title: Dominican Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Cocaine and Fentanyl Conspiracy

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Dominican man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine distribution operation that trafficked narcotics throughout southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Luis Alfonso Mejia-Diaz, aka “El Bello,” 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On April 5, 2023, Mejia-Diaz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine. Mejia-Diaz was charged in October 2020 along with 14 others. The investigation, which began in March 2017, identified Mejia-Diaz as a large-scale fentanyl and cocaine distributor who operated under his alias, El Bello, and served as a supply source for others in the conspiracy. During the investigation, 991 grams of fentanyl intended for Mejia-Diaz were seized. At the time of his arrest in October 2020, over a kilogram of fentanyl and a loaded firearm from a hidden compartment inside an air compressor in Mejia-Diaz’s residence were also seized in addition to a kilogram press from on top of the air compressor. Mejia-Diaz is the 13th defendant to be sentenced in the case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Fall River Police Chief Kelly Furtado; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; Westport Police Chief Christopher A. Dunn; and Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Taylor and Katherine Ferguson of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case. The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf .


title: Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Tax Return

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Eastern

body_text: United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on January 16, 2025, U.S. District Judge Joseph Stadtmueller accepted the guilty plea of Vikram Naik to one count of filing a false individual income tax return, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1). On October 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Naik with three counts of filing false tax returns. According to the indictment and plea agreement, Naik willfully made and subscribed, under penalties of perjury, individual income tax returns (Forms 1040) for the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. Naik had federal income tax withholding amounts that were substantially less than what he reported on each of the returns he filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and, as a result, he had taxable income and total tax owed greater than he reported. According to the plea agreement, Naik was an information technology consultant in Germantown, Wisconsin, who owned and operated Naik Consulting, Inc (NCI) since 2015. Naik provided IT consulting services to some clients who treated him as an employee, paid him wages, and provided annual Forms W-2. Other clients treated Naik as a contractor and paid NCI for Naik's consulting work. Naik was NCI’s only employee, and he issued himself a Form W-2 from NCI. From 2016 through 2019, Naik inflated the federal tax withholdings on his Forms 1040. He falsely reported on Forms W-2 from his company, NCI, that it had withheld federal income tax from his wages in the amounts of $60,000 in 2017, $61,500 in 2018, and $146,000 in 2019. NCI never actually withheld and paid over to the IRS any federal income taxes from Naik’s wages. He did the same with some of his consulting clients in tax years 2018 and 2019, as well as his wife’s employer in 2018, inflating the federal income tax withheld. Due to the false withholding, his Forms 1040 claimed that he did not owe any taxes and instead was entitled to sizable refunds for each of those years. Naik’s false statements caused a tax loss of approximately $277,257. “Individuals and businesses who willfully avoid our tax laws and file false returns cause harm to every American taxpayer,” stated U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “I commend the hard work and collaboration of everyone involved in investigating and prosecuting this case.” “Federal income tax compliance is equally shared among all Americans,” said Jason Bushey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Attempting to defraud the government with elaborate federal tax withholding schemes is unlawful. Mr. Naik’s plea serves as an important reminder that as the 2025 filing season begins, IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to bringing to justice those who shirk their federal income tax responsibilities.” Sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2025, at 8:30 a.m., before Judge Stadtmueller. At sentencing, Naik faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces a term of supervised release after completing any period of imprisonment. The IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney John P. Scully is prosecuting. # # # For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov 414-297-1700 Follow us on Twitter


title: Brookline Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography

body_text: BOSTON – A Brookline, Mass. man was arrested today and charged with production of child pornography. Scott Cunha, 24, is charged with recruiting a 15-year-old child to produce and send him to him child pornography. Cunha was arrested at his home in Brookline and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 12 p.m. today. According to the complaint, beginning in at least 2022, Cunha communicated over Snapchat with multiple minor children between 10 and 16 years old from across the country. He allegedly recruited the children to take nude images and videos of themselves and send to him over Snapchat, often in exchange for the promise or actual transfer of money. It is alleged that Cunha victimized children in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri by enticing them to send child pornography and offering to pay them money in exchange for meeting up with him in person and engaging in sex acts with him. According to the charging document, Cunha did, in fact, meet up with at least one minor victim. Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this individual or alleged crime should contact call (617) 748-3274. The charge of production of child pornography carries with it a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings and Elizabeth Riley of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Baltimore Man Faces Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Jose Adan Lopez-Guevara, 37, of Baltimore, with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material. Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP); Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy. According to the indictment, the defendant persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor male to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that a visual depiction could be produced and transmitted. Law enforcement allegedly found Lopez-Guevara in possession of child sex abuse material on December 12, 2024. If convicted, Lopez-Guevara faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Additionally, he’s looking at a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of guilt, so an individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless they are proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood , a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education n, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page. U.S. Attorney Barron commended HSI, MSP, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow who is prosecuting the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: Former Mercer County Pharmacist Found Guilty Of Conspiracy To Illegally Distribute Oxycodone From Trenton Pharmacy

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: TRENTON, N.J. – A former Mercer County pharmacist was convicted yesterday for her role in a conspiracy to distribute and dispense outside the course of professional practice large quantities of Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, from a pharmacy formerly located in Trenton, New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Florence Ndubizu, 64, of Princeton Junction, New Jersey, was convicted of two counts of an indictment charging her with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone, between 2014 and 2017 and maintaining a premises for the illegal distribution of controlled substances. A third count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances was dismissed before trial. The jury returned the guilty verdict following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton federal court. According to documents filed in this case and the evidence presented at trial: Between 2014 and 2017, Ndubizu was the co-owner and pharmacist-in-charge of Healthcare Pharmacy in Trenton. She and her employee conspirators, acting at her direction, filled fraudulent prescriptions outside the usual course of professional practice, knowing that the drugs would not be used for a legitimate medical purpose, but instead would be illegally diverted, including to street-level drug dealers. Ndubizu, operating a single-location pharmacy, purchased and distributed millions of dosage units of oxycodone, including over 800,000 pills in 2014; over 900,000 pills in 2015; over 800,000 pills in 2016; and over 200,000 pills in 2017, the year that the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) suspended the pharmacy’s registration. Ndubizu diverted oxycodone pills and then evaded state and federal reporting requirements by manipulating the pharmacy’s records. The DEA conducted an audit of Healthcare Pharmacy’s inventory and found that between April 2015 and August 2017 alone, Ndubizu and Healthcare Pharmacy diverted more than 64,000 oxycodone containing pills. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The charge of maintaining Healthcare Pharmacy as a drug-involved premises carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents, diversion investigators, and task force officers of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; special agents of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the supervision of Director Steve Wilson, members of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, and members of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Elizabeth Parvin, with the investigation leading to yesterday’s guilty verdict. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander E. Ramey and Ashley Super Pitts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton. Ndubizu’s husband, Gordian A. Ndubizu, the co-owner of Healthcare Pharmacy, was separately convicted of tax evasion offenses after a jury trial in August 2024. Gordian A. Ndubizu was not charged with controlled substance offenses. ### Defense counsel: William H. Newman, Esq., and Shrey Sharma, Esq., of New York, New York


title: Four SoCal Residents Found Guilty of Participating in an Armed Robbery and Carjacking at Car Repair Shop in San Bernardino County

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: RIVERSIDE, California – Three San Gabriel Valley residents and one San Bernardino County man have been found guilty by a jury of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking of a car repair business last year in Bloomington in which one victim was pistol-whipped into near unconsciousness, the Justice Department announced today. At the conclusion of a 13-day trial, a federal jury on late Wednesday returned a guilty verdict on all counts against the following defendants: Marcos Guerrero, 49, of Glendora; Elijah Gafare, 35, of West Covina; Cinthia Leal, 39, of Glendora; and Vincent Solarez, 58, of Upland. All four defendants were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of carjacking. Guerrero, Gafare, and Leal also were found guilty of witness tampering and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of and in relation to a crime of violence. Guerrero further was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. “Violent crime tears at the fabric of our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “The verdict reached in this case highlights our office’s ongoing efforts to root out and punish criminals who use guns to harm innocent people.” According to evidence presented at trial, Guerrero, Gafare, Leal, and Solarez participated in an armed robbery of a car repair shop in Bloomington in the early morning hours of March 12, 2024. During the robbery, two of the defendants brandished firearms and one of the defendants pistol-whipped one of the victims into near unconsciousness. The defendants kept the victims hostage and threatened to kill them if the victims did not hand over cash, their car, and if they ever called law enforcement. In total, defendants stole several thousand dollars in cash and the business surveillance system, in addition to the victim’s car and other property. Law enforcement tracked the defendants down and arrested them in May and June of 2024. On May 30, 2024, Guerrero illegally possessed a .45-caliber firearm and dozens of rounds of ammunition. He is not permitted to possess firearms and ammunition because his criminal history includes convictions in San Bernardino County Superior Court for home invasion robbery, first-degree residential burglary, false imprisonment by violence, possession of a firearm by a felon, and evading a police officer. United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal scheduled an April 21 sentencing hearing, at which Guerrero, Gafare, and Leal will face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Solarez will face a statutory maximum sentence of 65 years in federal prison. The FBI Inland Violent Crimes Suppression Task Force and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua J. Lee and Neil P. Thakor of the General Crimes Section, and Tritia L. Yuen of the Riverside Branch Office, are prosecuting this case.


title: Springfield Felon Sentenced to 15 Years for Illegal Firearm

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm. Timothy S. Brandkamp, 64, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Brandkamp was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions. On March 13, 2024, Brandkamp pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brandkamp admitted he was in possession of a Taurus 9mm pistol and approximately 12 rounds of ammunition from Oct. 14 to 20, 2022. Brandkamp was arrested on Oct. 14, 2022, for violating the conditions of his supervised release in an unrelated federal case. While he was incarcerated, he contacted a relative and asked her to remove items from his residence that a “felon was not supposed to have.” That relative contacted the authorities. U.S. Probation and Parole officers located the loaded firearm under a bedspread in the bedroom of Brandkamp’s residence. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Brandkamp has a federal felony conviction for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, for which he was on supervised release at the time of the offense after serving 13 years in federal prison. Brandkamp also has two prior felony convictions for selling methamphetamine, as well as prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine, selling an imitation controlled substance, and assault. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony M. Brown. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office. Project Safe Neighborhoods This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.


title: Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

component: USAO - West Virginia, Southern

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Arthur Ray Elkins, 60, of Chesapeake, was sentenced today to nine years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 6, 2023, Elkins sold approximately 56 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Chesapeake in exchange for $700. After conducting additional controlled buys of methamphetamine from Elkins, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence and his adjoining garage on March 15, 2023. During the search, officers found approximately 229 grams of methamphetamine, three firearms, and approximately $3,854. Elkins told officers that he sold methamphetamine on a regular basis, was a daily user of methamphetamine, and received the firearms as payment in exchange for methamphetamine. On December 13, 2023, officers recovered an additional pound of methamphetamine from Elkins as part of their investigation. Elkins has a long criminal history that includes prior felony convictions for breaking and entering, grand larceny, forgery, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver marijuana, unarmed robbery, bank robbery, and conspiracy to steal U.S. Treasury checks from the United States Mail. United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh 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. 2:24-cr-15. ###


title: New Jersey Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Heroin and Fentanyl Trafficking

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Western

body_text: PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Fords, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 77 months of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on charges of violating federal drug trafficking laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Ryan Mendoza, 32, on January 22, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, on February 25, 2021, employees of a hotel in Pittsburgh notified the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police that a backpack containing a substantial amount of drugs was located in a room previously occupied by Mendoza. Mendoza was taken into custody by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police when he reentered the hotel and attempted to access his former room. Mendoza admitted to possession of the recovered drugs, which later were determined to be heroin and fentanyl. Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Ball prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mendoza.


title: Erie Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 76 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Walter Scott McMahon, 58, on January 22, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, from in and around July 2019 to June 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, McMahon conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. McMahon was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the methamphetamine that he distributed to others. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of McMahon. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Morrisdale Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

body_text: JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - A resident of Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Shane Hoover, 33, on January 22, 2025. According to information presented to the Court, from in and around November 2019 to June 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Hoover conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Hoover was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hoover. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.


title: Man Sentenced to a Decade in Federal Prison for Attempting to Traffic Cocaine in Chicago

component: USAO - Illinois, Northern

body_text: CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to traffic cocaine that was shipped to Chicago from California. In February 2022, JOSE RAMIREZ-ARELLANO arranged to receive a parcel containing approximately five kilograms of cocaine that was shipped to his residence in Chicago from southern California. Law enforcement intercepted the package, replaced the real cocaine with sham cocaine, and delivered it to Ramirez-Arellano’s residence. Upon receipt, Ramirez-Arellano took the package to a hotel in downtown Chicago, where he was arrested. The federal investigation revealed that Ramirez-Arellano also received a second shipment of approximately five kilograms of cocaine that same month. In addition, law enforcement seized two parcels of bulk cash linked to Ramirez-Arellano, which together contained approximately $43,550. Ramirez-Arellano, 33, pleaded guilty last year to a federal drug charge. U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the prison sentence on Jan. 17, 2025, during a hearing in federal court in Chicago. The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois National Guard Counter-Drug Task Force. “The cocaine that defendant attempted to possess and distribute represented thousands of street-level user quantities of this highly addictive and dangerous narcotic,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Parthum argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Had defendant succeeded in receiving and distributing that cocaine, it would have exacerbated the crisis of addiction and cocaine-related harms and deaths.”


title: Possessing images and videos of child sexual abuse material sends Mexican man to prison

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 22-year-old Mexican citizen has been sentenced for possession of child pornography, announced acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. Kevin Alejandro Santos-Moya pleaded guilty May 30, 2024. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now sentenced Santos-Moya to 60 months in federal prison. The court further ordered him to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Santos-Moya will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. On June 30, 2023, Santos-Moya attempted to enter the United States through the Los Indios Port of Entry. Law enforcement referred him to secondary inspection where they conducted a search of his iPhone and located child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Forensic analysis of the phone resulted in the discovery of a total of 31 images and 37 videos of CSAM. Santos-Moya will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana C. Cano prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page . For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.


title: Ohio Man Charged with Cyberstalking Three Women

component: USAO - Ohio, Northern

body_text: CLEVELAND – A grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, has returned a six-count indictment related to cyberstalking and making online threats. The indictment charges Logan Stanford, 28, of Shelby, Ohio, with cyberstalking at least three individuals. He is also charged with making interstate threatening communications. According to the indictment, from Sept. 1, 2021, through May 31, 2024, Stanford used various electronic communication methods to stalk his victims online, known as cyberstalking. This form of threatening behavior can include unwarranted emails, instant and direct messaging, or liking and commenting on social media posts. Stanford allegedly created many accounts under different names on various online platforms. He found victims to target and repeatedly sent them numerous harassing comments. Many of the electronic messages Stanford sent his victims were sexual or violent in nature or threatened to cause them physical harm. He also created multiple email accounts under different names to send similar intimidating messages. The FBI Cleveland Division is the investigating agency on the case which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Joyce and Michelle M. Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio. January is National Stalking Awareness Month. To learn more, or to make a report, visit stalkingawareness.org/what-to-do-if-you-are-being-stalked/ . An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Felon Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearm on Minneapolis Light Rail

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on June 11, 2024, an anonymous 911 caller reported that a man had threatened to shoot the caller’s boyfriend while riding the light-rail train in Minneapolis. The caller provided a physical description of the man, and said he was carrying a firearm in a blue nylon drawstring backpack. Police responded to the light-rail station at Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis where they saw a man, later identified as George Matthews IV, 34, who fit the caller’s description and was carrying a blue nylon drawstring backpack. Officers shouted at Matthews to stop, but instead, he fled the scene and abandoned the blue backpack as he ran. Inside the backpack, officers found a Kimber Micro 9mm pistol with one round of ammunition in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. Matthews was arrested moments later while wearing a Smith & Wesson belt clip. Because Matthews has prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms. Matthews pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon on September 11, 2024. He was sentenced on January 15, 2025, in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Metro Transit Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Forbes prosecuted the case.


title: Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to ‘Swatting’ Scheme that Took  Over Ring Doorbell Cameras to Livestream Police Response

body_text: LOS ANGELES – A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty today to participating in a one-week nationwide “swatting” spree that gained access to Ring home security door cameras, placed bogus emergency phone calls designed to elicit an armed police response, then livestreamed the events on social media, sometimes while taunting responding police officers in communities such as West Covina and Oxnard. Kya Christian Nelson, 23, of Racine, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information. Nelson, who is doing time in a Kentucky state prison after being convicted in an unrelated case, has been in federal custody since August 2024. “Swatting puts innocent lives in danger,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that individuals who engage in this dangerous conduct will be held accountable through federal prosecutions.” “The defendant’s malicious actions traumatized his victims and put their lives – and the lives of responding officers – at risk," said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “Swatting hoaxes drain crucial law enforcement resources at the expense of taxpayers and diverts police officers from responding to actual crisis situations. This case is a good reminder for security doorbell users that it's important to practice strict cyber hygiene by using difficult passwords and by employing two-factor authentication.” According to his plea agreement, from November 7, 2020, to November 13, 2020, Nelson and co-conspirators gained access to home security door cameras sold by Ring LLC, a Santa Monica-based home security technology company. Nelson acquired without authorization the username and password information for Yahoo! email accounts belonging to victims throughout the United States. The conspirators then determined whether the owner of each compromised Yahoo! account also had a Ring account using the same email address and password that could control associated internet-connected Ring doorbell camera devices. Using that information, they identified and gathered additional information about their victims. Then, the conspirators placed false emergency reports or telephone calls to local law enforcement in the areas where the victims lived. These reports or calls were intended to elicit an emergency police response to the victim’s residence. The conspirators then accessed without authorization the victims’ Ring devices and transmitted the audio and video from those devices on social media during the police response. They also taunted responding police officers and victims through the Ring devices during several of the incidents. For example, on November 8, 2020, Nelson and a co-conspirator accessed without authorization Yahoo! and Ring accounts belonging to a victim in West Covina. A hoax telephone call was placed to the West Covina Police Department purporting to originate from the victim’s residence and posing as a minor child reporting her parents drinking and shooting guns inside the residence. The caller claimed that her parents had multiple firearms and had fired approximately seven gunshots inside the house. Based on this hoax call, West Covina Police Department officers made an emergency response to the house and cleared the residents from the home at gunpoint. During the police response, Nelson accessed the Ring doorbell camera located at the West Covina residence and used it to verbally threaten and taunt the police officers who responded to the reported incident. In another incident, on November 11, 2020, Nelson illegally possessed the Yahoo! and Ring login credentials of a victim living in Oxnard. Nelson then used those credentials to access the victim’s Ring account. Nelson or a co-conspirator made a hoax call to the Oxnard Police Department purporting to be coming from inside the victim’s home. The caller told the police that they were a child whose father was wielding a handgun inside the residence. Nelson made a second hoax call to Oxnard Police to report hearing shots fired at the victim’s residence. Based on these hoax calls, Oxnard Police officers made an emergency response to the house and cleared the residents from the home at gunpoint. Nelson accessed the Ring doorbell camera located at the Oxnard residence and used it to threaten and taunt the police officers who had responded to the reported incident. United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt scheduled a May 1 sentencing hearing, at which time Nelson will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count. One of Nelson’s indicted co-conspirators, James Thomas Andrew McCarty, 22, of Kayenta, Arizona, was sentenced in June 2024 to seven years in federal prison both for his role in this case, and on additional charges in the District of Arizona. In connection with the Ring swatting incidents, McCarty pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy as Nelson. McCarty further admitted to illegally accessing a victim’s Ring camera in Florida and making a call to the North Port Florida Police Department, in which he purported to be the victim’s husband who had just killed her, was holding a hostage, and had rigged explosives at the residence. McCarty then livestreamed the law enforcement response and posted a message on social media taking credit for the swatting incident and stating that he thought it was amusing. The FBI investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Two North Korean Nationals and Three Facilitators Indicted for Multi-Year Fraudulent Remote Information Technology Worker Scheme that Generated Revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

