title: Capital Region Man Sentenced to 180 Months for Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Klugo, age 46, of East Greenbush, New York, was sentenced July 1, 2026 to 180 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release for distributing and possessing child pornography. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement. As part of his guilty plea , Klugo admitted that in June 2024, he used an end-to-end encrypted messaging application to distribute an image of child pornography. In addition, in or about June 2024, he possessed approximately 6 videos and 100 images of child pornography on his cellular phone. Klugo also admitted that in or about July 2024, he possessed approximately 2 videos of child pornography in an online storage account. In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Klugo to pay a total of $55,356 in restitution to victims. Klugo also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said, “Thanks to the incredible work of the FBI, New York State Police, Colonie Police Department, and the Rotterdam Police Department, this defendant has been brought to justice. Working together through Project Safe Childhood, federal, state, and local law enforcement are empowered to go after those who seek to harm our children and bring justice to victims across the Northern District.” “This sentence represents the FBI’s unwavering commitment to working with the outstanding partners on our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force to investigate and hold accountable any individual who exploits our children. Together, we will continue to leverage every resource necessary to ensure every victim is delivered the justice they deserve.” Said Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI – Albany. This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department, Rotterdam Police Department, and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney A.J. Vickey prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: No one is above the law—Florida mother-daughter duo sentenced and ordered to pay over $800k for fraud scheme

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: Tera Marie Campbell, 47, of Maitland, Florida, and her daughter, Tayler Ann Krauss, 27, of McDavid, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Campbell was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, while Krauss received two years of home confinement. The court ordered both women to pay $735,717.63 in restitution to Wyoming Medicaid for losses related to the conspiracy. The judge also ordered Campbell to pay $135,890.91 to the military's Tricare program, specifying that Krauss is co-responsible for up to $71,509.44 of the Tricare total. Separately, Campbell was sentenced in January for related frauds in North Dakota, where she received a three-year suspended sentence, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to repay an additional $225,000 to North Dakota’s Medicaid program. According to court documents, Campbell, was the owner of The Olive Branch, LLC, a behavioral health clinic that offered services for children with autism in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Minot, North Dakota. The charges accused Campbell of using the clinic to orchestrate a multi-year Medicaid fraud scheme that included fraudulent Medicaid claims for uncertified care, claims upcoded to a higher-paying service, and bills for services that did not occur. This included dates when the clinic was closed and while Campbell was out of the country on vacation. Investigators alleged Krauss worked as a medical biller and assisted with service documentation for the clinic from December 2020 through October 2022. The investigation found the clinic relied extensively on untrained employees, falsified certification and supervision records, and submitted fraudulent claims despite knowing the services did not meet Medicaid requirements. The pair was indicted on May 21, 2025, and pleaded guilty on April 9, 2026. U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin sentenced Krauss on June 29 and Campbell on June 30 in Cheyenne. This case is the result of a joint investigation between the Wyoming Attorney General's Office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Kirchefer prosecuted the case. “Medicaid fraud steals taxpayer dollars from programs that millions of Americans depend on and undermines care for vulnerable patients,” said U.S. Attorney Darin Smith. “I am committed to holding accountable those who exploit these programs for personal gain. Working alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute healthcare fraud to protect public resources and preserve the integrity of our nation's healthcare system.” “This prosecution represents a successful partnership between state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat fraud,” said Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz as he praised the work of his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Wyoming Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes fraud and related crimes committed by Wyoming Medicaid providers. The unit also investigates and prosecutes instances of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation by Medicaid providers and in Medicaid-funded settings. Suspected fraud against Medicaid or Medicare can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) and the agency’s website https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/ . Wyoming residents can call the Wyoming Medicaid Fraud Control Unit toll free at 1-800-378-0345, or visit their website at http://ag.wyo.gov/medicaid-fraud-control-unit . Case No. 25-CR-00091


title: Boston Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for cocaine trafficking charges, following a series of arrests targeting gangs in the Brockton and Randolph areas. The charges stemmed from the search of a luxury apartment in Dorchester, where over a kilogram of cocaine and two loaded guns were recovered. Adonis Graham, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2026 , Graham pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His co-defendant, Giovany Fouyolle, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced in June 2026 to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Fouyolle and Graham were arrested on Dec. 17, 2025, after search warrants were executed at numerous residences and stash houses associated with the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates. One of the places searched was a unit at the Imprint Apartments in Dorchester, which Fouyolle used as a stash location. Approximately 1,170 grams of cocaine, along with two loaded guns and $2,000 cash in bare kitchen cabinets, were located in the apartment. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Division; the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; and the Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.


title: Alien From Slovakia Charged with Illegally Voting in a Federal Election and Making False Statements while Applying for U.S. Citizenship

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: NEWARK, N.J. – A resident alien in New Jersey was arrested and charged with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today. Marian Charitun, 62, of Middlesex County, was charged by criminal complaint with voting by an alien in a federal election, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 611; and procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1425(a). He had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: In order to register to vote and vote in federal elections, a person must be a United States citizen. Charitun was not a citizen of the United States when he registered to vote in New Jersey. On his voter registration form, however, Charitun falsely certified and attested that he was a United States citizen. After his application to register was approved, Charitun, still without United States citizenship, voted in the November 8, 2022 midterm election that was held in part for the purpose of electing a Member of the United States House of Representatives. Then, after illegally voting in a federal election, Charitun applied to become a United States citizen by submitting an application for naturalization (an “N-400”). An N-400 requires the applicant to swear under penalty of perjury that the information provided in the application is complete, true, and correct. However, Charitun falsely claimed in his N-400 to have never registered to vote or to have voted in any federal elections. If convicted, the count of voting by an alien in a federal election carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison. The count of unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the investigation. This case was brought under the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners focused on preserving and protecting the integrity of elections conducted in the District of New Jersey. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### charitun.complaint.pdf


title: Twice Deported Guatemalan National Living in Hartford Admits Illegally Reentering U.S.

