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. During that hearing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This case was brought as a 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. The Montgomery Police Department and the FBI investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates and Michelle R. Turner prosecuted.


title: Four Facing Federal Charges for Brink’s Truck Robbery in Madison

body_text: BENTON, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging four individuals for their involvement in an armed robbery of a Brink’s truck in Madison. Lee O. Griffin, Jr., 23, of Cahokia Heights, is facing one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of arson and one count of possession of a weapon in furtherance of a crime of violence. Antonio T. Harris, 23, and Patrick D. Johnson, 26, both of St. Louis, are each facing one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Taneisha M. Davis, 29, of East St. Louis, was charged with one count of arson for her involvement in setting the getaway car on fire. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting individuals who victimize employees with brazen attacks who are simply trying to do their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “I applaud this multijurisdictional investigation by local, state and federal law enforcement officers to help improve public safety throughout the Metro East region.” According to court documents, Harris and Johnson are accused of robbing two Brink’s employees as they serviced an ATM in Madison on Dec. 5, 2024. The indictment alleges the pair were armed with pistols and took cash from the truck and the employees’ gun belts holding two pistols, magazines and ammunition. “The effective identification and arrest of the alleged subjects is an example of why law enforcement partnerships are vital to our communities,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “The FBI works with and supports our law enforcement partners at every level of government on a daily basis. These strong alliances are how we leverage our respective strengths and capabilities, and the key to better protecting the American people.” Griffin is accused of driving the getaway car, a Chevrolet Impala, for Harris and Johnson. The car was located hours after the robbery abandoned and ablaze in Washington Park. Griffin and Davis are accused of conspiring to set the Impala on fire. “People should not fear for their lives when they go to work each day,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP will continue to partner with local and federal agencies to make communities safer and get criminals off the streets.” Convictions for robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and arson are punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Brandishing a weapon is a consecutive range of seven years up to life in prison. “The Citizens of Madison County should be proud of how Law Enforcement agencies teamed together to solve these serious crimes in a timely manner. The individuals charged, worked together in an effort to not only commit a high stakes crime, but also to take extreme measures to coverup and hide their tracks,” said Madison County Sheriff Jeff C. Connor. “I am proud of the men and women who spent untold hours to track down these criminals and send a message to others, these type of actions will not be tolerated in Madison County.” An indictment is merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury. The Springfield FBI Field Office is leading the investigation with support from the Illinois State Police, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Trippi is prosecuting the case.


title: Guatemalan Fugitive Living Illegally In The U.S. Under Fake Identity Pleads Guilty To International Firearms Trafficking

body_text: Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron (34, Guatemala) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, firearms trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license, and possessing firearms as an illegal alien. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and each possession offense. He faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment for dealing in firearms without a license. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. According to the plea agreement, between 2023 and April 2024, Sune-Giron was a member of a transnational firearms trafficking operation. Sune-Giron recruited straw purchasers to illegally buy firearms—including Glocks, rifles and AK-47s—from federal firearms licensees across Florida. After purchasing the firearms, Sune-Giron and co-conspirators smuggled them overseas, including to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Between 2023 and 2024, Sune-Giron and his co-conspirators trafficked thousands of firearms. Several were later recovered at crime scenes. On April 18, 2024, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa and Orlando executed three coordinated search warrants at residences in the Orlando area. At Sune-Giron’s residence, and as depicted below, agents recovered more than 50 firearms, ammunition, money counters, and approximately $16,000 in U.S. currency. At the time of the search, Sune-Giron had been living in the United States illegally under an assumed name. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego F. Novaes and Noah P. Dorman.


title: Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing Firearm

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

body_text: ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing a firearm. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Tuesday sentenced MICHAEL MALLETT, 27, to 103 months in federal prison. Mallett pleaded guilty late last year to possession of a controlled substance and the unlawful possession of a firearm. Mallet admitted in a plea agreement that on Aug. 19, 2020, he knowingly and intentionally possessed 7.39 grams of fentanyl and that he planned to sell it on the streets. Mallett also admitted that during the time he intended to distribute the fentanyl, he was in possession of a Glock Model 32, which had been converted into a machinegun by an after-market device known as an “auto sear.” The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson. Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.