component: Criminal - Office of International Affairs

body_text: Note : View the indictment here . The Justice Department today announced the indictment of North Korean nationals Jin Sung-Il (진성일) and Pak Jin-Song (박진성), Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso De Los Reyes, and U.S. nationals Erick Ntekereze Prince and Emanuel Ashtor for a fraudulent scheme to obtain remote information technology (IT) work with U.S. companies that generated revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). “The Department of Justice remains committed to disrupting North Korea’s cyber-enabled sanctions-evading schemes, which seek to trick U.S. companies into funding the North Korean regime’s priorities, including its weapons programs,” said Supervisory Official Devin DeBacker of the Justice Department's National Security Division. “Our commitment includes the vigorous pursuit of both the North Korean actors and those providing them with material support. It also includes standing side-by-side with U.S. companies to not only disrupt ongoing victimization, but also to help them independently detect and prevent such schemes in the future.” “FBI investigation has uncovered a years-long plot to install North Korean IT workers as remote employees to generate revenue for the DPRK regime and evade sanctions,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The indictments announced today should highlight to all American companies the risk posed by the North Korean government. As always, the FBI is available to assist victims of the DPRK. Please reach out to your local FBI field office should you have any questions or concerns.” According to the indictment, over the course of their scheme, from approximately April 2018 through August 2024, the defendants and their unindicted co-conspirators obtained work from at least sixty-four U.S. companies. Payments from ten of those companies generated at least $866,255 in revenue, most of which the defendants then laundered through a Chinese bank account. As part of this prosecution, the FBI arrested Ntekereze and Ashtor and executed a search of Ashtor’s residence in North Carolina, where he previously operated a “laptop farm” that hosted victim company-provided laptops to deceive companies into thinking they had hired U.S.-located workers. Alonso was arrested in the Netherlands on Jan. 10, pursuant to an arrest warrant from the United States. The DPRK has dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers to live abroad, primarily in China and Russia, with the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as freelance IT workers to generate revenue for the regime. DPRK IT worker schemes involve the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the United States and elsewhere. As described in a May 2022 tri-seal public service advisory released by the FBI, and State and Treasury Departments, such IT workers have been known individually earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction programs. According to the indictment, the defendants used forged and stolen identity documents, including U.S. passports containing the stolen personally identifiable information of a U.S. person, to conceal the true identities of Jin, Pak, and other North Korean co-conspirators, so that these North Korean nationals could circumvent sanctions and other laws to obtain employment with U.S. companies. Ntekereze and Ashtor received laptops from U.S. company employers at their residences, downloading and installing remote access software on them, without authorization, to facilitate IT worker access and to perpetuate the deception of U.S. companies. The defendants further conspired to launder payments for the remote IT work through a variety of accounts designed to promote the scheme and conceal its proceeds. All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to cause damage to a protected computer, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transfer false identification documents. Jin and Pak are charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence of each defendant after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Under the Department-wide “DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative,” launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, Department prosecutors and agents are prioritizing the identification and shuttering of U.S.-based “laptop farms” – locations hosting laptops provided by victim U.S. companies to individuals they believed were legitimate U.S.-based freelance IT workers – and the investigation and prosecution of individuals hosting them. Today’s announcement follows successful actions taken by the Department in October 2023 , May 2024 , August 2024 , and December 2024 , which targeted similar and related conduct. The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Stratton and Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was also provided by Tracy Varghese and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The FBI, in conjunction with the State and Treasury Departments, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector, and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and in May 2024 by the FBI, which include indicators to watch for that are consistent with the North Korea IT worker fraud and the use of U.S.-based laptop farms. Today, the FBI issued additional guidance regarding extortion and theft of sensitive company data by North Korean IT workers, along with recommended mitigations. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Former Bosnian Prison Camp Supervisor Sentenced to More than Five Years in Prison for Concealing Participation in Wartime Persecution

body_text: BOSTON – A Swampscott, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a 25-year scheme to conceal his persecution of ethnic Serbs during the Bosnian War as well as making false claims to become a refugee to the United States and ultimately a United States citizen. Kemal Mrndzic, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 65 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024 , Mrndzic was convicted by a federal jury of engaging in a scheme to conceal his involvement in the persecution of Serb prisoners at the notorious Celebici prison camp in Bosnia in 1992; making a false statement to federal agents about his role at the camp; possessing a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card; and using a fraudulently obtained passport and certificate of naturalization. “For over two decades, Mr. Mrndzic evaded accountability for his participation in the persecution and torture of countless victims at the camp. By holding him accountable for his lies and fraudulent conduct, this sentence reinforces our resolve to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and human rights abuses are identified, exposed, and prosecuted. This case underscores that we will not allow our nation to be a refuge for those who seek to escape justice,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The government will be working to ensure that his fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship is revoked.” “Through the brave testimony of the survivors of the Celebici prison camp, the persecution Mrndzic attempted to conceal was finally brought to light after over 30 years. Though we can never undo what the survivors endured, I hope this sentence brings some measure of justice, no matter how long delayed,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New England. “HSI remains tireless in our effort to pursue war criminals and human rights violators who attempt to evade justice.” Mrndzic served as a supervisor of the guards at the notorious Celebici prison camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the sectarian war which fractured the country in the 1990s. Twenty-one former detainees described Mrndzic as one of the most notable guards at the camp, who was widely known for his particularly vicious treatment of prisoners and his close association with the camp deputy commander. Mrndzic participated in the systematic and pervasive brutal torture and deprivation of basic human needs of hundreds of captive victims – some of whom were elderly – at the Celebici prison camp. For seven months, victims were forcibly detained with starvation rations, at times forced into lightless, airless manholes that were sealed for hours at a time. Victims also endured daily and nightly beatings that were administered by the guards at the camp — with baseball bats, wooden poles and rifle buts. Camp survivors who testified at trial in October 2024 recounted murders, the burning of one detainee’s tongue with a heated knife blade, the wrapping of another detainee with a long explosive fuse cord and then lighting it on fire, sexual abuse and other harrowing acts committed over a period of many months. One survivor recounted the beating death of a 70-year-old detainee whom guards pinned a military badge to his forehead while he was still dying. Survivors also testified about being starved and deprived of the most basic needs, including sleeping on the concrete floor of a sheet metal hanger for months on end while being fed only a slice of bread a day. A United Nations tribunal investigated the crimes committed at Celebici in the 1990s and convicted the two top commanders of the camp and one particularly sadistic guard on numerous crimes including murder and torture. While Mrndzic was interviewed by investigators in connection with that case in 1996, he was not charged by international authorities. Mrndzic subsequently concocted a scheme to leave Bosnia by crossing the border into Croatia and applying as a refugee to the United States using a fabricated story. In his refugee application and interview, he falsely claimed that he fled his home after he was captured, interrogated and abused by Serb forces, and could not return home for fear of future persecution. As the government argued at trial, Mrndzic used his own experience as a persecutor to press a false narrative that he had been persecuted. He was admitted to the U.S. as a refugee in 1999, and ultimately became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009. Many Celebici survivors became refugees during and after the Bosnian War. Some came to the United States and have since become U.S. citizens. The survivors living in the United States played a central role in the investigation and prosecution of this case. They provided critical trial testimony and submitted moving victim impact statements. U.S. Attorney Foley; HSI SAC Krol; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and the United States Embassies in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Helsinki. The Australian Federal Police, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Ministry of Justice, Serbian Ministry of Justice, law enforcement authorities in Finland and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all provided valuable assistance. The Cook County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office and Swampscott (Mass.) Police Department also provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. McNeil and Jason A. Casey of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Dyersburg Man Sentenced in Federal and State Courts

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Jackson, TN – A Dyersburg man was recently sentenced to prison in both federal and state courts for sexual abuse. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, and Danny H. Goodman, Jr., District Attorney General for the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District, jointly announced the sentence today. According to the information presented in court, Robert Galler, 52 , traveled to Iowa in 2020 and returned to Tennessee with a victim, identified as Minor A in the indictment. In 2022, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services received a referral of sexual abuse at Galler’s residence in Dyersburg. Upon arrival, DCS workers encountered three minor females who each alleged sexual and physical abuse by Galler. The victims underwent forensic interviews with the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse detailing the abuse, which had occurred continually over four years. On September 11, 2024, Galler pled guilty in federal court to transporting a minor with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. On January 8, 2025, Senior United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Galler to 300 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release and lifetime placement on the sex offender registry. There is no parole in the federal system. Following federal sentencing, Galler returned to state custody. On January 21, 2025, he entered guilty pleas to one count of rape of a child and one count of rape. Dyer County Circuit Court Judge Mark Hayes sentenced Galler to 25 years’ imprisonment, placement on the sex offender registry, and lifetime supervision. Pursuant to state law, Galler must serve 100% of the sentence. The sentences between both courts were ordered to run concurrently. District Attorney General Danny H. Goodman, Jr., who assigned Andrew Hays as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, stated, “I would first like to thank Assistant District Attorney, Andrew Hays, for the time he dedicated to this case. The goal of the Office of the District Attorney General is to seek justice on behalf of the State of Tennessee and victims of crime. This case is a perfect example of how the partnership with our office and the United States Department of Justice allowed us to accomplish that goal. This office will always prosecute crimes involving children with as much zeal as possible.” The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, and the Dyersburg Police Department. Acting United States Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Hays for the Western District of Tennessee, who prosecuted the case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated it. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Canadian Dark Web Vendor Sentenced for Importing Millions of Counterfeit Xanax Pills into the United States

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: ATLANTA - Arden McCann has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in operating an international narcotics distribution ring over the dark web where millions of counterfeit Xanax pills were imported and sold to customers in the United States. “Counterfeit pill production and distribution continues to pose a grave threat to public safety, especially when trafficked anonymously using dark web marketplaces,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Due to the diligent investigative efforts of our state, federal, and foreign law enforcement partners, McCann’s illegal drug operation has been dismantled.” “Arden McCann’s actions put profits before public health and safety,” said Jae Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA will continue to make sure those who hide behind a keyboard and use the dark web to profit off lives are held accountable.” “This country is in the midst of a catastrophic overdose epidemic where the threat from synthetic opioids disguised as fake prescription medication is extremely high. The FBI will do whatever is necessary to hold criminals who sell counterfeit drugs accountable,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This sentencing is a testament to the great law enforcement collaboration by agencies here in Georgia, as well as nationally and internationally.” “McCann’s sentencing sends a clear message that drug trafficking and the devastation it brings to our communities will not be tolerated. We remain committed to holding those accountable who distribute this poison and threaten public safety,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “Our office will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt these dangerous networks and protect the well-being of our citizens.” “This drug trafficking investigation required significant coordination from multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies along with our international partners to identify and interrupt the distribution of these dangerous drugs,” said Jason Krizmanich, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors will continue to pursue anyone who illegally utilize the mail system.” “The issue of fentanyl and illicit opioids remains a top concern for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and we remain committed to collaborating with our international law enforcement partners to actively pursue the criminal networks that are fueling this public health epidemic,” said Superintendent Marie Eve Lavallée, Assistant Criminal Operations Officer, Organized Crime Program, RCMP Federal Policing – Eastern Region According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges and other information presented in court: In October 2015, McCann was arrested by the Laval (Quebec, Canada) Police after he was identified as selling drugs on the dark web using the moniker “DRXanax.” As part of that investigation, Canadian authorities seized approximately two million counterfeit Xanax pills, five pill presses, alprazolam powder, 3,000 MDMA pills, over $200,000 in cash, 15 firearms, ballistic vests, and drug ledgers. The drug ledgers revealed McCann and others purchased alprazolam from China, pressed the alprazolam into counterfeit Xanax pills, then sold the pills to customers throughout the United States. Despite his arrest, McCann continued to operate on the dark web to sell narcotics, including fentanyl analogues. A subsequent investigation by U.S. law enforcement revealed that from at least November 2015 to February 2020, McCann operated numerous vendor pages on over ten marketplaces on the dark web. The investigation also revealed that McCann, who used various monikers, was one of the largest drug vendors on the dark web between 2015 and 2020, distributing drugs to 49 states and generating more than $10 million dollars of revenue. McCann was arrested by Canadian authorities on February 26, 2020, on the charges from the Northern District of Georgia, and was extradited to the United States on June 9, 2022. Arden McCann, 37, of Quebec, Canada, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to 30 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also fined $1 million dollars. McCann was convicted of drug importation and money laundering conspiracies on September 23, 2023, after he pleaded guilty. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with invaluable assistance provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brock Brockington and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tal Chaiken and Nick Hartigan prosecuted the case. Trial Attorneys from the Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in this case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Two Tucson Men Sentenced for Conspiring to Travel to the Middle East to Fight for ISIS

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Ahmed Mahad Mohamed, 27, and Abdi Yemeni Hussein, 26, both citizens of Somalia who were living in Tucson at the time of the offense, were sentenced last week by Chief United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps. Mohamed was sentenced to 132 months in prison and Hussein was sentenced to 96 months in prison, followed by lifetime terms of supervised release. Chief Judge Zipps also ordered that both defendants be removed from the United States to Somalia following their sentences of imprisonment. Mohamed and Hussein pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), on August 1, 2024. From late 2018 or early 2019 until their arrest on July 26, 2019, Mohamed and Hussein conspired with each other to travel to Egypt for the purpose of fighting for ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula. Beginning in at least August 2018, Mohamed sought out other ISIS supporters online, stating that he wanted to travel to ISIS-controlled territory to become “the beheading guy” and martyr himself. Mohamed also stated that his only dream was to go to Syria, join ISIS, and “fight jihad,” and he indicated that his friend, Hussein, also desired to travel to ISIS territory abroad. Mohamed and Hussein met in person in 2019 to discuss their plans. Mohamed reiterated that his goal was to fight for ISIS abroad. Hussein told Mohamed that they would either reach ISIS territory “or we go to jail,” and suggested attacking the White House if they were prevented from traveling. By June 2019, the defendants began making travel arrangements to join ISIS. They both sold their cars and purchased plane tickets from Tucson to Cairo. On the morning of July 26, 2019, the defendants checked in for their flight at the Tucson International Airport, went through security screening, and walked to the departure gate. Mohamed was carrying approximately $10,000 that he and Hussein planned to use for travel expenses and to buy firearms. Once in Egypt, the defendants intended to smuggle themselves into the ISIS-controlled area of the Sinai Peninsula so they could work under the direction and control of ISIS. Before Mohamed and Hussein could board their flight, the FBI arrested them. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section handled the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: CR-19-2162-TUC-JGZ RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-008_Mohamed # # # 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: Charlotte Man Is Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Two Armed Carjackings

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man involved in two separate carjackings was sentenced to prison today, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Kaionta Dabney, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for each carjacking offense, for a combined sentence of 14 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski also ordered Dabney to serve two years under court supervision after he is released from prison. Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. According to court documents and court proceedings, on January 11, 2023, Dabney and his co-conspirator, Marcus Mayfield, were driving together when they began to follow a Dodge Hellcat vehicle, driven by R.P., who was the owner of the vehicle. When R.P. parked and exited his vehicle, Dabney and Mayfield approached the victim. Mayfield brandished a firearm and held R.P. at gunpoint, while Dabney took the victim’s key fob for the vehicle. Dabney and Mayfield then got into the vehicle and drove away. The victim reported that in addition to stealing the vehicle, Dabney and Mayfield took $2,000 in cash and a .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun which was in the vehicle. Eleven days later, on January 22, 2023, court documents show that Dabney and another co-conspirator, Bobby Gene Valentine, followed a Chevrolet Camaro driven by G.P. After G.P. parked and exited his vehicle, Dabney approached G.P., pointed a firearm at him and demanded his car. The victim did not speak English and did not know what Dabney was saying. G.P. then tried to run away, and Dabney shot him multiple times using the firearm stolen from the previous carjacking. Dabney then got in the victim’s vehicle and sped away. The shooting inflicted serious bodily injury to the victim who required emergency surgery. On June 12, 2024, Dabney pleaded guilty to possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence for the first carjacking, and carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury for the second incident. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Valentine pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury and possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced today to 11 years in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Mayfield has pleaded guilty to carjacking and is awaiting sentencing. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King credited the ATF and CMPD for the investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Sielaff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.


title: Broward County Man Sentenced To Prison For Filing Thousands Of Fraudulent COVID-19 Testing Reimbursement Claims, And Ordered To Forfeit Over $5.6 Million And Properties

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven today sentenced Willie F. Murray, Jr. (55, West Park) to five years and one month in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered Murray to forfeit $5,671,611.74 in U.S. currency, $1,578,925.56 from a bank account, and six real properties located in Punta Gorda, Fort Lauderdale, Belle Glade, Hollywood, and South Bay, Florida, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. Murray entered a guilty plea on September 20, 2024. According to court documents, Murray was the registered agent and manager of Lab Tess, LLC (Lab Tess), a Florida company that purportedly provided its customers COVID-19 testing services. In fact, Lab Tess provided no such services. Murray used Lab Tess to submit fraudulent claims for reimbursement to the Health Resources and Services Administration for COVID-19 testing services supposedly provided to uninsured individuals. To complete the illegal scheme, Murray used personal identifying information of individuals incarcerated by the Florida Department of Corrections, individuals falsely reported as having been tested at homeless shelters and electrical substations, and deceased individuals. Murray submitted more than126,000 fraudulent claims and received reimbursement in the approximate amount of $5,671,611, which he used, in part, to purchase real properties in South Florida. This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Pizzo and Suzanne Nebesky. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by contacting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.


title: Kenton County Man Sentenced for   Arson and Unlawful Possession of Explosive Devices

component: USAO - Kentucky, Eastern

body_text: COVINGTON, Ky. – A Covington man, David Juarez, 39, was sentenced on Wednesday to 137 months in prison, by U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning for arson and unlawful possession of a destructive device. According to his plea agreement, between March 6 and 9, 2023, Juarez maliciously set fire to two structures, using an ignitable liquid and Molotov cocktails. Specifically, sometime before February 28, 2023, and then again sometime before March 5, 2023, Juarez burglarized an apartment in Covington. During each burglary, Juarez stole personal items belonging to the resident. On March 6, 2023, Juarez burglarized the apartment again and stole additional personal property; but before leaving, he poured and set fire to an ignitable liquid in two locations within the apartment. On March 9, 2023, Juarez committed another arson, this time firebombing a restaurant in Covington. Juarez used the bottles of alcohol he had previously stolen in the first burglary to create Molotov cocktails, throwing them into the restaurant. The Covington Fire Department were able to extinguish the fire before the fire spread or caused significant damage. Under federal law, Juarez must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence. The investigation was conducted by ATF and Covington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel King is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. – END –


title: Serial Rapist Pleads Guilty to Three Stranger Sexual Attacks

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Jose Angel Gomez, 42, formerly of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of first degree sexual abuse while armed, one count of first degree sexual abuse, one count of attempt first degree sexual abuse, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon for three rapes between July and October 2018 involving three different victims who were strangers to him, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The defendant faces a period of incarceration of between 25 ½ and 35 years as part of the plea agreement if accepted by the Honorable Todd Edelman of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Edelman scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2025. The defendant admitted to the following facts related to each crime. On July 15, 2018, the 22-year-old victim returned home from a night out at approximately 2:40 AM. Shortly thereafter, she heard a knock at her basement door. Shortly after the victim opened the door, the defendant, Jose Gomez, grabbed and forced her to the ground. He brandished a knife and forcibly penetrated the victim’s vulva with his penis. Unable to obtain an erection, the defendant put his mouth on the victim’s vulva and ordered her to be quiet. The defendant cut the victim’s left cheek with the knife. Ultimately, the victim escaped to the safety of her home after kicking the defendant. She ran up the stairs where she called 911. On September 7, 2018, at approximately 11:40 PM, the defendant, Jose Gomez, followed his second victim, who was 37 years old at the time, as she walked from the Fort Totten Metro station to the nearby 7-11 at 5210 3 rd Street, Northeast. He followed the victim into the 7-11. He then followed her after she left the 7-11. Once in the area of the 100 block of Farragut Street, Northeast, a wooded access road for Metro, the defendant grabbed the victim, pulled her into a wooded area, brandished a knife, and ordered her to take off her pants. With a knife to her throat and one hand around her neck, the defendant removed the victim’s pants and forcibly penetrated her vulva with his penis. The defendant told the victim, “Shut up, b*tch, and have sex with me!” During the rape, the victim’s phone rang numerous times. The victim told the defendant it was her brother who would come looking for her if she did not answer. The defendant jumped up and fled giving victim the opportunity to get away and flag down police. On October 21, 2018, at approximately 6:30 AM, the defendant’s third victim was waiting at the corner of 7 th and Longfellow Streets, Northwest for an Uber to work. It was early and the area was largely deserted. As the victim waited alone, the defendant, Jose Gomez, approached and asked her if she was ok and what she was doing. The victim told him she was waiting for an Uber. The defendant continued to speak to the victim, who told him to leave her alone. The defendant continued to linger in the area. As the victim continued to stand on the corner and saw on the Uber App that that her car was getting further away, she began to feel unsafe and started to walk back towards her apartment building. The defendant followed her. The victim told him to stop. The defendant grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. The victim could not breath. The defendant began saying vulgar things. He dragged the victim into the alley, forced her to the ground, and removed her pants. He put his mouth on her vulva, penetrated her vulva with his finger and objects including a pen and keys, and penetrated her vulva with his penis. Every time the victim tried to move the defendant squeezed her neck. When the victim began to cry, the defendant told her to “shut the f*ck up.” Once the defendant ejaculated, he got up and while laughing stated, “I will see you around!” The defendant then fled on foot. These violent sexual assaults were solved with a combination of DNA and other evidence. Once identified, Gomez was arrested in Louisville, Kentucky on June 7, 2023 and transported by law enforcement to Washington, D.C. The defendant has been incarcerated ever since. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Sexual Assault Unit and the Cold Case Unit of the Sexual Assault Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti, Sharon Donovan, and Amy Zubrensky. This case was brought as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative. In February 2018, the U.S. Attorney created the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative, designed to work with law enforcement partners to reinvestigate, solve and bring charges in previously-unsolved cases of sexual assault of adults and juveniles. The Cold Case Initiative works with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the United States Marshal’s Service, and state and local law enforcement agencies in the DMV area and nationwide. ##


title: Hartford Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Victims Who Advertised Goods on Internet Marketplaces

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JALEN LASALLE, 20, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 120 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 Departments 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 Lasalle and John Villegas, also known as “Kirby,” 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. Lasalle was arrested on February 3, 2023. On September 18, 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, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on February 24. Villegas and Meneses pleaded guilty to related charges. On January 8, 2025, Villegas was sentenced to 156 months of imprisonment and, on October 16, 2024, Meneses was sentenced to 63 months of imprisonment. This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Hartford Police Department, and the Middletown Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie T. Levick and A. Reed Durham. Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman 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: January Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments Announced

