title: Salinas Man Sentenced To Over 22 Years For Conspiracy To Commit Child Sex Trafficking, Child Enticement, And Distribution And Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

component: USAO - California, Northern

body_text: SAN JOSE – Daniel Philip Aguirre was sentenced yesterday to 270 months (22.5 years) in federal prison and ordered to pay $19,100 in restitution for child sex trafficking, child enticement, and child pornography offenses. U.S. District Judge Beth L. Freeman handed down the sentence. Aguirre, 33, of Salinas, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2024, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c), sex trafficking of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1), (b)(2), and (c), coercion and enticement of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2), and possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). According to the plea agreement, between 2014 and 2017, Aguirre used Grindr, SnapChat, Craigslist, and other websites to recruit and entice multiple adolescent boys for sexual exploitation and abuse. In May 2014, he enticed a 14-year-old victim into illegal sexual acts with Aguirre and another man in San Jose, during which amyl nitrates, commonly known as “poppers,” were used to keep the child intoxicated. Between April and September 2017, Aguirre sex trafficked a second 14-year-old victim while also maintaining an illegal sexual relationship with the child. He also used the victim to create and distribute child sexual abuse materials. Aguirre also acknowledged allegations by two other boys that Aguirre subjected them to online and in-person sexual abuse at various times from 2013 to 2015, while they were minors. Numerous child sexual abuse materials were found on devices seized from Aguirre’s residence during a search in 2022. “This defendant preyed on and exploited children, and subjected them to nightmare scenarios. We are grateful for the courage shown by these victims in coming forward. Thanks to the work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, Aguirre will spend over 20 years in federal prison for his heinous conduct,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins. “This individual is the absolute personification of a predator and has cruelly impacted the lives of countless innocent children,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. “This sentencing is the direct result of dedicated HSI agents, in partnership with state and local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who prioritize a victim-based approach combined with aggressive investigative work and prosecution to remove threats to the children of our community.” At the sentencing hearing, the government and the Court commended the bravery of the victim who first reported his abuse to the Carmel-by-the Sea Police Department in 2020. Three other victims came forward to report abuse by Aguirre after the initial criminal charges were reported. In addition to the prison term and restitution, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a 15-year period of supervised release, ordered the forfeiture of devices containing child sexual abuse materials that were seized from Aguirre’s residence, and imposed a $500 special assessment fee. Aguirre was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Harris prosecuted the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. The prosecution is the result of a three-year investigation by HSI and the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department.


title: Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Travel with Intent to Engage in Unlawful Sexual Activity

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Frank Twing, Sr. age 33, of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old victim and travel with intent to engage in unlawful sexual conduct with an approximately 12-year-old victim. 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. Twing admitted that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old child during which he created sexually explicit videos depicting that child. He also admitted to traveling from his home in Massachusetts to New York, planning to have sex with an approximately 12-year-old child. Twing will also have to forfeit to the United States the property he used to commit the offenses, pay special assessments, and is required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Benjamin A. Gillis are prosecuting 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. Les 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: Albany County Man Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Joshua White, age 47, of Albany County, was sentenced yesterday to 151 months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of post-imprisonment supervision. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement. During his previously entered guilty plea, White admitted that he distributed sexually explicit images of a minor known to him to another person over text message, and that when he met with police in July 2023, he possessed, on his phone, child sexual abuse material depicting other victims that he obtained from the Internet and social media messaging applications. White was also ordered to forfeit the property he used to commit the offense, and pay a special assessment and restitution of $5,000 to the victim known to him. He is required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. HSI and the New York State Police investigated this case, and Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted this 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. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Cicero Woman Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy and Distribution

body_text: SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Erin Rushford, age 50, formerly of Cicero, New York, was sentenced today to 25 months in prison for her role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine in Onondaga County and elsewhere in Central New York. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement. As part of her prior guilty plea, Rushford admitted that from approximately February 2020 through April 2021, she participated in a conspiracy to transport methamphetamine from California to locations in the Northern District of New York for distribution. Rushford further admitted that she agreed to receive shipments of methamphetamine delivered to her home and the home of a relative; she delivered those packages of methamphetamine to other coconspirators for further distribution. Rushford also admitted that she herself sold methamphetamine to customers out of her residence. Senior United States Senior District Judge David N. Hurd also ordered Rushford to serve a 3-year term of supervised release to follow her release from prison, and ordered the forfeiture of $3,160. This case was investigated by DEA, U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York State Police-Violent Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (NYSP-VGNET), Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, Oklahoma City Police Department, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.


title: Mobile Man Sentenced to 51 Months for Felon in Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: According to court documents, in September 2024, members of the Mobile Police Department encountered Jones following a traffic stop. Jones’ infant was in the vehicle with him at the time of the stop. During the course of the traffic stop, officers discovered that Jones possessed two firearms and that one of those firearms was equipped with a machinegun conversion device. A machinegun conversion device is commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” and is capable of converting a pistol into a fully automatic weapon. Jones made a statement to law enforcement following the stop indicating that he was aware how the Glock switch worked and had previously fired the weapon with the device attached. At sentencing, Judge Granade imposed a 51-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release upon Jones’ discharge from prison. The firearm and machinegun conversion device were forfeited to the United States as part of the sentence. The Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Beth Stepan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.


title: Davenport Man Sentenced to 114 months in Federal Prison for Charges Related to Cocaine Distribution

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced yesterday to 114 months in federal prison for conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, while on federal supervised release. According to public court documents, Terrance Lamont Mason, 49, conspired with others to obtain cocaine in Rockford, Illinois and bring it to Iowa for distribution. Law enforcement stopped Mason returning to Iowa and stopped a car trailing Mason’s vehicle. In the trail car, officers located more than a quarter pound of cocaine inside of a black stocking cap. Surveillance video from a Rockford gas station showed Mason met with another person, received the black stocking cap, and placed the black stocking cap inside the trail car. Mason was serving a term of federal supervised release at the time he committed these crimes. He had been released from federal prison in February 2023, after serving a 108-month sentence for possessing a firearm as a felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Due to the violation of his federal supervised release terms, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa ordered Mason to serve an additional two‑year prison term, consecutive with his 90-month prison sentence, for a total prison term of 114 months. After completing his term of imprisonment, Mason will be required to serve a four-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. In July 2024 , a co-conspirator, Dedrick Montez Jones, 44 of Davenport, was sentenced to a 162-month prison term for selling cocaine. Jones was also on federal supervised release. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bettendorf Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group.


title: Davenport Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy and Firearm Charges

component: USAO - Iowa, Southern

body_text: DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during in and relation to drug trafficking. According to public court documents, Kyle Ogden Antle, 23, was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Quad Cities area with co-conspirators, Rosston Tate, 40, and Jason Douglas Ringold, 26, both Davenport residents. On February 6, 2024, Antle was arrested by the Davenport Police Department for violations of his state probation. Antle fled and dropped a backpack, found to contain more than 50 grams of meth, packaging materials, a digital scale, and 68 rounds of ammunition. Antle also dropped a loaded pistol as he fled. While incarcerated at the Scott County jail pending trial, Antle continued to participate in the drug conspiracy, including by placing phone calls to collect drug debts, directed others to collect debts on his behalf, and connected other people with his source of supply, Tate. After completing his term of imprisonment, Antle will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. In December 2024 , Tate received a 20-year sentence, followed by a five-year term of supervised release. Ringold’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2025. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department, the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Rock Island Police Department. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Buffalo woman going to prison for filing false tax return

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Maureen Holleran, 62, of Buffalo, who was convicted of filing a false tax return, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A.C. Penrose, who handled the case, stated that between September 2015 and October 2023, Holleran worked remotely as a worker’s compensation claims handler for Insurance Company 1, which is headquartered in Canada. In this role, Holleran evaluated and, if appropriate, paid workers compensation claims for policies issued by Insurance Company 1. If a claim was determined to be eligible, Holleran had authority to send payment to the claimant. She had the authority to send payments of up to $2,000 without further approval by her supervisor. Between July 2020 and June 2023, Holleran submitted more than 1,200 fraudulent claims in Insurance Company 1’s claim processing system, with each claim below the $2,000 threshold. Claims were then paid into bank accounts controlled by Holleran. Holleran created fictious expenses, such as claims for lost wages and reimbursements for medical supplies and copays, to justify the fraudulent payments. In total, she submitted approximately $2,370,848.24 in fraudulent claims. To carry out the scheme, she created fictitious email accounts that superficially appeared to be associated with the policy claimant. Holleran then used these email addresses to sign up for Insurance Company 1’s client portal. She would then input her own banking information into the portal. For the tax years 2020 through 2022, Holleran embezzled approximately $1,592,095 from Insurance Company 1 that she did not report on her income tax returns for those years. The Internal Revenue Service estimates tax due and owing for these tax years is $545,792. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Harry Chavis. # # # #


title: Pawtucket Man Pleads Guilty to a Charge of Wire Fraud

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Pawtucket man has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that he used fraudulent information when he applied online and received financing for the purchase of $95,713 vehicle from a New Hampshire dealership, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Roy Sweets, 27, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He will be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sweets admitted to the court that in May 2022, he participated in a scheme that used the personal information of another person without their permission when submitting an online loan application to a New Hampshire automobile dealership for the purchase of a 2022 Range Rover. As part of this submission, a co-conspirator provided a copy of a fraudulent New Hampshire driver’s license that depicted Sweet’s image and the personal information of a New Hampshire resident. On May 10th, 2022, Sweets presented the fraudulent driver’s license to the car dealership as he completed the process of purchasing and taking possession of a 2020 Range Rover Sport HST. The final sales price for the purchased vehicle including finance charges was $111,183.00. The sales price of the vehicle without finance charges was $95,713.00. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert. The matter was investigated by Warwick, RI, and Bedford, NH, Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. ###


title: Villa Rica Man Sentenced for Stealing Social Security Benefits

component: USAO - Georgia, Northern

body_text: NEWNAN, Ga. - Timmy S. Stephens has been sentenced for stealing money intended as disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. For approximately 20 years, Stephens claimed that he was disabled in order to receive benefits all while he worked at a local funeral home. “Stephens perpetrated a two-decades long fraud on the Social Security Administration,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “The disability program is a wage replacement program for those members of our society who cannot work due to a physical or mental health condition. Stealing benefits from the Social Security trust fund betrays the Social Security Administration and the people the program is designed to help.” According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges and other information presented in court: The evidence uncovered during the investigation showed that Stephens began receiving disability benefits due to a cardiac condition in or about August 2002. At that time and regularly thereafter, the Social Security Administration (SSA) informed him that if his condition improved or if he returned to work, he must report any change in his condition or work activity to the SSA. Despite notice of these reporting requirements, Stephens began working at a local funeral home in January 2003 and did not report the work activity to SSA. Instead, to conceal his work activity from SSA, Stephens arranged with the funeral home for his earnings to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service using a relative’s social security number. SSA later learned of this arrangement and about Stephen’s work activity. Stephens then submitted a false work activity report claiming that he had not worked since 2001. In response, federal special agents interviewed Stephens about his work activity. During the interview, he lied to the agents and also produced falsified time sheets to the funeral homeowner, directing her to give the false records to law enforcement. In total, Stephens received more than $360,000 in disability benefits when he was in fact able to work and not disabled. Timmy Stephens has been sentenced to nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $5,500.00 and restitution in the amount of $126,560.50. Stephens was convicted on these charges on October 17, 2024, after he pleaded guilty. This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C Schulman prosecuted the case. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga .


title: Jacksonville Convicted Drug Dealer Indicted On Federal Charge Of Escaping From Halfway House

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Brian Keith Speights (67, Jacksonville) has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jacksonville for escaping from custody at a halfway house in Jacksonville. If convicted, Speights faces up to five years in prison and a maximum of three years’ supervised release. According to court documents, in 2019, Speights was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison after being convicted of using his Jacksonville residence to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, and for possessing several firearms in furtherance of illegal drug trafficking. On January 2, 2025, he knowingly and willfully escaped from custody at the Bridges Federal Reintegration Center in Jacksonville, where he was lawfully confined serving the sentence imposed in 2019. Speights was arrested on this new federal charge on March 17, 2025, and his arraignment and detention hearing are set for March 19, 2025. An indictment is only an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.


title: Non-Profit Executive Sentenced To 27 Months In Prison For Conspiring To Defraud Federal Government And To Obstruct Federal Administrative Investigation

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ARIE RANGOTT was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the federal Head Start program, to submit a false document to the federal government, and to obstruct a federal administrative investigation. RANGOTT was convicted following a two-and-a-half-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden, who also imposed today’s sentence. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Arie Rangott defrauded a vital federal childcare program that aims to serve one of society’s most vulnerable populations. This Office is committed to bringing to justice those who place greed above their responsibility to be stewards of federal funds, and I commend our law enforcement partners and the dedicated team of career prosecutors for their outstanding work.” According to the Indictment, public court filings, and the evidence presented at trial: Between 2021 and January 2023, RANGOTT was the shadow executive director of a non-profit entity, Project Social Care Head Start Inc. (“PSCHS”), that operated in the New York City area. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), which administers the federal Head Start program, annually granted to PSCHS millions of dollars that were supposed to be overseen by an independent board of directors, to be used exclusively on the Head Start program, and from which earning a profit is prohibited by law. RANGOTT and others conspired to submit numerous fictitious documents to HHS that fraudulently asserted PSCHS had an independent board of directors and had in place controls to guard against fraud, waste, and abuse. In truth, PSCHS had neither an independent board nor sufficient controls in place. RANGOTT and his co-conspirators used their control over PSCHS to impermissibly direct PSCHS’s Head Start funding to for-profit companies owned by co-conspirators through rampant undisclosed self-dealing. In December 2021, HHS sent a letter to PSCHS detailing several complaints about self-dealing at PSCHS, among other things. In response, RANGOTT and his co-conspirators prepared and submitted to HHS a report that falsely denied the self-dealing and made other misstatements. Then, in August and September 2022, the HHS Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation into related issues at PSCHS. RANGOTT and his co-conspirators agreed to obstruct that investigation by lying to the investigators, coordinating stories, and submitting false documents. Several of RANGOTT’s co-conspirators have pled guilty and been sentenced. Among others, Martin Handler and Menachem Lieberman, each of whom secretly controlled PSCHS and directed PSCHS to steer federal funds to their own for-profit companies, pled guilty in March 2024, and Martin Handler was sentenced in October 2024 to 58 months in prison. Isidore Handler, who played a significant role in falsifying documents submitted to HHS, pled guilty in September 2023 and was sentenced in December 2024 to 18 months in prison. Lieberman is awaiting sentencing. * * * In addition to today’s prison sentence, RANGOTT, 54, of Toms River, New Jersey, was sentenced to two years of supervised release. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the HHS Office of the Inspector General. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and the New York City Department of Investigation for their assistance. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob R. Fiddelman, Catherine Ghosh, Stephanie Simon, and Daniel H. Wolf are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Jayda Foote.


title: Former Real Estate CEO Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Manipulating WeWork Stock With Fraudulent Tender Offer Scheme

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JONATHAN MOYNAHAN LARMORE was sentenced today to five years in prison for manipulating the stock price of WeWork, Inc. (“WeWork”) with a fake tender offer designed to fraudulently inflate the value of LARMORE’s own WeWork securities. LARMORE’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, who also presided over a one-week trial after which LARMORE was convicted of one count of tender offer fraud and one count of securities fraud. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Jonathan Larmore treated the stock market like a game he could rig to obtain instant riches at the expense of innocent investors. As today’s sentence shows, this Office will continue to advocate for significant penalties against those who manipulate our markets and defraud investors.” According to the evidence presented in court during the trial: LARMORE is the former CEO of Arciterra Companies LLC, a real estate investment and management firm. In the fall of 2023, LARMORE perpetrated a scheme to use a false and fraudulent tender offer to manipulate the stock price of WeWork, a co-working space company that was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. To execute his scheme, LARMORE created a sham real estate investment firm called Cole Capital Funds LLC (“Cole Capital”). LARMORE then spent more than $775,000 buying tens of thousands of cheap, short-dated, out-of-the-money WeWork call options and hundreds of thousands of shares of WeWork common stock. On November 3, 2023, LARMORE published a fake press release announcing that Cole Capital proposed to acquire 51% of all outstanding shares owned by minority shareholders of WeWork at a more-than-700% premium in an all-cash offer worth more than $77 million. At the time, WeWork was on the verge of bankruptcy. The press release itself contained a number of false and misleading claims about LARMORE and Cole Capital, and their ability to carry through with the purported tender offer. In fact, neither LARMORE nor Cole Capital had the intent or ability to execute the announced tender offer. Instead, LARMORE intended for news of the tender offer to fraudulently inflate WeWork’s share price and, thereby, to increase the value of LARMORE’s newly acquired WeWork call options and shares. Approximately one minute after LARMORE’s press release about his fraudulent tender offer was published, WeWork’s share price quickly increased during after-hours trading by more than 70% and continued to rise to a high of more than 150% over the stock price prior to the publication of the press release. The WeWork call options LARMORE purchased could have made him tens of millions of dollars with a big enough spike to WeWork’s stock price, but the vast majority of the options expired before LARMORE could publish his manipulative press release. The following Monday, November 6, 2023, WeWork filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. LARMORE never followed through on his fraudulent tender offer. * * * In addition to the prison term, LARMORE, 51, of Syracuse, Indiana, was sentenced to three years of supervised release during which the defendant must perform 500 hours of community service. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Podolsky also thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed a civil action against LARMORE, for its assistance and cooperation in the investigation. This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam S. Hobson, Sarah Mortazavi, and Justin V. Rodriguez are in charge of the prosecution.


title: Los Angeles Director And Writer Charged With $11 Million Fraud In Connection With Streaming Science Fiction Television Show

body_text: Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Leslie Backschies, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of a seven-count Indictment charging CARL ERIK RINSCH for engaging in a scheme to defraud a subscription video on-demand streaming service (“Streaming Company-1”) in connection with a planned science fiction television show called “White Horse.” RINSCH was arrested today in West Hollywood, California, and will be presented later today in the Central District of California. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As alleged, Carl Erik Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by soliciting a large investment from a video streaming service, claiming that money would be used to finance a television show that he was creating. But that was fiction. Rinsch instead allegedly used the funds on personal expenses and investments, including highly speculative options and cryptocurrency trading. Rinsch’s arrest is a reminder that this Office and our partners at the FBI remain vigilant in the fight against fraud and will bring those who cheat and steal to justice.” FBI Assistant Director Leslie Backschies said: “Carl Rinsch allegedly stole more than $11 million from a prominent streaming platform to finance lavish purchases and personal investments instead of completing a promised television series. The FBI will continue to reel in any individual who seeks to defraud businesses.” As alleged in the Indictment: [1] RINSCH is a film and television writer and director who partially completed a science fiction television show called “White Horse.” In 2018, RINSCH reached an agreement with Streaming Company-1 in which Streaming Company-1 would both pay RINSCH for the existing episodes of White Horse and also fund completion of the rest of the show. Between 2018 and 2019, Streaming Company-1 paid approximately $44 million for White Horse. Between late 2019 and early 2020, RINSCH demanded even more money from Streaming Company-1 to complete White Horse. Streaming Company-1 ultimately agreed to pay another $11 million, and transferred those funds to a company RINSCH controlled on or about March 6, 2020. The entirety of those funds was to be spent on the completion of White Horse. But RINSCH did not use those funds to complete White Horse. Instead, within days, RINSCH began transferring the funds he received through a number of different bank accounts before consolidating them in a personal brokerage account. RINSCH then used those funds to make a number of personal and speculative purchases of securities. His trading was unsuccessful, and in less than two months after receiving $11 million from Streaming Company-1, RINSCH had lost more than half of those funds. Even after losing most of the $11 million, RINSCH still did not spend the remaining funds he had stolen on White Horse. Instead, he used the money to speculate on cryptocurrency, and on personal expenses and luxury items, including approximately $1,787,000 on credit card bills; approximately $1,073,000 on lawyers to sue Streaming Company-1 for even more money, and for lawyers related to his divorce; approximately $395,000 to stay at the Four Seasons hotel and at various luxury rental properties; approximately $3,787,000 on furniture and antiques, including approximately $638,000 to purchase two mattresses and approximately $295,000 on luxury bedding and linens; approximately $2,417,000 to purchase five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari; and approximately $652,000 on watches and clothing. * * * RINSCH, 47, of Los Angeles, California, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the FBI and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackie Delligatti, David A. Markewitz, and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. u.s._v._rinsch_indictment.pdf [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitutes only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.


title: Justice Department Files Statement of Interest Supporting Equal Access to Educational Opportunities and Facilities for Jewish UCLA Students

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced that the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the Central District of California to advance the appropriate interpretation of federal laws that prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating against students because of their religion or national origin. The statement of interest is part of the Task Force’s nationwide effort to combat antisemitism in all of its forms. According to the allegations in Frankel et al. v. Regents of the University of California et al. , in the spring of 2024 administrators of the University of California system allowed members of a protest encampment to physically prevent University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) students and faculty from accessing portions of the UCLA campus if they were wearing articles reflective of their Jewish faith or if they refused to denounce Israel. The plaintiffs are Jewish students and a Jewish professor at UCLA who allege that the university knowingly acted in concert with or allowed members of the protest encampment to prevent them from accessing a central campus space and adjacent classrooms and library on the basis of their Jewish faith or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and California state law. The United States’ statement of interest addresses the sufficiency of plaintiffs’ claims that defendant administrators violated Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause. The Justice Department recently announced the formation of a multi-agency task force coordinated by the Civil Rights Division to combat antisemitism, which is visiting 10 university campuses that have experienced antisemitic events. The Department also recently announced its investigation into the University of California to assess whether the university system engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses, including UCLA. The Task Force also recently announced that the Department, together with other federal agencies, would cancel $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University due to the school’s inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students. “The President, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Task Force know that every student must be free to attend school without being discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or national origin,” said Leading Task Force member and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell. “The Department of Justice is working to combat antisemitism using all of the tools at our disposal.” “Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally for the Central District of California. “Our office will enforce anti-discrimination laws to address the issue of antisemitism affecting our residents.” To learn more about the Civil Rights Division visit www.justice.gov/crt , and to report possible violations of federal civil rights laws go to www.civilrights.justice.gov or call toll-free at 800-253-3931.


title: South Carolina man pleads guilty to sexually exploiting two children in Virginia

component: USAO - Virginia, Eastern

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A South Carolina man pled guilty today to sexually exploiting two children to whom he had access while residing in Reston. According to court documents, from at least July 2019 through July 2022, Christopher George Schoenmann, 43, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, created sexually explicit images of two minor victims, identified as MV1 and MV2, and distributed the images to a man in Minnesota, in exchange for sexually explicit images of the Minnesota man’s minor children. Schoenmann and the Minnesota man used WhatsApp to discuss their sexual interest in young girls, and to trade images of their victims. Between July 2019 and July 2022, Schoenmann created at least eight images depicting MV1 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. MV1 was between six and eight years old when Schoenmann sexually exploited her. Schoenmann also created at least eight sexually explicit images of MV2, who was between less than a year old and two years old when Schoenmann sexually exploited her. Schoenmann distributed the sexually explicit images of his victims to the Minnesota man. Schoenmann also stored on 4 different electronic devices more than 1,400 images and videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including approximately 39 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants or toddlers. Schoenmann is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alessandra Serano and Lauren Halper are prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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 www.justice.gov/psc . A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-22.


title: Wilbraham Man Indicted for Violent Threats Targeting Public Officials, Private Individuals and Children

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Wilbraham man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mass. for allegedly making numerous violent threats on social media targeting public figures, private individuals, children in Wilbraham and Boston, and an elementary school in Springfield. Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, also known as “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” “Michael Jacobs” “Robert, Jacobs,” and “Carl Fields,” 36, was indicted with 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and one count of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce. Nyawo was previously arrested on Feb. 5, 2025 in the Southern District of Florida and ordered detained until his appearance in federal court in Springfield, which will be scheduled at a later date. According to the Indictment, between July 30, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo posted various communications on X (formerly known as Twitter) threatening to kill an elected United States official (and their family), a former United States official (and their family), a former member of a Massachusetts police department (and their family), a private individual, local officials and their family members; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department and Wilbraham Fire Department (and their families); and an elementary school in Springfield, among others. In addition, between Aug. 17, 2024 and on or about Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo used X to engage in a course of conduct with the intent to harass and intimidate the elected United States official, their spouse, their child, their child’s spouse, and their grandchildren. All of the charges provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and J. Thomas Manger of the United States Capital Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Wilbraham Police Department, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, and the Miami-Dade Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Brooklyn Park Felon Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl Mixture  Resulting in Death on Mille Lacs Reservation

component: USAO - Minnesota

body_text: ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brooklyn Park man pleaded guilty to fentanyl trafficking that resulted in death, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. According to court documents, on July 26, 2023, Allen Lee Goodwin, 50, sold a mixture of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl to a 38-year-old male victim who lived on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. The next morning, Goodwin’s victim injected the fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl substance and died minutes later. In his plea agreement, Goodwin admitted he intentionally transferred the fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl mixture to his victim, and that the man would not have died but for the use of the fentanyl substance that he sold him. “Deadly fentanyl is flooding our state and our country—resulting in the tragic loss of so many of our citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Overdose rates are highest on our Indian reservations. This is unacceptable. My heart breaks for the Minnesota parents who have lost their children, struggling with drug addiction, to the greed and callousness of drug dealers. My office will prosecute these purveyors of poison to the fullest extent of the law.” Goodwin pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death in U.S. District Court today before Judge Donovan W. Frank. A sentencing hearing will take place at a later date. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.


title: Brazilian National Arrested for Selling Fake Social Security Cards and Green Cards

body_text: BOSTON – A Brazilian national, residing in Woburn, was arrested today for allegedly selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Legal Permanent Resident cards, often referred to as “Green Cards.” Liene Tavares DeBarros, Jr., 39, is charged with one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. Tavares DeBarros was arrested today and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester. According to the charging documents, Tavares DeBarros sold a Social Security Number Card and a Green Card to an undercover officer in October 2024 in exchange for $250. In December 2024, Tavares DeBarros allegedly sold two more Social Security cards and Green Cards to the undercover officer in exchange for $500. The charge of unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and unlawful production of document or authentication feature provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Labor Racketeering and Fraud, Northeast Region; and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Previously convicted sex offender pleads guilty to child pornography crimes after masturbating nude near school bus stop

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A previously convicted sex offender who, on multiple occasions, stood fully nude at the glass door of his Obetz residence and masturbated while school-aged children were getting off the bus and walking to their homes, pleaded guilty in federal court here today to federal child pornography crimes. Joshua Bock, 32, of Edgeview Road in Columbus, pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing child pornography. As a convicted sex offender, he faces 15 to 40 years in prison for distributing child pornography and 10 to 20 years in prison for possessing the child sexual abuse material. According to court documents, in September 2024, law enforcement officials contacted the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force regarding several civilian complaints about Bock. Multiple children witnessed him nude and masturbating while they walked from their school bus near Hamilton Local Schools. Bock was arrested on local charges of public indecency, and law enforcement agents interviewed Bock and searched his electronic devices. He described the location of numerous devices and child pornography in his home, including a self-described “treasure chest” of material in his bedroom under the stairs. Law enforcement seized multiple laptops, hard drives, flash drives and cell phones from Bock’s residence. His devices contained more than 3,500 images and videos of child sexual abuse, many including “bondage” of females ranging from toddler age to teenagers with gags in their mouths. Some of the video files depicted adults sexually abusing infants. In his prior offense, Bock was charged as a hands-on sexual offender to a victim who was approximately 9 years old at the time. Bock was charged federally in September 2024 via a criminal complaint. He has remained in custody since that time. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and other members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Two Grey Hills Man Charged with Assault After Threatening Family with Handgun

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Two Grey Hills man has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon following an alleged altercation with family members at a residence on the Navajo Nation. According to the criminal complaint, on February 28, 2025, James Smiley, Jr. , 55, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly entered a residence within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation and threatened several family members with a small black handgun without provocation. Witnesses reported that Smiley discharged the firearm into the ceiling, pointed it at multiple individuals, and threatened to kill them. During the incident, Smiley allegedly stated that he was a felon and acknowledged that he would go to jail before leaving the residence. The incident lasted approximately 20 minutes, during which time the victims felt like hostages. Navajo Nation Police responded to the scene but were unable to make contact with Smiley that evening. Smiley , who was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse, battery upon a peace officer, and resisting or obstructing an officer, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Smiley will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Smiley faces up to 10 years in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mia Ulibarri-Rubin is prosecuting the case. View the Complaint (Smiley).pdf A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Providence Man Admits to Trafficking Fentanyl-Laced Counterfeit Pills

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Providence man admitted to a federal judge today that he trafficked more than 2,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Michael Sellers, 64, pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. In pleading guilty, Sellers admitted that on at least two occasions in November 2023, he sold more than 1,000 counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills to an individual while under surveillance by FBI agents. On November 16, 2023, Sellers provided an individual with 1,027 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in exchange for $2,500 in cash. On November 24, 2023, he provided the same individual with 1,024 fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills in exchange for $2,500. In each instance, the pills were quickly seized by law enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Stacey A. Erickson. The matter was investigated by the FBI. ###


title: Wealthy Miami Man Pleads Guilty to Decades-Long Scheme to Defraud the IRS

component: Tax Division

body_text: A Miami man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with others to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts. According to court documents and statements made in court, between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and that he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS. Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil. Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte. In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, Rotta nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use. Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS began auditing Rotta. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States. The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys. In 2017, after Rotta presented evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that Rotta owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that Rotta controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from Swiss accounts. In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. To avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations can make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which may offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to Rotta were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because the nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, the nominee had two children. Rotta is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)’s Washington, D.C., Field Office made the announcement. Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, is investigating the case. Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly and Trial Attorneys Patrick Elwell and William Montague of the Tax Division, as well as Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida, are prosecuting the case.


title: Two Mexican Nationals With Prior Convictions Charged For Illegally Reentering The United States

component: USAO - Nevada

body_text: LAS VEGAS – Two Mexican nationals residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances Monday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country. Jose Miguel Gutierrez-Chavarria, 40, and Luis Abel Soto-Rodriguez, 33, are both charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for March 31, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Brenda N. Weksler. According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Gutierrez-Chavarria and Soto-Rodriguez are both citizens and nationals of Mexico. They were previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally. On February 20, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Gutierrez-Chavarria in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gutierrez-Chavarria had previously been deported on or about April 5, 2022, and again on September 6, 2022. Gutierrez-Chavarria has prior felony convictions from 2007 for two counts of Trafficking a Controlled Substance. He was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in the custody of the Nevada Department of Corrections. On December 13, 2024, Gutierrez-Chavarria was arrested by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for three counts Sell/Transport Controlled Substance and Trafficking Controlled Substance. If convicted, Gutierrez-Chavarria faces the maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. On March 5, 2025, ICE arrested Soto-Rodriguez who had previously been deported on four occasions between May 9, 2017, and June 1, 2022. The United States District Court, District of Arizona, convicted Soto-Rodriguez of reentry of removed alien on May 1, 2020, and again on February 24, 2022. Soto-Rodriguez faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke made the announcement. The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case. Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form . A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ###


title: Portage Woman sentenced to 21 months in Prison

body_text: HAMMOND – Kathelia Hopkins, 48 years old, of Portage, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to wire fraud announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay. Hopkins was sentenced to 21 months in prison and was ordered to pay $424,250 in restitution for her role in submitting dozens of fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of herself and others. According to documents in the case, between June and August 2020, Hopkins submitted applications to the SBA claiming that the Covid-19 epidemic was creating an economic hardship on her business and other businesses owned by her family, friends, and others. The investigation revealed that these applications were falsified and the businesses that Hopkins claimed were entitled to funds either did not exist or did not qualify for EIDL loan funds. In total, Hopkins sought to extract over $1,250,000 from the disaster loan program and the SBA disbursed over $420,000 relying on her false claims. Hopkins’ personal profit from the fraud scheme was estimated to be $185,040. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. McGrath.


title: DOJ Files Statement of Interest Supporting Equal Access to Educational Opportunities and Facilities for Jewish UCLA Students

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced today that the Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in Los Angeles federal court to advance the appropriate interpretation of federal laws that prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating against students because of their religion or national origin. The statement of interest – filed on Monday – is part of the Task Force’s nationwide effort to combat antisemitism in all its forms. According to the allegations in Frankel et al. v. Regents of the University of California et al. , in the spring of 2024 administrators of the University of California system allowed members of a protest encampment to physically prevent University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) students and faculty from accessing portions of the UCLA campus if they were wearing articles reflective of their Jewish faith or if they refused to denounce Israel. The plaintiffs are Jewish students and a Jewish professor at UCLA who allege that the university knowingly acted in concert with or allowed members of the protest encampment to prevent them from accessing a central campus space and adjacent classrooms and library on the basis of their Jewish faith or national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and California state law. The United States’ statement of interest addresses the sufficiency of plaintiffs’ claims that defendant administrators violated Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause. The Justice Department recently announced the formation of a multi-agency task force coordinated by the Civil Rights Division to combat antisemitism, which is visiting 10 university campuses that have experienced antisemitic events. The Department also recently announced its investigation into the University of California to assess whether the university system engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses, including UCLA. The Task Force also recently announced that the Department, together with other federal agencies, would cancel $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University due to the school’s inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students. “Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. “Our office will enforce anti-discrimination laws to address the issue of antisemitism affecting our residents.” “The President, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Task Force know that every student must be free to attend school without being discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or national origin,” said Leading Task Force member and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell. “The Department of Justice is working to combat antisemitism using all of the tools at our disposal.” Assistant United States Attorney Katherine M. Hikida of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section and Senior Trial Attorneys Peter W. Beauchamp and Laura C. Tayloe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section are representing the United States in this matter. To learn more about the Civil Rights Division visit www.justice.gov/crt , and to report possible violations of federal civil rights laws go to www.civilrights.justice.gov or call toll-free at (800) 253-3931.


title: Mescalero Man Charged with Sexual Assault of Minor

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man is facing charges in federal court for an alleged sexual assault incident involving a minor. According to court records, John Albert Carrillo, Jr. , 35, an enrolled member of Mescalero Apache Tribe, is accused of sexual assault against a minor under the age of 16. After being caught in the act by witnesses, Carrillo reportedly became agitated, denied being a pedophile, and attempted to leave the scene. Carrillo is charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse of a Minor and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted of the current charges, Carrillo faces up to life in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today. The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson K. Dering V is prosecuting the case. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: West Virginia Residents Sentenced for Roles in Drug Trafficking Operation

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Monongalia County residents have been sentenced for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in the Northern District of West Virginia. Jennifer Clapper, 37, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. Jamie Purtee, 33, of Morgantown, West Virginia was sentenced to 60 months. According to court documents and statements made in court, Clapper and Purtee were part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Monongalia County, unlawfully distributing kilograms of controlled substances for more than six years. The drug organization originated in Philadelphia, PA from which its members transported 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine to Morgantown per trip. Clapper and Purtee were distributors for the DTO. Following their prison sentences, Clapper and Purtee will serve three years of supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.


title: Honduran Guilty of Illegal Re-entry

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ORLIN SAUL HERNANDEZ-TORREZ (“HERNANDEZ-TORREZ”), age 48, a native of Honduras, pleaded guilty on March 13, 2025 to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1326(a). According to court documents, HERNANDEZ-TORREZ was previously removed from the United States on April 25, 2005, and again on November 8, 2019. He was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana on March 20, 2024 and had not received permission from the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reenter. United States District Judge Susie Morgan set sentencing for June 17, 2025. HERNANDEZ-TORREZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two (2) years, a fine of up to $250,000,up to one year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Protection agency in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.


title: Hartford Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Defrauding Credit Unions and Banks in Auto Loan Scheme

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONNIE BONNER, 64, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding multiple credit unions and banks through an auto loan scheme. According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2014 and February 2015, while working as a sales associate for an automobile dealership in Simsbury, Bonner defrauded credit unions and banks by applying for, in his name and the names of acquaintances, 19 loans to purchase motor vehicles identified with specific Vehicle Identification Numbers (“VINs”). For most transactions, no motor vehicle was actually being purchased. Bonner cashed or deposited the loan disbursement checks, and typically made several payments on the loan before stopping payments. Bonner received a total of $646,351.38 in loan proceeds through this scheme. Judge Underhill ordered Bonner to pay restitution of $395,124.40. Bonner was arrested on November 5, 2020. On April 27, 2023, he pleaded guilty to financial institution fraud. Bonner, who is released on a $25,000 bond, is required to report to prison on May 7. This matter was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.


component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: Defendant Hid Millions in Swiss Accounts MIAMI – A Miami man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with others to defraud the United States by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in undisclosed Swiss bank accounts. According to court documents and statements made in court, between 1985 and 2020, Dan Rotta hid more than $20 million in assets in dozens of secret Swiss accounts at five different Swiss banks, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Bonhôte, and Bank Julius Baer. The accounts were held in his own name, in the names of sham structures, and, in one instance, a pseudonym. Over the years, Rotta earned tens of millions of dollars of income from these assets that he did not report on his tax returns and that he used to fund his lavish lifestyle. He caused a substantial tax loss to the IRS. Rotta employed increasingly elaborate schemes to keep his accounts hidden. Over the years, he kept his accounts open, in part, by falsely representing that he was not a U.S. citizen, leveraging his Brazilian citizenship to claim he was a Brazilian citizen residing in Brazil. Starting in 2008, after it was reported publicly that UBS and its bankers were under criminal investigation for helping U.S. taxpayers evade their taxes, Rotta closed his UBS account and moved his funds to Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte. In 2011, after the IRS obtained records related to one of Rotta’s Swiss accounts, Rotta nominally changed the documentation of his accounts at Credit Suisse and Bank Bonhôte to make it appear that his co-conspirator, a Brazilian national and resident, owned the assets in the accounts. Despite the change, Rotta continued to control the assets and transferred millions of dollars out of those accounts for his use. Shortly after Rotta changed the account documentation, the IRS began auditing Rotta. During the audit, Rotta falsely denied that he owned the assets in the foreign financial accounts and, instead, claimed that the millions of dollars he withdrew from the accounts were non-taxable loans from foreign nationals. Rotta provided the IRS with fake promissory notes and false affidavits from the foreign nationals to corroborate his claims. During the audit, Rotta continued to use the funds in his foreign accounts to fund his lifestyle in the United States, but to conceal his use of the funds from the IRS, he often routed transfers from his foreign accounts through nominee accounts and attorney trust fund accounts in the United States. The IRS did not believe Rotta’s story and assessed millions of dollars of additional taxes as well as penalties and interest against him. Rotta sought to reverse the assessments by filing a false petition in U.S. Tax Court. In that petition, Rotta, through his attorney, falsely denied having any foreign accounts and attached fictitious loan documents. Furthermore, the nominee account owners traveled to the United States to retell the false loan story to IRS attorneys. In 2017, after Rotta presented evidence that the purported loans had been repaid, the IRS reversed the deficiencies and agreed that Rotta owed no additional tax. Unbeknownst to the IRS, however, the “loan repayments” were fake: the funds that Rotta purportedly repaid went back into accounts that Rotta controlled shortly after the IRS dismissed the suit. Also as part of the conspiracy, Rotta had his U.S.-based attorneys create sham trust structures that he used to transfer his assets to the United States without alerting the IRS. On paper, it appeared that Rotta’s co-conspirator funded the trusts for Rotta’s benefit. In reality, Rotta funded the trusts with transfers from Swiss accounts. In 2019, Rotta became aware that the IRS would receive additional account records from Switzerland that contradicted the false claims that he had previously made. To avoid criminal liability, Rotta applied to participate in the IRS’s voluntary disclosure practice. Under that practice, taxpayers who failed to comply with their tax and reporting obligations can make timely, accurate, and complete disclosures of their conduct, which may offer a path to resolve their non-compliance and limit their criminal exposure. Rotta made false statements in his submission, including falsely claiming that the assets in the Swiss accounts mostly belonged to others, and that any funds provided to Rotta were non-taxable gifts. Rotta also claimed that the nominee account owner gifted Rotta money because the nominee had no children to benefit from the funds. In fact, the nominee had two children. Rotta is scheduled to be sentenced on June 4. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)’s Washington, D.C., Field Office made the announcement. Special Agents from IRS-CI’s International Tax & Financial Crimes specialty group, a team based out of Washington, D.C., and dedicated to uncovering international tax crimes, is investigating the case. Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark for the Southern District of Florida; Senior Litigation Counsels Sean Beaty and Mark Daly, and Trial Attorneys Patrick Elwell and William Montague of the Tax Division, are prosecuting the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 24-cr-20113. ###


title: Columbia Man and Prior Felon Indicted on Gun Charge

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

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a single-count indictment against Brandon Chanell Joyner, 28, of Columbia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that on July 18, 2023, Joyner possessed a firearm after having been convicted of a felony. On that date, Joyner was arrested on state charges from a shooting incident near Stoneridge Drive and Greystone Boulevard in Columbia that involved a significant law enforcement response from multiple agencies. Joyner has previous felony convictions that prevent him from lawfully possessing a firearm. He is currently detained awaiting trial for the state charges related to the incident. He is only charged federally with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Joyner faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Columbia Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sanford is prosecuting the case. All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Albany Woman Pleads Guilty to Sending Synthetic Cannabinoids Into Correctional Institutions Disguised as Legal Mail

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Maya McIntosh, age 33, of Albany, pled guilty today to conspiracies to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and controlled substance analogue, distribution and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and controlled substance analogue, and unlawful possession and use of a means of identification. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement. According to the plea agreement, beginning no later than January 2023 through July 2024, the defendant manufactured, distributed, and possessed with intent to distribute the substance MDMB-4en-PINACA, and conspired to do so with others. MDMB-4en-PINACA is a synthetic cannabinoid. McIntosh ordered constituent chemicals, which were shipped to the residences of McIntosh and a coconspirator. McIntosh combined those chemicals in her residence to create MDMB-4en-PINACA, which was in liquid form. McIntosh then sprayed and soaked the liquid onto copy paper and business envelopes. McIntosh placed those documents into U.S. Priority Mail Express envelopes addressed to inmates at various correctional facilities in New York. McIntosh disguised the envelopes as legal mail by stamping the names of actual attorneys in the return address portion of the envelopes, without the attorneys’ knowledge or permission, to make it appear is if the parcels were sent by attorneys and contained legitimate legal paperwork instead of a controlled substance. McIntosh used social media to sell the sheets and envelopes soaked in MDMB-4en-PINACA to others. McIntosh’s customers paid her to mail the MDMB-4en-PINACA-soaked papers to inmates at the facilities. McIntosh faces a maximum term of 20 years’ imprisonment on each count. She also faces a maximum fine of $1 million on the drug counts and a fine of $250,000 on the remaining counts. McIntosh also faces a term of supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. USPIS and HSI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie is prosecuting the case.


title: Former Principals of Aerospace Start-Up Company Charged with Fraud, Fraud Conspiracy, and Tax Evasion

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging five former principals of aerospace start-up company Theia Group, Inc.—Erlend Olson, John Gallagher, Stephen Buscher, Joseph Fargnoli, and Jamil Swati—with a multi-year scheme to defraud investors and lenders out of $250 million, and further charging Olson with evading more than $3.9 million in personal federal income taxes. Theia Group, Inc. (Theia) had its headquarters in Washington D.C. Law enforcement made arrests yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Olson), Memphis, Tennessee (Buscher), and today in Broomall, Pennsylvania (Gallagher), Rochester, New York (Fargnoli), and Bridgeport, Connecticut (Swati). The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Office. According to the indictment, Theia planned to launch 112 satellites starting in 2022 at a cost of $10 billion to $15 billion. Theia’s principals originally planned to raise the requisite funds from various nation-states by promising perpetual data and analytics for an upfront cost of $2 billion. However, from Theia’s founding in 2015 through its placement into receivership in 2021, Theia was unsuccessful in obtaining any funding except for approximately $250 million in loans and investments that Theia’s principals induced by fraud. Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati’s fraud scheme allegedly included materially false statements about revenue from non-existent government contracts, provision of multiple false financial statements, including a fake $6 billion escrow account statement, and false representations about Theia’s technical capabilities. The indictment further alleges that, between 2018 and 2020, Theia’s founder, Erlend Olson, concealed from the IRS millions of dollars in compensation he received from Theia. In addition to not filing tax returns or paying any taxes for 2018 through 2020, Olson allegedly directed his compensation from Theia to a nominee entity called Meridian Vector Corporation (MVC). Olson then used MVC funds to pay personal expenses such as personal debts, a private jet membership, $64,500 annual rent payments for his home, a new Land Rover, and a pair of condominiums in Las Vegas. Olson also allegedly evaded payment of taxes that he owed the IRS for tax years 2009 through 2011 by directing that his pay and bonuses not be reported to the IRS. Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Olson also is charged with five counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. Gallagher is also charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Buscher also is charged with three counts of wire fraud. Fargnoli is also charged with two counts of wire fraud. Swati is also charged with one count of wire fraud. If convicted, Olson, Gallagher, Buscher, Fargnoli, and Swati face up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy count, as well as up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud or mail fraud count. Each also face a period of supervised release, restitution, monetary penalties, and forfeiture. Olson faces up to five years in prison for each tax evasion count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. FDIC Office of Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold of the District of Columbia, Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis, and Trial Attorney Alexis Hughes of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Venezuelan Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Migrant Smuggling Conspiracy

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Cesar David Martinez-Gonzalez, 40, a native of Venezuela who had been residing in Chester, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Gerald A. McHugh to 36 months’ imprisonment and $20,560 in restitution, in connection with a conspiracy to help smuggle and encourage and induce dozens of migrants from South America to enter the United States illegally so that he could profit from their labor. The defendant was charged by indictment in July of last year and pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiring to illegally bring aliens to the United States and to encourage and induce aliens to enter the United States for private financial gain, five counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to illegally enter the United States for private financial gain, and four counts of transfer of an unlawful identification document. The object of the conspiracy, for the personal financial gain of Martinez-Gonzalez and others, was to illegally smuggle citizens of South American countries into the United States across the U.S.-Mexico border, and to encourage and induce them to enter the United States without prior authorization. Martinez-Gonzalez entered the United States illegally. He then launched a scheme and wired money to migrants in South America and fronted money to “coyotes” in Mexico, who guided migrants across the Rio Grande and through holes in the U.S.-Mexico border wall. He also provided migrants with information to give to Customs and Border Protection so that they could be released — on parole — to his residences. Martinez-Gonzalez then paid for airplane flights to bring the migrants to Philadelphia, and, once they arrived, transported them to houses in and around Chester, Pa. At this point, Martinez-Gonzalez and his associates would impose upon the migrants thousands or tens-of-thousands of dollars in “debts” owed to him, which the migrants would have to pay off through working long hours at factories and other worksites and forfeiting half of their weekly wages to the defendant. Martinez-Gonzalez also helped the migrants obtain false identification documents and hourly work through various staffing agencies. The debts imposed by the defendant were well in excess of what it cost to get the individuals to Chester and house them there. During the two-year period that the defendant operated his scheme, he induced and helped to illegally bring over 100 aliens to the United States, all for his private financial gain. The defendant imposed a daily pressure campaign on the migrants to keep working, for whatever hours they could get from the staffing agencies, so that they could keep making “debt” payments to him. He kept careful records of the debts migrants had paid to him and still owed to him, demonstrating that the illegal scheme was, for him, about making money. The defendant’s steady, calculated scheme entailed a pervasive abuse of the nation’s immigration system, as well as of the many migrants he induced to come to the United States. Moreover, the defendant was granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States in March 2024, which he took advantage of by continuing to perpetrate his scheme after being granted status to remain in the country. “Martinez-Gonzalez committed an egregious offense against the citizens of our country as well as the illegal immigrants he smuggled into it,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Our office intends to combat illegal immigration in all forms — including by pursuing the offenders who orchestrate and facilitate schemes that compromise our border security and the rule of law. In this case, Martinez-Gonzalez not only betrayed our country after entering it illegally and receiving status, but he also imposed onerous ‘debts’ on unlawful migrants and effectively coerced them to work long and monotonous hours to pay him back. My office and our partners will continue to target human smugglers for prosecution. They exploit their victims and make a mockery of our lawful immigration system.” “Driven by personal greed, Martinez-Gonzalez not only smuggled individuals into the United States but also continued to exploit them for profit,” said Wayne A. Jacobs. “The FBI, in collaboration with HSI, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Attorney's Office, remains committed to holding accountable those who engage in human smuggling and exploitation.” “This case highlights the critical role that Homeland Security Investigations plays in dismantling human smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable individuals for personal profit. Martinez-Gonzalez not only violated our nation's immigration laws but also preyed on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life, forcing them into a cycle of debt and exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia Edward V. Owens. “HSI remains committed to working with our partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such reprehensible acts.” “Mr. Martinez-Gonzalez helped illegal migrants obtain false identification for employment, forcing them to work off so-called thousands of dollars in debts, but in reality, it was for his own personal gain,” said Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General, Michelle L. Anderson. “I thank our law enforcement partners, the FBI and HSI, for their efforts in this investigation, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the case.” The case was investigated by the FBI, HSI, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara A. Solow, Louis D. Lappen, Eileen Castilla Geiger, and J. Andrew Jenemann.


title: Texas Man Indicted for Violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that EDDIE MARTINEZ (“MARTINEZ”), age 44, of Texas, was indicted on March 13, 2025 for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). According to the filed indictment, MARTINEZ allegedly possessed with intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. If convicted, MARTINEZ faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and up to a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, and at least four years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. The defendant also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Briana Williams of the Narcotics Unit.