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONY GALEANO LOPEZ-GARCIA, also known as Yoni Lopez Garcia, 27, a citizen of Guatemala last residing in Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to unlawful reentry of a removed alien. According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2017, Lopez-Garcia was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. He was deported to Guatemala in December 2017 and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of five years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently reentered the U.S. in January 2018. He was convicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas of illegally entering the U.S. In February 2018, he was deported to Guatemala and warned that he could not return to the U.S. for a period of 20 years. Lopez-Garcia subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S. On November 27, 2025, Hartford Police arrested Lopez-Garcia under the name Yoni Lopez Garcia and charged him with assault first degree, conspiracy to commit assault first degree, assault third degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, threatening second degree by physical threat, and other offenses. He was released on bond in his state case. On April 27, 2026, the U.S. District Court in Hartford issued a criminal complaint charging Lopez-Garcia with unlawful reentry. He was located and arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on April 28, 2026, in Hartford, and has been detained since his arrest. At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Lopez-Garcia faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years. This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Osage Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who downloaded hundreds of photos and videos of child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Damon Wesley Powers, age 44, from Osage, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography. Evidence at a prior hearing showed that law enforcement officers searched Powers’s house in Osage in June 2025. Agents found child pornography on his phone, including depictions of prepubescent children. Powers had also stored hundreds of additional photos and videos of child pornography in a cloud‑based account. In an interview with law enforcement officers, Powers admitted that he had sent and received child pornography. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC . Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Powers remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Powers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber Crime Bureau, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and the Osage Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 26-CR-2015. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Defendants Sentenced for Visa Fraud and Conspiracy  to Commit Illegal Entry by False or Misleading Statements

component: USAO - Guam & Northern Mariana Islands

body_text: Hagåtña – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendants, Jung Hoon Song, a citizen of the Republic of Korea, and Bonnie Jo C. Quichocho, from Barrigada, Guam, were sentenced in the District Court of Guam for their roles in visa fraud involving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). Jung Hoon Song, age 49 – pleaded guilty to Visa Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a), with a sentence of one-year probation, a $500 fine, and a $100 special assessment fee. The Court ordered Song to report to immigration officials for potential deportation proceedings. Bonnie Jo C. Quichocho, age 50 – pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Illegal Entry by False or Misleading Representation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)(3), with a sentence of six months of probation, a $500 fine, and a $100 special assessment fee. The defendants’ conspiracy spanned from January 2008 to May 2022. They married on December 24, 2011, and then filed a Form I‑130 Petition for Alien Relative and a G-325A Biographic Information Form with USCIS. In these documents, Quichocho and Song misrepresented that they resided together in Guam. The documents were filed for Song to obtain a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a “green card,” enabling him to live and work in the United States. Based on these petitions, Song obtained conditional permanent resident status on June 7, 2012, along with a green card. On May 7, 2014, Quichocho and Song jointly submitted a Form I‑751 petition to remove the conditions on Song’s green card, again falsely representing that they lived together. In fact, the defendants never resided together at any time before or after their marriage, and the false statements were made to obtain immigration benefits for Song. The defendants divorced on May 17, 2018. “Federal law enables immigrants to acquire permanent resident status after entering legitimate marriages,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Aliens who engage in sham marriages to gain legal status, and those who assist them, undermine the integrity of this process. We will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in our immigration system.” “This sentencing is a reminder that actions have consequences under our country’s immigration laws,” said CJ Ammons, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI will continue to work alongside our federal and local partners in Guam to hold individuals accountable under the more than 400 federal laws we are tasked with enforcing.” "USCIS will relentlessly pursue marriage fraud to protect the lawful immigration process,” stated USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler. “This outcome highlights a great partnership within federal law enforcement and our commitment to ensure that immigration benefits aren’t given to those who commit fraud against the United States." This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations – Guam and USCIS. Assistant United States Attorney Rosetta L. San Nicolas prosecuted this case in the District of Guam.


title: Justice Department Sues California to Halt Glock Ban

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against California to halt the state’s newly enacted Glock Ban. The lawsuit also seeks to prevent enforcement of the state’s “Handgun Roster” — a list limiting legal firearms that individuals may purchase. The United States challenges both as unlawful under the Second Amendment. “The Second Amendment is a sacred right belonging to all Americans, even those in California. California cannot ban the most popular type of handgun in America,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will work to stop this blatant trampling of our rights by the California government to protect the rights of lawful gun owners.” “The Civil Rights Division will defend law-abiding citizens from states that seek to disarm them illegally,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit is yet another example of this Justice Department enforcing the Second Amendment by protecting citizens against unconstitutional state regulation of firearms.” California’s new law would ban the retail purchase of common handguns manufactured by Glock and guns with similar firing mechanisms. The state’s existing “Handgun Roster” further limits the types of handguns citizens can lawfully purchase in California. The United States Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to carry handguns outside the home for self-defense in Wolford v. Lopez . The Court reiterated that states cannot prevent citizens from using commonly used firearms for self-defense. The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section enforces the Second Amendment. If you believe your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section .


title: Former Labor Union Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud, Embezzlement, & Falsification of Union Financial Reports

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: Pensacola, Florida – Clarence Penny, 40, of Pace, Florida, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bank fraud, one count of embezzlement of labor union funds, and three counts of falsification of labor union reports. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This defendant violated the position of trust he occupied in his union to personally enrich himself with the dues paid by his hard-working colleagues, and he attempted to conceal his criminal conduct by falsifying financial records he was required to maintain. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partner and the aggressive prosecution by my office, this fraudster’s scheme has been dismantled and federal prison awaits him.” Court documents reflect that the defendant served as the Treasurer for the Steelworkers, AFL-CIO, Local 09 444 Chapter of the United Steelworkers International Labor Union from May 2015 to October 2023. Between January 2020 and May 2023, the defendant wrote 66 unauthorized checks to himself from the Union’s bank account, and he used those fraudulently derived proceeds on personal expenses. In total, the defendant stole $94,586.53. Penny also provided fake account balances and false statements on annual financial reports in 2020, 2021, and 2022, to conceal his ongoing theft of funds. Penny faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment for each count of bank fraud; up to five years’ imprisonment for the embezzlement count; and up to one year imprisonment for each count of falsification of labor union reports. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards. Assistant United States Attorneys Brooke Lindsay and Walter Narramore are prosecuting the case. Sentencing is scheduled for September 17, 2026, at 10:30am in the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .


title: Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Drugging and Smuggling Unaccompanied Alien Children into the United States

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A Mexican national was sentenced today to five years in prison for smuggling children into the United States from Mexico. According to court documents, Manuel Valenzuela, 35, and other members of an alien smuggling organization brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. The drivers and their co-conspirators would then present U.S. documents to inspecting officers falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children, and that they were the parents of the children. Once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso. During one smuggling event, one of the children was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with THC poisoning. A photo of THC gummies recovered by agents during secondary inspection at the port of entry. A photo of Manuel Valenzuela entering the United States shortly before the attempted smuggling of several alien children. “Needing to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy, shows just how heinous crimes like this are,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths to which criminals like this will go to smuggle children across our borders. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this conduct. Protecting children and keeping our borders safe go hand-in-hand.” “We fight every day in the Western District of Texas to ensure that the people and organizations responsible for heinous crimes like this are brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Criminal organizations like this one would be well advised to think twice before engaging in this type of crime. Our message to them is this: we will find you, we will secure a conviction, and we will ensure you are removed from society for as long as possible.” “Drug traffickers who exploit children as part of their criminal schemes show total disregard for human life and safety,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “Using THC-infused candy to facilitate the smuggling of children across the border into the United States is reprehensible and cruel and puts vulnerable minors at serious risk. HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice.” Valenzuela pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of bringing aliens without authorization for financial gain, and one count of aiding and abetting on Nov. 10, 2025. HSI El Paso and U.S. Border Patrol led investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hines for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).


title: Justice Department Sues the Commonwealth of Virginia for Unconstitutional Weapons Bans

body_text: The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia State Police alleging that a newly enacted Virginia law unconstitutionally bans the purchase and sale of ordinary semi-automatic rifles owned by millions of Americans. “The Constitution is not a suggestion, and the Second Amendment is not a second-class right,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This Justice Department has done more to protect the Second Amendment than any administration in our nation’s history, and we will continue to do so whenever necessary.” “On April 10, I promised Governor Spanberger that we would sue Virginia if she signed this unconstitutional weapons ban into law. I keep my promises,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Law-abiding Americans should not have to live under threat of criminal sanction for simply exercising their Second Amendment right to possess arms owned by millions of their fellow citizens.” The Virginia law makes the commercial purchase of AR-15-style rifles a crime. The AR-15 rifle is the most popular rifle in America. Virginia’s enforcement of the new ban is a pattern or practice of conduct by the commonwealth’s law enforcement officers that deprives the citizens of Virginia of their constitutional right to buy and sell arms protected by the Second Amendment. The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section enforces the Second Amendment . If you believe your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section .


title: Columbia Man Sentenced to 16 years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery with a Machine Gun

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

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tah’Kel Ar’Key Wilson, 21, of Columbia, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for robbing a federal informant at gunpoint during a firearms and narcotics investigation. Evidence presented in court revealed that on Aug.9, 2024, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives utilized a confidential informant to coordinate the purchase of a firearm and cocaine from an identified target. When the victim arrived at the agreed‑upon location, Wilson approached the victim’s vehicle, introduced himself, and directed the victim to drive to a secluded area to pick up additional items. There, Wilson removed a firearm equipped with a Glock switch from his waistband, pointed it at the victim, and threatened to “switch” the informant if he/she did not comply. Wilson then stole approximately $3,400 in documented funds and two cell phones from the victim before fleeing on foot. ATF agents who had been stationed approximately 50 yards away conducting surveillance immediately responded. Wilson was observed fleeing toward a wooded area and was apprehended a short time later after agents located him hiding inside a backyard shed. Investigators recovered the loaded firearm equipped with the machine‑gun conversion device, the stolen funds, and both cell phones. The robbery was captured on audio and video recording. At the time of the offense, Wilson was on state bond for murder and was wearing a GPS monitoring device. United States District Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Wilson to 192 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case. ###