component: USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

body_text: United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the January Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments. The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence. Bradley Andrew Friend. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Production of Child Pornography; Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Friend, 40, of Oologah, is charged with enticing and persuading a minor child to engage in sexual activity. He is further charged with producing, possessing, receiving, and distributing materials that depict the sexual abuse of children. The Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-013 Gary Syd Goldberg. Possession of Child Pornography . Goldberg, 76, of Mannford, is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Mannford Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Richard is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-253 Shawn Ray Murnan. Bank Fraud (Counts 1 through 4); False Statements (Counts 5 through 8); Unlawful Monetary Transactions (Counts 9 through 14). Murnan, 56, of Windemere, Florida, is charged with fraudulently submitting 14 applications on behalf of his various businesses seeking more than $2.7 million in CARES Act Funds. Of those applications, Murnan received more than $1.6 million in PPP and EIDL loans. After receiving CARES Act funds, Murnan requested loan forgiveness. More than $1.3 million was forgiven. Two of the PPP loans were funded by a bank located within the NDOK. Each application submitted by Murnan contained false representations and inaccurate accounting regarding employees' wages, including that he owned no other businesses. The FRB-CFPB Office of the Inspector General, the SBA Office of the Inspector General, and TIGTA are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Whipple and Cheryl Baber are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-014 Xavion Eugene Paggett. Attempted Bank Robbery; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Paggett, 24, of Broken Arrow, is charged with using a firearm to rob a bank in Nov. 2024. He is further charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The FBI and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema M. Onias is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-012 Anthony Clay Russell. First Degree Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (superseding). Russell, 32, of Tulsa and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with maliciously killing Tasha Shepard on Oct. 22, 2024. He is further charged with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and intentionally assaulting a second victim with a dangerous weapon. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. McConney and John Brasher are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-365 Marcos Javier Suazo-Otero; Marcos Javier Suazo-Mancilla. Drug Conspiracy (Count 1); Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Counts 2 and 3); Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Count 4); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Counts 5 and 6); Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien (Count 7); Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 8); Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of Firearms (Count 9) (superseding). Suazo-Otero, 46, and Suazo-Mancilla, 23, both Mexican nationals, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 2024 through Nov. 2024. They are further charged with maintaining a residence for drug distribution. Suazo-Otero knowingly possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is additionally charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Aug. 2018. Lastly, Suazo-Mancilla knowingly possessed cocaine with intent to distribute, possessed firearms while drug trafficking, and knowingly did so while being an alien illegally in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-397


title: Rensselaer County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Cardwell, age 39, of Rensselaer County, pled guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. Cardwell admitted that he sexually abused an approximately 7-year-old girl over a period of months and created sexually explicit images of that victim. Cardwell also acknowledged that he had a collection of approximately 1,000 CSAM files that he obtained via the internet, including pictures of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity. At sentencing scheduled for May 23, 2025, before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci, Cardwell faces a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of 15 years and a maximum imprisonment term of 50 years, post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, special assessments, restitution to the victims, and forfeiture of the property he used to commit he offenses. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Cardwell also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, and the Troy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Stamford Hotel to Make Significant Changes to Comply with the ADA

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has entered into a settlement agreement with Stamford Hotel Propco, LLC and MJ Hotels of Stamford, LLC, owner and manager of Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa (“Stamford Marriott”), located in Stamford, to resolve allegations that the hotel was not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). The settlement agreement, which resolves an ADA complaint filed by an individual with a disability alleging that the Stamford Marriott was not accessible for individuals with physical disabilities, requires the hotel to make a suite accessible for individuals with mobility disabilities, make 14 additional rooms accessible for individuals with hearing disabilities, and make numerous changes in other accessible rooms to bring them into compliance with the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. The hotel will also add accessible dining surfaces to its lobby restaurants and make changes in the restrooms located on the lobby, lower level, and mezzanine to make them more accessible. It will also make changes to its parking garage, including by adding signs and access aisles to accessible parking spaces and adjusting several curb ramps so that they are accessible. The Stamford Marriott is in the process of making the changes required by the settlement agreement and will continue to make improvements over the next 30 months. Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation,” including hotels and inns, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability. The ADA authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities. The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties. Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-696-3000. Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov , or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt . This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart C. Dearing.


title: Connecticut Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Aiding and Abetting Bank Robbery

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Connecticut man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a Martha’s Vineyard bank robbery. Romane Andre Clayton, 22, of New Haven, Conn., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2024, Clayton pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting bank robbery. In March 2023, Clayton was indicted by a federal grand jury and a superseding indictment was filed in April 2023. Clayton met Omar Johnson, Tevin Porter and Miquel Jones in Martha’s Vineyard on Nov. 16, 2022 to plan a bank robbery. Jones identified the bank they would be robbing and provided the others with dark-colored clothing and plastic masks that resembled an elderly man with exaggerated facial features. On the morning of Nov. 17, 2022, the group drove to the area of the Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury. Porter, Jones and Johnson hid in bushes near the rear of the bank, and Clayton drove their car to the Manuel Correllus State Forest. Clayton then rode a bicycle back to the bank, where he stood outside to serve as a lookout during the robbery. Clayton had a walkie talkie to communicate with the others inside the bank. As bank employees arrived to open the bank for the day, Porter, Jones and Johnson forced their way through the rear door of the Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury. The men were armed with two semi-automatic handguns and wearing the clothes and masks that Jones had provided. Once inside the bank, one of the individuals held a gun to the head of one of the bank employees, forced the employee to open the bank’s vault and took approximately $39,100. The bank employees were bound with duct tape and plastic zip ties while their belongings were searched and the robbers demanded access to one of their vehicles. Jones, Porter and Johnson then left the bank in an employee’s car, picked up Clayton outside the bank and drove to the Manuel Correllus State Forest where they abandoned the employee’s car in a parking lot. They then fled in the vehicle that Clayton had left for purposes of their escape. Later that morning, Porter and Clayton left Martha’s Vineyard together on a ferry. Meanwhile, Johnson and Jones drove to a local farm associated with Jones’s landscaping job to dispose of the equipment that had been used during the bank robbery. At the farm, they buried the two firearms used in the robbery in a hole in the ground and burned the remainder of the robbery equipment, including the plastic masks. After the evidence was disposed of, Jones returned home to his residence where he hid the approximately $39,100 that had been stolen from the bank, in his bedroom under a bureau. Johnson left Martha’s Vineyard, reconvened with Porter and Clayton in Woods Hole and then drove them to the area of Johnson’s home in New Hampshire. In December 2024 Jones was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson and Porter have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts State Police; the Tisbury, West Tisbury, Edgartown, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Aquinnah, Canterbury (N.H.) and New Haven (Conn.) Police Departments; United States Postal Inspection Service; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and United States Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.


title: Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Charge

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced on January 16, 2025 to 22 years (264 months) in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to public court documents, Ricardo De Jesus Guzman-Corona, 39, a Mexican national, facilitated the importation and distribution of mass amounts of methamphetamine to the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area over a three-year period while living in Mexico. Guzman-Corona conspired to distribute methamphetamine with individuals linked to the Sinaloa cartel. Guzman-Corona was responsible for the distribution of more than 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Omaha and Council Bluffs areas. After completing his term of imprisonment, Guzman-Corona will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, and Omaha Police Department. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .