title: Nineteen Members and Associates of Jersey City Gang Charged for Drug Trafficking Activities

component: USAO - New Jersey

body_text: Newark, N.J. – Nineteen members and associates of the Jersey City gang associated with the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex were charged by Complaint for their roles in an expansive drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced today. The Complaint charges Isaiah West, a/k/a “Snoop,” a/k/a “Bandz,” 22, of Jersey City, Jamantay Gaines, a/k/a “D-Rose,” 28, of Jersey City, Curtis Felder, a/k/a “Cee Grizzley,” 26, of Jersey City, Dorian Garrett, a/k/a “Nero,” 21, of New York City, William Washington, a/k/a “OnSight,” 23, of Jersey City, Aamir Thomas, a/k/a “Mir,” 23, of Jersey City, Nareef Frimpong, a/k/a “Huncho,” 24, of Jersey City, Reakwon Harvey, 28, of Jersey City, Pedro Torres, 21, of Jersey City, Najon Pettiford, a/k/a “Na,” 23, of Jersey City, Desmar Rivers, a/k/a “Pacman,” 26 of Jersey City, Stephon Turner, 26, of Jersey City, Tyler Thornton, 30, of Jersey City, Christopher Maldonado, a/k/a “G Chris,” 18, of Jersey City, Keiyan Golden, a/k/a “Kevin Council,” 48, of Jersey City, Cornell Bell, 49 of Jersey City, Serge Rodriguez, 29, of Jersey City, Gerard Crawford, a/k/a “Jason Reed,” 51, of Jersey City, and Alfred Reaves, 56, of Jersey City. Today’s charges and arrests are the result of a long-running wiretap investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Jersey City Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges include conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and quantities of heroin, cocaine, PCP, and other narcotics including various prescription pills. The 16 defendants arrested today are scheduled to have their initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge José R. Almonte in Newark federal court. One defendant was already in custody on state charges, and 2 defendants remain at large. “These defendants are charged with operating a drug trafficking organization that poisoned the community of Jersey City with their distribution of fentanyl, crack cocaine, PCP, and several other narcotics. Today’s arrests and charges mark another strike in our relentless war against the deadly narcotics and ruthless street gangs that infest and terrorize our communities. We will not rest until every drug trafficker and violent offender is held accountable and removed from our streets.” - Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba “This investigation and charges are a testament to the combined efforts of law enforcement and underscores the resolve of ATF and our federal, state, and local partners. Drug trafficking and the heinous criminal acts associated with violent criminal organizations have an insidious impact on the public and tear apart the fabric of our communities. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal, throughout the state of New Jersey and across the U.S., to combat violence, drug distribution, and the illegal possession of firearms to safeguard the safety and well-being of all,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks. “DEA New Jersey continues to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in targeting those drug trafficking organizations and their members who are responsible for the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and firearms in our communities” stated DEA New Jersey Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz. “As we have seen, many of these individuals use violence to conduct their illicit drug and gun trafficking business which often has senseless and deadly consequences. The DEA remains committed to protecting our communities and saving lives.” “Today’s arrests are a testament to the collaborative work of law enforcement. Every illegal drug removed from the streets helps ensure the safety of our community,” stated Acting Prosecutor Wayne Mello. “The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to continuing this joint effort to rid our community of dangerous drugs.” “Today, as part of our Violent Crime Initiative with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a coordinated operation with the Jersey City Police Department, ATF, and federal partners resulted in multiple arrests along with the recovery of suspected CDS and illegal guns. Over the past 12 years, we have driven down violent crime across Jersey City to historic lows by investing in smart policing strategies, stronger community partnerships, and unprecedented public safety resources, and today’s arrests are yet another example of our dedication to keeping residents safe,” Mayor Steven M. Fulop, City of Jersey City said. “Our priority has always been to protect the people of Jersey City, and today’s operation shows that commitment in action. By arresting these violent offenders and removing illegal guns and drugs from our streets, we are protecting residents today and reinforcing the long-term safety gains we’ve made under this administration’s leadership,” stated Public Safety Director James Shea. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: West, Gaines, Felder, Garrett, Washington, Thomas, Frimpong, Harvey, Torres, Pettiford, Rivers, Turner, Thorton, and Maldonado are all members and associates of the neighborhood street gang associated with the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex, which is known as “SaLaf.” The gang’s drug trafficking activities were extensive, with federal, state, and local investigators observing and documenting hundreds of narcotics transactions that occurred within and around the Salem Lafayette Housing Complex during the months-long investigation. The investigation likewise revealed that Bell, Rodriguez, Crawford, and Reaves were suppliers of narcotics to the SaLaf drug trafficking organization. Law enforcement used investigative techniques including, but not limited to, wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics by confidential informants, telephone record analysis, and physical and fixed surveillance, among other lawful means of investigation. The investigation revealed that the SaLaf DTO distributes large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base, PCP, various prescription pills, and other narcotics in this public housing community as well as the surrounding area. The charged offense carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 5 years and a maximum potential prison sentence of 40 years, and a maximum fine of $5,000,000. Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Habba credited special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks Jr., Newark Field Division; special agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Wayne Mello; and investigators of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, for the investigation leading to the charges. This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center. This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). 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 . The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Kober of the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit and Trial Attorney Justin Bish of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ### west.complaint.pdf


title: Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Kern Valley Prison-Based Drug Conspiracy

component: USAO - California, Eastern

body_text: Justin Damonte Mitchell, 32, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. According to court documents, Mitchell was recruited by his brother, co-defendant Kristopher Thomas, 37, who is serving a gang-related murder sentence at the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, to assist in drug transactions outside of prison. In September 2022, Mitchell agreed to and did deliver one-half pound of fentanyl to co-defendant Natasha Michelle Bailey, 46, of Bakersfield, to smuggle into the prison for another inmate, co-defendant Derrick D. Charles, 43. Later that month, Mitchell assisted Thomas in the shipment of packages containing approximately 48 pounds of methamphetamine intended for delivery in Oklahoma and Alabama. The fentanyl and methamphetamine seizures followed wire intercepts of Thomas’s contraband cellphone. This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case. Mitchell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Dec. 1, 2025. Mitchell faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will 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 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. Learn more at Justice.gov/OCDETF .