body_text: Remainder of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced for Terrorist Attack on ICE Facility Seven Additional Defendants Sentenced Before One-Year Anniversary of Attack to a Combined 182 Years in Prison Today, before the one-year anniversary of their attack, seven North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were sentenced for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and the attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould. This is the second round of sentencing for the defendants affiliated with Antifa following President Donald J. Trump’s executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025. Last week, the ringleader, Benjamin Hanil Song, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Today, the balance of the Prairieland terrorists received a combined sentence of 106 years in prison: Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison; Joy Gibson was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Rebecca Morgan was sentenced to 15 years in prison; Lynette Sharp was sentenced to over 9 years (110 months) in prison; John Thomas was sentenced to over 9 years (110 months) in prison; Seth Sikes was sentenced to 6 years in prison; and Nathan Baumann was sentenced to 22 months in prison. To date, 15 Prairieland terrorists have received a combined sentence of over 556 years in prison. “The attack on the Prairieland Detention Center, almost a year ago to the day, was not only a vicious attack on a building but also an attack on the men and women from our North Texas communities who work there. The sentences imposed to date for the 15 Antifa cell members were just and deserved,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “I continue to praise the prompt action of first responders and our law enforcement partners that night, along with the tireless work of the prosecutors in my office who made sure that the Prairieland terrorists were held accountable. Terrorist acts committed by any individual will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.” “The sentences imposed on these defendants emphasize the seriousness of the violent acts committed against our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “We would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies that contributed to the outcome of this investigation. Our collective goal remains safeguarding the security of our communities in North Texas.” “The violent extremists who launched the cowardly, ambush attack on the Prairieland Detention Center nearly one year ago did so in a feeble attempt to inspire chaos and anarchy in our communities, and to undermine the rule of law,” said Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “Instead, the law enforcement community banded together in the aftermath of the attack to conduct a thorough, transparent criminal investigation to hold these domestic terrorists accountable for their actions and to show the American people that the pillars of justice on which our system of government was founded on 250 years ago still stand strong.” The sentences follow guilty pleas and a 12-day trial that began on Feb. 23, 2026, where jurors heard testimony from 46 witnesses, including cooperating defendants Sikes, Thomas, Baumann, and Sharp. The last trial defendant, Ines Soto, was the cell head of ANTIFA DFW, which operated under the front: “Emma Goldman Book Club”. Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that ANTIFA’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions. Evidence at trial revealed that most of the ANTIFA Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence. Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, 2025, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items to treat gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, DNA and fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack. After ANTIFA Cell members arrived at the detention facility, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property: Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025. Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, this ANTIFA Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks: Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Sikes, Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at the Prairieland detention facility and told the group that they should wear “black bloc” and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4—without the gear they brought that night—and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility: Ines Soto was sentenced for the following offenses: • Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence , involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed-circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc. • Providing Material Support to Terrorists , including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation. • Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive , and Using and Carrying an Explosive , during a riot. Defendants Sikes, Baumann, Sharp, and Thomas were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Judge Pittman said, “It’s fine to disagree with the government and we have an absolute right to protest, but not to put people in danger. If this is what is considered a peaceful protest, then I’d hate to see what they’d consider to be not peaceful. And what is so unique about the Prairieland Detention Center is that it is in the middle of a neighborhood with families and children. This could have been an absolute slaughter had not the officer’s miracle bullet jammed Song’s rifle.” Defendants Ines Soto, Gibson, and Morgan were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’ Connor for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Chief Judge O’ Connor said, “The defendants’ violence and terrorism is an assault on Democracy. The defendants’ planning, staging, and execution of the attack led to the attempted murder of an officer who ironically is not even involved in enforcing immigration law.” The sole count of providing material support to terrorists brought in the information against Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and separately, Sikes’s information, mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial. The final defendant, Susan Kent, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6, 2026. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office (ICE ERO). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.


title: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Pair of Carjackings

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Hill, 30, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mark S. Kearney for committing two carjackings in a six-week span. The defendant was charged by indictment in December 2024 and pleaded guilty this January to two counts of carjacking and one count of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. As detailed in court filings, on August 8, 2023, Hill stole a 2012 Chevy Impala from two people in Philadelphia, after faking an interest in buying the car via Facebook Marketplace. When he and the victims met, the defendant asked for a test drive. As Hill got into the Impala, he pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the victims, told them not to follow him, and then sped off with the car. On September 18, 2023, the defendant carjacked a 2006 Dodge Durango from its owner, again after feigning interest in buying the car via Facebook Marketplace and requesting a test drive. Just after he began to drive with the victim in the passenger’s seat, Hill pulled a black handgun from his hoodie, pointed it at the victim’s neck, told him to get out, and then quickly drove away. Twelve days later, the defendant was arrested by an officer with the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”) while driving the stolen Durango. This case was investigated by the PPD and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric D. Gill.


title: Gonzales Man Sentenced for Trafficking Kilograms of Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – On June 23, 2026, ROY ROBINSON (“ROBINSON”) , age 34, of Gonzales, Louisiana, was sentenced to a total of 108 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee of $100, by U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long, announced U.S. Attorney David I Courcelle. ROBINSON had previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A), as well as Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(a). According to the indictment, Thibodaux law enforcement officers observed a co-conspirator of ROBINSON’s purchase narcotics from ROBINSON in a parking lot. A subsequent search of ROBINSON’s vehicle along with executed search warrants of the co-conspirator’s residence yielded multiple firearms, a large sum of U.S. currency, and over 7,000 grams of methamphetamine. United States Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisiana State Police, the Thibodaux Police Department, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Violent Crimes Unit. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). * * *


title: Federal Jury Convicts New Orleans Man of Possession of Firearm to Further Drug Trafficking

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that On June 29, 2026, a federal jury found DONTE WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”) , age 32, guilty of possession of a firearm, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (Count Two). WILLIAMS also pled guilty, prior to trial, to possession, with the intent to distribute marijuana, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and taptendol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and (b)(1)(D) (Count One) and felon in possession of a firearm/ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8) (Count Three). On February 22, 2024, the New Orleans Police Department Special Operations Division conducted surveillance using both Real Time Crime Center cameras and physical surveillance. Officers observed WILLIAMS conducting a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the parking lot of a business at North Claiborne Ave. Further surveillance showed WILLIAMS walking across North Claiborne Avenue to his apartment before returning to the same parking lot and an adjacent store. Officers detained WILLIAMS and found that he was in possession of multiple bags of marijuana and over $2,000 in United States currency. Based on these observations of drug distribution activity, officers secured a search warrant for WILLIAMS’s residence. Officers opened the residence with keys taken from WILLIAMS’s person. Inside, officers recovered five firearms, three of which were loaded; additional ammunition; approximately one pound of marijuana; over 2,100 tapentadol pills; over 200 fentanyl pills, some of which were pressed to resemble the pharmaceutical Oxycodone, and over 25 grams of methamphetamine. For Count One, WILLIAMS faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release. For Count Two, WILLIAMS faces between five years and up to life imprisonment, which term must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. For Count Three, WILLIAMS faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. WILLIAMS also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Dawkins and David Berman of the Violent Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). * * *


title: Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Selling and Smuggling Firearms to Saudi Arabia

body_text: CLEVELAND – A 61-year-old man pleaded guilty in federal court for selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it. Mark Buschman, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Goods from the United States before U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. who accepted his plea. According to the indictment, from about February 2019 to December 2024, Buschman ran an illegal export operation that shipped U.S. acquired firearms out of the country. After obtaining firearms and their related parts in the U.S., he advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. Buschman’s advertising generated sales leads from buyers in Saudi Arabia and he eventually sold and shipped the items to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $305,614. Court documents indicate that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before Bushman shipped the items. He then hid the firearms and firearm parts inside household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping hedge trimmers before he packaged the items for shipment. Buschman did not declare that the shipments contained firearms or their parts when sending to freight forwarders located in Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere. Buschman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9, 2026. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. As part of his guilty plea, Buschman agreed to forfeit $180,000 in criminal proceeds. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd , Jerome J. Teresinski, and Henry DeBaggis for the Northern District of Ohio. Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan of the Western District of Wisconsin U.S. Attorney’s Office, assisted during the investigation of this case.


title: Dubuque Methamphetamine Dealer  Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

body_text: A Dubuque man who distributed methamphetamine and attempted to escape from a correctional facility was sentenced on June 30, 2026, to 25 years in federal prison. Christopher Allen Puccio, age 32, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 21, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that, in July 2024, Puccio worked with his uncle David Parker and others to acquire ice methamphetamine from Madison, Wisconsin, and distribute it to customers in the Dubuque area. Puccio was involved with, in total, approximately a pound‑and‑a‑half of ice methamphetamine. Puccio had previously been convicted of at least 18 adult offenses, including convictions for delivery of ecstasy, assault on a peace officer, and willful injury causing serious bodily injury. While Puccio was in-custody pending sentencing, he attempted to escape from a correctional facility. Puccio and another person used a “makeshift” tool to remove grout around a cinderblock below a window of a cell. Puccio was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Puccio was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a five‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Puccio is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service; and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24‑CR‑01038. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Convictions through Guilty Pleas in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Prosecutions (June 22 through June 26, 2026)

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the following prosecutorial results for the week of June 22 through June 26, 2026. The HSTF is a permanent, interagency law enforcement task force created by executive order to combat transnational criminal organizations—including cartels, trafficking networks, and foreign terrorist organizations. Convictions through Guilty Pleas: On June 22, 2026, José Esteban Rivera-Tolentino pleaded guilty in Criminal Case 22-327 (PAD) to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in the Pedro Rosario Nieves Public Housing Project and other areas in and around Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Defendant was arrested on February 24, 2023. The Court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 11, 2026. AUSA Corinne Cordero-Romo is in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 24, 2026, Andyel González-Sáez pleaded guilty in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and a firearm-related murder. Defendant was arrested on December 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 24, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 24, 2026, Jeremy Millán-Isaac pleaded guilty in Criminal Case 24-453 (MAJ) to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Defendant was arrested on December 11, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 24, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz González and Joseph Russell in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 24, 2026, Xavier Thompson-Bido pleaded guilty in Criminal Case 25-272 (SCC) to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Defendant was arrested on July 10, 2025. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 24, 2026. AUSAs Laura Díaz González and Andrés Orr in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 24, 2026, Yomar Gabriel Rivera-Hernández pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking in Criminal Case 24-170 (RAM). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with participating in a violent drug trafficking organization that operated principally in the Jardines de Sellés Public Housing Project in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Defendant was arrested on May 22, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 22, 2026. AUSAs Joseph Russell and Andrés Orr are in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 25, 2026, Jeremy José Maldonado-Rivera pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in Criminal Case 25-104 (RAM). Defendant was arrested on February 25, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 23, 2026. AUSA Joseph Russell is in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 25, 2026, Javier Sánchez-Pérez pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in Criminal Case 25-104 (RAM). Defendant was arrested on February 25, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 23, 2026. AUSA Joseph Russell is in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 25, 2026, Denis Ditrán pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire, mail, and bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 in Criminal Case 25-275 (RAM). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud a retail store and a financial institution using false identification documents. Defendant was arrested on June 17, 2025. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 23, 2026. Social Security Administration SAUSA Vanessa Bonano is in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 26, 2026, Omar Ramos-Avilés pleaded guilty to violating 18 U.S.C. § 1001 in Criminal Case 25-274. According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with knowingly making a false statement to law enforcement officers during the course of their investigation. Defendant was arrested on June 13, 2025. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 25, 2026. United States Coast Guard SAUSA Cody A. McKinney is in charge of the prosecution of the case. On June 26, 2026, Edgardo Santiago-Colón pleaded guilty to Count One in Criminal Case 24-456 (SCC). According to the indictment, the defendant was charged with drug trafficking within a state prison facility. Defendant was arrested on December 17, 2024. The court set defendant’s sentencing date for September 2026. AUSA Myriam Y. Fernández-González is in charge of the prosecution of the case. These prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department. ###


title: Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Salvadoran national, whose green card has been revoked, pled guilty to sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl (MV1) and filming the encounter. Bryan Arias-Chicas, 23, a citizen of El Salvador, pled guilty yesterday to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Arias-Chicas was charged via information in October 2025. Gustavo Quintero was charged via indictment in December 2025 for his conduct with respect to MV1. Quintero was additionally charged with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer in February 2026. Dania Orellana-Gamez, Arias-Chicas’s girlfriend, was charged in April 2026 with witness tampering for threatening MV1. The charges against Quintero and Orellana-Gamez remain pending. According to court documents and other evidence, on May 7, 2025, in Albemarle County, Arias-Chicas and Quintero encountered a young female (MV1) walking down the street. Arias-Chicas and Quintero approached MV1 and offered to buy her alcohol. MV1 agreed and hung out with Arias-Chicas in a parking lot behind a tractor trailer while Quintero went to purchase high alcohol content drinks for MV1. MV1 quickly drank both drinks and, when she became too drunk to stand upright on her own, began to support herself using the trailer. Throughout the night and into the next morning, Arias-Chicas, Quintero, and two other men, including Individual 1, took MV1 to multiple locations. On the morning of May 9, 2025, Arias-Chicas, Quintero, and Individual 1 took MV1 to Individual 1’s house in the City of Charlottesville, where they each had sex with MV1. While Arias-Chicas had sex with MV1, and engaged in other sexual activity with her, he used his cell phone to take multiple videos and pictures of MV1 that depict MV1 naked and engaging in sexually explicit conduct. First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement. The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Albemarle County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff is prosecuting the case.


title: Detroit Native Trafficking Drugs from California to the Mountain State Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Detroit native, LaShawn Monroe, 31, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for leading a multi-state drug trafficking operation, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. Monroe operated a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl and other controlled substances across five states: West Virginia, Michigan, California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Monroe recruited couriers who transported his drugs from California to West Virginia and Michigan, and he managed a network of at least eight drug re-distributors who sold his drugs in Monongalia and Marion Counties at a street value of approximately $812,000. “Monroe put money above lives, selling enough fentanyl to kill approximately 4.8 million people—two and a half times the population of West Virginia,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “His sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can profit by endangering West Virginians.” “Drug trafficking groups succeed when people believe it’s too far away, too large, or too sophisticated to fight back. This sentencing proves that is not the case,” said FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Amie Loos. “Every criminal organization leaves a trail. The FBI and our partners stand together to find it, follow it, and cut it out of our community to save lives.” “Drug traffickers like LaShawn Monroe prove time and again that they have no regard for human life; driven by greed, they sow misery in our communities, destroy lives and prey on society’s most vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Field Division. “The sentence handed down today should give Mr. Monroe time to reflect on the harm he has caused to numerous families and hopefully turn his life around once he regains his freedom.” Monroe, originally from Detroit, maintained two residences in West Virginia, one in Morgantown and a stash house in Fairmont. Search warrants executed at both residences resulted in the seizure of three loaded firearms, 8.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7.54 kilograms of fentanyl, 1.1 kilograms of crack cocaine, 1.94 kilograms of cocaine, 412 grams of heroin. The fentanyl seized from Monroe is one of the largest fentanyl seizures in West Virginia. “The Morgantown Police Department is grateful to our regional and federal partners for their help suppressing the influx of lethal street drugs. We will continue to aggressively target and prosecute those individuals that try to bring this poison into our community,” said Deputy Chief Christopher J. Ruehmer. The investigation was led by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, with assistance from the DEA offices in Detroit, Columbus, and Cleveland. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case. Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality, posing a grave public safety threat even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, protecting communities from violent crime, and combating illegal immigration. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms and Assault Charges for Threatening Deputies with Firearm During Traffic Stop

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty to assaulting federal task force officers with a firearm and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after fleeing from deputies during a traffic stop in Albuquerque. According to court documents, on November 12, 2025, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted a traffic stop in Albuquerque for an invalid registration and discovered that the driver's license was revoked and that passenger Jason Paul Baca , 36, had an outstanding felony warrant. During the arrest attempt, deputies, including two federally deputized U.S. Marshals Service task force officers participating in Operation Triple Beam, observed a handgun concealed on Baca 's person. Baca resisted arrest, fled on foot, and pulled the loaded pistol from his waistband. He brandished and pointed the firearm at two U.S. Marshals Service task force officers, prompting deputies to discharge their weapons. Baca was struck, taken into custody, and transported for medical treatment. The loaded pistol, containing 13 rounds of ammunition, was recovered near him. As a previously convicted felon with prior convictions for drug trafficking, burglary, and possession of a controlled substance, Baca was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a backpack containing fentanyl pills and approximately 25 grams of fentanyl powder. Baca pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of assault upon a federal officer using a deadly and dangerous weapon and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and faces not less than seven years and up to life in prison at sentencing. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Elena Stiteler is prosecuting the case.


title: Final defendant in Wichita drug trafficking ring sentenced

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 300 months in prison after a federal jury convicted him for his role in fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. According to court documents, Marshall J. Green Jr, 46, of Wichita was convicted on eight counts including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Green was a part of a drug trafficking ring in Wichita headed up by Calvin L, Williams Jr, 45, of Wichita. In 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Wichita Police Department (WPD), identified two residences Williams and his co-conspirators used to store and distribute large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Williams didn’t live at either house but was paying the rent. While executing search warrants, ATF agents found more than 24 kilograms of fentanyl, more than 32 kilograms of methamphetamine, and multiple firearms at one of the homes. A search of the second location yielded pill presses, multiple pounds of binding powders used to manufacture pharmaceutical-type pills, dye stamps to imprint pills, pure fentanyl powder and more than six kilograms of finished pills later determined to contain fentanyl. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy (fentanyl) and was sentenced to 240 months in prison. Also convicted in connection to this case are the following defendants all of Wichita: • Harold E. Hawkins Jr, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy (fentanyl) and was sentenced to 180 months in prison. • Devon M. Love, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy (fentanyl) and was sentenced to 144 months in prison. • Martin A. Marshall, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy (fentanyl) and was sentenced to 114 months in prison. • Larry D. Triplett III, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy (fentanyl) and was sentenced to 120 months in prison. • Chazare R. Oliver Jr, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to 60 months in prison. • Shantwon M. Hervey,30, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to three years of probation. • Hannah R. English, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to two years of probation. • Janelle L. Bell, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of providing false information in connection with the purchase of a firearm and was sentenced to two years of probation. “The conclusion of this case finalizes the disruption of a significant drug trafficking ring,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Unfortunately, there is more work to do preventing this poison from infecting our communities and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals involved in illegal activity. I am confident that through ongoing coordination between federal, state, and local partners, we will continue to make Kansas and the entire country safer.” "Drug traffickers who arm themselves are a direct threat to our communities, and Marshall Green, Jr., was no exception," said Special Agent in Charge Bernard “Butch” Hansen, of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. "Not only did Green keep firearms close as a convicted felon, he used them to protect a supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine he was pushing into the community. In fact, this investigation found that Green and his conspirators sat on hundreds of pounds of excipient powders that could have easily produced millions of additional fentanyl tablets.” Hansen said, “The disruption of their fentanyl manufacturing alone prevented the loss of countless lives. The 300-month sentence handed down will take this dangerous individual off our streets for years to come, and that result is a credit to our ATF Special Agents, the Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, DEA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas, who all stood with us to hold him fully accountable." The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Wichita Police Department investigated the case. ###


title: Five Foreign Nationals Sentenced in June for Illegally Reentering the United States After Deportation

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that five foreign nationals convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations were sentenced in June. Pichoch Herrera-Ortega , aka Omar Rivera, Jose Rivera, Pedro Ortega-Rondon, and Pedro Rondon-Silvestre, 55, a Dominican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again. Herrera-Ortega had previously been removed from the U.S. in December 2011, after serving the prison sentence imposed for his distribution of heroin conviction in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. He reentered the country unlawfully, was convicted of illegal reentry in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, completed the resulting sentence, and was again removed from the U.S. in May 2016. In July of last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers encountered the defendant outside a Philadelphia residence and took him into custody. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in August and pleaded guilty this January. Victor Enrique Echevarria Mendez , 32, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to 12 months and one day in prison and a year of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again. The defendant had previously been removed from the U.S. in April 2013, following an encounter with the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas, and in January 2020, after ICE took him into custody following his arrest by the Philadelphia Police Department (“PPD”). In December of last year, the defendant pleaded guilty in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas to terroristic threats, arising from a domestic dispute during which he pushed his pregnant then-girlfriend to the ground and threatened to kill her if she called the police. After Echeverria Mendez was sentenced to time served in that case, ICE officers took him into federal custody. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in January and pleaded guilty in February. Jairo Ramirez-Lima , aka Julio Martinez, 41, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to nine months in prison and one year of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again. Ramirez-Lima had previously been removed from the U.S. three times: in February 2006, after serving his sentence for a simple assault conviction in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas; in December 2023, following his arrest by the Phoenixville Police Department for simple assault and harassment; and in February 2024, following an encounter with the U.S. Border Patrol near Laredo, Texas. In October of last year, ICE learned that the defendant had been arrested by the East Pikeland Township Police Department for driving under the influence and was taken to a hospital for blood alcohol testing, where he assaulted the escorting officer and escaped from custody. On October 31, Ramirez-Lima was located and taken into federal custody on a criminal complaint and warrant. He was charged by indictment with illegal reentry in November and pleaded guilty this February. Heriberto Cruz-Garcia , 36, a Mexican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to six months in prison and a year of supervised release for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again. Cruz-Garcia had previously been removed from the U.S. in March 2011, on the orders of an immigration judge, and in January 2013, following his arrest by the U.S. Border Patrol. In December of last year, ICE became aware that the West Chester Police Department had arrested the defendant during a traffic stop, pursuant to a bench warrant issued in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas after Cruz-Garcia failed to appear for his September 2021 trial on DUI and related charges. ICE took Cruz-Garcia into custody on a federal criminal complaint this February. He was charged by information with illegal reentry in March and pleaded guilty in April, waiving prosecution by indictment. Rodolfo Cuapa-Tepetl , 35, a Mexican national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney to five months in prison for illegal reentry, equating to time served. Having completed his sentence, the defendant was expected to answer to state charges pending in Massachusetts. Cuapa-Tepetl had previously been removed from the U.S. in June 2011, following an encounter with the U.S. Border Patrol near Nogales, Arizona. In November of last year, the U.S. Marshals Service (“USMS”) informed ICE of a fugitive criminal warrant for the defendant, whom USMS investigators had determined was residing in Norristown, Pa. A USMS task force and ICE officers took Cuapa-Tepetl into custody on November 6. He was charged by criminal complaint with illegal reentry the same month, indicted in December, and pleaded guilty in February. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric D. Gill, Frank Menna, Nelson S.T. Thayer Jr., Kara Traster, and Kelly Harrell.


title: Arizona Man Charged with Sexual Abuse

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man is facing federal charges for sexually abusing a minor over an eight-year period. According to court documents, between July 2018 and August 2025, Earlson Yazzie , 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in and caused sexual contact with Jane Doe, a minor. Yazzie is charged with nine counts of abusive sexual contact of minor and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Yazzie faces up to life in prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC . An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Mexican National Sentenced to Two Years for Immigration and Identity Theft Offenses

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida – Juan Jaramillo Vazquez (50, Mexico), a/k/a Juan Vazquiz, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven to two years in federal prison for illegal reentry by a deported alien and aggravated identity theft. Vazquez pleaded guilty on March 27, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Vazquez was found to be voluntarily present in the United States after having been previously removed from the United States three times in 2012. Vazquez had not received the consent of the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission. Vazquez is a citizen of Mexico. Vazquez also fraudulently used a victim’s Social Security number to gain employment and tax benefits, fraudulently representing himself to an employer and the Social Security Administration. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilyssa M. Spergel and Tiffany Fields.


title: Eight Arrested for Distributing Pounds of Methamphetamine in  Western Virginia, Eastern Tennessee

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – Eight individuals, including an illegal alien, were arrested yesterday for distributing over 250 pounds of methamphetamine in Eastern Tennessee and Western Virginia. Following an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Hawkins County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, the Kingsport Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Unit, the Scott County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, the Washington County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson City, Tennessee Police Department, and the Abingdon, Virginia Police Department, the following have been arrested and charged via federal criminal complaint with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Israel Barajas-Ramirez, 37, of Church Hill, Tennessee Emily Katlyn Vaughn, 26, of Church Hill, Tennessee Christy Marie Thomas, 43, of Kingsport, Tennessee Benny Charles Larkins, 61, of Gate City, Virginia Shannon Dwayne Jarvis, 50, of Gate City, Virginia Marcy Lee Hedrick, 55, of Kingsport, Tennessee Tiffany Michelle Shipley, 34, of Kingsport, Tennessee Andrew Todd Douglas, 50, of Kingsport, Tennessee According to court documents, beginning in October 2024 and continuing until the present, law enforcement have been investigating individuals believed to be conspiring to commit drug trafficking and firearm-related offenses in and around Scott County, Virginia, Washington County, Virginia, Hawkins County, Tennessee, and Washington County, Tennessee, in relation to the charged conspiracy. The conspirators allegedly distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine into Western Virginia and Eastern Tennessee, with some conspirators illegally possessing firearms. First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.


title: Omaha, Nebraska Man Sentenced to Over 22 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Sioux Falls

component: USAO - South Dakota

body_text: SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Omaha, Nebraska, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 29, 2026. Anthony Robinson, 37, was sentenced to 22 years and five months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Robinson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 6, 2026. The investigation in this matter revealed that Robinson trafficked methamphetamine from Omaha to Sioux Falls. He was a source of supply for multiple other co-conspirators who re-distributed the methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls area. Throughout the conspiracy, investigators seized approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine associated with Robinson. Investigators believe Robinson was responsible for trafficking approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy. This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Robinson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.


title: Peoria Felon Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Two Counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine

body_text: PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Felipe L. Hernandez, 32, was sentenced on June 26, 2026, to 120 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. The sentence for each count is to be served concurrently. At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the evidence showed Hernandez delivered methamphetamine on two occasions between June 11 th and July 23, 2025, and then delivered a look-alike substance on a third sale. Hernandez was arrested on September 17, 2025, and found to be in possession of additional narcotics. In total, Hernandez was accountable for the unlawful distribution of 28 grams of methamphetamine, 66.9 grams of methamphetamine (actual), .5 grams of oxycodone (actual), and 9.8 grams of cocaine base, resulting in 1,432.34 kilograms of converted drug weight. Hernandez was indicted for one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of 50 grams of more methamphetamine. He entered a guilty plea in February 2026 and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest. Hernandez had prior criminal convictions that included armed robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The statutory penalties for distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine are 5 to 40 years imprisonment, followed by at least 4 years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $5,000,000. Penalties for the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are 10 years to life imprisonment, 5 years of supervised release sentence and a possible fine of up to $10,000,000. The U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Springfield Resident Office, Peoria Police Department, and Peoria Metropolitan Enforcement Group (“PMEG”) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution. The case against Hernandez 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: Informant Admits Stealing Government Funds

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, announced that FERNANDO TORIBIO, also known as “Fernando Toribio-Balbuena,” 32, of Waterbury, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to theft of government funds. According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2019, Toribio agreed to become a cooperating source with the Drug Enforcement Administration in an effort to avoid prosecution for narcotics offenses. Under the terms of an agreement Toribio entered with the DEA, any unauthorized criminal activity by him would constitute a breach of the agreement, exposing him to criminal prosecution. In November 2022, Toribio told DEA special agents and task force officers in Connecticut about a female from the Dominican Republic who was living in Massachusetts. According to Toribio, the female had left a sample of fentanyl pills for him in a mailbox in Waterbury. Investigators retrieved approximately 10 pills from the mailbox, and testing confirmed they contained fentanyl. The DEA and Toribio subsequently coordinated the following transactions with the female: On December 2, 2022, the female provided 1,000 fentanyl pills and a sample of powder fentanyl at a meeting in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and was paid $5,000 in government funds provided by the DEA. On December 16, 2022, the female provided 1,000 fentanyl pills at a meeting in Manchester, Connecticut, and was paid $5,000 in government funds provided by the DEA. In January 2023, the female provided approximately one pound of crystal methamphetamine and was paid $5,000 in government funds provided by the DEA. On January 26, 2023, at a meeting in Norwalk, Connecticut, the female provided approximately 10 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 3,000 fentanyl pills, and was expecting to receive a payment of $65,000. However, DEA special agents seized the drugs and did not make the agreed-upon payment. In pleading guilty, Toribio admitted that he had arranged with the female to receive a cut of the government funds paid by the DEA for the drugs. After the December 2, 2022, transaction, the female and Toribio met in Boston where she paid him $1,200. After the December 16, 2022, transaction, the female met Toribio in Revere, Massachusetts, and paid him $1,800. After the first January 2023 transaction, the female paid Toribio $1,200 at location in Massachusetts. The female also sent funds over CashApp to an account controlled by Toribio’s wife. In addition, Toribio and the female had agreed that he would receive $18,000 of the $65,000 anticipated payment for the January 26, 2023, transaction. Toribio was arrested on a criminal complaint on January 8, 2026. Theft of government funds carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for September 23. Toribio is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing. This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.


title: Pensacola Outlaws Motorcycle Club Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison

body_text: Pensacola, Florida – Gregory E. Simonds Jr., 43, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for arson by means of an explosive causing personal injury. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This successful prosecution is the result of the close coordination between our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, who swiftly identified and caught this dangerous criminal so my office could bring him to justice. Through Operation Take Back America , the Department of Justice is devoting its full might toward protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, like this defendant, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who threatens the safety of our citizens.” Court documents reflect that on February 15, 2025, during an altercation with a group of individuals associated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club in the parking lot of Emerald Coast Harley Davidson on Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach, the defendant set off an explosive that damaged the adjacent Jimmy John’s restaurant building and injured one of its employees. Although the defendant drove away from the scene, he was quickly identified and arrested by law enforcement. In his car, officers recovered four more explosive devices, two guns, narcotics and drug paraphernalia, and an Outlaws Motorcycle Club vest. During a subsequent search of his residence, federal agents seized additional explosive devices, explosive making material and equipment, and other evidence that the defendant was making and selling explosives. “This case could certainly have ended much differently. When someone chooses to use an explosive device in a public place, they put innocent lives at risk,” said Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden. “I’m proud of the outstanding work of our investigators, in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, and FDLE, in building a case that led to this sentence.” The sentence was the result of a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .