title: Jamestown man sentenced on meth charge

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Raymond Medina, 19, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that on the evening of February 28, 2024, Jamestown Police were dispatched to a residence for a domestic incident where the resident had a valid order of protection against Medina. When they arrived, officers observed Medina leaving the residence. An officer made contact with Medina, who immediately became argumentative and began to back away. When the officer attempted to detain him, Medina pulled away. The officer advised Medina to stop, but he refused and yelled “I don't got nothing bro.” It appeared to the officer that Medina was reaching towards his waistband. Medina then fled on foot. The officer deployed his taser with negative results. A perimeter was set up and officers used footprints in the snow and a K-9 to track Medina, who was located balled up on the ground behind a shed, attempting to conceal himself. He was taken into custody without further incident. Along the route that Media fled, officers recovered a quantity of suspected methamphetamine, packaged for individual sale. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division. # # # #


title: Federal grand jury indicts Buffalo man on multiple drug and gun charges

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Giovanni Ortiz, 31, of Buffalo, NY, with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum of life. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in May 2024, HSI and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the drug trafficking activities of Ortiz, which included a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Ortiz. The investigation also determined that Ortiz was utilizing multiple residences for his drug trafficking activities. On August 6, 2024, investigators executed search warrants at residences associated with Ortiz on West Avenue, Rhode Island and Jersey Streets. During the searches, they seized two loaded firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, magazines, quantities of suspected crack cocaine and fentanyl, $2,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia. A quantity of cocaine was also seized from Ortiz’s vehicle. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia, and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. # # # #


title: Genesee County man pleads guilty to multiple charges, including possession of machine guns

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Timothy Tundo, 62, of Bethany, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to possession with intent to distribute LSD, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and unlawful possession of machine guns. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Stacey Jacovetti, who are handling the case, stated that in February 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tundo’s residence in Bethany, which he maintained to manufacture and distribute controlled substances. During the search they seized quantities of LSD, oxycodone, and marijuana, two machine guns, three assault weapons, 12 long guns, five pistols, a cap gun, ammunition, magazines, $2,500 in cash, and drug paraphernalia. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Genesee County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Joseph Graff, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division. Sentencing is scheduled for November 14, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Vilardo. # # # #


title: Lancaster man who led law enforcement on high speed chase sentenced

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Da’Ron Lipscomb, 33, of Lancaster, NY, who was convicted of high speed flight from an immigration checkpoint, was sentenced to serve six months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that on June 26, 2024, Lipscomb was driving a vehicle that approached the primary inspection booth at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry in Buffalo. At the primary inspection booth, he was directed by a Customs and Border Protection officer to report for secondary inspection. Instead of presenting his vehicle for secondary inspection, Lipscomb drove through the Peace Bridge Port of Entry and onto the I-190, in excess of the posted speed. He was followed by marked CBP vehicles. Lipscomb lost control of, and crashed, his vehicle. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy. # # # #


title: Columbus man gets multiple life sentences for murdering 3 victims, directing others to dismember & bury 2 of the bodies

component: USAO - Ohio, Southern

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to three consecutive life sentences plus an additional 60 consecutive months in prison for murdering three victims as part of a narcotics conspiracy to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash. The defendant, who was also sentenced to five other life sentences to run concurrently to all other counts, had others dismember and bury two of the bodies to dispose of evidence of his crimes. Following a three-week trial in December 2024, a jury found Larry J. Williams, Jr., 44, also known as “J Streets” and “J”, guilty of all 16 counts as charged against him in a second superseding indictment in September 2021. According to court documents and trial testimony, Williams was a leader of a narcotics conspiracy in 2018 to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash in his residence, which ultimately resulted in the shooting death of another person within that house. To cover up for this murder, Williams murdered a man and a woman with knowledge of the first murder. On June 27, 2018, defendants robbed at gunpoint a drug premises at 847 E.N. Broadway in Columbus. The co-conspirators planned and carried out the robbery to steal one of the resident’s marijuana and cash and then profit from the sale of the drugs; they recruited Williams to help in the robbery. During the robbery, Williams murdered a different individual present at the residence, Connor Reynolds, a 23-year-old from Grove City. In August 2018, Williams then murdered Henry Watson, a 52-year-old from Columbus, to prevent him from providing information regarding Connor Reynolds’s murder to law enforcement. On the same day, and immediately following the murder of Henry Watson, Williams murdered Tera Pennington, a 48-year-old from Columbus, to prevent her from serving as a witness to the previous crimes. Williams then instructed individuals to clean the crime scene with bleach and other chemicals. Williams conspired to obstruct justice by concealing the bodies of Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. He directed others to dismember and remove the bodies from the crime scene and bury the victims’ remains at another location. Williams used a residence at 121 Stevens Ave. as a drug premises to sell fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine and allow addicts to use narcotics. On more than one occasion, users overdosed in the basement of the home and co-conspirators provided Narcan to revive the users. A total of 13 defendants have been convicted and sentenced in this case. Co-defendant Patrick Foster, 41, of Columbus, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison. Foster directed three other co-defendants working for him to assist Williams in moving and disposing of two dead bodies. The co-conspirators jackhammered through the concrete in the basement floor of a residence on Sullivant Avenue owned by Foster. They then buried the dismembered bodies by pouring new concrete. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit: Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentences imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and Timothy D. Prichard are representing the United States in this case. The joint investigation includes assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Columbus Division of Fire and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. # # #


title: Fayette County registered sex offender sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting child, sharing sexual abuse material on dark web

body_text: COLUMBUS, Ohio – A registered sex offender was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 360 months in prison for sexually assaulting, exploiting and victimizing children both in person and online. Brian J. Roberts, 44, of Washington Court House, sexually abused a young boy and shared child pornography of infants and toddlers. According to court documents, federal agents began investigating Roberts because of his activity across various dark web sites dedicated to the sexual abuse of children. Roberts sexually exploited an approximately 3-year-old boy from November 2022 until August 2023 and uploaded videos and photos of the abuse. For example, one video titled Preview.mp4 showed more than three minutes of Roberts sexually abusing the child and ended with the words “NEXT TIME…POTTY FUN!” The defendant uploaded 195 images to one dark web site, more than 100 of which focused on child sexual abuse of babies and toddlers as young as 3 weeks old. Roberts was a twice-convicted sex offender at the time of his online conduct. He has prior convictions in Madison and Clark counties and, at the time of his arrest, had an active warrant in Highland County for telecommunications harassment toward a family member of the 3-year-old boy based on his alleged attempts to contact the child. Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case. # # #


title: Child Pornography Distribution Results in Prison Term

component: USAO - Iowa, Northern

body_text: A man who distributed child pornography was sentenced June 30, 2025, to nine years in federal prison. Christopher Charles Smith, age 34, from Asbury, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025, guilty plea to distributing child pornography. At the guilty plea, Smith admitted he used a messaging service to communicate with others and trade child pornography. In October of 2022, Smith distributed three videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer. Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Smith was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and an 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.” Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-1011. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Fentanyl with the Intent to Distribute

body_text: A Cedar Rapids man who distributed pills containing fentanyl was sentenced June 30, 2025, to four years in federal prison. Antonio Clarence Robertson, age 33, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 16, 2025, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on December 21, 2023, Cedar Rapids Police Department officers stopped a vehicle in which Robertson was a passenger. During that traffic stop, officers observed him tucking an object underneath his person. Officers ordered him out of the vehicle. Robertson refused that order and officers removed him from the vehicle. Officers observed an unlabeled pill bottle where he had been seated. The unlabeled pill bottle contained fentanyl pills. Officers searched Robertson and located multiple plastic bags containing additional pills. As a result of the traffic stop, officers seized 227 pills containing fentanyl. Prior to the traffic stop, officers believed they observed Robertson sell narcotics to another individual. On December 22, 2023, Robertson met with investigators and admitted he sold fentanyl to another person. Robertson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Robertson was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Robertson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-CR-31. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Sioux City Man Who Escaped from Custody Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

body_text: A man who escaped custody pled guilty June 30, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Curtis Koesters, 45, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of escape from custody. At the plea hearing, Koesters admitted that in October 2024, he began pre-release confinement at the Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Koesters had been in federal prison for a previous federal conviction of felon in possession of a firearm. On November 4, 2024, Koesters did not return to the Center as required after leaving to look for employment. In December 2024, after several weeks on the run, Koesters was arrested in Woodbury County, Iowa, and charged with multiple traffic violations. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Koesters remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Koesters faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release following any imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. The case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl . The case file number is 24-4087. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.


title: Transient Pleads Guilty To Illegally Possessing Firearm And Ammunition

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

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tyrone Noble, age 58, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine. The Indictment charged Noble with knowingly possessing a 12-gauge shotgun and five rounds of ammunition on December 2, 2024, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. The charge arose from an investigation by the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Noble will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.


title: Centers Healthcare Pays Over $6 Million for False Statements on Medicare Cost Reports

component: USAO - New York, Northern

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced today that Centers Healthcare is paying $6,063,500 to resolve allegations that 44 Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) submitted cost reports to Medicare that contained false statements or omitted material information regarding their transactions with related organizations. The 44 SNFs are related to Centers through common ownership or control and are located in Rhode Island, Kansas, Missouri and New York, including 15 facilities in the Northern District of New York (Albany, Essex, Fulton, Jefferson, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Ulster, Warren, and Washington counties). “Taxpayer dollars fund nursing homes” said United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “I expect that nursing homes will truthfully account for how they spend those dollars, which are entrusted to them to care for our elderly and most vulnerable citizens.” Federal regulations require SNFs to submit cost reports to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’s Medicare Administrative Contractors about their allowable charges and expenses related to the care of nursing home patients, including information about their dealings with related organizations. A related organization is an entity that is related to the SNF through common ownership or control. When a SNF does business with a related organization, it is required to calculate and disclose the allowable cost of the services, facilities, or supplies. The allowable cost is the is the lower of: (1) the actual cost of the supply or service to the provider, or (2) the price in the open market for comparable services, facilities, or supplies. The reason for these requirements is that when a SNF obtains services or supplies from a related organization they are effectively doing business with themselves. Centers admitted that the cost reports associated with 44 SNFs contained one or more false statements or material omissions regarding related organization transactions and that Centers management reviewed the cost reports and knew or reasonably should have known of the false statements. “When nursing home operators knowingly submit false information in cost reports, they undermine the integrity of federal health care programs and misuse taxpayer dollars,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS/OIG). “HHS-OIG, including our investigators and auditors, will continue working with our DOJ partners to hold bad actors accountable and aggressively pursue those who engage in healthcare fraud.” The investigation and resolution of this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and HHS-OIG’s Office of Investigation (Kansas City Region) and Office of Audit Services (Kansas City Region). Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher R. Moran and John D. Hoggan represented the United States.


title: Texas Man Sentenced for Stealing Mail from Albany Postal Facility

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sean A. Walter, age 31, of Humble, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to eighteen months of imprisonment for stealing business checks out of the U.S. Mail by repeatedly and unlawfully entering a mail sorting facility in Albany. The announcement was made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG)- Northeast Region; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also ordered Walter to serve three years of post-imprisonment supervised release, to pay a $5,500 fine, and to pay $181,920.90 in restitution. In previously pleading guilty, Walter admitted that on six occasions in 2023 and 2024, he unlawfully entered the USPS Albany Processing and Distribution Center (PDC) on Karner Road, to steal mail that he believed contained business checks. For instance, at approximately 12:56 a.m. on January 23, 2024, Walter entered the Albany PDC by forcefully pulling up a retractable overhead door to the facility. Once inside, he went to a large room where USPS employees were sorting mail and then stole a variety of mail. Walter placed the stolen mail in his backpack and exited the Albany PDC at around 2:31 a.m. He then re-entered the Albany PDC two more times that night stealing additional mail each time. According to the criminal complaint in this case, Walter was arrested on May 14, 2024, after being confronted by security guards inside of the Albany PDC and fleeing to a nearby motel. The mail that Walter stole included checks drawn on bank accounts belonging to entities in Upstate New York, including a town government, a bank, a volunteer fire department, and several small businesses. Walter sold these stolen checks to others and understood that these checks would then be altered and forged in ways that allowed them to be successfully negotiated by people other than the checks’ intended payees. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone stated: “This sentence holds Sean Walter accountable for repeatedly trespassing onto government property, stealing mailed checks, and causing financial loss to local businesses and governments. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who threaten and disrupt the orderly distribution of mail.” USPS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi stated: “The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General is dedicated to protecting the U.S Mail and the U.S. Postal Service. The special agents of the USPS OIG will tirelessly investigate those who choose to steal U.S Mail and defraud the American public. The sentence imposed on the defendant will serve as a reminder that there are severe consequences when individuals commit crimes targeting the U.S Mail. The USPS OIG is thankful for the great longstanding relationships we have developed with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to combat mail theft.” USPIS Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward stated: “Yesterday’s sentencing of Mr. Walter stands as a testament to the United States Postal Inspection Service’s dedication to ensuring the sanctity of the U.S. mail and safety and security of postal facilities. The Inspection Service will continue to work with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York to prosecute anyone guilty of compromising the public’s trust in the mail.” USPS-OIG and USPIS investigated the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett prosecuted the case.


title: Albany County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

body_text: ALBANY, NEW YORK – William Godlewski, 45, of Altamont, New York pled guilty last week in United States District Court to possession of child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office made the announcement. Godlewski, a state convicted sex offender, admitted that he possessed approximately 100 images of child sexual abuse material on his cellular phone and caused approximately 244 videos to be uploaded, or attempted to be uploaded, to a cloud-based storage account associated with his phone. Sentencing is scheduled for October 23, 2025. Godlewski faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life and will be required to continue to register as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “My office has ZERO tolerance for sexual predators. It doesn’t matter if this is the first time or last time they are arrested, my office will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Moreover, we will, without exception, seek the longest prison term possible under the law because sexual predators, like Godlewski, have shown that they are not capable of stopping. I’m reminded of what my mother always says, ‘a leopard never changes its spots.’” HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said, “This guilty plea is a stark reminder of the ever-present need to protect our children from those who seek to harm them for their own selfish desires. We remain steadfast in our mission to work tirelessly alongside our partners in law enforcement to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our society and will continue to hold accountable anyone who exploits their innocence.” HSI is investigating the case with assistance from the New York Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Guilderland (N.Y.) Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney A.J. Vickey is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc .


title: Canadian Man Arrested and Detained for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy at the U.S.'s Northern Border

body_text: WASHINGTON — A dual Canadian American citizen was arrested on Sunday, June 15, for his role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River. Oakes was arrested as he attempted to enter the United States via the Massena, New York, Port of Entry. Timothy Oakes, 34, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR), Canada, was previously arraigned on numerous human smuggling offenses in the Northern District of New York District Court and had his detention hearing earlier today and will remain detained. Oakes was indicted on April 9 for conspiring with others to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. United States based co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, and Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, Oct. 8, 2024, and March 6, respectively. “As alleged, Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants’ own brothers. The Criminal Division will continue to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and bring justice to smugglers whose actions result in senseless deaths.” “This case shows the terrible perils of illegally crossing the border,” said U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York. “Four family members died because a smuggling network put them in harm’s way. My office is proud to partner with Joint Task Force Alpha to continue to combat dangerous human smuggling and trafficking organizations that operate on our northern border.” “Oakes’ arrest comes as part of our nearly two-year long investigation into a transnational criminal organization responsible for the large-scale smuggling of aliens from Canada into the United States,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan. “ICE HSI leverages its full range of authorities to combat and dismantle the heinous networks of greedy criminals who illicitly sell dangerous, sometimes fatal, passage through our nation’s northern border. We are extremely grateful for a multitude of law enforcement agency partners on the Border Enforcement Security Taskforce who join us in this fight to bring smugglers to justice." “Two toddler aged children and their parents were the tragic victims of an alien smuggling attempt gone horribly wrong,” said Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Swanton Sector. “Their deaths were a direct result of callous smugglers who exploited the vulnerable. Due to unrelenting perseverance and investigative efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, those responsible will be held accountable. Our pursuit of justice persists until justice is served.” According to court documents, Oakes was a key facilitator in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that smuggled aliens from Canada into northern New York. Oakes, working with the HSO, routinely smuggled aliens into the United States by piloting boats across the St. Lawrence River. Additionally, Oakes used his home as a staging area for aliens before the HSO smuggled them into the United States. Oakes earned approximately $1,000 for every alien whom he smuggled across the St. Lawrence River into the United States. In March 2023, Oakes housed a Romanian family of four, together with other aliens, for about 24 hours. He then transported the family and a boat to a public boat launch. His brother, Casey Oakes, attempted to use the boat to smuggle the Romanian family into the United States, but the boat capsized, killing all four members of the family, as well as Casey Oakes. Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, they were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — a mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Canada into New York. Specifically, Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the day of the tragedy — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet another co-conspirator still loaded the family of four into the small boat to attempt to cross the St. Lawrence River. HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests. The investigation is a result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been elevated and expanded by the Attorney General with a mandate to target cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating within the Americas that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the border, including the Northern District of New York. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 380 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 340 U.S. convictions; more than 290 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets. The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities. Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods .


title: Two Men Charged In HIV Medication Fraud And Identity Theft Scheme

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging JOSUE TORRES and ANTHONY GUERRA with participating in a scheme to obtain high-cost medications for HIV and other illnesses by causing fraudulent prescriptions to be issued using the stolen identities of medical practitioners and those practitioners’ purported patients. TORRES and GUERRA were arrested on June 17, 2025, and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo. “As alleged, the defendants stole the identities of doctors and patients to convert valuable, life-saving medications into a source of illicit profits,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “By feeding the black market for prescription medications, the defendants’ alleged crimes endangered the safety of patients and undermined the integrity of our health care system. Together with our partners at the FBI, we are committed to bringing to justice those who seek to profit by defrauding pharmacies, drug manufacturers, distributors, and insurers.” “Josue Torres and Anthony Guerra allegedly procured and resold hundreds of illegitimate prescriptions through unauthorized access to pharmaceutical databases and copay assistance,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “These defendants allegedly exploited private medical information of both practitioners and patients to perpetuate this elaborate scheme. The FBI remains committed to apprehending any individual who steals medications for illicit black-market profits.” According to the allegations in the Complaint: [1] From at least in or about August 2021 through the present, TORRES and GUERRA participated in a scheme to cause fraudulent prescriptions to be issued for certain high-cost prescription medications (the “High-Cost Medications”) used to treat HIV and other diseases, and to obtain those High-Cost Medications by picking them up at pharmacies or by having them shipped to a physical address. TORRES accessed accounts on e-prescribing platforms using the names and other identifying information of certain physicians and other medical practitioners (the “Targeted Practitioners”) without the Targeted Practitioners’ authorization or knowledge. TORRES and GUERRA then used the e-prescribing platforms to cause High-Cost Medication prescriptions (the “Fraudulent Prescriptions”) to be issued for certain individuals who did not require those medications (the “Sham Patients”). The image below shows TORRES picking up HIV medication issued to a Sham Patient on or about December 30, 2022. TORRES and GUERRA secured significantly reduced copay amounts for the High-Cost Medications associated with the Fraudulent Prescriptions through the use of copay assistance programs, with copay assistance cards that bore the names of the Sham Patients. In some cases, a Sham Patient’s private health insurance provider paid out money to cover a portion of the cost of a High-Cost Medication. In total, TORRES, GUERRA, and other co-conspirators caused approximately 693 Fraudulent Prescriptions, including prescription refills, to issue from approximately 18 Targeted Practitioners. Those Fraudulent Prescriptions contained approximately 55,626 tablets, capsules, or other units of medication, worth approximately $2,638,581. [1] TORRES and GUERRA went on to sell the High-Cost Medications, which have significant resale value on the black market. Below are texts messages from 2021 between TORRES (messages with green background) and GUERRA (messages with grey background). * * * TORRES, 45, of Brooklyn, New York, and GUERRA, 37, of the Bronx, New York, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison to run consecutive to any other prison term. The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI in connection with this investigation. The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15.6 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. In connection with this nationwide health care fraud takedown, the Government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Ross is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. u.s._v._torres_et_al_complaint.pdf [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. [2] The approximate total value of the Fraudulent Prescriptions was calculated by multiplying the number of prescription and prescription refills for a given High-Cost Medication by the national average drug acquisition cost, or “NADAC,” of that medication, as of in or about 2023. NADACs are published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/nadac.


title: STATUTORY RAPIST PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLEGAL REENTRY

body_text: OXFORD – A Mexican national, unlawfully in the United States, pled guilty in front of United States District Court Judge Michael P. Mills to illegally reentering the United States after having been deported on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Sentencing will be held at a later date. According to court documents, Antonio Quintana-Rodriguez, 29, had been removed from the United States by immigration authorities in 2013. He then reentered the United States and was found by law enforcement following his arrest for a statutory rape which was committed in Oxford, Mississippi. He pled guilty in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County to Statutory Rape in May of 2025. “Those who illegally enter this country and prey on children must be held accountable for their violation of our laws. We commend the work by the Oxford Police Department in their investigation of a sex offense against a child and we commend their working with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that this defendant will answer for every violation of law he has committed.” United States Attorney Clay Joyner said. “Additional praise is due to Third Circuit District Attorney Ben Creekmore’s Office for their quick work in securing a guilty plea to the statutory rape offense.” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi and Homeland Security ASAC, Matt Reidell made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security and the Oxford Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Herzog Jr. 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).


title: MIDWAY MAN SENTENCED FOR ENGAGING IN SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH INMATE

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Kerontrez Lamar Kenon, 23, of Midway, Florida, was sentenced to one year in prison after previously pleading guilty to engaging in a sexual relationship with a ward. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. According to court records, Kenon was employed as a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee during June and July 2023, when he engaged in sexual intercourse with a female inmate who was under his custodial authority. Kenon also brought the inmate cigarettes and food, against regulations, and helped the inmate set up a CashApp so that other inmates could pay her for cigarettes. At the time that the inmate reported the incident, Kenon was no longer employed by FCI Tallahassee. Kenon’s prison sentence will be followed by five years’ supervised release. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “A correctional officer’s abuse of his position is intolerable. My office will work with our federal partners to vigorously investigate and prosecute any officer who violates their oath through the abuse of inmates entrusted to their care and custody.” “No inmate should ever experience sexual abuse or mistreatment of any kind by those responsible for their safety and custody. The Office of the Inspector General is committed to holding violators accountable and seeking justice for these victims of exploitation,” said Eric Fehlman, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Southeast Region. “The FBI will stop at nothing to seek justice for victims of crime, including inmates who suffer abuse while housed in corrections facilities,” Jason Carley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “This case is even more egregious, having been committed by someone who was in a position of authority. Our investigators will continue to work tirelessly in coordination with our law enforcement partners to identify those who violate their oath to protect and serve.” The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Ellsworth Man Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in Downeast Maine

component: USAO - Maine

body_text: BANGOR, Maine: An Ellsworth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Lucas Michaud , 33, to 70 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Michaud pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025. According to court records, from May 2022 through May 2023, Michaud and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Maine. A source in California would mail shipments of methamphetamine to Maine for distribution in Downeast Maine. Proceeds from the sale of the methamphetamine were sent to the source using various money services, including Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo. A co-conspirator enlisted the aid of Michaud and others to use their identifications and accounts to receive the money. This was done to conceal and disguise the source’s involvement in the transactions and the money laundering. The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office. ###


title: MEXICAN MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ILLEGAL REENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES

component: USAO - Florida, Northern

body_text: GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Daurin Abimael Roblero Perez, 28, of the country of Mexico, was sentenced to prison after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. According to court records, Roblero Perez was discovered to be illegally in the United States after he was encountered in Alachua County, Florida, and arrested for operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Upon being booked into the Alachua County Jail, Roblero Perez was determined to be a Mexican national who had been previously deported or removed from the United States in July 2020. Roblero Perez admitted he had not applied for nor obtained permission from the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to reenter the United States. Instead, he reentered the United States by “walking across at Arizona” in approximately 2023. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have made enforcing our nation’s immigration laws a top priority, and my office stands ready to fulfill that priority. This sentence should be a deterrent warning to all illegal aliens that violations of our nation’s immigration laws will not be taken lightly by my office.” The conviction and sentence were the result of an investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner. 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. 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: PENSACOLA MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSING ILLEGAL NARCOTICS AND A FIREARM IN A HOME WITH YOUNG CHILDREN PRESENT

body_text: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Christopher Michael Stanton, Jr., 29, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. According to court records, on August 7, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stanton’s residence on West Baars Street in Pensacola. In addition to Stanton and a female being present in the residence at the time of the search warrant, there were also three young children, all under the age of 10, present in the residence. Law enforcement located marijuana, cocaine, a loaded firearm, ammunition, loaded handgun magazines, and drug paraphernalia including a scale and cups with cocaine residue. Stanton was already a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The fact that the defendant had dangerous narcotics strewn about his home in the presence of young children is inexcusable. My office is committed to the safety of our community, which includes keeping illegal narcotics off the streets and firearms out of the hands of convicted felons.” The case involved a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force (HIDTA). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton. 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. 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html .


title: Hendersonville Doctor and Her Office Manager Husband Indicted as Part of the Department of Justice's 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown

component: USAO - Tennessee, Middle

body_text: NASHVILLE – Today, Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee announced criminal charges against two defendants in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for inpatient hospital services that were never provided. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. “Our office will vigorously pursue those who would defraud American taxpayers by these illegal health care fraud schemes,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “The charges announced today are just our latest effort to crack down on health care fraud in the nation’s health care capital. Nashville is a great place for honest health care business and a terrible place for those who would commit health care fraud.” “Today’s record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown sends a crystal-clear message to criminal actors, both foreign and domestic, intent on preying upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.” The charges announced today by Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15.6 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. In connection with the Takedown, the Government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets. The following individuals were charged in the Middle District of Tennessee: Xuhan Zhang a/k/a “Shelia Zhang” a/k/a “Xuhan Mei , ” 62, and Jing Qi Mei , 65, both of Hendersonville, Tennessee, were charged by indictment with a conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, false statements related to health care, aggravated identity theft, a money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield for inpatient hospital services purportedly provided by Zhang, a medical doctor, and billed by Mei between 2017 and 2025. The inpatient physician services were never provided, including because the hospital closed, the patients were actually in nursing homes, and in many instances, the patients were deceased. The defendants billed for services that exceeded twenty-four hours in a day. In connection with the scheme, Zhang and Mei submitted to Medicare and Blue Cross Blue Shield approximately $20 million in fraudulent claims of which approximately $6.5 million were paid. The Asset Forfeiture Unit seized approximately $6,000,000 in proceeds from bank accounts, and a Tesla CyberTruck. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Robert Levine and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Bogni, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Toussaint is handling asset forfeiture. “The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said HHS-OIG Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.” The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorneys General’s Offices for California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here . The Middle District of Tennessee, in particular, worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) to investigate and prosecute this case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. # # # # #


title: Lebanon Man Sentenced to 85 Months’ Imprisonment for Distribution of Child  Pornography

component: USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle

body_text: HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Stephen Okamoto, age 36, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on June 26, 2025, to 85 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for distribution of child pornography. According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, law enforcement identified an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was sharing a collection of child pornography via BitTorrent software. The IP address was traced to Okamoto’s residence. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant on that residence, recovering electronic devices that contained over 1,900 images of child pornography. This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Derry Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted 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 . # # #


title: National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud

component: Criminal Division

body_text: Largest Justice Department Health Care Fraud Takedown in History More than Doubles Prior Record of $6 Billion The Justice Department today announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers. Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented over $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown. Today’s Takedown was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 State Attorneys General Offices. “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.” “As part of making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs,” said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services. “The Criminal Division is intensely committed to rooting out health care fraud schemes and prosecuting the criminals who perpetrate them because these schemes: (1) often result in physical patient harm through medically unnecessary treatments or failure to provide the correct treatments; (2) contribute to our nationwide opioid epidemic and exacerbate controlled substance addiction; and (3) do all of that while stealing money hardworking Americans contribute to pay for the care of their elders and other vulnerable citizens,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices stand united with our law enforcement partners in this fight, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our health care programs for the American people.” “The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.” “Health care fraud drains critical resources from programs intended to help people who truly need medical care,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who exploit the system for personal gain. With more than $13 billion in fraud uncovered, this is the largest takedown for this initiative to date. Together, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those accountable who steal from the American people and undermine our health care systems.” Transnational Criminal Organizations 29 defendants were charged for their roles in transnational criminal organizations alleged to have submitted over $12 billion in fraudulent claims to America’s health insurance programs. For instance, a nationwide investigation known as Operation Gold Rush resulted in the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department. These charges were announced in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture. The organization allegedly used a network of foreign straw owners, including individuals sent into the United States from abroad, who, acting at the direction of others using encrypted messaging and assumed identities from overseas, strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies located across the United States. They then rapidly submitted $10.6 billion in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare for urinary catheters and other durable medical equipment by exploiting the stolen identities of over one million Americans spanning all 50 states and using their confidential medical information to submit the fraudulent claims. As alleged, the organization exploited the U.S. financial system by laundering the fraudulent proceeds and deploying a range of tactics to circumvent anti-money laundering controls to transfer funds into cryptocurrency and shell companies located abroad. The arrests announced today also include a banker who facilitated the money laundering of fraud proceeds on behalf of the organization through a U.S.-based bank. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team and its partners detected the anomalous billing through proactive data analytics, and HHS-OIG and CMS successfully prevented the organization from receiving all but approximately $41 million of the approximately $4.45 billion that was scheduled to be paid by Medicare. HHS and CMS intend to seek to return the $4.41 billion in escrow to the Medicare trust fund for needed medical care. The scheme nonetheless resulted in payments of approximately $900 million from Medicare supplemental insurers. To date, law enforcement has seized approximately $27.7 million in fraud proceeds as part of Operation Gold Rush. In another action involving foreign influence, charges were filed in the Northern District of Illinois against five defendants, including two owners and executives of Pakistani marketing organizations, in connection with a $703 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries’ identification numbers and other confidential health information were allegedly obtained through theft and deceptive marketing. The defendants allegedly used artificial intelligence to create fake recordings of Medicare beneficiaries purportedly consenting to receive certain products. According to court documents, the beneficiaries’ confidential information was then illegally sold to laboratories and durable medical equipment companies, which used this unlawfully obtained and fraudulently generated data to submit false claims to Medicare. Certain defendants controlled dozens of nominee-owned durable medical equipment companies and laboratories that allegedly submitted fraudulent claims for products and services the beneficiaries did not request, need, or receive. Certain defendants also allegedly conspired to conceal and launder the fraud proceeds from bank accounts they controlled in the United States to bank accounts overseas. In total, the defendants caused approximately $703 million in alleged fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which paid approximately $418 million on those claims. The government seized approximately $44.7 million from various bank accounts related to this case. Finally, a defendant based in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates who owned a billing company allegedly orchestrated a scheme to prey upon vulnerable individuals in need of addiction treatment by conspiring with treatment center owners to fraudulently bill Arizona Medicaid approximately $650 million for substance abuse treatment services. According to court documents, some of the services billed were never provided, while other services were provided at a level that was so substandard that it failed to serve any treatment purpose. As part of the conspiracy, treatment center owners allegedly paid illegal kickbacks in exchange for the referral of patients recruited from the homeless population and Native American reservations. The defendant received at least $25 million of ill-gotten Arizona Medicaid funds as a result of the conspiracy and is charged with a money laundering offense for his alleged use of those funds to purchase a $2.9 million home located on a golf estate in Dubai. Fraudulent Wound Care Charges were filed in the District of Arizona and the District of Nevada against seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for amniotic wound allografts. As alleged, certain defendants targeted vulnerable elderly patients, many of whom were receiving hospice care, and applied medically unnecessary amniotic allografts to these patients’ wounds. Many of the allografts allegedly were applied without coordination with the patients’ treating physicians, without proper treatment for infection, to superficial wounds that did not need this treatment, and to areas that far exceeded the size of the wound. Certain defendants allegedly received millions in illegal kickbacks from the fraudulent billing scheme. “Today's unprecedented enforcement action demonstrates that CMS and our federal partners are united in our mission to protect the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid by crushing waste, fraud, and abuse," said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. "Every dollar we prevent from going to fraudsters is a dollar that stays in the system to serve legitimate beneficiaries. Through advanced data analytics, real-time monitoring, and swift administrative action, CMS is leading the fight to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the trust Americans place in these vital programs. We're not waiting for fraud to happen—we're stopping it before it starts." Prescription Opioid Trafficking 74 defendants, including 44 licensed medical professionals, were charged across 58 cases in connection with the alleged illegal diversion of over 15 million pills of prescription opioids and other controlled substances. For example, five defendants associated with one Texas pharmacy were charged with the unlawful distribution of over 3 million opioid pills. As alleged, the defendants conspired to distribute massive quantities of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol, which were subsequently trafficked by street-level drug dealers, generating large profits for the defendants. This coordinated action is a continuation of the Health Care Fraud Unit’s systematic approach to stopping drug trafficking organizations and their pharmaceutical wholesale suppliers, which together have fueled an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse for nearly a decade. DEA also announced today that in the last six months, DEA charged 93 administrative cases seeking the revocation of pharmacies, medical practitioners, and companies authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances. “Health care fraud isn’t just theft — it’s trafficking in trust. Today’s announcement shows that when doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven fraud rings, DEA will act,” said Acting Administrator Robert Murphy of the DEA. “We’re targeting the entire ecosystem of fraud — from pill mills in Texas to kickback clinics exploiting Native communities. If you abuse your medical license to push poison or pad your pockets, we will hold you accountable.” Telemedicine and Genetic Testing Fraud In today’s Takedown, 49 defendants were charged in connection with the submission of over $1.17 billion in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine and genetic testing fraud schemes. For example, in the Southern District of Florida, prosecutors charged an owner of telemedicine and durable medical equipment companies with a $46 million scheme in which Medicare beneficiaries were allegedly targeted through deceptive telemarketing campaigns and then fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment and genetic tests for these beneficiaries. The Department continues to focus on eliminating health care fraud schemes that depend on telemedicine, including schemes involving fraudulent claims for genetic testing, durable medical equipment, and COVID-19 tests. Other Health Care Fraud Schemes The other cases announced today charge an additional 170 defendants with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $1.84 billion in allegedly false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for diagnostic testing, medical visits, and treatments that were medically unnecessary, provided in connection with kickbacks and bribes, or never provided at all. For example, in the Western District of Tennessee, prosecutors charged three defendants, including business owners and a pharmacist, with a $28.7 million scheme to defraud the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund by allegedly billing for medications for injured United States Postal Service employees that were never prescribed by a licensed practitioner and largely were not dispensed as claimed. And in the Western District of Washington and the Northern District of California, prosecutors charged medical providers with allegedly stealing fentanyl and hydrocodone, respectively, that was meant for the providers’ patients, including child patients in need of anesthesia. “VA’s Integrated Veteran Care Programs provide critical community-based health care to our nation’s disabled veterans and their dependents,” said Acting Inspector General David Case of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG). “Robust oversight of VA’s health care system is one of VA-OIG’s highest priorities. VA-OIG is committed to holding accountable those who defraud government benefits programs intended to care for our nation’s heroes.” Breaking Down Silos in the Fight Against Health Care Fraud In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement operation, the Department is announcing that it is working closely with HHS-OIG, FBI, and other agencies to create a Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center to bring together experts from the Department’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, Health Care Fraud Unit Data Analytics Team; HHS-OIG; FBI; and other agencies to leverage cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics to identify emerging health care fraud schemes. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team was established in 2018 to enhance the Unit’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute complex health care fraud schemes. Joining forces with data analysts from HHS-OIG, FBI, and other partners will increase efficiency, detection, and rapid prosecution of emerging health care fraud schemes. It will also implement the President’s Executive Order Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos (Exec. Order No. 14243, 3 C.F.R. 294 (2025)) by reducing duplicative data teams, increasing operational efficiency through a whole-of-government approach, and leveraging cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other agency resources. Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Deputy Chief Rebecca Yuan, Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann, and Data Analyst Elizabeth Nolte, all of the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, led and coordinated this year’s Takedown. The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorneys General’s Offices for California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges. In addition to FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and CMS, HSI, VA-OIG, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. The Medicaid Fraud Control Units of California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin also participated in the investigation of many of the federal and state cases announced today. The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Forces. Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide Takedown and since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which operates in 27 districts, charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers more than $27 billion. The following materials related to today’s announcement are available on the Health Care Fraud Unit’s website through these links: • Graphics and Resources • Case Descriptions • Court Documents An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: S.C. Cases Among Hundreds Announced in National Health Care Fraud Takedown

body_text: COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two South Carolina cases are among hundreds of criminal charges against defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud American health care systems. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown , the largest DOJ health care fraud takedown in history. “Health care fraud steals from the American taxpayer and harms the systems meant to serve those in need,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The cases in South Carolina, like those nationwide, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens, especially our veterans, and ensuring the integrity of programs designed to care for them.” “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.” The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the takedown, seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets. The following individuals were charged in the District of South Carolina: Tina Marie Armstrong , 67, of Florence, South Carolina, was charged by superseding indictment with health care fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for durable medical equipment that was no longer in service, never delivered, or that had not been authorized by a physician. As alleged in the superseding indictment, Armstrong, through her company Safe at Home Medical Equipment and Supplies, LLC, submitted $198,981.55 in false and fraudulent claims, of which $104,577.74 were paid. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Dee Alice Moton , 51, of Hephzibah, Georgia, was charged by indictment with health care fraud in connection with a scheme where Moton billed the Veterans Administration for services not rendered to veterans in the amount of $2,373,147.22 over a two-year period. Moton, a licensed massage therapist, owned and operated a massage therapy business in Aiken, South Carolina called Flowing Hands Massage Clinical Therapy. As alleged in the indictment, Moton consistently billed veterans for services that were not rendered, such as multiple mutually exclusive evaluation and management codes, telehealth codes when in-person services were rendered, and specialized services she was not authorized to render or treatments for ailments veterans did not have or could not have received, for example, wheelchair therapy for a veteran who does not use a wheelchair. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Matthews and Amy Bower of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Today’s Takedown was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 State Attorneys General Offices. A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###


title: National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 324 Defendants Charged and Over $14.6 Billion in Intended Fraud Loss Charged

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT - Today, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced criminal charges and civil resolutions in three cases in connection with alleged schemes to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and defraud federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. The charges were filed in federal court and are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action. The criminal charges stem from the sale of controlled substance prescriptions in exchange for cash. The civil cases resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act by several health care providers. “Today’s record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown sends a crystal-clear message to criminal actors, both foreign and domestic, intent on preying upon our most vulnerable citizens and stealing from hardworking American taxpayers: we will find you; we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.” All the cases are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The United States has seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets in connection with the takedown. The criminal defendants charged in the Eastern District of Michigan were involved in a conspiracy to unlawfully distribute over 1.9 million commonly diverted controlled substance prescriptions for Oxycodone, Percocet, and Norco. The civil resolutions target $6 million in fraud on Medicare and Medicaid, returning much of those funds to the impacted federal programs. The Eastern District of Michigan, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division, Civil Frauds, and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate, prosecute, and resolve the cases included as part of the Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and FBI. In addition, the Fraud Section’s Midwest Strike Force charged four defendants in the Eastern District of Michigan. In particular, law enforcement and prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan were involved in Operation Gold Rush, which targeted the attempt by foreign actors to steal more than $10 billion from the Medicare program. Click on the following link for more information about the charged cases: https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/2025-national-hcf-case-summaries United States Attorney Gorgon said, “We are proud to partner with the Fraud Section Healthcare Fraud Strike Force to protect patients and preserve the integrity of our healthcare system. This collaboration strengthens our ability to identify and stop fraudulent activity so that resources are used to support care for Americans—not exploitation. Healthcare fraud will not be tolerated.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged and resolved the following matters: Usman Ahmad, R.Ph. 66 of Lake, Orion, Michigan; Durand Bynum, 46 of Canton, Michigan; Ebony Daniels, 33 of Eastpointe, Michigan; and Allen Satawhite, 37 of Detroit, were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances in connection with their roles in an unlawful scheme to distribute Schedule II controlled substances Oxycodone, Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Percocet); and Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Norco). As alleged in the indictment, the owner of P & A Aftercare, located in Southfield, Michigan, hired several doctors to issue controlled substance prescriptions for a cadre of “fake” patients, without medical necessity and outside the scope of professional medical practice, in exchange for cash payments. The “fake” patients were recruited by Bynum, Daniels, Satawhite and others. Ahmad owned and operated Detroit Hoover Pharmacy, in Detroit, Michigan. He used the pharmacy to engage in a scheme and pattern of illegal conduct involving the unlawful distribution of prescription drug-controlled substances issued by the doctors at P & A Aftercare. Specifically, Ahmad distributed prescription drugs from the pharmacy illegally, outside the course of usual professional pharmacy practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Michigan Regina R. McCullough and Philip A. Ross. "The indictment of four individuals for their alleged roles in conspiracy to illegally distribute prescription drugs reflects the FBI's unyielding efforts to investigate and disrupt those who violate federal law," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Exploiting the well-being of our community and the healthcare system for personal gain will not be tolerated. The alleged actions betray public trust and divert critical resources. I also want to thank the members from our FBI Detroit Field Office and federal partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General for their continued work to uncover and dismantle these illegal schemes." “The illegal prescribing and distribution of controlled substances—particularly opioids—by health care professionals puts the health and safety of our communities at serious risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to collaborate closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these egregious allegations.” Villa Financial Services LLC, Villa Olympia Investment LLC, and six southeast Michigan Villa nursing homes – The Ambassador, Father Murray, Imperial, Regency, St. Joseph’s and Westland – have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Michigan a total of $4,500,000, to resolve a civil qui tam lawsuit alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by systematically failing to provide services to nursing home residents and/or providing materially and grossly substandard services to nursing home residents. Among other things, the United States alleged that the facilities failed to have a sufficient number of appropriately trained staff possessing satisfactory skill levels to adequately care for the residents. The United States also alleged that the facilities failed to take adequate measures to prevent, control, and provide care related to infections. In addition, the United States alleged that the facilities failed to take adequate measures to prevent and follow appropriate protocols related to resident falls. In connection with the settlement, Villa Financial Services LLC, Villa Olympia Investment LLC, and the six nursing homes will enter into a five-year quality-of-care Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with HHS-OIG. Under the CIA, the settling companies are required to retain an independent quality monitor to review the companies’ delivery of care and evaluate their ability to prevent, detect, and respond to patient care problems. The case is being jointly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Wizner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Kelly McAuliffe of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch - Fraud Section, in coordination with the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division. Wahid Makki, 62, and his spouse, Zainab (aka Zeinab) Makki, 62, of Dearborn Heights, together with the two pharmacies they operated, Kirtland Corp. aka New Millennium Drugs and Western Wayne Pharmacy, LLC, have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Michigan $1,500,000 to resolve a civil qui tam lawsuit alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare and Medicaid Programs for prescription drugs that New Millenium Drugs and Western Wayne Pharmacy billed to the Programs, but never dispensed. In addition, Wahid Makki has agreed to his exclusion from the Medicare, Medicaid, and all other federal health care programs for 10 years. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Wizner of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, in coordination with the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division. The investigation, prosecution and resolution of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.


title: Saginaw Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Federal  Prison For Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

body_text: BAY CITY — Patrick Chamberlain, 25, of Saginaw was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington imposed sentence on Chamberlain following his guilty plea for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, in December of 2022, the DEA and United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) intercepted a package containing nearly three kilograms of fentanyl pills destined for the home of a Chamberlain relative. This was just one of multiple similar packages Chamberlain arranged to have shipped to him over the course of 2022. As part of their investigation, authorities uncovered that Chamberlain conspired with others to ship fentanyl pills to Michigan. After the packages containing the pills arrived, Chamberlain retrieved the packages and distributed the pills throughout the Bay City area. “Fentanyl is a plague on the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon. “We will do all that we can to fight this deadly drug and save precious lives.” Acting Special Agent Lawton said, “The sentencing of Mr. Chamberlain sends a clear message: those who traffic fentanyl and other deadly drugs will be held accountable. This case reflects the dedication of our agents and partners in disrupting the networks responsible for fueling this public health crisis. DEA remains committed to protecting Michigan communities from the devastating impact of fentanyl and ensuring that justice is served.” This investigation was conducted by the DEA alongside USPIS with additional assistance provided by the Michigan State Police Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Orr.