title: Chinese Nationals Plead Guilty to Fake Apple Device Return Fraud that Conned the Technology Giant Out of More Than $16 Million

component: USAO - California, Central

body_text: LOS ANGELES – Two Chinese nationals living in Riverside County pleaded guilty today to participating in a large-scale, trans-Pacific scheme to defraud Apple Inc. through the fraudulent “returns” of thousands of counterfeit iPhones, iPads, and other Apple goods that caused the Cupertino-based technology company at least $16.2 million in losses. Yushan Lin, 31, and Shuyi Xing, 35, both of Corona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. Xing also pleaded guilty to an additional count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a separate money laundering scheme involving the laundering of more than $1 million in funds from various elder fraud schemes. Lin and Xing are the last of the five defendants charged in this case, and six defendants total, to plead guilty to federal criminal charges arising from their massive counterfeit Apple device fraud scheme in Southern California. The four other defendants who have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing are: Wenhui Huang, 40, of Chino Hills, the group’s ringleader, who is an illegal alien; Yang Song, 38, of Corona, the group’s second-in-command; Junwei Jiang, 38, of East Los Angeles; and Zhengxuan Hu, 27, of Alhambra, who is an illegal alien. According to Lin’s and Xing’s plea agreements, from at least December 2015 to March 2024, Huang, Song, and others coordinated with co-conspirators in China to smuggle counterfeit Apple iPhones, iPads, and other devices to them and other U.S.-based co-conspirators. The counterfeit Apple devices smuggled to Huang, Song, and others in the U.S. were designed to look like genuine Apple devices and included identification numbers matching the numbers on real Apple products that had been sold in North America, were owned by real people, and were under warranty through Apple’s manufacturer warranty and AppleCare+, Apple’s extended warranty program. The real identification numbers and serial numbers on the counterfeit devices that defendants returned were designed to essentially impersonate the real Apple devices owned by real people throughout the United States – and therefore deceived Apple into replacing the counterfeit devices with real devices under Apple’s warranty programs. Once the counterfeit devices were smuggled into the U.S., the defendants fraudulently returned the counterfeit iPhones, iPads, and other devices to Apple as if they were genuine and had been legitimately purchased, were eligible for Apple’s warranty programs, and as if they were the lawful possessor of the Apple devices. The defendants knowingly and fraudulently represented that the counterfeit Apple devices they returned were genuine but were broken or non-operational and were covered by the company’s warranty programs. Some of the false reasons given to Apple store employees were because the devices purportedly would not power on, were physically damaged, or had other defects. But the defendants knew that the Apple devices they were returning were counterfeit and fraudulently used the identification numbers and serial numbers of real people’s Apple devices to victimize both Apple and the device owners. As part of the scheme, the defendants visited multiple Apple stores throughout Southern California, including stores in Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena, Irvine, Northridge, Manhattan Beach, Brea, Rancho Cucamonga, Cerritos and at shopping malls such as The Grove in Los Angeles, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and The Americana at Brand in Glendale. In many cases, they visited as many as 10 different Apple stores where they would allegedly return counterfeit devices. Once at the Apple stores, Apple employees either replaced or repaired the counterfeit Apple device with a genuine Apple device in the same visit or, on other occasions, took the defendants’ counterfeit devices and shipped them to a repair center. Apple then shipped to the defendants a genuine replacement Apple device or a repaired device to either an Apple store, where the defendants returned to pick up the new device, or at the dozens of mailboxes at UPS Stores that the defendants rented across Southern California to receive counterfeit devices from China and receive genuine replacement devices from Apple. After successfully returning the counterfeit Apple devices for genuine ones, the defendants shipped the genuine devices to co-conspirators both in the United States and abroad, primarily in China, where the genuine Apple devices were resold at a substantial profit. Lin and Xing personally fraudulently returned and attempted to return at least 1,584 counterfeit devices to Apple, causing at least $1,116,544 in actual losses to the company. The larger conspiracy fraudulently returned and attempted to return more than 27,645 counterfeit devices to Apple, causing at least $16,239,254 in actual losses to the company. United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled December 10 sentencing hearings for Lin, who faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, and Xing, who faces up to 40 years in federal prison. Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Los Angeles Police Department provided substantial assistance. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.


title: Dominican National Faces Third Deportation

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A twice-deported Dominican national faces deportation for a third time, having been sentenced today in federal court on a charge of illegal reentry, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Celso Herrera-De Los Santos, 49, ordered deported from the United States in 2011 and in 2017, came to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in May during a routine screening at the ACI where he was being held on Rhode Island state charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession with intent to deliver 1 oz to 1 kilo of cocaine. Herrera-De Los Santos, detained in federal custody since his arraignment on June 23, 2025, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to time served. An immigration detainer has been lodged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan. The matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). ###


title: 32-Year-Old Caguas Man Arrested for Child Exploitation

component: USAO - Puerto Rico

body_text: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Joseph Cruz-Santiago, a 32-year-old man from Caguas, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. On September 2, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested Cruz-Santiago. On August 28, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Joseph Cruz-Santiago on charges involving the sexual exploitation and coercion and enticement of two female minors, receipt and possession of child exploitation material, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. According to court documents, from December 2024 to February 2025, Cruz-Santiago used a cellphone, online instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an 11-year-old female minor and an 11 to 12-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity. The defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct. Cruz-Santiago is also facing charges for the receipt of child exploitation material and for using the internet to knowingly transfer obscene material to both female minor victims. Additionally, from on or about July 13, 2024, through on or about July 2, 2025, Cruz-Santiago knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view images of child pornography, including child pornography of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. “There’s no greater priority than safeguarding our children from those who seek to exploit or harm them,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of child sexual predators. We will not rest until those who commit these heinous crimes are brought to justice.” Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge said: “Child predators will find endless ways to manipulate their victims as part of their ill behavior. It’s important that we understand the mechanisms they are using and the risks our children have online. Parents and trusted adults must commit to educate themselves about potential threats and the latest online platforms to protect our children from sexual exploitation. Let’s all together take a Pledge to Protect.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation. If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) sexual exploitation of a minor – a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; (2) coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; (3) receipt of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; (4) possession of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and (5) transfer of obscene material to a minor – up to 10 years in prison. All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov . To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to IntelHSISanJuan@hsi.dhs.gov . This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Grand jury indicts 3 U.S. citizens, 22 Chinese nationals, 4 Chinese pharmaceutical companies in international drug trafficking, money laundering conspiracies

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: CINCINNATI – FBI Director Kash Patel, United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II, FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola and DEA Detroit Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton announced today that a federal grand jury in Dayton returned charges against dozens of defendants, including Chinese nationals and companies, in narcotics and money laundering conspiracies involving illegal cutting agents. “Protecting Americans from fentanyl is one of this Department’s most important missions — and it starts with dismantling the international pipelines that bring deadly drugs and precursor to our shores," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not rest until we stop Chinese companies from shipping poison to our citizens and bring everyone involved in this lethal trade to swift, complete justice.” “Our indictment alleges that Chinese companies and affiliated foreign nationals intentionally and openly marketed, delivered, and exported to the United States controlled substances and other compounds that they knew would be used by domestic drug dealers to increase the yield and potency of fentanyl distributed in this country,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “As explained in court documents, these deadly drug mixtures were then sold directly into our communities here in southern Ohio.” “Today’s announcement marks a first-of-its-kind international operation for the FBI targeting the fentanyl plague that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and indicting the companies and individuals in mainland China that manufacture the precursor chemicals fueling the destruction of our communities,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This operation has already seized enough fentanyl powder to kill 70 million Americans and enough fentanyl pills to kill another 270,000. And we have now indicted the Chinese precursor companies and exposed the funding streams that facilitate this deadly trade.” “The FBI is using an aggressive investigative strategy to target businesses in China which are sending lethal drugs to the streets of our cities,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “The FBI will continue to relentlessly pursue these companies and drug distributors as we work to crush violent crime and keep people safe from the dangers of illicit narcotics.” According to charging documents, from at least 2022 until present, Eric Michael Payne, 39, of Tipp City, Ohio, served as a main supplier of illegal cutting agents to fentanyl traffickers operating in southern Ohio. Payne allegedly purchased several kilogram shipments of the cutting agents from multiple Chinese companies purporting to be online pharmacies and legitimate chemical companies. It is believed that the U.S. defendants purchased from the Chinese companies at least 10 kilograms of fentanyl cutting agents, which, in turn, could yield more than 150 kilograms of fentanyl mixture bound for street-level sales in southern Ohio. The cutting agents included animal tranquilizers up to 200 times more powerful than morphine. The companies allegedly used a series of Chinese foreign nationals located overseas to solicit, negotiate, and secure payments for illegal cutting agents from U.S. customers. It is alleged the foreign nationals generally directed U.S. customers to pay for the cutting agents using cryptocurrency transferred to crypto wallets under the foreign national’s control for ultimate deposit into financial institutions located overseas. Payne’s significant other, Auriyon Tresan Rayford, 24, also of Tipp City, Ohio, and Ciandrea Bryne Davis, 39, of Atlanta, allegedly assisted Payne in transferring more than $60,000 in cryptocurrency to Chinese foreign nationals associated with the Chinese companies since 2022. Rayford also allegedly allowed illegal substances to be stored at her residence in Ohio. All the defendants are charged with conspiring with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl mixture and conspiring to launder money internationally. Payne is also charged with possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl mixture and tampering with evidence. Rayford is charged with maintaining a drug-involved premises. The Chinese companies and nationals charged include: Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Company, Ltd., Guanghzou Wanjiang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hebei Hongjun New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Hebei Feilaimi Technology Co., Ltd., Lihui Zhao, FNU LNU a/k/a “Anna Sofia,” Shanhong Jiang, Yan Yang, Fengdi Zhang, Dehui Xia, Xing Wu Chen, Qing Lin Wang, Xiaojun Huang, Meixiang Yao, Zhanpeng Huang, Yuqing Feng, Dongjing Sun, Chengqi Nong, Tiduo Wei, Zhisong Nie, Jichao Zhu, Zhengzhe Yin, Changgen Du, Hongfei Wang, Huatao Yao, and Xuening Gao. Concurrent with the charges brought against this network, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today has imposed sanctions on one of these Chinese companies, Guangzhou Tengyue, and two of its representatives, Zhanpeng Huang and Xiaojun Huang, targeting them pursuant to Treasury’s counternarcotics authorities. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth McCormick are representing the United States in this case. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. # # #


title: Justice Department Returns Full Control of Police Practices to the City of Seattle

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington recognized the successful completion of the consent decree in United States v. City of Seattle , returning complete control of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to the City. The 13-year consent decree effort addressed use of force, crisis intervention, stops and detentions, supervision and accountability. “We congratulate the Seattle Police Department on its achievement of sustained substantial compliance with this consent decree,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are proud to stand by the men and women of the Seattle Police Department as federal oversight ends and the court returns full control of local law enforcement to the city.” “The Seattle Police Department has worked over many years to develop and implement policies and procedures that have transformed the department into an example for other police forces,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller for the Western District of Washington. “Multiple Police Chiefs, city leaders, community stakeholders, and U.S. Attorneys have supported that effort. I commend the hard work that has led to the end of the consent decree.” In 2011, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington jointly initiated an investigation into the SPD under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. After concluding the investigation, in 2012 the United States and the City of Seattle entered into a consent decree to address the investigation’s findings that SPD engaged in a pattern or practice of unnecessary or excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In 2023, the Court granted the parties’ joint motion to terminate most of the consent decree’s requirements. The City and the Department worked collaboratively toward completion of the last remaining requirements, leading to today’s termination of the consent decree and final dismissal of the lawsuit.


title: Brothers Sentenced for Child Exploitation

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALBUQUERQUE – Two brothers were sentenced for sexually abusing a minor, with one receiving 204 months in prison and the other 135 months. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, between 2019 and 2022, Dustin Roy Rockmen , 33, of Navajo, New Mexico, and Kenzie Roy Rockmen , 26, of Hunters Point, Arizona, both enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, used electronic communications to coerce a minor and engage in sexual acts with the child. Dustin and Kenzie both pled guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. Upon their release from prison, Dustin and Kenzie will be subject to 10 years of supervised release and must register as sex offenders. Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today. The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert James Booth II and Mark A. Probasco are prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.


title: Grand Jury Indicts Three U.S. Citizens, 22 Chinese Nationals, Four Chinese Pharmaceutical Companies in International Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Conspiracies

component: Office of the Attorney General

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Dayton, Ohio, returned charges against dozens of defendants, including Chinese nationals and companies, in narcotics and money laundering conspiracies involving illegal cutting agents. “Protecting Americans from fentanyl is one of this Department’s most important missions — and it starts with dismantling the international pipelines that bring deadly drugs and precursor to our shores,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not rest until we stop Chinese companies from shipping poison to our citizens and bring everyone involved in this lethal trade to swift, complete justice.” “Our indictment alleges that Chinese companies and affiliated foreign nationals intentionally and openly marketed, delivered, and exported to the United States controlled substances and other compounds that they knew would be used by domestic drug dealers to increase the yield and potency of fentanyl distributed in this country,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick S. Gerace II. “As explained in court documents, these deadly drug mixtures were then sold directly into our communities here in southern Ohio.” “Today’s announcement marks a first-of-its-kind international operation for the FBI targeting the fentanyl plague that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and indicting the companies and individuals in mainland China that manufacture the precursor chemicals fueling the destruction of our communities,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This operation has already seized enough fentanyl powder to kill 70 million Americans and enough fentanyl pills to kill another 270,000. And we have now indicted the Chinese precursor companies and exposed the funding streams that facilitate this deadly trade.” According to charging documents, from at least 2022 until present, Eric Michael Payne, 39, of Tipp City, Ohio, served as a main supplier of illegal cutting agents to fentanyl traffickers operating in southern Ohio. Payne allegedly purchased several kilogram shipments of the cutting agents from multiple Chinese companies purporting to be online pharmacies and legitimate chemical companies. It is believed that the U.S. defendants purchased from the Chinese companies at least 10 kilograms of fentanyl cutting agents, which, in turn, could yield more than 150 kilograms of fentanyl mixture bound for street-level sales in southern Ohio. The cutting agents included animal tranquilizers up to 200 times more powerful than morphine. The companies allegedly used a series of Chinese foreign nationals located overseas to solicit, negotiate, and secure payments for illegal cutting agents from U.S. customers. It is alleged the foreign nationals generally directed U.S. customers to pay for the cutting agents using cryptocurrency transferred to crypto wallets under the foreign national’s control for ultimate deposit into financial institutions located overseas. Payne’s significant other, Auriyon Tresan Rayford, 24, also of Tipp City, Ohio, and Ciandrea Bryne Davis, 39, of Atlanta, allegedly assisted Payne in transferring more than $60,000 in cryptocurrency to Chinese foreign nationals associated with the Chinese companies since 2022. Rayford also allegedly allowed illegal substances to be stored at her residence in Ohio. All the defendants are charged with conspiring with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl mixture and conspiring to launder money internationally. Payne is also charged with possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl mixture and tampering with evidence. Rayford is charged with maintaining a drug-involved premises. The Chinese companies and nationals charged include: Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Company, Ltd., Guanghzou Wanjiang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hebei Hongjun New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Hebei Feilaimi Technology Co., Ltd., Lihui Zhao, FNU LNU a/k/a “Anna Sofia,” Shanhong Jiang, Yan Yang, Fengdi Zhang, Dehui Xia, Xing Wu Chen, Qing Lin Wang, Xiaojun Huang, Meixiang Yao, Zhanpeng Huang, Yuqing Feng, Dongjing Sun, Chengqi Nong, Tiduo Wei, Zhisong Nie, Jichao Zhu, Zhengzhe Yin, Changgen Du, Hongfei Wang, Huatao Yao, and Xuening Gao. Concurrent with the charges brought against this network, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today has imposed sanctions on one of these Chinese companies, Guangzhou Tengyue, and two of its representatives, Zhanpeng Huang and Xiaojun Huang, targeting them pursuant to Treasury’s counternarcotics authorities. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth McCormick are representing the United States in this case. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.


title: Justice Department Files Lawsuit for Mississippi Woman Terminated for Alleging Sexual Harassment

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by terminating a former employee who opposed and complained about sexual harassment in the workplace. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion and prohibits retaliation against employees for opposing discriminatory employment practices. According to the Department’s complaint, filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the city terminated former employee, Hope Chatman, after she reported sexual harassment and refused to sit near her harasser after reporting his conduct to management. The complaint seeks damages, back pay, and revisions to the City’s policies, practices, and procedures to prevent and remedy retaliation that violates Title VII. “No one who speaks up against workplace sexual harassment should face retaliation for doing so. The Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal employment discrimination laws, including through banning sexual harassment and retaliation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. This case stems from a charge of discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and investigated by the EEOC’s Jackson Area office. The EEOC investigated the charge and found reasonable cause to believe the city violated Title VII. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charge to the Justice Department. You can view the complaint here . Employees with complaints of sexual harassment can report them to their local EEOC office or their respective state or local fair employment practices agencies. The contact information for each local EEOC office can be found at www.eeoc.gov/field-office .


title: Leader of Akron Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: CLEVELAND – An Akron man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leading and conspiring with others to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other illegal substances throughout Northeast Ohio. Terrance D.N. McCormick, aka TNasty, 41, of Akron, was sentenced to 420 months (35 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty in May to the following charges as outlined in the indictment: Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl. Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; previous convictions for aggravated burglary in 2003; domestic violence in 2009 and 2013; and aggravated trafficking in drugs in 2018. Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. McCormick was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment and to forfeit $8,560 in cash, a Rolex watch, a Chevrolet Corvette, and all firearms seized by federal agents. According to court documents, McCormick was the leader of an Akron-area drug trafficking organization dealing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in 2023-2024. He admitted to his involvement with several co-conspirators to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to customers throughout Northeast Ohio. The conspiracy maintained and used residences and commercial buildings in Akron to store and distribute controlled substances. Members of the conspiracy also allegedly possessed firearms to further their drug enterprise and protect their illegal inventory. Investigators recovered methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and three loaded firearms during the execution of federal search warrants at McCormick’s homes in 2023 and 2024. This wiretap case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Cleveland Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District of Ohio.


title: Lancaster County Man Indicted in Connection With Massive Investment Fraud Scheme

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – At a news conference this afternoon, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Daryl F. Heller, 55, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of securities fraud and four counts of wire fraud, arising from a fraudulent investment scheme that resulted in significant investor losses of approximately $402 million. As detailed in the indictment, the defendant controlled and was the majority owner of several companies based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, including Paramount Management Group, LLC (“Paramount”), which purchased, installed, operated, maintained, and processed transactions for automatic teller machines (“ATMs”) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and throughout the country. Heller also controlled and was the majority owner of Heller Capital Group LLC (“HCG”) and Prestige Investment Group, LLC (“Prestige”). Further, Prestige was the majority owner of four companies, collectively, the “Prestige Management Companies.” The Prestige Management Companies, in turn, managed the operations of more than two dozen companies, collectively, the “Prestige ATM Funds” and the “WF Velocity ATM Funds.” The indictment alleges that, from about January 2017 to December 2024, Heller solicited, and caused others to solicit, approximately $770 million from investors in the Prestige ATM Funds and WF Velocity ATM Funds investors, based on materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, including that the money they invested would be used by Paramount to purchase and operate ATMs on behalf of the investors, and that investors would receive a fixed amount every month from the revenues derived from the operation of the ATMs allegedly purchased by Paramount on the investors’ behalf. The indictment further alleges that a substantial amount of the funds obtained from the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Fund investors was not used by Paramount to purchase ATMs as promised, but used instead to pay the monthly payments owed to earlier investors in the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds, other Paramount investors, Heller’s own personal expenses, and business debts incurred by Paramount and other companies that the defendant owned and controlled. The indictment further alleges that a substantial amount of the ATMs that were purportedly purchased by Paramount on behalf of the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Fund investors either did not exist or were not in operation and, thus, were not capable of generating any revenues. According to the indictment, to carry out and conceal the scheme, Heller created false and fraudulent records, which grossly misrepresented the number of ATMs in Paramount’s network and grossly overstated the revenues being generated by those ATMs. Heller used these documents to satisfy existing investors, solicit new investors, and deceive others by falsely representing that the ATM investments were legitimate, and the ATMs were generating sufficient revenues to make investor payments. In or about April 2024, Heller caused Paramount to stop making monthly payments to investors after the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds stopped providing substantial amounts of new investor money to Paramount. Investors have not received any payments since April 2024, despite Heller’s promises from April 2024 to December 2024 to make payments to and buyout the investors. Paramount went out of business in or about December 2024, and investors in the Prestige and WF Velocity ATM Funds have unpaid principal amounts totaling approximately $402 million. “The magnitude of the offense alleged by this indictment is enormous,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Daryl Heller allegedly piled lie upon lie, in order to bilk thousands of victims of their hard-earned money. This case is a prime example of the diligent and detailed work done by FBI Philadelphia’s white-collar crime branch, and the economic crimes section in our office.” “Complex financial fraud cases like this demand close coordination, because no single agency can see the entire picture alone,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. “Together, we brought the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement—pairing the FBI’s investigative reach, the SEC’s regulatory expertise, and the insights of our local partners on the ground. That collective effort, strengthened by persistence and information-sharing, allowed us to peel back the layers of deception and uncover the full scope of this alleged scheme.” If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 100 years’ imprisonment. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Francis Weber and J. Andrew Jenemann. The Lancaster County Police Department, Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, East Hempfield Township Police Department, and Pequea Township Police Department provided investigative assistance. In a parallel matter, the Securities and Exchange Commission also announced charges against Heller today. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.


title: Georgia Woman Admits Defrauding Missouri, Kansas Victims with Law Enforcement Spoofing Scam

component: USAO - Missouri, Eastern

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A woman from the Atlanta area on Wednesday admitted aiding scammers pretending to be law enforcement officers. Ariel Burden, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. She admitted being part of a group that called victims from phone numbers that appeared to be associated with local law enforcement. The “spoofers” claimed to be law enforcement officers or affiliated with law enforcement and told victims that they had outstanding warrants for missing court appearances. They also falsely claimed that victims needed to pay thousands of dollars to a bondswoman to avoid being arrested. The scammers stayed in contact with the victims until they met with the supposed bondswoman, Burden. Burden, who called herself “Jennifer Davis,” collected the money and provided victims with a receipt that contained fake citation numbers and other false information. In one example in Burden’s plea agreement, a scammer called a Jefferson County, Missouri victim on Feb. 28, 2024, while pretending to be with the Crystal City Police Department. The victim arrived at Crystal City’s City Hall and paid Burden $12,000 for “bond.” Burden then handed over a receipt with the bogus citation number “ft9 CV 1892 COC CV 1893,” a line noting that the payment had been made to the “Crystal City Court” and a line indicating that The payment had been accepted by “Jennifer Davis.” In all, Burden admitted defrauding three victims, including two in Kansas, out of a total of $28,000. Burden is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2026. The wire fraud charge carries potential penalty of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine. Burden will also be ordered to repay the money. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, in conjunction with the Jefferson County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office and the McPherson, Kansas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.


title: HIGH SPRINGS MAN SENTENCED FOR DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Jon Walter Crawford, 36, of High Springs, Florida, was sentenced to ten years in prison after previously pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I commend the hard work done by our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, identify, and bring this offender to justice for peddling child sexual abuse material. It is one of my office’s highest duties to protect the most vulnerable members of our community – our children – from exploitation and victimization, and we will not hesitate to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law the sick individuals who commit these crimes.” Court documents reflect the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation based on a cyber tip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Sheriff deputies identified Crawford and confirmed his possession and distribution of child sex abuse material. Homeland Security Investigations determined that Crawford possessed over one thousand files of videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Sheriff Chad D. Scott said: “I commend the relentless work of our Detectives whose dedication and expertise were critical to this investigation. Their efforts, in conjunction with our federal partners, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us—our children. Let this serve as a clear message: anyone who seeks to exploit or harm children will be found, held accountable, and delivered into the arms of justice. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will continue to use every available resource to ensure these predators are stopped and that our community’s children are safe.” “Child predators who collect this type of horrific imagery are directly contributing to the ongoing and lifetime abuse of children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to work relentlessly with our partners to protect the most vulnerable and ensure those who exploit them are brought to justice.” The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Federal Drug and Gun Charges

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that, BRANDON TURNER (“TURNER”) , age 39, was sentenced on August 26, 2025, by United States District Judge Susie Morgan, after previously pleading guilty to Counts One, Two, and Three of the indictment pending against him. Count One charged TURNER with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Two charged TURNER with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count Three charged TURNER with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). TURNER was sentenced to two hundred and ten (210) months as to counts One, Two and Three of the Superseding Bill of Information. This term consists of 150 months as to Counts One and Three, to be served concurrently to each other, and a term of 60 months as to Count Two, to be served consecutively to the terms imposed on Counts One and Three. Upon release from imprisonment, TURNER will be placed on supervised release for four (4) years as to Counts One, Two and Three, to be served concurrently with each other. TURNER also faces payment of a $300 mandatory special assessment fee. According to court documents, on January 30, 2024, TURNER was arrested for suspected narcotics trafficking. Law enforcement officers searched TURNER’s apartment and found a detectable amount of fentanyl, ammunition, and a Glock, Model 43, nine-millimeter caliber pistol. TURNER knew he was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition. 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. Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit. * * *


title: Man Ordered to Serve 30 Years in Prison for Second Degree Murder After Killing a Woman Found Near a Bus Stop

body_text: TULSA, Okla. – A Sand Springs man was sentenced today for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Anthony Clay Russell, 32, of Sand Springs, to 360 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. According to court documents, on October 22, 2024, first responders were dispatched in response to a call about a woman lying on a sidewalk with blood coming from her head. Medical personnel told responding officers that the woman, later identified as Tasha Shepard, was deceased from a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Surveillance footage from the area showed a BMW pulling into a nearby parking lot. The surveillance showed Tasha getting out of the passenger side of the BMW and walking away from the car. The BMW is seen following Tasha as she walked out of the parking lot and then sped away from the area where first responders found Tasha’s body. Detectives discovered a cellphone on Tasha and retrieved text messages with Anthony Russell from the evening of the shooting. Russell texted Tasha about paying for sex and coordinating where he could pick her up. When detectives interviewed Russell, he initially lied about being with Tasha. When confronted with evidence, Russell eventually admitted that he picked up Tasha to have sex for money. Russell admitted he did not have money to pay Tasha, so she got out of the BMW and walked away. Eventually, Russell admitted to shooting at Tasha, claiming he was only trying to scare her. The investigation further revealed additional surveillance footage of Russell and Tasha together in the BMW several minutes before Tasha was killed. During a search of Russell’s home, detectives found the BMW and the firearm used to shoot Tasha. Russell is a citizen of the Osage Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Tulsa Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. McConney and John Brasher prosecuted the case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN .


title: Mexican National Arrested in Meriden Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JUAN JOSE CARRASCO CARDENAS, 39, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in January 2002, Carrasco was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In May 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Carrasco illegally entering the country in Arizona. He was charged in the District of Arizona with improper entry of an alien, sentenced to five days of imprisonment and, in June 2009, was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In January 2018, Carrasco was arrested in Saline County, Kansas, and charged with various offenses related to the trafficking of marijuana. He was convicted of a state marijuana distribution offense and sentenced to 30 months in jail. He was removed to Mexico in October 2019. Carrasco was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on August 27, 2025, in Meriden. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained. If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Carrasco faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: Couple Charged in Cross-Border Identity Theft and Immigration Fraud Scheme

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Luis Enrique Villegas Brownell and his girlfriend, Kassandra Sanchez, were charged in federal court with stealing the identity of Sanchez’s brother to commit a variety of federal crimes in the United States. According to the indictment, Villegas, a Mexican citizen without legal status in the United States, and Sanchez, a U.S. citizen, conspired to steal identification documents belonging to Sanchez’s brother, identified in court records as J.D.S. Villegas then used those documents to falsely pose as a U.S. citizen and apply for entry into the United States. Once in the United States, Villegas went to the California DMV and provided false information under penalty of perjury to obtain a state ID card in the name of J.D.S. but bearing Villegas’s photo and thumbprint. He and Sanchez then used the fraudulent ID to impersonate J.D.S. and cross the border unlawfully for more than a year. Prosecutors say that Villegas crossed more than 50 times in the past 17 months, often with Sanchez driving to the port of entry and presenting the fraudulent ID to border officers. Port-of-entry video shows Sanchez lying to officers about Villegas’s birthplace and concealing his true identity. According to court documents, the real J.D.S. applied for entry to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in April 2025 but was unable to cross due to the theft of his identity. During that encounter, J.D.S. reported to border officers that his sister, Sanchez, asked for his identity documents to smuggle her Mexican boyfriend into the United States. When he declined, she took them without his consent. The government also alleges Villegas used J.D.S.’s identity to commit other federal crimes, including smuggling an undocumented immigrant through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and fraudulently obtaining California public benefits such as Medi-Cal. Sanchez allegedly committed the offenses while on supervised release for a prior federal conviction in the Southern District of California relating to an arrest for smuggling methamphetamine into the United States. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan. DEFENDANTS Case Number : 25cr3286-BTM Luis Enrique Villegas Brownell Age: 20 Tijuana, Mexico Kassandra Sanchez Age: 23 San Diego, California SUMMARY OF CHARGES Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371 Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028(f) Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine Unlawful Production of Identification Document – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1028(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(ii), and 2 Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine False Personation in Immigration Matter – Title 18, U.S.C., Sections 1546(a) and 2 Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine False Claim to U.S. Citizenship – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 911 Maximum penalty: Three years in prison and $250,000 fine Aggravated Identity Theft – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1028A(a)(1) Maximum penalty: Mandatory two years in prison, served consecutive to any other sentence INVESTIGATING AGENCIES Homeland Security Investigations U.S. Customs and Border Protection *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution and Being Felon in Possession of Firearm

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

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DAYSHAWN BROWN (“BROWN”) , age 40, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 28, 2025, by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment pending against him. Count 3 charged BROWN with distribution of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B). Count 4 charged BROWN with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). BROWN was sentenced to 144 months as to Counts Three and Four, to be served concurrently. Judge Barbier also ordered that BROWN be placed on supervised release for four (4) years upon release from incarceration and pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $200.00. Court documents reveal that on September 13, 2023, BROWN met with an individual he believed was a legitimate buyer at a gas station in New Orleans, to sell narcotics and a firearm. During the transaction, BROWN sold the agent a Beretta Pietro S.P.A. Model 70S, .380 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, and approximately 54 grams of methamphetamine. 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. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crime Unit. * * *


title: Cambridge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy, Possession With Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Deandrae Stull, 34, of Cambridge, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) – Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington D.C. Field Office; Chief Robert O. McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD); and Chief Richard Worley, Baltimore City Police Department (BPD). According to the guilty plea, in 2023, multiple federal agencies partnered to investigate a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing large quantities of cocaine. The DTO used various methods to transport bulk quantities of cocaine from California to Maryland. Stull, a DTO member, and various other co-conspirators, transported cocaine via commercial flights. The DTO concealed cocaine in “ghost bags” on commercial flights. The term “ghost bag” is the process of purchasing a flight ticket under a proxy name to a specific destination and then checking the luggage that contains large quantities of narcotics on to the flight without the ticketed passenger. When the flight reaches its destination, a co-conspirator retrieves the contraband-laden luggage. During the investigation, law enforcement reviewed the flight records of various DTO members. As law enforcement analyzed flight records from January 2023 to May 2023, authorities discovered at least 22 ghost-bag flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) were billed directly to Stull’s home address. Law enforcement also obtained records from the internet providers of the IP addresses used to purchase the 22 ghost-bag flights. Stull’s cellular phone connected to at least seven IP addresses that were used to purchase seven different ghost-bag flights. As a result, HSI placed Stull on its flight-watch list. On June 14, 2023, United Airlines notified HSI about Stull’s plans to travel from LAX to BWI on June 15. Notably, “James Davis” was a ticketed passenger on the flight. Investigators knew the DTO consistently used “James Davis” as a proxy name for ghost-bag flights. On two occasions, on April 2, and then on April 5, Stull’s home address was listed as the billing address for ghost-bag flights under the name “James Davis.” Additionally, on April 2, Stull was a listed passenger on the same flight as a “James Davis” ghost bag. Then on June 15, HSI established a surveillance team at BWI prior to Stull’s arrival. One group of investigators set up at the check-in conveyor with a drug-detection K-9 that scanned luggage from Stull’s flight. The drug-detection K-9 found the presence of controlled substances emitting from a black suitcase with “James Davis” on the baggage ticket. Authorities sent a photograph of the luggage to the investigative team surveilling Stull’s exit from his flight. Stull arrived at the baggage carousel and retrieved the black suitcase. Shortly after leaving the baggage claim area, authorities approached Stull, asking him who was the owner of the suitcase. Stull replied it belong to a friend. During the encounter, a second drug-detection K-9 arrived, to scan the suitcase. The second K-9 also alerted authorities to the presence of controlled substances. Law enforcement searched Stull’s suitcase and recovered 15 kilograms of cocaine. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, HSI, IRS-CI, BCPD, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Calvin C. Miner who prosecuted the federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach . # # #


title: St. Louis Man Admits Moderating Child Pornography Chat Room

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Wednesday admitted acting as one of the moderators of an online chat group that shared child sexual abuse material. David Korte Daues, 37, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. The investigation began with a Cyber Tipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the messaging app Kik. The account was traced to Daues, and FBI special agents interviewed him at work. Daues admitted operating the account that triggered the tip. He also told the FBI that he was the moderator of a group on the Wire platform which regularly posted child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Daues said he began viewing CSAM about four years earlier and was in about 25 Kik groups and five Wire groups that shared CSAM. Daues admitted distributing CSAM in these groups. He also had images and videos containing CSAM on two cell phones. Daues is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading Linked to CVS’s 2023 Acquisition of Oak Street Health

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Carlos Sacanell, 59, of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone on one count of securities fraud (insider trading) and one count of making a false statement to a federal agency. The defendant was charged by indictment with those offenses in October 2024. As detailed in the indictment and admitted to by the defendant, Sacanell obtained material nonpublic information from his domestic partner, who was an executive at Oak Street Health, about CVS Health Corporation’s acquisition of Oak Street Health in 2023. At all times relevant to the indictment, both CVS and Oak Street Health were publicly traded companies on the New York Stock Exchange, with ticker symbols CVS and OSH, respectively. Sacanell used the material nonpublic information obtained from his domestic partner to trade stock and options in Oak Street Health before the transaction was publicly announced on February 8, 2023, resulting in him obtaining profits of approximately $617,000. As further detailed in court filings, when the defendant was interviewed by the FBI in April 2024, he falsely told agents that he did not obtain from his domestic partner information regarding CVS’s planned acquisition of Oak Street Health before the acquisition was publicly announced on February 8, 2023. This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber. The Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Sacanell, in a parallel matter.


title: Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced in Burglary Ring That Targeted Individuals of Asian Descent

body_text: PROVIDENCE – Two foreign nationals who participated in a sweeping, multi-state burglary ring that targeted individuals of Asian descent, including in Rhode Island, were sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom. Jorge Andres Cardenas Murillo, 32, a Columbian national, identified in court documents as a central figure of the conspiracy, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 48 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. An immigration detainer has been issued against Cardenas Murillo. Mohammed Islam, 30, a Bangladesh national, was sentenced by District Court Judge DuBose to 33 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. Islam previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, and two counts of attempt to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. From July 2022 to December 2022, members of the conspiracy targeted residences in various states to burglarize, including at least two properties in Rhode Island, with the intent to steal large sums of money, valuable jewelry, and other items, and then transport the stolen goods in interstate for the financial benefit of members of the conspiracy. Court documents reflect that members of the conspiracy targeted and surveilled individuals, businesses, and residences and then burglarized or attempted to burglarize homes in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Wisconsin, and Florida. Members of the conspiracy used sophisticated means to carry out their scheme. In addition to surveilling individuals, the conspirators used drones and GPS trackers placed on vehicles to monitor potential victims’ movement and identify times when they were away from their residences. They also used drones and lookouts to monitor law enforcement activity, and had getaway cars and drivers at the ready while other conspirators broke into and burglarized residences. According to court documents, members of the conspiracy are known to have stolen at least $717,735 worth of property and cash. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julianne Klein and Ly T. Chin. The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Warwick and Smithfield, RI Police Departments; Shrewsbury and Framingham, MA Police Departments; Gorham, NH Police Department; Stamford, Wallingford, and Westport, CT Police Departments; West Allis, WI Police Department; New Castle County, DE Police Department; Manalapan, NJ Police Department; New York City Police Department; Jacksonville and Flagler County Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; Pennsylvania State Police; and the United States Postal Inspection Service. ###


title: Ohio County Man Admits to Federal Drug Charges

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Joshua Carney, 32, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine charges. Carney pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl, and heroin, and one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location. According to court documents, Carney worked with others to sell illicit drugs in Ohio County and sold more than five grams of methamphetamine near Ritchie Elementary School in June 2024. Carney faces up to 20 years for the conspiracy charge and at least 5 years and up to 80 years in federal prison for the distribution charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. Investigative agencies include the Ohio Valley Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Wheeling Police Department. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.


title: Cuban Man Living in Louisville Charged with Assaulting ICE Officers

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, Kentucky – A federal indictment was returned today that charged Laryen Torres-Carmona, a Cuban national, for assaulting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who were attempting to effect a lawful arrest. U.S Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville made the announcement. “This complaint and indictment allege that Torres-Carmona committed crimes while paroled into our country, overstayed his welcome, then strangled a domestic partner, and ultimately assaulted two ICE officers attempting to make a lawful arrest,” said U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner. “This conduct will not be tolerated in the Western District of Kentucky.” “Threats and assaults on federal agents and officers, who are working diligently night and day to uphold the nation’s laws, will never be tolerated,” said Homeland Security Investigations Nashville acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting. “HSI remains steadfast in its mission to hold accountable those who threaten the safety of our law enforcement personnel and the communities they protect and serve.” According to the indictment, Laryen Torres-Carmona, 25, is charged with two counts of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with two Immigration Enforcement Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers (DO) who were employees of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency of a branch of the United States government, while they were engaged in the performance of their official duties. Last week a criminal complaint and supporting affidavit were filed that alleged that Torres-Carmona, was permitted to enter the United States on July 25, 2023, as a parolee with an expiration of June 27, 2025. While in the United States on parole, Torres-Carmona was arrested by Louisville Metropolitan Police Officers on charges of theft by unlawful taking and criminal trespassing. In July 2025, after his parole had expired, Torres-Carmona was arrested again for strangulation during an event of domestic violence. The criminal complaint further alleges that on August 26, 2025, Torres-Carmona reported to United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Louisville office. As alleged, Torres-Carmona shoved two ICE officers and continued resisting officers attempting to effectuate his arrest. Based upon these actions, Torres-Carmona was charged in the criminal complaint with a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a), making it unlawful to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with federal officers or employees, including ICE officers. The defendant made his initial appearance on the complaint last week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He was arraigned on the indictment today. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, Torres-Carmona faces a combined maximum sentence of 16 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being investigated by the HSI Louisville Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari is prosecuting 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 (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). A criminal complaint and indictment are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Honduran Man Guilty of Illegal Reentry of a Removed Alien

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that PEDRO TAILOR CASTILLO-BONILLA (“ CASTILLO ”), age 43, plead guilty on August 20, 2025, to illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a). According to the charging document, CASTILLO was found in the United States on June 18, 2025, having reentered the United States, without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States, after being previously deported on August 15, 2012. CASTILLO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two (2) years, followed by up to one (1) year of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. CASTILLO ’s sentencing is set for November 19, 2025, before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Coast Guard and the United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: Former St. Louis County Man Indicted and Accused of Lottery Scam 6 Years Ago Has Been Arrested

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A man indicted nearly six years ago and accused of participating in a Jamaican lottery scam has been arrested, U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced Wednesday. Christopher Gibbon, 54, was initially charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on July 26, 2018, and later indicted in December 2019 with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud, four counts of mail fraud and one count of bank fraud. The indictment says that between Dec. 1, 2016, and July of 2018, Gibbon participated in a scheme in which victims were contacted by phone and email and falsely told that they had won the lottery . Victims were then told that they needed to send money to pay the taxes on their winnings. Gibbon received payments from at least four victims and then forwarded some of that money to co-conspirators in Jamaica, the indictment says. In one example listed in the indictment, a North Carolina resident sent $50,000 to Gibbon's address. A motion seeking to have Gibbon held in jail until trial says that on July 20, 2018, less than two days after he was interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors, Gibbon told his wife that he was going to work but did not show up there and did not return home. The motion says he was living with a girlfriend in Springfield, Mass. under the name Raseqhenre Heedram but wore a name tag reading Amos Johnson when he was arrested by Postal Inspectors in Connecticut on Aug. 28, 2025. Gibbon will be detained in jail until trial. On Wednesday, a judge in U.S. District Court in Hartford ordered him sent to St. Louis. Charges set forth in an indictment or a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. “This arrest proves the resolve and relentless pursuit Postal Inspectors have in bringing those who defraud victims to justice,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. “I commend our local, state, and federal partners who assisted in this case and arrest.” The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service Jamaica Foreign Field Office and the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is prosecuting the case.


title: Sitka Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Role in Drug Trafficking Ring

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Karly Fuller, 31, of Sitka, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and, upon release, will serve three years on supervised release for her leading role in the southeast arm of an Alaska drug trafficking ring. According to court documents, Fuller met a co-conspirator while incarcerated at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in 2022. That co-conspirator allegedly recruited Fuller to distribute drugs upon her release from incarceration for a drug trafficking organization directed by an inmate in a California prison. Fuller returned to Sitka in July 2022 and recruited at least five other individuals to work for the drug trafficking enterprise and distribute drugs in Southeast Alaska. One of those individuals was co-defendant Stormy Cleveland, 39, of Ketchikan. Cleveland distributed drugs on behalf of Fuller and at Fuller’s direction. Between November and December 2022, federal agents intercepted three drug parcels shipped by members of the drug enterprise to Cleveland in Sitka. Those parcels contained over 15,500 illicit fentanyl pills. Fuller’s role also included laundering money for the drug enterprise. Between April 25, 2023, and July 15, 2023, Fuller participated in at least 95 monetary transactions totaling over $99,500. Co-defendants in this case are as follows: Larry Marsden, 43, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on December 9, 2024, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. On March 12, 2025, Marsden was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment and will serve three years on supervised release after his release from prison. Cleveland pleaded guilty on November 15, 2024, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. On March 25, 2025, Cleveland was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment and will serve five years on supervised release after her release from prison. Mario Klanott, 38, of Sitka, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Klanott faces up to 20 years in prison. Douglas Vanmeter, 44, of Sitka, pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. On September 3, 2025, Vanmeter was sentenced to 40 months’ of imprisonment and will serve three years on supervised release after her release from prison. Sara Orr, 34, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on June 6, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Orr is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison. Patricia Seal-Uttke, 32, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2025, to a conspiracy to distribute and to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a money laundering conspiracy. Seal-Uttke is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison. Julia Brusell, 43, of Ketchikan, pleaded guilty on November 15, 2024, to a money laundering conspiracy. On March 17, 2025, Brusell was sentenced to time served and will serve two years on supervised release. U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or U.S. Attorney Bradford in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal. The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division and Anchorage Domicile, Federal Bureau Investigation Anchorage Field Office and Alaska State Troopers, with significant law enforcement support from the U.S. Marshals Service, are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alana Weber, Stephan Collins, and Chris Schroeder prosecuted the case. ###


title: Former Quincy Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Nearly 10 Pounds of Methamphetamine

body_text: BOSTON – A former Quincy man currently residing in Las Vegas pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to distribution of methamphetamine. Samuel Jean-Baptiste, a/k/a “Jett Black,” 39, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Nov. 24, 2025. Jean-Baptiste was arrested in May 2024 and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024. In early July 2023, Jean-Baptiste was identified as a significant distributor of controlled substances in the Boston area. A confidential source made three controlled purchases totaling over 680 grams of fentanyl from Jean-Baptiste. In the subsequent months, Jean-Baptiste communicated with a second confidential source to set up a sale of approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine. On May 29, 2024, Jean-Baptiste arrived at an agreed-upon location for the sale of methamphetamine and was subsequently arrested. At the time of his arrest Jean-Baptiste was carrying a backpack that contained approximately 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. The charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine each carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years and maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf .


title: Honduran and Colombian drug traffickers sentenced to prison for conspiring  to transport cocaine into the United States

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The last of three foreign nationals was sentenced to prison yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine from Colombia through Honduras and ultimately into the United States. According to court documents, Colombian national Humberto Cantillo Duran, aka Niño or Juan Carlos, 37; Honduran national Mario Rodolfo Mejia-Cubillas, aka Yofo, 54; and Honduran national Edgardo Rene Velasquez Navarro, aka Burro, 54, led a large drug trafficking conspiracy based in Colón, Honduras, responsible for the distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine valued at millions of dollars into the United States. The conspiracy operated from eastern Honduras where they received shipments of cocaine from South America before forwarding them through Central America and ultimately into the United States. Cantillo Duran, based in Colombia and Honduras, was responsible for coordinating the shipment of large amounts of cocaine from Colombia to Honduras. Cantillo Duran also assisted in finding buyers, including Mejia-Cubillas and Velasquez Navarro. After the cocaine arrived in Honduras, it was unloaded, broken-down, and prepared for transport across Honduras, supervised by Mejia Cubillas, Velasquez Navarro, and Cantillo Duran. For years, Honduran law enforcement captured communications between the conspirators in which they discussed cocaine shipments, payments, acts of violence towards suspected rival narcotraffickers, South American sources of supply, the U.S. market for cocaine, and the United States being the ultimate destination for their cocaine. On several occasions, Honduran law enforcement seized large shipments of cocaine moved by the co-conspirators. All three defendants pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine with the intent of unlawful importation into the United States. On March 11, Velasquez Navarro was sentenced to 12 years in prison. On April 1, Mejia-Cubillas was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison. Cantillo Duran was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher C. Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin S. Starr, Anthony T. Aminoff, and Philip Alito 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 achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs). A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-142.