title: Two Men Sentenced to Federal Prison in Separate Fentanyl Trafficking Cases

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: POCATELLO – Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced the results of two separate drug distribution cases in eastern Idaho today. In one case, David Erik Traversa, 32, of Utah, was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. According to court records, in May 2024, officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle and arrested an individual in possession of approximately 200 fentanyl pills weighing 19.6 grams. Officers found two hotel room keys and applied for a search warrant. A magistrate judge for the Sixth Judicial District, State of Idaho, issued a warrant to search the hotel rooms. Officers executed the search warrant on the hotel rooms. In one room officers found Traversa overdosing; they engaged in life saving measures while waiting for the ambulance. In the hotel room, officers found fentanyl pills and drug paraphernalia including several different sized baggies commonly used to package drugs. The ambulance took Traversa to the hospital where he received treatment for the nonfatal overdose. While at the hospital, staff found a black drawstring bag attached to his genitals. The drawstring bag contained approximately 576 fentanyl pills. In total, the fentanyl seized during the traffic stop and found in Traversa’s possession weighed 84.42 grams. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Traversa to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Traversa pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2024. In a separate case, Casey Steven Evans, 38, of Pocatello, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. According to court records, in May 2024, law enforcement stopped a blue Range Rover belonging to Evans. During the traffic stop, officers developed probable cause to search the Range Rover. When officers searched the trunk, they found a black metal safe that contained small blue circular fentanyl pills and a loaded black and silver SCCY CPX-1 9mm handgun. On the front passenger floor, officers found a second loaded handgun, which was a black Taurus PT111 9mm. The safe contained 107.94 grams of fentanyl. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Evans to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Evans pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2025. Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the BADGES Task Force, which is a HIDTA-funded task force that includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho State Police, the Pocatello Police Department, and the Chubbuck Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted these cases. These cases were investigated though the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multiagency drug enforcement initiatives, including the BADGES Task Force. The BADGES Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that focuses primarily on drug trafficking crimes in Bannock County and throughout the region. These cases were handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction. The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts. This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 190 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 165 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 11,060 months (approximately 921.66 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 76.81 months (6.4 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 63.61 months (5.3 years) in federal prison. ###


title: Lame Deer man sentenced to over 15 years in prison for rape on Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who raped a woman on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 188 months in prison to be followed by15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Adriano Sparkxxx LeBeaux, 21, was found guilty at trial in October 2024 of aggravated sexual abuse as charged in an indictment. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided. In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on March 8, 2023, the victim, identified as Jane Doe, met up with LeBeaux at a residence in Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. LeBeaux told Doe the police were on their way to search the house and that they needed to hide in the basement. Jane Doe had been drinking and did not want to be arrested because Northern Cheyenne is a dry reservation. Hiding in the basement seemed like a good idea to Jane Doe. While in the basement, LeBeaux told Jane Doe to lie down in a corner on the floor, and she fell asleep or passed out. At some point, Jane Doe awoke to LeBeaux holding a knife to her throat and then he raped her. Jane Doe left the residence and went to the Indian Health Service Clinic where she underwent a sexual assault exam. An analysis of DNA indicated LeBeaux was the contributor to male DNA identified in the sexual assault exam. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Suek and Paul Vestal prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI, BIA and Northern Cheyenne Investigative Services. 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 . XXX


title: Former Federal Bureau of Prisons Official sentenced for federal civil rights violation for failing to obtain medical care for an inmate who died

component: Civil Rights - Criminal Section

body_text: RICHMOND, Va. – Former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) lieutenant Shronda Covington, 49, was sentenced yesterday to a year in prison to be followed by a year of home confinement and three years of supervised release for violating the civil rights of an inmate in her custody and control by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in the inmate suffering bodily injury, and for lying to federal investigators about the offense. The inmate later died of his injuries he sustained over the course of a 30-hour period spanning Jan. 9 and 10, 2021. Former BOP nurse Tonya Farley, 54, was sentenced today to six months in prison, six months of home confinement, and three years of supervised release for lying to federal investigators about the circumstances of the death of the inmate, who was entrusted to her care. According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Covington was on duty and working in her official capacity at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg on Jan. 9, 2021. She willfully failed to ensure that the inmate, a 47-year-old man identified as W.W., was provided with necessary medical care during her shift, even though she knew that W.W. had serious medical needs, and W.W. suffered bodily injury as a result. Covington was also found guilty of making false statements to federal agents about the incident. Another BOP official, former lieutenant Michael Anderson, previously pled guilty for his role in the inmate’s death and was sentenced to three years in custody. “Custody includes a responsibility for safety and wellbeing,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Corrections staff must uphold that responsibility for persons in their care – or they will be held accountable for their failure to do so, like the defendants in this case.” “Federal correctional officials who fail to do their jobs at the cost of inmate safety should be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Further, officials who obstruct investigations of their misconduct violate the public’s trust.” “This case is a powerful reminder that BOP officials who disregard their responsibility to provide a humane environment for inmates will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Tim Edmiston of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region. Evidence presented at trial established that, in the early morning hours of Jan. 9, 2021, W.W.’s cellmate reported to facility staff that W.W. was exhibiting unprecedented behavior, including that he was suddenly disoriented, unable to talk, unable to stand or walk without falling, and unable to control his bladder. Over the course of two days, BOP officials knew of but disregarded W.W.’s symptoms. Without medical attention to address his medical crisis, W.W. fell into walls and other objects numerous times, causing significant bruising and bleeding to his head and body. Although BOP policy requires staff to provide necessary medical care to inmates, defendant Covington failed to respond to repeated calls for help from the officers she supervised during her shift on the morning of Jan. 9, 2021. On the morning of Jan. 10, 2021, W.W. finally fell head-first into a wall and then to the floor in an observation cell, where — despite inmate-observers’ continued calls for help — he lay for an hour and 40 minutes before officers rendered aid. An autopsy concluded that W.W. died of blunt force trauma to his head and that the lack of medical assistance he received during his series of falls and after his last fall contributed to his death. Farley was the last medical provider to see W.W. before his death. Despite BOP policies requiring her to confer with a physician about W.W.’s care, and despite Farley’s admission that she should have conferred with a physician and sent W.W. to the hospital, Farley failed to take these steps. She then falsely told federal investigators that she had conferred with a physician, even though she had not done so. Farley also misled investigators about her conversations with another prison official. The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Katherine McCallister of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case. 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. 3:23-cr-68.


title: One Former Federal Bureau of Prisons Official Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Violation for Failing to Obtain Medical Care for an Inmate Who Died

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: Former Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) lieutenant Shronda Covington, 49, was sentenced yesterday to 12 months in prison followed by 12 months of home confinement and three years of supervised release for violating the civil rights of an inmate in her custody and control by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in the inmate suffering, bodily injury, and for lying to federal investigators about the offense. The inmate later died of injuries he sustained over the course of a 30-hour period spanning Jan. 9 and 10, 2021. Former BOP nurse Tonya Farley, 54, was also sentenced today to six months in prison, six months of home confinement, and three years of supervised release for lying to federal investigators about the circumstances of the death of the inmate, who was entrusted to her care. According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Covington was on duty and working in her official capacity at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia, on Jan. 9, 2021. She willfully failed to ensure that the inmate, a 47-year-old man identified as W.W., was provided with necessary medical care during her shift, even though she knew that W.W. had serious medical needs, and W.W. suffered bodily injury as a result. Covington was also found guilty of making false statements to federal agents about the incident. Another BOP official, former lieutenant Michael Anderson, previously pleaded guilty for his role in the inmate’s death and was sentenced to three years in prison. “Federal correctional officials who fail to do their jobs at the cost of inmate safety should be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Further, officials who obstruct investigations of their misconduct violate the public’s trust.” “Custody includes a responsibility for safety and wellbeing,” said U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Corrections staff must uphold that responsibility for persons in their care – or they will be held accountable for their failure to do so, like the defendants in this case.” “This case is a powerful reminder that BOP officials who disregard their responsibility to provide a humane environment for inmates will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Tim Edmiston of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region. Evidence presented at trial established that, in the early morning hours of Jan. 9, 2021, W.W.’s cellmate reported to facility staff that W.W. was exhibiting unprecedented behavior, including that he was suddenly disoriented, unable to talk, unable to stand or walk without falling, and unable to control his bladder. Over the course of two days, BOP officials knew of but disregarded W.W.’s symptoms. Without medical attention to address his medical crisis, W.W. fell into walls and other objects numerous times, causing significant bruising and bleeding to his head and body. Although BOP policy requires staff to provide necessary medical care to inmates, defendant Covington failed to respond to repeated calls for help from the officers she supervised during her shift on the morning of Jan. 9, 2021. On the morning of Jan. 10, 2021, W.W. finally fell head-first into a wall and then to the floor in an observation cell, where — despite inmate-observers’ continued calls for help — he lay for an hour and 40 minutes before officers rendered aid. An autopsy concluded that W.W. died of blunt force trauma to his head and that the lack of medical assistance he received during his series of falls and after his last fall contributed to his death. Farley was the last medical provider to see W.W. before his death. Despite BOP policies requiring her to confer with a physician about W.W.’s care, and despite Farley’s admission that she should have conferred with a physician and sent W.W. to the hospital, Farley failed to take these steps. She then falsely told federal investigators that she had conferred with a physician, even though she had not done so. Farley also misled investigators about her conversations with another prison official. The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Katherine McCallister of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.


title: Foreign National Sentenced for Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm

component: USAO - Nebraska

body_text: Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Michael Alexander Ayala-Ramirez, 20, of El Salvador, was sentenced on May 8, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of prohibited person in possession or a firearm or firearms. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Ayala-Ramirez to a total of 70 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ayala-Ramirez’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. On July 4, 2024, a pickup truck was reported stolen from the Denver International Airport. On July 6, 2024, an Ogallala police officer observed the stolen truck and attempted to contact it. The stolen truck had three occupants, Michael Ayala-Ramirez, codefendant Pablo Escobar-Alas, and codefendant Selvin Escobar-Rivera. The driver of the vehicle, Ayala-Ramirez, attempted to flee from law enforcement, which lead to a high-speed chase through multiple counties and involved multiple law enforcement agencies. Stop sticks were successfully deployed near the Deuel and Keith County line and the truck ended up in a ditch near a farmyard in Deuel County. Ayala-Ramirez and Escobar-Alas were the driver and front seat passenger. They got out of the vehicle carrying bags and attempted to hide under another vehicle in the farmyard momentarily. The bags were later found to contain a Smith & Wesson pistol that was reported stolen, a Sig Sauer pistol, a Glock pistol, and a Del Ton DTI-15 rifle. Ayala-Ramirez and Escobar-Alas then stole a pickup truck from the farmyard, which lead to another high-speed chase. They were arrested after stop sticks were successfully deployed once again. Escobar-Rivera was in the backseat of the first stolen truck and he fled on foot after the initial stop. He was later arrested and a second Smith & Wesson pistol was found on the floorboard of the backseat where he had been sitting. This pistol was also reported stolen. All three of the defendants have previously been deported and have not been given permission to return to the United States. Pablo Escobar-Alas and Selvin Escobar-Rivera’s cases are still active and pending. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Nebraska State Patrol, Deuel County Sheriff’s Office, Ogallala Police Department, and the Denver Police Department.


title: Former Corrections Officer Sentenced to Prison For Federal Civil Rights Crime in Connection with Death of Inmate at West Virginia Jail

body_text: A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for his role in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Steven Nicholas Wimmer, 25, of Bluefield, was sentenced to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. With his guilty plea, Wimmer acknowledged that he responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer. The officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. Officers, including Wimmer, then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where officers struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone. Wimmer admitted that officers struck Q.B. in the interview room in order to punish him for attempting to leave his assigned pod. Wimmer further admitted that he was a member of the conspiracy who injured Q.B. inside the interview room while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed, and posed no threat. Wimmer and former Southern Regional Jail corrections officer Andrew Fleshman pleaded guilty on Nov. 2, 2023, to conspiring with other officers to use unreasonable force against Q.B. Fleshman, 22, of Shady Spring, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14. On Nov. 29, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted six other defendants in connection with the death of Q.B. In November 2024, former correctional officers Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. Sentencing hearings for Holdren, Snyder, and Walters are scheduled for June 16. On Aug. 8, 2024, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to violating Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene when other officers used unreasonable force. Sentencing hearings for Boothe and Toney are scheduled for June 9. On January 27, a federal jury convicted defendant Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. Lester is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case. Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-134.


body_text: BECKLEY, W.Va. – A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for his role in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Steven Nicholas Wimmer, 25, of Bluefield, was sentenced to nine years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. With his guilty plea, Wimmer acknowledged that he responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer. The officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. Officers, including Wimmer, then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where officers struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone. Wimmer admitted that officers struck Q.B. in the interview room in order to punish him for attempting to leave his assigned pod. Wimmer further admitted that he was a member of the conspiracy who injured Q.B. inside the interview room while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed, and posed no threat. Wimmer and former Southern Regional Jail corrections officer Andrew Fleshman pleaded guilty on Nov. 2, 2023, to conspiring with other officers to use unreasonable force against Q.B. Fleshman, 22, of Shady Spring, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2025. On Nov. 29, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted six other defendants in connection with the death of Q.B. In November 2024, former correctional officers Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. Sentencing hearings for Holdren, Snyder, and Walters are scheduled for June 16. On Aug. 8, 2024, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to violating Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene when other officers used unreasonable force. Sentencing hearings for Boothe and Toney are scheduled for June 9. On January 27, a federal jury convicted defendant Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. Lester is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case. Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-cr-134. ###


title: Tucson Residents Charged with Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence

component: USAO - Arizona

body_text: TUCSON, Ariz. – Hassan Omar Kassim, 19, and Alexandra Brooke Wisdom, 19, of Tucson, were arrested on May 6, 2025, and charged by criminal complaint for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, Aid and Abet, and Conspiracy to commit the same offense. On April 20, 2025, a Tucson Police Department officer assigned to the Operations Division West (“ODW”) Community Response Team (“CRT”) was conducting operations in the area of Stone Avenue and Fort Lowell in Tucson, Arizona. The officer was dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked City of Tucson vehicle when he observed a dark colored car traveling southbound at a high rate of speed. The officer followed the vehicle and broadcast its license plate number to other members of ODW CRT. The vehicle then turned, and an individual leaned out of the rear passenger window of the car and fired a gun at the officer’s unmarked vehicle. The occupants of the car continued to engage the officer, including making a U-turn during which additional shots were fired by the rear passenger. The officer was unharmed. A marked patrol vehicle responded to the area and attempted to stop the car, but the occupants failed to yield and after a short pursuit, officers lost sight of the car. Through a subsequent investigation, detectives and special agents identified Kassim as one of the occupants of the car during the shooting. They also determined that Wisdom was in the car before and after the shooting, and that Wisdom drove and abandoned the vehicle sometime after fleeing from police. The National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) was established by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide an innovative framework to enhance federal support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in enhancing public safety. PSP began as a pilot program, the Violence Reduction Network, in 2014 and is designed to promote interagency coordination by leveraging specialized law enforcement expertise with dedicated prosecutorial resources to promote public and community safety. PSP serves as a DOJ-wide program that enables participating sites to consult with and receive expedited, coordinated training and technical assistance, and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local public safety strategies. This model enables DOJ to provide jurisdictions of different sizes and diverse needs with data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to the unique local needs of participating cities to build their capacities to address violent crime challenges. PSP has engaged with more than 60 sites since the program’s inception. A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Tucson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution. CASE NUMBER: 25-MJ-05951 RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-074_Kassim, et al. # # # For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.


title: Dominican National Sentenced for Passport Fraud and Stealing U.S. Citizen's Identity

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – A Dominican national, residing in Fall River, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges related to passport fraud and other offenses. Hector Eduardo Arias Mejia, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to two years and one day in prison and one year of supervised release. The defendant is also subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In March 2025, Arias Mejia pleaded guilty to misuse of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft and making a false statement in an application for a United States passport. In December 2023, Arias Mejia was indicted by a federal grand jury. According to the charging documents Arias Mejia unlawfully used the identity of a United States citizen from Puerto Rico since at least 2011. In 2011, using that stolen identity, Arias Mejia was convicted in the Fall River District Court of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, for which he served an 18 month jail sentence. In 2016, again using the stolen identity, Arias Mejia was convicted in the Fall River District Court of three counts of possession with intent to distribute drugs and was sentenced two years in jail. 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. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Santo Domingo; Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.


title: San Diego Fentanyl Supplier Sentenced in the District for Role in Nationwide Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

body_text: WASHINGTON – Edgar Balderas, 27, of San Diego, California, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 148 months in prison for participating in a massive fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including the District. Balderas was one of more than two dozen co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division. Balderas, aka “Nano,” pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 148-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Balderas to serve five years of supervised release. The impetus for this investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death-resulting case , law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms. According to court documents, Balderas conspired with a Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficker to supply him with fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, which the trafficker would, in turn, supply to his D.C.-based customers. He began supplying the trafficker with fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills in Fall 2022 and continued until the L.A.-based trafficker’s arrest in late-February 2023. After the Los Angeles-based trafficker’s arrest in late-February 2023, Balderas attempted to begin dealing fentanyl directly to D.C.-based fentanyl distributors. For example, Balderas began communicating via Instagram with a D.C.-based co-defendant in this case the month after the Los Angeles-based trafficker’s arrest. The purpose of these communications was to arrange for the direct sale of fentanyl pills to the D.C.-based co-conspirator, along with other D.C.-based clients of the Los Angeles-based fentanyl trafficker. DEFENDANT AGE LOCATION CHARGES/SENTENCE Hector David Valdez, aka “Curl” 27 Santa Fe Springs, California Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Craig Eastman 21 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Feb. 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Charles Jeffrey Taylor 21 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Raymond Nava, Jr. 20 Bell Gardens, California Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Ulises Aldaz 28 Bell Gardens, California Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Max Alexander Carias Torres 27 Bell Gardens, California Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy” 34 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud Marvin Anthony Bussie, aka “Money Marr” 22 Washington, D.C. Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Marcus Orlando Brown 29 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Columbian Thomas, aka "Cruddy Murda” 27 Washington, D.C. Sentenced Oct. 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden 30 Washington, D.C. Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Andre Malik Edmond, aka “Draco” 23 Temple Hills, Maryland Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Treyveon James Johnson, aka “Treyski” 20 Alexandria, Virginia Sentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Karon Olufemi Blalock, aka “Fat Bags” 30 Alexandria, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Conspiracy to commit money laundering Ronte Ricardo Greene, aka “Cardiddy” 29 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty Feb. 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21” 39 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Darius Quincy Hodges, aka “Brick” 34 Glen Allen, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Lamin Sesay, aka “Rock Star” 28 Alexandria, Virginia Pleaded guilty Feb. 7, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Paul Alejandro Felix 26 Glendale, California Sentenced Nov. 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Omar Arana, aka “Frogs” 27 Cudahy, California Sentenced May 2, 2025, to 93 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano” 27 San Diego, California Sentenced May 8, 2025, to 148 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Raul Pacheco Ramirez 30 Long Beach, California Sentenced Nov. 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Giovani Alejandro Briones 30 Victorville, California Sentenced Feb. 20, 2025, to 90 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez 26 Rosarito, Mexico Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering. The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris Y. McCranie of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section. 23cr73


title: Blue Springs Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Pornography

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Blue Springs, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. Jon Hopkins, Jr., 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Hopkins to serve supervised release for Life following his incarceration and to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims. On October 29, 2024, Hopkins pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. According to court documents, while Hopkins was employed with Honeywell in Kansas City, Missouri, he was discovered to be in possession of an electronic device within the Honeywell facility in a secure classified area which prohibits electronics. His electronic device was lawfully searched, and law enforcement discovered images depicting child pornography during an initial review. A federal search warrant was obtained, and following detailed forensic analysis, hundreds of images and videos of child pornography were discovered on his phone, many of which focused on preteen girls. These images included depictions of 10 previously identified child pornography victims. Hopkins is also charged in Jackson County, Missouri with the felony offenses of Statutory Rape or Attempted Statutory Rape in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old, as well Statutory Sodomy or Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree of a child less than 12 years old. Those charges have been pending while this federal case has been ongoing. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the Department of Energy, Office of the Inspector General, as well as the Independence Missouri Police Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."


title: Two Honduran Men Sentenced to Prison for their Roles in International Human Smuggling Conspiracy

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Note: See superseding indictment here . Two Honduran men were sentenced today to three years in prison for their roles in a scheme to illegally smuggle Honduran nationals into the United States. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, for almost a year, Hennessy Devon Cooper Zelaya, 29, and Rudy Jackson Hernandez, 38, both of Utila, Honduras, conspired with at least six others to bring Honduran nationals from Honduras to the United States via two vessels, the Masita III and the M/V Pop. The vessels sailed from Utila, Honduras to Louisiana. The aliens and/or their family members paid thousands of dollars to be brought illegally into the United States by boat. Upon arrival, the aliens were picked up by co-conspirators and driven further into the United States. The co-conspirators then placed some of the aliens in jobs at U.S. factories and other businesses knowing that the aliens lacked authorization to enter, remain, or work in the United States. The defendants were part of the vessels’ crew on multiple voyages. In February 2022, the defendants attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran nationals from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a 65’ sportfishing vessel. During the voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble and lost power. The co-conspirators then chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel approximately 75 miles off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore. Inside the vessel, law enforcement officers also found 24 kilograms of cocaine. Cooper Zelaya and Jackson Hernandez were convicted after trial of conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. The lead defendant in the case, Carl Allison, previously pleaded guilty in December 2023 to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. Three additional co-conspirators, all Honduran nationals, pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme: Darrel Martinez , 41, and Josue Flores-Villeda , 36, pleaded guilty to the same charges as Allison; and Lenord Cooper, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and assist aliens to enter the United States unlawfully and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. A fifth man, Honduran national Olvin Javier Velasquez Maldonado , was extradited from Honduras in April and is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Maldonado’s trial is scheduled for June 16. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Maldonado is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement. The HSI Houma, Louisiana Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the HSI Pittsburgh Field Office, HSI Atlanta Field Office, and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) in Honduras provided assistance. The sentencings are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, OIA, and OPDAT, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 365 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 334 U.S. convictions; more than 281 significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs. This case is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood .


title: Tennessee Man Indicted on Arson and Explosive Charges for Setting Fire to Nonprofit Organization

body_text: A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee returned an indictment on May 7, charging Regan Darby Prater, 27, with arson for firebombing the Highlander Center, a nonprofit research and education center in New Market, Tennessee; and with carrying an explosive device during the commission of the arson. Prater appeared in court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. He was held pending trial, which has been set for July 15 in United States District Court, in Knoxville, Tennessee. According to court documents, on March 29, 2019, Prater used an explosive to firebomb the Highlander Center’s administrative building, resulting in a fire that consumed the entire structure. Court documents also allege that Prater was inspired by the March 15, 2019, mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and left a symbol of the Iron Guard, a World War II-era Romanian Nazi organization, spraypainted in the Highlander Center’s parking lot. The same symbol appeared on the Christchurch gunman’s rifle as he livestreamed his attacks. If convicted, Prater faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison on the arson charge, and an additional ten years in prison on the explosive charge. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee; and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office made the announcement. The FBI Knoxville Resident Agency investigated the case, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey T. Arrowood and Anne-Marie Svolto of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Kyle Boynton and Katherine McCallister of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Palm Beach County Man Sentenced for Cyberstalking Two Victims

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – Jorge Ibarra, 31, of Palm Beach County, Florida, was sentenced today in federal court for engaging in a prolonged and threatening cyberstalking campaign against two individuals over the course of nearly three years. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Ibarra to 24 months in prison after he pled guilty earlier this year to two counts of cyberstalking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2261A(2)(A). According to court documents, beginning on or about January 31, 2022, and continuing through November 11, 2024, Ibarra used electronic communication services and systems of interstate commerce to engage in a targeted course of conduct intended to harass and intimidate Victim 1. His actions placed the victim in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury. In a separate but overlapping pattern of conduct, from approximately March 4, 2023, through October 30, 2024, Ibarra similarly targeted Victim 2 using electronic communications across state lines to instill fear of death and serious bodily injury. The communications were persistent, threatening, and calculated to terrorize both victims. Ibarra was indicted in December 2024 and pled guilty to both counts on February 19, 2025, during a hearing before Judge Middlebrooks in West Palm Beach. There was no written plea agreement. U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. The FBI Miami’s Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto prosecuted it. 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-80156. ###


title: South Lake Tahoe Man Indicted for Distribution of Fentanyl Causing Death

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Timothy Austin Pannell, 32, of South Lake Tahoe, charging him with distribution of fentanyl causing death, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents, on the morning of Feb. 12, 2024, South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting multiple overdoses at a residence in South Lake Tahoe. First responders arrived and found four individuals deceased in the residence. A fifth victim survived the overdose. It is alleged that two of the men found deceased that morning had met with Pannell, a.k.a. “Frog,” the night before, following a Super Bowl party, in the parking lot of a church in South Lake Tahoe. There, Pannell sold them fentanyl that he represented as cocaine. The two men returned to the residence, where they shared what they believed to be cocaine with three others at the house. This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case. Pannell is currently in federal custody, pending trial. If convicted, Pannell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Five-time DUI illegal alien offender ordered to federal prison for 70 months

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 54-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Isidor Lagunas-Estrada pleaded guilty Jan. 14. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered him to serve the nearly six-year federal prison sentence. In imposing the term of imprisonment, the court considered the dangerousness of his crimes, lack of respect for the law and need of deterrence. The sentence will run consecutively to his state conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Lagunas-Estrada was removed from the United States in 2020 following his fourth DUI conviction. The investigation revealed he illegally reentered again and was found in the United States in October 2022 when he was arrested and later convicted for his fifth DUI. He has been and will remain in custody. Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood .


title: Armed repeat illegal alien admits to human smuggling and firearms charges

body_text: BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 39-year-old Mexican national has pleaded guilty to four offenses related to a human smuggling event that occurred earlier this year, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Alejandro Ramirez-Carranza, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, admitted to transporting and bringing an alien into the United States as well as illegal reentry and being an alien in possession of a firearm. Mexican citizen Issac Azuara-Vasquez, 39, entered his plea April 10 to the same smuggling-related charges as well as selling a firearm to Ramirez-Carranza, an illegal alien. On Feb. 12, authorities were conducting surveillance in an area notorious for alien, drug and weapon smuggling and heard a boat in the Rio Grande River coming in from Mexico. After hearing an individual in Spanish telling people to run, law enforcement witnessed a truck driving toward the river. It stopped by the river’s edge, and several individuals ran out of the brush and began climbing into the truck bed. Azuara-Vasquez was driving and had brought an AR-15 type firearm to the scene. Ramirez-Carranza was standing by the vehicle, then retrieved the firearm and began running toward the back of the truck. He ignored multiple commands to stop and drop the weapon. The investigation revealed Ramirez-Carranza was the river guide and had conspired with Azuara-Vasquez to transport and smuggle the individuals found in the truck bed. One indicated Ramirez-Carranza brought him across the Rio Grande River by boat and that his relatives were paying for him to be smuggled into the United States. Ramirez-Carranza has felony convictions for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and illegal reentry after deportation. He was last removed from the United States in September 2009. “The only thing worse than engaging in human smuggling is bringing along a weapon to facilitate your operation,” said Ganjei. “The rifle was there for a reason, and fortunately the scheme was interdicted before the firearm could be used against an innocent landowner or a law enforcement officer.” U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera will impose sentencing for Azuara-Vasquez and Ramirez-Carranza July 2 and July 30, respectively. At those times, both men face up to 10 years in prison for the transportation charge and for bringing an alien into the United States as well as a maximum of 15 years for each of their respective firearms offenses. Ramirez-Carranza faces another 10 years for illegal reentry. All convictions also carry potential fines of up to $250,000. Both have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood .


body_text: Note: See superseding indictment here . WASHINGTON — Two Honduran men were sentenced today to three years in prison for their roles in a scheme to illegally smuggle Honduran nationals into the United States. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, for almost a year, Hennessy Devon Cooper Zelaya, 29, and Rudy Jackson Hernandez, 38, both of Utila, Honduras, conspired with at least six others to bring Honduran nationals from Honduras to the United States via two vessels, the Masita III and the M/V Pop. The vessels sailed from Utila, Honduras to Louisiana. The aliens and/or their family members paid thousands of dollars to be brought illegally into the United States by boat. Upon arrival, the aliens were picked up by co-conspirators and driven further into the United States. The co-conspirators then placed some of the aliens in jobs at U.S. factories and other businesses knowing that the aliens lacked authorization to enter, remain, or work in the United States. The defendants were part of the vessels’ crew on multiple voyages. In February 2022, the defendants attempted to illegally bring 23 Honduran nationals from Utila, Honduras, to Cocodrie, Louisiana, aboard the M/V Pop, a 65’ sportfishing vessel. During the voyage, the M/V Pop developed engine trouble and lost power. The co-conspirators then chartered a boat to bring fuel to the disabled vessel so that it could complete its journey to the United States. Before the chartered boat reached the disabled vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted the vessel approximately 75 miles off the coast of Louisiana and towed it to shore. Inside the vessel, law enforcement officers also found 24 kilograms of cocaine. Cooper Zelaya and Jackson Hernandez were convicted after trial of conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. The lead defendant in the case, Carl Allison, previously pleaded guilty in December 2023 to conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride. Three additional co-conspirators, all Honduran nationals, pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme: Darrel Martinez , 41, and Josue Flores-Villeda , 36, pleaded guilty to the same charges as Allison; and Lenord Cooper, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and assist aliens to enter the United States unlawfully and attempting to bring aliens to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. A fifth man, Honduran national Olvin Javier Velasquez Maldonado , was extradited from Honduras in April and is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Maldonado’s trial is scheduled for June 16. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Maldonado is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Field Office made the announcement. The HSI Houma, Louisiana Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the HSI Pittsburgh Field Office, HSI Atlanta Field Office, and Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. The HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, Louisiana State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, North Huntington Township Police, and Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office also provided valuable assistance. Deputy Chief Rami Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter Guice for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) in Honduras provided assistance. The sentencings are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, OIA, and OPDAT, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 365 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 334 U.S. convictions; more than 281 significant jail sentences imposed; and substantial seizures and forfeitures of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs. This case is also supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood .


title: Jamestown man going to prison for to distributing child pornography

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Brandon G. Uber, 24, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of distribution of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who handled the case, stated that in March 2021, Uber sent a Snapchat user image and video files of a 16-year-old minor female victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Uber also received images and videos of child pornography from other users of social media applications. In addition, Uber had online conversations with another known minor female victim, during which he persuaded the victim to create sexually explicit videos of herself to send to him. Uber stored the child pornography he received and distributed on various electronic devices that were seized during the investigation, including two cell phones and two tablets. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone. # # # #


title: California man sentenced to 12 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine in Billings

component: USAO - Montana

body_text: BILLINGS – A California man who distributed methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced today to 144 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Sergio Rene Tagaban, 56, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. On November 7, 2022, law enforcement seized approximately two pounds of methamphetamine from a suspicious parcel shipped to Billings, Montana, from Calexico, California. Tagaban was identified as the person who mailed the package. The intended receiver of the package, Angelena LaFave, was sentenced on November 6, 2024, to five years in prison for her role in the offense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Vestal prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 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 . XXX


title: Bay State Resident Charged in Alleged Attempt to Assassinate a Cabinet Member Nominee at the U.S. Capitol

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Ryan Michael English, 24, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was charged in a two-count indictment, filed today in U.S. District Court, with the attempted assassination of a cabinet member nominee and carrying a dangerous weapon on the Grounds of the U.S. Capitol Building. The charges are related to English’s Jan. 27, 2025, alleged attempt to take a knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails into the building for the purposes of attacking a presidential cabinet nominee. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police. English, who is in custody, had an initial court appearance this afternoon. English, aka “Reily,” is charged with carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device on the grounds of the Capitol and unlawful possession of an incendiary device. According to the charging documents, on January 27, 2025, about 3:12 p.m., English approached a U.S. Capitol Police Officer near the South Door of the Capitol Building and stated “I’d like to turn myself in.” English further admitted to possessing a knife and two “Molotov cocktails.” Officers searched English and recovered a folding knife, as well as two improvised incendiary devices from the inside pockets of English’s jacket. The devices were constructed of 50 milliliter bottles of vodka with a grey cloth affixed to its top. Police recovered a green lighter from another pocket. During the search, English allegedly confessed to being at the Capitol to kill a presidential nominee who was testifying before the U.S. Senate. Police recovered a note to a family member in a pocket that said, in part, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters…Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying.” English admitted to traveling to the District of Columbia with the intention of killing a government official or burning down a think-tank based in Washington, D.C. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan. A criminal indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Dealers Sentenced for Supplying Local Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Markets

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: ABINGDON, Va. – A major supplier of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia—and a pair of related dealers—were sentenced this week to lengthy federal prison terms, dealing a major blow to the drug market in Southwest Virginia. Bradley Mitchell Chester, 39, of Pound, Va., was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison. Chester previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Also on Thursday, two methamphetamine and fentanyl dealers, Matthew Addington, 41, and Michael Hicks, 36, of Pound, Va., were each sentenced. Addington was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment and Hicks was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment. According to court documents, Chester served as a major supplier of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Wise County, Virginia area from approximately March 2023 to March 2024. Chester routinely made trips to North Carolina and Kentucky with co-conspirators to obtain up to several pounds of methamphetamine and a pound of fentanyl at a time from drug suppliers. Chester also supplied Addington, Hicks, and other co-conspirators with fentanyl and methamphetamine, which they the redistributed locally. Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Southwest Drug Task Force, Wise County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.


title: Cincinnati man sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for federal fraud crimes

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: CINCINNATI – Yaw Mintah Afari, 47, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 27 months in prison for fraud. He used a stolen identity for decades, compiling an extensive criminal record, getting married and fathering a child all under the assumed identity. Court documents detail that the victim of Afari’s identity theft has significantly suffered from having his identity stolen. For example, the victim was arrested in 2009 for a warrant in Georgia for a crime that Afari committed while using his identity. The victim later had to take a DNA test to prove that he was not liable for child support payments for a child that Afari fathered under the victim’s name. Further, the victim lost his job as an Uber driver because of the criminal record Afari compiled under his identity. Afari was born in Ghana in 1977 and entered the United States on a visitor’s visa in 1999. Afari obtained a Virginia driver’s license in 1999. In July 2001, he was charged with assault in Fairfax, Virginia. After his assault charges, Afari stole the identity of an acquaintance that lived on his road. Afari used the stolen identity in connection with various arrests, including on fraud, theft and forgery charges in Georgia in 2007 and 2009. The defendant was convicted and sentenced to prison terms for the crimes in Georgia and was paroled in 2012. In 2018 or 2019, Afari moved to Cincinnati and then married a woman, using the stolen identity for a marriage certificate in Hamilton County. He also fathered a child while using the assumed identity. Afari applied for a passport in Cincinnati using the victim’s name in February 2022, which led to an investigation into his true identity. The defendant was charged and arrested in March 2024. He pleaded guilty in October 2024. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), U.S. Social Security Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Marshals, and Ohio BMV Investigations. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy A. Landry is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Mason City Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Firearms and Intent to Distribute Meth

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A Mason City man who possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegally possessed a firearm pled guilty May 7, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Jacob Shafer, 34, from Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of illegal possession of a firearm. Shafer was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and trafficking in stolen weapons in Iowa in March of 2022. Both of these convictions prohibit a person from possessing any firearm. At the plea hearing, Shafer admitted to the prior convictions and being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. Evidence at the hearing further showed that in March 2024, during the execution of a search warrant at Shafer’s home, law enforcement seized: four bags of methamphetamine; drug paraphernalia including pipes, bongs, grinders, and baggies; a digital scale; ninety-six .380 caliber Winchester rounds of ammunition; a Ruger LCP, .380 pistol, and a total of 6 rounds of ammunition, which included a round in the chamber; a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol, and a total of 13 rounds of ammunition; an Intratec AB-10, 9mm pistol, and a total of 22 rounds of ammunition in the magazine; and a Rock Island Armory, .45 caliber pistol. Shafer admitted that he planned on distributing the methamphetamine that officers found. 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. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Shafer remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. For the possession with intent to distribute conviction, Shafer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment. On the firearm possession conviction, Shafer faces not more than 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 file, and not more than three years of supervised release. The case was investigated by the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Mason City Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-3055. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Dubuque Man Who Attempted to Discharge a Firearm at a Police Officer Sentenced to Over a Decade in Federal Prison

body_text: A man who assaulted a police officer by attempting to discharge a firearm was sentenced on May 6, 2025, to more than twelve years in federal prison. Kentrell Vantrice Powell, age 29, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 20, 2024 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon. Information from a plea agreement and a sentencing hearing showed that, on August 22, 2024, Dubuque police officers encountered Powell at a gas station. Powell was intoxicated and had shoplifted bottles of liquor from the gas station that were returned by one of his associates before officers arrived. Powell walked away from officers as they approached him despite repeated commands to stop, and he resisted arrest. While officers searched him, Powell kept reaching his hands into his back pockets, and the officers repeatedly told him to stop. When he reached his hands into his back pocket again, an officer heard a sound consistent with the action of a firearm. The officer looked down and saw Powell was holding a small derringer-size pistol, and the pistol was pointed at the officer. Subsequent examination of the pistol showed that a round of ammunition inside the pistol had a strike mark consistent with the round having misfired. The pistol also had an obliterated serial number. Powell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Powell was sentenced to 150 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Powell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 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 prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dubuque Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-1030. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Cedar Rapids Woman Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy

body_text: A woman who was responsible for the distribution of over 150 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than eleven years in federal prison. Kris Marie Hagan, age 66, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Information from a plea agreement and a sentencing hearing showed that between 2019 and November 17, 2023, Hagan distributed methamphetamine from her residences in Marion and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During that time, Hagan distributed more than 150 pounds of the controlled substance. Hagan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Hagan was sentenced to 134 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Hagan is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-60. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Defendants Sentenced in Murder-for Hire Conspiracy

component: USAO - Alabama, Southern

body_text: MOBILE, AL – Four defendants were sentenced for their involvement in a murder-for-hire conspiracy, among other crimes. On January 10, 2025, a federal jury convicted Judy Owen, 61, and Mitzy Smith, 54, of Fairhope, AL, for conspiracy to commit murder for hire, transfer of a firearm in furtherance of a felony, and murder for hire. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Smith and Owen conspired together and with others to hire a hitman to murder another person. The sisters’ co-defendants, Rebecca Murphy, Sandra Grimes, and Jessica Montgomery previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for hire. The sisters were also convicted of transferring a firearm to another person in furtherance of a felony, murder. On May 5, 2025, United States Chief District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Judy Owen to 120 months in prison, Sandra Grimes to 70 months in prison, and Jessica Montgomery to 60 months in prison for their roles in the conspiracy. Mitzy Smith was sentenced to time served. Rebecca Murphy was previously sentenced on January 27, 2025, and received a sentence of 60 months in prison. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill and Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.


title: Illegal Immigrant Sentenced For Reentering the United States

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported. According to court documents, Juan Lorenzo-Lorenzo, 24, was arrested by the Robertsdale Police Department on February 16, 2025, for giving a law enforcement officer false information. Homeland Security (“HSI”) was notified of his arrest. HSI was able to determine that Lorenzo-Lorenzo had previously been removed from the United States in 2020 and in 2024. At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed a time-served sentence and a 1-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Lorenzo-Lorenzo had been in custody since his arrest on February 16, 2025. Upon his release from prison, Lorenzo-Lorenzo is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Lorenzo-Lorenzo was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments. U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Robertsdale Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Bay Minette Man Sentenced to 17½ Years in Prison for Attempting to Entice a Child

body_text: MOBILE, AL – Timothy Allen Arthur, age 66, was sentenced today to 210 months in prison after entering a guilty plea to a count of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Arthur entered his guilty plea on September 17, 2024. According to court documents, during the summer months of 2023, Bay Minette Police Department (“BMPD”) was called to a school to address an issue about a nude photo of a student that was being distributed at a school. As part of the investigation into that incident, BMPD made contact with Arthur. Arthur’s behavior during his interview with BMPD was suspicious. Afterwards, teachers at the school began looking at the social media accounts of a 12-year-old child, and they discovered that Arthur was making inappropriate comments on the child’s social media posts. A teacher took screenshots of those comments and provided them to law enforcement. The 12-year-old was interviewed and indicated that Arthur had been sending her inappropriate text messages for about a year, beginning when she was 11 years old. BMPD took the child’s phone into evidence and searched the phone. They found the text messages with Arthur. In those text messages, Arthur solicited the child to perform sex acts and produce naked images of herself. Arthur used sexually explicit language to describe the acts he wanted to engage in with the child. She did not encourage or respond positively to these comments. On at least one occasion, the child reminded Arthur that she was 12. After one of his comments about engaging in sexual activity, the child wrote “ur old. That’s rape, right?” Arthur wrote “I think we should get together” and the girl responded, in part, “I’m only 12 I can’t get together with u.” The child also repeatedly told Arthur to stop messaging her. At sentencing, Judge DuBose imposed the 210-month sentence of incarceration and a 10-year term of supervised release upon his future release. During his term of imprisonment, Arthur will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment, and mental health treatment. Arthur will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Arthur was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution to the victims of his offenses and $5,100 in special assessments. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Bay Minette Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources


title: Mexican National plead guilty to Illegal Reentry

body_text: MOBILE, AL – A Mexican national was sentenced today for illegally re-entering the United States after prior removal. According to court documents, Angel Flores-Quiahua, 35, was found to have illegally reentered the United States after having been removed from the country. On February 25, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations conducted labor site inspections in the Hadley Village subdivision in Foley AL. During the inspections, a group of approximately 11 individuals were seen fleeing the worksite and trying to avoid HSI Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents by fleeing through drainage ditches, construction zones and running through the woods. HSI and ERO agents followed individuals into the wood areas outside the Hadley Village subdivision. Agents found FLORES-QUIAHUA hiding inside the entrance to a piping system in a drainage ditch. Later that day, agents confirmed his status as an alien and a Mexican citizen who had been previously removed from the United States on two occasions. Records confirmed that FLORES-QUIAHUA was removed from the United States through the Chicago IL, port of entry on or about July 12, 2013. On or about July 11, 2016, FLORES-QUIAHUA was again identified as not legally present in the United States, and the previous order of removal was reinstated. On or about July 12, 2016, FLORES-QUIAHUA was removed from the United States through the Nogales, Arizona port of entry. Angel Flores-Quiahua was sentenced by a District Court Judge to the time he has served since his arrest on February 25, 2025. After the sentence was announced, the Judge ordered that Flores-Quiahua be delivered to a duly authorized immigration official for deportation consideration. U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice Blackwood is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.


title: Marietta Resident Sentenced To Thirty Years For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jukobie Allen Ramsey, age 22, of Marietta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 360 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction, to be followed by a lifetime term of Supervised Release. The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Love County Sheriff’s Office. On December 4, 2024, Ramsey pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, beginning in May 2021, and continuing until April 29, 2024, Ramsey engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor for the purpose of producing and transmitting visual depictions of such conduct in interstate commerce via the internet, then transmitted those depictions onto the internet. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at http://www.cybertipline.com , through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Ramsey will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.


title: Choctaw County Resident Sentenced For Distributing Methamphetamine

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Karen Sue Freeman, age 64, of Grant, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hugo Police Department, and the Durant Police Department. On January 14, 2025, Freeman pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on March 13, 2024, Freeman knowingly and intentionally distributed approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Freeman will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Geizura represented the United States.


title: Federal Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts Against Two Members of a Firearm and Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

body_text: After a three-day trial, a federal jury found Angel Lopez, 47, of Southern California, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and Rochlem Eric Aquino Yadao, 48, of Santa Maria, guilty of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, Lopez and Yadao were involved in conspiracies to traffic drugs and guns respectively. In March 2020, Angel Lopez negotiated the sale of 5 pounds of methamphetamine and directed others to complete the deal. Later, in a dark parking lot outside Disneyland, Lopez’s associate delivered the methamphetamine to the buyer. Shortly after the drug transaction, nearby law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop and seized the drugs. The methamphetamine was packaged in five individual plastic bags, with two of the bags containing “blue” methamphetamine. Also in 2020, several individuals conspired to deal firearms without a license in Fresno, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. Throughout the firearm dealing conspiracy, agents seized firearms and ammunition from four different gun deals between March and August of 2020. In April 2020, members of the firearm dealing conspiracy arranged for the sale of two AR-style rifles. The deal took place at Yadao’s residence in Santa Maria. Yadao personally stored and delivered the firearms at his house and took cash payment for the weapons. Both guns were “ghost guns,” and did not have serial numbers. Yadao did not have a license to deal firearms. The guns were seized by law enforcement shortly after the deal occurred. This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Justice, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie M. Stokman and Cody S. Chapple are prosecuting the case. Lopez and Yadao are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Aug. 25, 2025. Lopez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Yadao faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF .