title: Former Quincy Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Nearly 10 Pounds of Methamphetamine

body_text: BOSTON – A former Quincy man, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nev., was sentenced on Jan. 21, 2026 in federal court in Boston for distribution of methamphetamine. Samuel Jean-Baptiste, a/k/a “Jett Black,” 39, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2025 , Jean-Baptiste 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. 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. 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 prosecuted the case. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.


title: Houston man convicted of distributing fentanyl that resulted in deaths in two states

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: HOUSTON – A 25-year local resident has entered a guilty plea to distribution of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that lead to the deaths of two people, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Antonio Curo admitted he distributed the drug through the U.S. mail to individuals across the country. Specifically, Curo distributed fentanyl to a 16-year-old female in Houston who died after consuming pills that contained fentanyl. He had directly provided the counterfeit pills to the minor victim. The victim’s father found her in her room deceased with an imprinted “M-30” pill in a small, orange plastic bag next to her body. Laboratory testing confirmed the pill contained fentanyl. Curo also acknowledged he was responsible for the death of a 24-year-old man in Connecticut. The victim ordered pills via social media and instant messaging service, and Curo sent them through the mail. The victim’s girlfriend saw him receive the package and ingest the pills before he died. Curo admitted he was aware of the deaths and knew he was selling fentanyl. “Curo knowingly distributed counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, showing a complete disregard for the law and human life,” said Ganjei. “The facts are incredibly clear: one pill can kill. Now, two more young lives have been lost to this scourge, and two families will endure a lifetime of grief all because a criminal placed money before morality. My office will always protect the families within the Southern District of Texas by aggressively prosecuting those who seek to poison our community.” U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and set sentencing for April 30, at which time Curo faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of partner agencies in Vermont and Iowa, USPIS – Office of Inspector General, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz and Casey N. MacDonald are prosecuting the case.


title: Knoxville Contractors Charged With Conspiracy To Harbor Illegal Aliens For Financial Gain And To Forcibly Impede ICE Law Enforcement Actions At Hardin Valley Construction Site

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A multi-count indictment was unsealed today charging that from January 5 through January 13, 2026, Tyler Shane Wells, 33, of Morristown, TN, and Alexander Bonilla-Servin, 18, of Smyrna, TN, conspired: to conceal and harbor illegal aliens for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain, in violation of 8 U.S.C § 1324; to forcibly impede federal agents while engaged in the performance of official duties, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 111; and to prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, federal agents from discharging their official duties, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 372. Bonilla-Servin is separately charged with forcibly impeding federal agents engaged in the performance of their official duties by utilizing a 2019 GMC Sierra motor vehicle to strike into the motor vehicle occupied by those agents in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b). Wells appeared in court today, January 23, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. A detention hearing is set for Monday, January 26, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge McCook. A trial date has been set for March 31, 2026, before United States District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer. According to filed court documents, Wells and Bonilla-Servin agreed that Bonilla-Servin would drive his GMC Sierra quad cab pickup truck to a nearby location to conduct counter-surveillance against federal agents who were surveilling the construction site. After conducting this counter-surveillance, Bonilla-Servin drove his pickup truck back to the construction site’s entrance and positioned the truck in an offensive posture in order to maintain an active blockade and a display of physical aggression at the construction site’s entrance. Wells and Bonilla-Servin agreed, anticipated, and intended that federal agents would be forcibly impeded by the truck, which was continuously and actively operated by Bonilla-Servin at the construction site’s entrance. Filed court documents further allege that on January 13, 2026, Bonilla-Servin forcibly impeded two federal agents engaged in the performance of their official duties, by utilizing his GMC Sierra truck to strike into the agents’ vehicle as it attempted to enter the construction site. United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson, Homeland Security Investigations, made the announcement. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Lewen, Jr. will represent the United States. Members of the public are remined that an indictment contains only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. ###


title: Mount Carmel Man Charged With Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Zachary Comerford, age 33, of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, was charged by a federal grand jury for illegal possession of a firearm. According to United States Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that on November 20, 2025, in Northumberland County, Comerford was found in possession of an H&R .32 caliber revolver after having been convicted of a felony offense. The United States Marshals Service, Coal Township Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 15 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Williamsport Man Charged With Production Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Colin Best, age 40, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on a three-count indictment. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Best produced child pornography on April 28, 2024, and attempted to produce child pornography on August 10, 2024. The indictment also alleges that Best possessed images of child sexual abuse between April and October of 2024. The FBI, Williamsport Bureau of Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious offense is up to thirty years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court. # # #


title: Western District of Washington observes National Human Trafficking Prevention month

component: USAO - Washington, Western

body_text: Seattle – Today the Western District of Washington observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.” “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.” “Western Washington is a leader in fighting human trafficking with dedicated, experienced prosecutors and a collaborative law enforcement team of state, local and federal partners,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “We welcome the added resources of the Homeland Security Task Forces to augment our work in these areas.” In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States. Since January 20, 2025, the Western District of Washington has: Indicted a violent sex trafficker and acknowledged street gang leader , who posed with guns on social media and trafficked women on north Aurora Avenue and other states. Prosecuted a violent sex trafficker who was sentenced to 15 years in prison Indicted a 37-year-old Seattle man for sex trafficking through force. fraud and coercion. Sentenced a Washington State man to 11 years in prison for trafficking young women including a teen-ager. Prosecuted a landscaping company owner who paid to smuggle a Mexican woman to Washington and assaulted her and forced her to do hard labor for no pay. He is scheduled for sentencing in March. In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including: Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states. Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery. Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains. Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG. Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking. On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including: 1,041 Sinaloa members, 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members, 641 MS-13 members, 456 Tren de Aragua members, 1,067 weapons More than $3,250,000 in currency Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics


title: Tickfaw Man Guilty of Distribution of Kilograms of Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LA – LARRY G. TURNER , ( TURNER), age 41, of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty on January 15, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Barry W Ashe to Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); §841(b)(1)(A), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Judge Ashe scheduled sentencing for April 9, 2026. At sentencing, TURNER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five (5) years of supervised release. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, TURNER and several other individuals conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, multiple kilograms of fentanyl throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy mainly revolved around TURNER’s residence in Tickfaw, Louisiana. The execution of a federal search warrant at TURNER’s residence led to the recovery of over five (5) kilograms of fentanyl in counterfeit pill form, along with multiple firearms. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.


title: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 91 Border-Related Cases This Week

component: USAO - California, Southern

body_text: SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 91 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city). In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here . A sample of border-related arrests this week: On January 17, Eduardo Luis Aguilar Atilano, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, the defendant was captain of a vessel intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of San Diego that was transporting nine undocumented immigrants. Also arrested were Mexican citizens Rocio Chavez Granados, Arnulfo Contreras Hernandez, Ruben Esquivel Nunez, Jacinto Torres-Cantu and Briner Yulipsi Vela Diaz, who were charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. On January 20, Genaro Cortez-Beltran, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents encountered the defendant about two miles north of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. He had been previously deported September 2025 from the San Ysidro Port of Entry. On January 21, Marco Antonio Murillo-Najera, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found two packages containing 232 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the cab of the Peterbilt tractor driven by the defendant as he attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility. The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners. Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Montgomery County Man Sentenced to 84 Months’ Imprisonment for Robbery and Firearms Offenses

body_text: SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Mohammed Zeidan, age 36, of East Greenville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 22, 2026, to 84 months’ imprisonment and a term of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, and Firearms Conspiracy. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Zeidan was friends with members of the Schuylkill County chapter of the Infamous Ryders Motorcycle Club, of which co-defendant Steven Wong was the president. Wong used his position to recruit members of the motorcycle club and other associates to participate in a series of brutal home-invasion armed robberies in Schuylkill and Berks County in the summer and fall of 2020. Zeidan agreed to participate in an August 29, 2020, home-invasion robbery with three other co-conspirators in which Zeidan and two others entered the home of a street-level drug dealer while wearing masks and armed with firearms and knives and rob the victims of drugs and drug proceeds. One of the firearms used was a fully automatic homemade AR-15 style assault rifle. Zeidan did not personally carry a firearm during the robbery but tried to break down the backdoor of the residence and impersonated a police officer to convince the potential victims to come downstairs. Instead, the victims jumped out of the second-floor window, injuring themselves. Zeidan and his fellow co-conspirators then ran from the home without stealing anything of value. Zeidan was later blamed by the other conspirators for the failure of the August 29, 2020, attempted robbery. Members of the conspiracy later committed additional armed home-invasion robberies in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, and Shillington, Pennsylvania. Zeidan’s fellow co-conspirators, including Wong, have all been convicted and have been sentenced or are currently awaiting sentencing. The charges stem from an investigation involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Pennsylvania State Police, the Mahanoy City Police Department, the Schuylkill Haven Police Department, the Pottsville Police Department, the Shillington Police Department, the Reading Police Department, and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys James Buchanan and Sarah Lloyd prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. # # #


title: Former Baltimore City Council Candidate Sentenced for Bank Fraud and False Statements in Connection With $1.7 Million Fraud Scheme

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Nichelle Henson, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, to four years in federal prison for bank fraud and making false statements in connection with filing fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans applications. Henson filed the applications in the names of multiple purported businesses that she previously incorporated in the state of Maryland. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office. According to the evidence presented at trial, Henson incorporated several businesses with the State of Maryland, including Crowns Construction, LLC; Nichelle Henson Campaign, LLC; One Stop for Services, LLC; Your Friendly Tax Preparation Services, LLC; Women Entrepreneurs Can Succeed, LLC; and Peace of Mind Services, Inc. Henson opened bank accounts in the names of some of her businesses and obtained Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the businesses. In 2020 and 2021, she submitted six fraudulent EIDL applications to the SBA for her various businesses that contained false information concerning each business’s gross receipts, costs of goods sold, and number of employees. At the time of the submissions, none of the businesses were operating, and none of the businesses had employees. As a result of the applications, Henson received $18,000 in United States Treasury funds from the SBA. Additionally, between April 30, 2020, and June 29, 2020, Henson submitted six PPP applications for her various businesses. One of these businesses, Nichelle Henson Campaign, served as an entity designed to fund Henson’s run for Baltimore City Council. However, on May 10, 2020, Henson submitted the application for the campaign, but she withdrew her candidacy back on November 19, 2019. Henson ultimately obtained $998,590 as a result of these six fraudulent applications. Then on January 19, 2021, Henson submitted six more fraudulent PPP loan applications, this time to M&T Bank, for each of her six purported businesses. Each of these applications contained lies about the existence of each business, the number of their employees, and payroll paid. In total, Henson obtained $1,692,840 in connection with her scheme to defraud. Henson used the PPP funds she received in multiple impermissible ways under the PPP, including for cosmetic surgery, extensive renovations to her home and a family member’s home, a year’s rent payment for her personal home, a year’s rent payment for a new business venture, and to fund other new business ventures. The business endeavors included a used-car dealership, which never opened, and creating a cryptocurrency called Subina Coin, to relatedly, fund an entity called the “Adageyhdi Indian Nation.” This case is part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force, a Strike Force that is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. For more information about the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Fraud Task Force for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wenner, who prosecuted the federal case, and Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman for her valuable assistance. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #


title: Former Miami Heat Security Employee Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Nearly $1.9 Million in Restitution

component: USAO - Florida, Southern

body_text: MIAMI – A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,889,931.91 in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia from the team and selling the stolen items across state lines for personal profit. U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed the sentence on Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, of Miami, who previously pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce. “This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite. This sentence and restitution order make clear that no badge, no past service, and no proximity to prestige shields anyone from accountability under the law.” According to court documents, Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, was employed as a security officer with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room that stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia set aside for a future Miami Heat Museum. While employed in these positions, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured equipment room. Over a three-and-a-half-year period, Perez sold more than 100 stolen items on various online marketplaces, often at prices well below their market value. For example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey was later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million. On April 3, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility. U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami investigated the case. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, and the Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moore and Jon Juenger prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-20346. ###


title: Woman Sentenced to One Year for Embezzling $100,000 from the Spokane Tribe’s Division of Child and Family Services

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on January 21, 2026, United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell sentenced Tawhnee Willow Colvin, of Davenport, Washington, to one year and a day following her conviction on twenty-six counts of bank fraud and embezzlement from a tribal organization. Colvin will also serve five years of supervised released and is required to pay $100,830 in restitution to the Spokane Tribe of Indians. Colvin was convicted by a jury on all twenty-six counts charged following a trial in September 2025. As evidence presented at the trial established, Colvin was employed as Assistant Director of the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). As part of her position as Assistant Director of DCFS, Colvin had access to the Spokane Tribe of Indians bank account which held per capita funds to be used for the care of needy children who were in temporary custody of the Tribe. Between October 2019 and November 2023, Colvin abused her position of trust to make more than seventy fraudulent money transfers, starting with small transfers until she eventually transferred thousands of dollars at a time, totaling over $50,000, from the DCFS bank account to her own personal bank account. She also took out over $50,000 cash from the same bank account. Colvin was terminated from her position at the Tribe on October 23, 2023, but even after her termination she continued to fraudulently transfer funds to her personal account. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Pennell noted that the evidence of Colvin’s guilt was overwhelming and showed that instead of using the money for the benefit of children in foster care, Colvin took it for herself. “In an egregious breach of trust and solely for her own personal interest, Ms. Colvin exploited her position as the Assistant Director of DCFS for the Spokane Tribe of Indian to steal thousands of dollars from vulnerable children over a period of years,” stated First Assistant Pete Serrano. “Brazenly, Ms. Colvin continued her crimes even after the Tribe terminated her employment. Sadly, it remains unknown how many children Ms. Colvin harmed through her crimes. The United States Attorney’s Office is grateful for the diligent efforts of the FBI who investigated this case, the trust and collaboration of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the prosecutors and staff at our office who ensured Ms. Colvin was brought to justice.” “For years, Ms. Colvin abused the faith placed in her as a public servant to steal tribal funds intended to care for children in foster care,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “For her own personal gain, she stole more than $100,000, leaving the account almost completely drained. Every one of these dozens of transfers diverted resources away from the most vulnerable members of our society and into her pockets. The FBI is committed to holding accountable fraudsters who choose greed instead of safeguarding the funds under their stewardship.” This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frieda K. Zimmerman and Jeremy J. Kelley. 2:24-CR-0148-RLP


title: Over 200 New Federal Immigration Cases Filed in Western District of Texas

component: USAO - Texas, Western

body_text: SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 209 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals. Among the new cases, German Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly attempted to run an ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations vehicle off the road during the officer’s pursuit of another vehicle in Austin on Jan. 12. A criminal complaint alleges that after ICE-ERO successfully stopped the vehicle they were pursuing, the ICE-ERO officer was exiting his vehicle when Rodriguez-Hernandez intentionally veered his vehicle from its traffic lane into the driver’s side door of the ICE-ERO vehicle, nearly ripping the door off in the collision. The officer was able to avoid injury, but Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Immigration records confirmed that Rodriguez-Hernandez was illegally present in the U.S. He was arrested on Jan. 22 and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer. Julio Leal , a U.S. citizen, was charged with alien smuggling in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges Leal picked up five illegal aliens east of the Tornillo Port of Entry and was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol on Texas Highway 20 in Hudspeth County. USBP agents allegedly observed that the five aliens were muddy and attempting to conceal themselves in the backseat of Leal’s vehicle. The complaint further alleges that Leal was hired to transport the aliens to a stash house and was going to be paid $800 for each individual he picked up. Fernando Javier Marin , also a U.S. citizen, faces alien smuggling charges after he was stopped by a USBP agent in Tornillo on Jan. 19. A criminal complaint alleges that Marin fled on foot during the traffic stop, and four illegal aliens also exited his vehicle. Marin was allegedly located trying to conceal himself inside an irrigation culvert and was arrested. Marin was previously convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in September 2023, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Mexican national Cristino Rodriguez-Toribio was arrested for illegal re-entry on Jan. 20. A criminal complaint alleges Rodriguez-Toribio was the driver of a van that entered the immigration inspection lane at the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10, and did not have immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the United States legally. Rodriguez-Toribio was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2018 through Nogales, Arizona. He has two prior DUI convictions as well as a conviction for driving without a license. Mexican national Mario Galan-Cruz was also charged with illegal re-entry after he was allegedly found approximately one mile east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Galan-Cruz was removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time in November 2025. In October 2025, he was convicted in Michigan for assault with a dangerous weapon. Mexican national Cirenio Hernandez Guillen was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin, having been previously removed from the U.S. two time in addition to three voluntary returns. Hernandez Guillen has four prior DWI convictions and one conviction for aggravated assault with a domestic weapon. Moises Amezquita-Mendoza , also a Mexican national, was arrested near Val Verde for being an alien illegally present in the U.S. Amezquita-Mendoza was removed to Mexico for the third time in October 2025 following a DWI conviction. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: Cheshire Nurse Admits Illegally Distributing Controlled Substances

component: USAO - Connecticut

body_text: David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on January 21, 2026, MICHELE RENE MUZYKA, 61, of Cheshire, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to an offense related to her illegal distribution of controlled substances. According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately January 2024 and June 2025, Muzyka, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), unlawfully distributed amphetamines and benzodiazepines to individuals who did not have a legitimate medical need. During office visits, Muzyka did not conduct medical examinations of certain patients and did not confirm conditions that would medically require treatment using these controlled substances. Muzyka charged patients $200 in cash for the office visits in which she prescribed Schedule II and IV controlled substances, including to an undercover agent who posed as a Medicaid beneficiary. Although she was enrolled as a Medicare and Medicaid provider, Muzyka declined to accept the undercover agent’s Medicaid plan and instead charged her $200 cash fee. Medicaid paid $287.58 for the unlawful prescriptions written for the undercover agent. Muzyka was arrested on June 23, 2025. Muzyka pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, distribution of, and dispensing of controlled substances, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. She is released on a $75,000 pending sentencing, which is scheduled for April 30. This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles.


title: Chester County Woman Charged by Superseding Indictment With Allegedly Running Years-Long Immigration Fraud Scheme, Committing Tax Evasion

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Eastern

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Fatima DeMaria, 65, of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, was charged by superseding indictment with eight counts of asylum fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, and four counts of tax evasion. DeMaria was the owner and operator of Immigration Matters Legal Services, located in Oxford, Pa. The superseding indictment alleges that the defendant falsely represented herself to clients and prospective clients as an immigration attorney who could help undocumented aliens obtain employment authorization or “work permits.” However, DeMaria was neither a licensed attorney, nor accredited or authorized by the Executive Office for Immigration Review to represent individuals in immigration proceedings. As alleged, from at least December 2021 to July 2024, DeMaria prepared, and caused to be prepared, fraudulent Form I-589 asylum applications in her clients’ names, without their knowledge or consent, knowingly making, and aiding and abetting the making of, false and material misstatements in the I-589 asylum applications. For example, the defendant caused to be stated on each asylum application that the applicant was “seeking asylum or withholding of removal” based on “political opinion” and “Torture Convention.” Her clients, however, were not seeking asylum based on either of these categories, and never informed DeMaria or anyone at Immigration Matters Legal Services of facts that could make them eligible for asylum under either of these categories. According to the superseding indictment, DeMaria placed, and caused to be placed, her clients’ signatures on the Form I-589 asylum applications, certifying under penalty of perjury that the applications and supporting evidence were true and correct, again without her clients’ knowledge or consent. The superseding indictment further alleges that the defendant, and those acting at her direction, failed to advise clients that the mechanism through which she would help them obtain work permits from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was by filing frivolous Form I-589 asylum applications. Nor did the defendant advise clients that, if the asylum applications filed on their behalf were rejected or referred by USCIS, it would result in their being placed in removal proceedings, at which point the filing of the baseless asylum application could jeopardize their eligibility for future immigration benefits. According to the superseding indictment, DeMaria charged her clients approximately $6,000-$9,000 per individual, and $12,000-$15,000 per couple, for her purported legal services in conjunction with their applications. As alleged in the superseding indictment, she also frequently had her clients pay her in cash or peer-to-peer transactions that were deposited into her personal bank accounts, hundreds of thousands of dollars of which were withdrawn at casinos. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that the defendant willfully attempted to evade and defeat a large part of her income tax due and owing by her and her husband to the United States of America for calendar years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 through various means, including the failure to report substantial business income from Immigration Matters Legal Services in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filings; deposits of significant amounts of business funds, consisting of lmmigration Matters Legal Services’ gross receipts, into DeMaria’s personal bank accounts; and concealing amounts of DeMaria’s true and correct income, and the frequency with which she deposited money, by structuring cash deposits into her personal and business bank accounts. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 260 years’ imprisonment and a $5 million fine. The government is also seeking forfeiture of the defendant’s alleged ill-gotten earnings, which are alleged to be at least $1 million. This case is being investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation. USCIS, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Solow and Eileen Castilla Geiger. The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Superseding Indictment - U.S. v. DeMaria


title: Valdosta Repeat Offender Faces a Max of Life in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm After Firing Shots in Store

body_text: ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia man with a lengthy criminal history who was arrested after firing a round between customers standing inside a Valdosta, Georgia, convenience store is facing up to life in prison for illegally possessing a firearm. Eric Jerome Tooley, 46, of Hahira, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on Jan. 22. Tooley is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to life in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine as an armed career criminal. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system. “Armed repeat offenders found endangering people’s safety will find their cases prosecuted at the federal level, where there is no parole,” said U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes. “I commend the bravery displayed by the responding Valdosta Police Department officers and their work to safely apprehend the defendant. We are grateful for the continued partnership with law enforcement at every level to keep people safe.” “This defendant’s actions showed a complete disregard for human life—firing inside a business and endangering innocent bystanders,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF will continue to work alongside the Valdosta Police Department and our law enforcement partners to ensure repeat violent offenders are removed from our communities and held fully accountable in federal court.” “This case is a great example of the importance of collaboration between local, state and federal partners,” said Valdosta Police Department Chief Leslie Manahan. “We thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their diligence and leadership in prosecuting this violent offender and helping to protect our community.” According to court documents and statements referenced in court, a Valdosta Police Department officer on patrol heard gunshots coming from the nearby Mega Mart on North Lee Street in Valdosta on Feb. 19, 2025. As the officer drove into the parking lot, he spotted Tooley heading toward a local grocery store; another bystander reported that three shots were fired inside the store. The officer and responding police safely apprehended Tooley near East Jane Street. Authorities obtained the Mega Mart video surveillance capturing Tooley getting agitated with the cashier over a lighter, pointing his pistol at the store clerk, then turning the gun and firing it between two customers in the store. Tooley has prior felony drug distribution convictions in the Superior Courts of Cobb County, Georgia, and Lowndes County, Georgia. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. 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). The Valdosta Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit is prosecuting the case for the Government.


title: 334 more charged in new cases related to SDTX’s continuing efforts to secure southern border

body_text: HOUSTON – In support of Operation Take Back America, the Southern District of Texas has filed another 331 cases in immigration and border security-related matters from Jan. 16-22, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. The cases include charges against 18 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 104 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while another 206 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. The remaining cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and smuggling of goods. As part of the new matters, criminal complaints allege several individuals attempted to unlawfully reenter the country after they had already been removed within the last year. Mexican nationals Jorge Samuel Herrera-Elias and Abel Zambrano-Hernandez were previously removed Oct. 22, 2025, and Nov. 24, 2025, respectively, according to court records, while authorities removed El Salvadorian national Jasson Eduardo Canas-Membrano May 12, 2025. Each allegedly has prior felony convictions, including illegal reentry, injury to child/elderly/disabled with intended bodily injury or burglary of a habitation. Further, authorities discovered Mexican national Juan Hernandez-Ramirez in the Roma area, according to his complaint. The charges allege he was previously removed August 2023 and has a prior conviction for sexual assault of a child. All four now face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted Also announced this week was the transfer of two alleged members of dangerous drug cartels to face federal drug trafficking charges. Juan Pedro Saldivar-Farias aka “Z-27” was allegedly a Los Zetas plaza boss and then regional commander of the northern region of Mexico, while Ricardo Cortez-Mateos aka “Billeton,” was a high-ranking member of Cartel del Gulfo, according to the charges. Separate indictments charge both men with participating in large-scale drug trafficking conspiracies operating along the U.S. – Mexico border. If convicted, they face up to life in prison. In addition to the new cases, Penitas resident Diego Masiel Torres was ordered to federal prison for impeding federal law enforcement during a consensual worksite enforcement operation in Harlingen. Torres attempted to physically interfere by trying to remove the individual from custody and placing the law enforcement officer in a chokehold. “There is, at present, an unfortunate belief that the public can freely obstruct law enforcement from carrying out their duties, and do so without consequence,” said Ganjei. “If you want to express your disagreement with a particular federal law or policy, there is a right way to do so, and a wrong way — and tangling with the police is one hundred percent always the wrong way. Today, Mr. Torres learned that lesson the hard way.” Also announced was the sentencing of the owners of Abby’s Bakery and Dulce’s Cafe in Los Fresnos for employing and housing illegal aliens within their restaurant. Leonardo Baez-Lara and Alicia Avila-Guel hired and harbored workers who were in the United States illegally or on B1/B2 visas without having the right to work. The jury heard that employees were living in a storage area with only one exit, sleeping on mattresses and rarely had hot water. These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners. The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.


title: Laplace Woman Guilty Of Cares Act Fraud

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that TANYANEEKA POWELL (“POWELL”) , age 38, of Laplace, LA, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to a two-count bill of information that charged her with making, and assisting in the making, of false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). According to court records, Count One charged POWELL with making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) on or about April 17, 2021, in order to fraudulently obtain a $19,997.00 federally funded pandemic-related relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for herself. Count Two alleged that, on or about June 2, 2022, POWELL aided and abetted in the making of false statements to the SBA by helping prepare a false PPP loan application for another person, that resulted in a loan of $19,999.00. Sentencing in this matter will occur on April 28, 2026. For each individual charged count, POWELL faces up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (a member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee) and the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: Felon Who Had Been Found Unconscious on Sidewalk Sentenced for Possession of Semiautomatic Pistol

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

body_text: WASHINGTON – Andre Foster, 49, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 15 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a Glock 19 pistol that had been modified for fully automatic fire, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Foster pleaded guilty Oct. 24, 2025, before Judge Amy Berman Jackson to one of count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. In addition to the 15- month prison sentence, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Forster to serve three years of supervised release. According to court documents, Metropolitan Police officers and emergency workers were called April 15, 2025, to the 2500 block of Sheridan Road, SE, for a report of an unconcious man on the sidewalk. As EMT personnel rendered aid. Foster regained consciousness and MPD officers observed a firearm protruding from Foster’s right-side jacket pocket. The firearm was a Glock19 9mm handgun loaded with a 17-round extended magazine containing 14 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber. The Glock also was modified with a “giggle switch” that allowed the firearm to function as a machine gun. Foster previously had been convicted of attempted distribution of cocaine and sentenced in Superior Court to three-to-nine years in prison. Because of his conviction, he was prohibited from carrying any firearm. This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman. 25cr155


title: Luzerne County Woman Sentenced To 30 Months’ Imprisonment For Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy

body_text: SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Krysty Horter, age 39, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 30 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Julia K. Munley for one count of firearms trafficking conspiracy. According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Horter previously pled guilty to conspiring with her other co-defendants to traffic firearms from April of 2022 to on or about July 9, 2024, in Luzerne County, and elsewhere. Horter further admitted that, as part of the conspiracy, she straw-purchased at least five firearms for her co-defendants, including Justis Shea, and transferred those firearms to Shea while knowing that he was a person not to possess a firearm as he was both a felon and an unlawful user of controlled substances. Co-defendants Justis Shea and Jeremy Shea, Justis’s brother, have previously been sentenced to 130 months and 48 months’ imprisonment, respectively. A fourth co-defendant, Cindy Shea, is awaiting sentencing. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kingston Police Department, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, the Pittston Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Buchanan prosecuted the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America ( https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals thefull resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. # # #


title: WMATA Train Operators Plead Guilty in Health Care Fraud Scheme

body_text: WASHINGTON – Michelle Shropshire, 55, of Waldorf, Md., and Harlisha Jones, 50, of Clinton, Md., and Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with a health care fraud scheme in which they conspired to obtain fraudulent health care and disability payments totaling nearly $60,000. Shropshire also admitted to spearheading a broader scheme involving other WMATA employees that resulted in approximately $360,000 in fraudulent health care and disability payments, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Shropshire and Jones pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentencing for Shropshire is scheduled for June 11, 2026. Jones will be sentenced June 15, 2026. Judge Contreras will determine any sentences for Shropshire and Jones after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. In pleading guilty, Shropshire and Jones admitted that, from approximately June 2021 through January 2024, while employed as Train Operators by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), they conspired to use Jones’s insurance policies with American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) to submit fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims for injuries, medical treatments, and disability periods that did not exist. Shropshire and Jones also admitted that, in executing their scheme, they used the information of real doctors to create fraudulent medical excuse notes and physician’s statements, including forged doctors’ signatures, and then submitted those documents to AFLAC in support of the insurance claims. Shortly after AFLAC paid each claim to Jones, she paid a kickback to Shropshire using a percentage of the total claim payment. As a result of those fraudulent insurance claims, AFLAC paid Jones approximately $58,750, of which Jones paid approximately 20% back to Shropshire. Shropshire also admitted that in addition to Jones, she assisted numerous other WMATA employees with submitting fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims to AFLAC. As a result of that broader scheme, AFLAC paid at least $362,035 in phony insurance benefits to Shropshire, Jones, and other WMATA employees. In addition to Shropshire and Jones, five other former WMATA employees previously admitted to their involvement in Shropshire’s scheme, including paying kickbacks to Shropshire using a portion of the claim payments they received, and have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Each is currently awaiting sentencing. Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office and Inspector General Michelle Zamarin of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General. These cases are being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Diane Lucas. 25cr174


title: Violent Convicted Felon Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Drug Trafficking Offenses

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – On January 21, 2026, Christopher Walker, 38, of Memphis, was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentencing today. According to court documents, in October 2024, ATF agents conducted an undercover operation targeting the sale of Machinegun Conversion Devices (MCD) and illegal drugs. Walker sold a confidential informant 98 grams of marijuana and a firearm while on duty as a security guard at a local motel. A second buy was conducted in December 2024 where Walker sold a firearm with an attached MCD and 103 grams of marijuana. Walker has prior felony convictions for violent offenses. After a 3-day jury trial on October 2, 2025, Walker was found guilty of two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, carrying a machine gun during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. On January 21, 2026, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. sentenced Walker to 421 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Firearms equipped with MCDs are extremely dangerous devices that can cause multiple injuries or fatalities in less than one second. When paired with the inherently dangerous activity of drug trafficking, they demonstrate an unacceptable risk to public safety that justifies a long prison sentence to remove this violent felon from our community.” This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jermal Blanchard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clinton Crosier prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. ### For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: District Man Receives Sentence of 32 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a 12-Year-Old Girl

component: USAO - District of Columbia

body_text: WASHINGTON – Darran Joyner, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl on multiple occasions, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Joyner was convicted by a Superior Court jury on July 8, 2025, on seven felony charges, including multiple counts of first- and second-degree child sexual abuse. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Todd Edelman ordered Joyner to serve 10 years of supervision. He also will be required to register as a sex offender. According to the government’s evidence, on May 27, 2023, the twelve-year-old victim was spending Memorial Day weekend with Joyner and Joyner’s girlfriend and slept in the bed with them. In the early morning of May 28, 2023, Joyner’s girlfriend pulled back the covers and saw that the Joyner’s hand was inside of the front of the victim’s pants. Later that night Joyner texted the victim, first asking her to lie about the sexual abuse, then asking the victim if she wanted him to touch her. Joyner raped the victim after sending the text messages. On May 29, the victim disclosed the abuse to her mother. Joyner’s DNA was on swabs collected during the victim’s sexual assault examination. The victim told the jury that the May incident was not the first time that Joyner had abused her, and that he had also raped her at his house, also located in Washington, D.C. Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Victim Advocates Maria Sanchez-Garcia and Johnny Da Silva; Paralegals Nancy Murillo and Veronica Yale; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Folse and Richard Kelley, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 2023CF1003417


title: Former St. Louis Alderman Convicted of Fraud, Lying to the FBI

body_text: ST. LOUIS – A federal jury on Friday convicted former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley of charges related to insurance fraud and lying to the FBI. Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Bosley, 38, guilty of three felony wire fraud charges and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. Bosley’s 2010 Toyota Prius was hit by another vehicle in September of 2021. The Prius was parked at the time and there was initially confusion over whether the driver was insured. The drivers’ insurance company contacted Bosley in February of 2022 and told him that they would pay for the damage. By the next day, Bosley had hatched a scheme to defraud the insurance company by falsely inflating the cost of needed repairs, evidence and trial testimony showed. He first contacted the auto repair shop owner who had sold him the used Prius in March of 2021 for the steeply discounted price of $500. Bosley then asked the business owner to prepare and submit an inflated repair estimate to the insurance company, hoping that the car would be totaled and the insurance company would pay Bosley its current value, evidence and testimony showed. “Mark that (expletive) all the way up,” Bosley told the business owner during the conversation, which was captured on audio and video. In return, Bosley said that he would pay a bribe to the business owner. Bosley also discussed buying the car back if it was totaled, and then paying for the actual estimated repair costs of $2,000 to $2,200, thus retaining the car while fraudulently netting thousands of dollars. After the insurance company balked at the initial repair estimate of about $6,800, Bosley caused a second estimate of $4,333 to be submitted. The insurance company did agree to total the car and paid Bosley $7,978.90. In March of 2023, Bosley was interviewed by FBI agents with his lawyer present. Jurors on Friday found that that he repeatedly lied. He falsely stated to agents that he never saw the two false repair bills that were prepared after the accident. He falsely claimed the repair estimates were not inflated. He also denied asking the repair estimates to be inflated. The trial began with jury selection Tuesday. Bosley is scheduled to be sentenced April 28. Each wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The making false statement charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Matthew Martin are prosecuting the case.


title: Five Arrested for Conspiring to Launder Tens of Millions of Dollars in Illicit Cash Proceeds

body_text: MIAMI – Four Brazilian nationals made their initial appearances in federal court Wednesday after a grand jury returned an indictment charging multiple defendants for their roles in a conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds, including drug money. According to court documents, Ygor Fokin Saviolli, 35; Gabriel Cezar Menezes, 29; Joao Andrade De Mello, 29; and Leandro De Avila Goncalves, 42 — all Brazilian nationals — and Omar Aliperti De Mello Correa, 34, were part of a sophisticated money laundering organization that operated throughout the U.S. and across multiple countries. As alleged, the defendants served as facilitators and couriers who deposited large amounts of illicit cash, including drug proceeds, into financial institutions across the U.S. to conceal the source of the funds and return profits to, among others, the sources of drug supply. During the course of the conspiracy, the organization concealed more than $30 million in cash. Each defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, Saviolli, Menezes, Andrade De Mello, and De Avila Goncalves would also be subject to removal proceedings. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement. FBI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rochester Office, Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami and Brasilia Offices, and FBI Orlando. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys James Hepburn and Jessee Alexander-Hoeppner of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gonzalez for the Western District of New York. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Miami Office, Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rochester Office, Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami and Brasilia Offices, and FBI Orlando with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20545. ###


title: Southern District of Illinois recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combatting all forms of human trafficking to protect victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through the Homeland Security Task Forces to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.” “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable, pursuing traffickers with every available resource and working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle the networks responsible for exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations throughout the U.S.; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the U.S. Through the HSTF since Jan. 20, 2025, perpetrators of sex trafficking, transnational drug traffickers, conspirators of foreign-based fraud rings and violent criminals are facing federal charges in the Southern District of Illinois. In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including: Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states. Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery. Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains. Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG. Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking. On Aug. 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including: 1,041 Sinaloa members, 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members, 641 MS-13 members, 456 Tren de Aragua members, 1,067 weapons, More than $3,250,000 in currency, and Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics.


title: United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT – Today the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.” “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers. “Federal law enforcement at the DOJ and DHS are freedom fighters. They are abolitionists fighting the modern-day slave traders who profit from human misery. We are proud to fight alongside them,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States. Since January 20, 2025, the United States Attorney Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has had the following actions: Kevin Giles, 59, of Detroit, was convicted of sex trafficking two minors and one adult. Giles exploited his female victims by requiring them to perform commercial sex acts in return for shelter for them and their children. Two of Giles’s victims were under 18 at the time he trafficked them. Giles posted advertisements for commercial sex for all his victims, arranged their commercial sex dates, and collected the proceeds of the sex acts. Witnesses testified that Giles used hidden cameras to monitor the sex acts of all his victims and to direct the sex acts of the adult victim. He faces a sentence of 25 years in prison and up to life. An indictment was returned against Lucas Pelletier, 21, of Bay City. He is accused of using social media to connect with a victim under 18, who he then engaged in hands on sexual offenses with that he also recorded. It’s alleged that Pelletier posted an advertisement for commercial sex acts with this victim, collected proceeds for setting up the meetings and during the conversations where he was facilitating those meetings, he distributed child pornography of the victim. Trial is set for March. An indictment was returned against Varsalles Phillips from Detroit. Phillips is accused of sex trafficking two minor victims and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. It is alleged that he advertised the minors for commercial sex, arranged their sex dates, took a portion of the proceeds. He is also accused of unlawfully possessing two firearms in his home – one of the places where he arranged commercial sex dates for the victims. Trial is set for March. An indictment was returned against Devan Cook from Detroit. Cook is accused of sex trafficking a minor victim and producing child pornography. Trial is set for February. An indictment was returned against Jahbez James and Nikodia Davis, both from Texas, for transporting a minor to engage in prostitution, and Davis was additionally charged with sex trafficking a minor. James and Davis are accused of transporting a victim across multiple states, including Michigan, for her to engage in commercial sex work. Their case remains pending. Whitney Williams from Detroit, pleaded guilty to transporting an individual to engage in prostitution. He is due to be sentenced in February. In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including: Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states. Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery. Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains. Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG. Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking. On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including: 1,041 Sinaloa members, 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members, 641 MS-13 members, 456 Tren de Aragua members, 1,067 weapons More than $3,250,000 in currency Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics Since January 20, 2025, the Department of Justice has: Secured substantial sentences and landmark convictions against sex traffickers and labor traffickers who used violence, addictive drugs, and psychological coercion to exploit victims in Alabama , Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Hawaii , Indiana , Kansas , Massachusetts , Ohio , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Texas , and beyond. Seized $15 billion from a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy originating from a Cambodian forced labor scam center . Secured high-impact sex trafficking indictments in New York against an enterprise associated with the notorious Tren de Aragua Transnational Criminal Organization and in California against traffickers affiliated with local street gangs. Pursued extraditions of fugitive traffickers to permanently disrupt and dismantle transnational labor trafficking and sex trafficking enterprises Secured sizable restitution orders , including several over a million dollars , to aid victims in their recovery from the unspeakable losses they endured. Launched a Remission Portal for survivors of sex trafficking that was facilitated through Backpage or CityXGuide to seek compensation. Conducted nationwide crackdowns this month and during Operation Justice for All in August 2025. Streamlined and strengthened Joint Task Force Alpha efforts to combat combined human trafficking, human smuggling, and transnational organized crime threats by integrating the Department’s National Human Trafficking Coordinator and human trafficking prosecution experts into the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section; and Announced new grant funding opportunities to support victim services for the year ahead. ###


title: Cherokee County Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Offense

body_text: GREENVILLE, S.C. — David Dustin Fowler, 41, of Gaffney, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2024 Fowler sought and located his estranged wife. He then fired a shotgun at her multiple times, causing her to lose three fingers and sustain other significant injuries requiring medical treatment. Cherokee County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and found Fowler standing over the victim with a shotgun in his hand. After deputies arrested Fowler, they found an additional firearm in his truck. Fowler has a prior felony conviction for criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature that prohibits him from possessing firearms. United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Fowler to 180 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Seventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Max Cauthen prosecuted the case. ###


title: Middle District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, FL – Today the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO-MDFL) observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to vigorously pursue and prosecute human traffickers throughout the Middle District of Florida and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “In addition, we have partnered with non-governmental organizations, advocates, and concerned citizens throughout our district’s 35 counties to raise awareness within communities and facilitate critical resources to victims.” “This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.” “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.” “During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers. In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States. Since January 20, 2025, the Middle District of Florida has charged six defendants, including Delon Smith, Demontrae Fagan , Jazzmen Gaskins , Jordan Woods , Fredi Agustin-Vasquez y Guardado, and Marlon Ronaldo Canas Trochez with human trafficking-related offenses. Several other active investigations are currently underway. The MDFL has also successfully pursued the extradition of an alleged fugitive trafficker. Throughout 2025, the USAO-MDFL collaborated with law enforcement and community partners to host forums about human trafficking and online safety for children. On August 14, 2025, in partnership with the Space Coast Human Trafficking Task Force , U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe delivered opening remarks and served as a panelist during the 2025 Human Trafficking Symposium – Fight for Child Online Safety . More than 200 attendees, comprised of law enforcement, government entities and NGOs, educators, victim advocates, social service providers, and others participated. Interactive sessions included information about federal prosecutions, online safety, public safety partnerships, and prevention strategies to combat human trafficking and child exploitation. In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including: Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states. Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery. Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains. Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG. Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking. On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including: 1,041 Sinaloa members, 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members, 641 MS-13 members, 456 Tren de Aragua members, 1,067 weapons More than $3,250,000 in currency Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics