title: Seven Sentenced in Homeland Security Task Force Drug Case

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that in separate sentencings, seven men have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for their roles in a large drug trafficking organization operating in Madison. Keean Moore, 49, Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on May 22, 2026, to 11 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Moore pleaded guilty to the charge on February 27, 2026. Jimmie Leuaxay, 33, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on May 28, 2026, to a total sentence of 15 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl and for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Leuaxay pleaded guilty to these charges on February 26, 2026. Leuaxay was also ordered to forfeit 16 guns, ammunition, and more than $26,000. James Dubois, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on May 28, 2026, to 66 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Dubois pleaded guilty to the charge on March 11, 2026. James Land, 37, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on June 4, 2026, to 6 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Land pleaded guilty to the charge on March 12, 2026. Keean Moore Jr., 26, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on June 16, 2026, to 5 years in federal prison for distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Moore Jr. pleaded guilty to the charges on March 24, 2026. Travis Corrado, 46, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on June 17, 2026, to 5 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Corrado pleaded guilty to the charge on March 24, 2026. Shavarim Wicks, 48, Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on June 17, 2026, to 5 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Wicks pleaded guilty to the charge on April 8, 2026. In early 2024, law enforcement began investigating members of a drug trafficking organization operating in Dane County led by Jamar Purnell. During the investigation, officers worked with confidential informants to purchase significant quantities of drugs. Officers seized drugs and firearms during search warrants executed at residences and vehicles associated with the organization. Wicks, Moore, and Leuaxay were identified as primary distributors for Purnell. They would deliver methamphetamine, heroin/fentanyl, and cocaine on behalf of Purnell. Wicks operated as Purnell’s primary distributor from early 2024 until his arrest on May 29, 2024. On May 29, 2024, Wicks delivered 449 grams of methamphetamine and 3 grams of heroin/fentanyl to a confidential informant in Madison. Investigators arrested him later that day and searched the vehicle he was operating, finding 38 grams of heroin/fentanyl, 12 grams of cocaine, and $5,730 in U.S. currency, which included prerecorded buy money. Investigators also executed a search warrant at a residence in Madison where Wicks and Purnell trafficked drugs. There, investigators located 10,720 grams of methamphetamine and 166 grams of heroin/fentanyl. On July 31, 2024, Moore delivered 549 grams of methamphetamine on behalf of Purnell to a confidential informant in Madison. On January 3, 2025, Moore delivered 454 grams of methamphetamine on behalf of Purnell to a confidential informant in Madison. On September 12, 2024, Leuaxay delivered 446 grams of methamphetamine on behalf of Purnell to a confidential informant in Madison. On October 15, 2024, Leuaxay delivered 447 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Madison. On March 18, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at Leuaxay’s residence in Madison and found seventeen firearms in the master bedroom. They also found 223 caliber ammunition, 357 ammunition, 45 caliber ammunition, and 9mm ammunition, 189 grams of cocaine, $26,225 in U.S. currency, and body armor. Also on March 18, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at Moore’s residence in Madison and found 389 grams of methamphetamine, 226 grams of cocaine, 688 grams of marijuana, 22 caliber ammunition, and $2,000 in U.S. currency. Dubois, Land, Corrado, and Moore Jr. were identified as drug distributors for the organization. Investigators attributed the following drug quantities obtained for further distribution: over 2,200 grams of methamphetamine and 190 grams of fentanyl for Dubois, over 1,300 grams of methamphetamine and 80 grams of fentanyl for Land, and over 1,100 grams of methamphetamine and 120 grams of fentanyl for Corrado. Moore Jr. operated at the direction of his father, Moore. On August 9, 2024, Moore Jr. delivered 450 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Madison at the direction of Moore. On July 9, 2025, investigators arrested Moore Jr. on a federal arrest warrant. He was searched incident to his arrest and found in possession of a loaded Ruger .380 caliber pistol. Moore Jr. is a previously convicted felon and unable to legally possess a firearm. Jamar Purnell, 49, Chicago, Illinois, was previously sentenced by Judge Conley to a total sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A total of sixteen individuals were charged in connection with this drug trafficking organization. Treagir Sander, Kyle Haag, and Waylon Degenhardt have entered guilty pleas for their involvement and will be sentenced in the coming months. Alisha Lavine is scheduled for a plea hearing on July 14, 2026. Cases against Dajuea M. Purnell, William M. Marshall, Anthony E. Hohenstein, and Yasir W. Stackhouse are still pending, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charges against Moore, Leuaxay, Dubois, Land, Corrado, Wicks, and Moore Jr. were the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Wisconsin State Patrol, and Madison Police Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Kathryn Ginsberg prosecuted this case. This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Program initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of federal law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.


title: Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 54 Months for Illegal Reentry

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Alfredo Juarez-Perez, 55, Monterey, Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Conley to 54 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Juarez-Perez pleaded guilty to this charge on April 9, 2026. In March of 2025, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry received an anonymous tip that Juarez-Perez was in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and had failed to register as a sex offender as required. Following his arrest on that charge, law enforcement discovered that he had been deported twice before – once in 2018 and again in 2021 – following convictions for illegal reentry in the Western District of Wisconsin and the Southern District of Texas. Juarez-Perez also has a prior federal conviction for distribution of cocaine and has been convicted of sexual assault twice in Dane County, Wisconsin. “Today’s sentence underscores that repeated criminal behavior, especially serious offenses like unlawful reentry, narcotics trafficking, and violent assault, will be met with decisive consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Elgersma. “Juarez-Perez has shown a clear disregard for our laws and for the safety of the community. My office remains committed to working with our partners to ensure that those who persist in endangering the public are identified, apprehended, and held fully accountable.” At the sentencing, Judge Conley noted that since Juarez-Perez first entered the United States in 1990, he had been convicted of multiple drunk driving offenses, distribution of cocaine, sexual assault, and had failed to maintain his sex offender registry. Judge Conley stressed that these behaviors, along with Juarez-Perez’s criminal thinking, made him a danger to the community. The charge against Juarez-Perez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case.


title: Lynchburg Man Sentenced to More Than 23 Years on  Fentanyl and Firearms Charges

component: USAO - Virginia, Western

body_text: LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg man, who distributed thousands of fentanyl pills, pounds of methamphetamine, and kilograms of cocaine, among other drugs, while possessing a firearm, was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison. This investigation was brought as part of the revamped Project Safe Neighborhoods, a combined law enforcement initiative that aims to provide a rapid response to violent crime, conduct strategic federal, state, local, and tribal partnerships, and increase accountability and deterrence to promote public safety. John Coleman, III, 35, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, and more than a half kilo of cocaine, one count of distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, one count of distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes. “This office will aggressively target fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine traffickers in the Western District of Virginia,” First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said today. “I commend the outstanding work of our DEA partners for their outstanding work on this.” “This sentence is a true testament of the efforts made by federal, local, and state law enforcement agencies to combat violent and unscrupulous criminals who endanger our communities and affect the quality of life in our neighborhoods. We will not rest until we arrest and prosecute all of them. The communities belong to our people, not to the criminals,” commented Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Washington Division. According to court documents, in 2024, Coleman was known to law enforcement as someone who sold marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine while possessing firearms. As a result, officers performed several controlled purchases of ounces of methamphetamine from Coleman in June and July 2024. Subsequently, Coleman was stopped by law enforcement after making a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to pick-up drugs. At the time of the traffic stop, Coleman was found to be in possession of 23 pounds of marijuana and a firearm. At that time, he was arrested and released on bond. However, he continued to sell narcotics and law enforcement continued to investigate. On September 30, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Coleman’s residence and found $47,711 in cash, an additional firearm, 1,004 grams of cocaine, 118 grams of fentanyl, approximately, 40 grams of Oxycodone, and almost 20 grams of MDMA. First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Christopher Goumenis, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Washington Division made the announcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Welsh is prosecuting the case.


title: Memphis Gynecologist Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Adulterating Medical Devices and Health Care Fraud

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – In January of this year, Sanjeev Kumar, 45 , was found guilty by a federal jury of 18 counts of adulteration of medical devices, 16 counts of misbranding medical devices, and 6 counts of health care fraud. Today, on July 8, 2026, Kumar was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman to 240 months in prison with two years of supervised release. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence. U.S. Attorney Dunavant said, “This defendant used his medical license to target a vulnerable population of women seeking treatment in extremely personal and intimate procedures. He was motivated by greed, disregarded clear medical risks, and caused significant physical and psychological harm to his victim-patients. No punishment is enough to achieve justice in this horrific case, but we hope that this 20-year sentence will send a strong message of deterrence while holding Kumar accountable for his crimes." Evidence presented at the trial demonstrated that Kumar was a Mayo-trained gynecologic oncologist who operated Poplar Avenue Clinic, a women’s health clinic in Memphis, Tennessee. The hysteroscopy with biopsy is an in-office procedure where a hysteroscope is inserted into the vagina, pushed through the cervix, and into the uterus. A grasper or pipelle is then inserted through the hysteroscope to take a sample of the endometrial lining of the uterus. The procedure is used to diagnose endometrial cancer. The FDA cleared several single use hysteroscopes and graspers, as well as reusable hysteroscopes to complete these procedures. The single use devices were to be used once and then discarded. To correctly disinfect the devices cleared for reprocessing, Kumar had to strictly follow manufacturer instructions. Kumar routinely failed to subject the reusable devices to vital reprocessing steps between patient use thereby endangering patient safety. The single use devices, even if they had been correctly reprocessed, had to be labeled as such; and Kumar did not label them. Kumar used adulterated medical devices in more than 15,000 hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures on Medicare and Medicaid patients between September of 2019 and April of 2024. Kumar purchased less than 200 new hysteroscopes and 3 of the 6 single use graspers of a certain type he purchased in 2019 were still in use in the office in April 2024. Thousands of women were subjected to hysteroscopies with biopsy using the dirty devices. "Today's sentencing demonstrates that healthcare providers who seek to unjustly enrich themselves by using adulterated medical devices on unsuspecting patients will be held accountable to the highest extent of the law," said Special Agent in Charge Juan Berrios, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office. "We will continue to investigate and bring to justice providers who put profits over patient safety." “Today’s sentencing underscores the serious harm posed by a physician who repeatedly violated the trust his patients placed in him. By performing thousands of invasive procedures with adulterated devices and billing Medicare and Medicaid for unsafe care, Dr. Kumar put vulnerable women at significant risk while diverting critical taxpayer resources for his own gain,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to ensure that those who forsake patient safety for profit are held fully accountable.” Kumar billed more than $41 million for the hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures between September 2019 and April 2024. He netted more than $4.8 million for this procedure from Medicare and Medicaid alone. That amount does not include any hysteroscopy with biopsy procedures performed on patients with private health care insurance. A separate hearing to determine restitution has been set on October 2, 2026. "Dr. Kumar put profit ahead of patient safety," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "As a physician, he had a duty to protect the health and well-being of the patients who placed their trust in him. Instead, he endangered thousands by reusing single-use medical devices in pursuit of financial gain. This sentence reflects the seriousness of that betrayal and is a victory for patient safety, the integrity of our healthcare system, and the taxpayers who ultimately bear the cost of healthcare fraud. Together with our partners, the FBI will continue to hold accountable fraudsters who choose greed over their patients' health." “Patients deserve to know they can trust the professionals caring for them,” said TBI Director David Rausch. “With today’s sentencing, this provider is being held fully accountable for the harm caused by putting his own financial interests ahead of the people he was trusted to care for. I’m proud of the work of our team at TBI and all our partners who helped bring this case to its conclusion. We remain committed to holding individuals accountable when they prey on the very individuals they’re supposed to protect.” This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorneys Lynn Crum, Scott Smith, and Sarah Pazar Williams prosecuted the case. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. ### For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov . Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.


title: Priest on administrative leave arrested, charged with receipt and possession of child pornography

component: USAO - New York, Western

body_text: BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jeffrey Nowak, 46, of Lackawanna, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receipt and possession of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years. According to the criminal complaint, in August 2019, the defendant, a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo, was placed on administrative leave as an investigation was conducted following allegations of inappropriate contact with children and harassment of a seminarian. In December 2019, an email address linked to Nowak, pigboybuffalo@gmail.com , was identified as an address that accessed a New Zealand cloud-based digital storage and file-hosting website/application, which contained photos and videos files of sexually exploited children. In May 2021, the FBI conducted an investigation, executing a search warrant for the email address pigboybuffalo@gmail.com , however, no child pornography was found, and the investigation was closed in July 2023. In late 2025, the FBI Criminal Division’s Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Section, Child Exploitation Operational Unit (CEOU), received a referral from law enforcement located in Scotland related to a Telegram group whose members participated in group Zoom calls during which members were observed viewing and sharing child pornography. Investigators linked one of the participants to the username PigBoy666, which was later identified as Nowak. As a result, the investigation into Nowak was re-opened by FBI Buffalo in March 2026. On July 8, 2026, a search warrant was executed at Nowak’s residence, during which investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a cell phone, laptop, iPad, a USB storage device, and suspected narcotics. An initial review of the electronics, including the USB storage device, recovered several folders containing videos of child pornography. “Defendants like Jeffrey Nowak go to great lengths, and in this case great distances, to hide their criminal behavior,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “Once in a position of trust, Nowak hid behind a keyboard and took part in the tragic exploitation of one of society’s most vulnerable populations, our children. Nowak has now been exposed and can no longer hide and will be held accountable for his disgraceful behavior.” “Crimes involving the receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material are among the most disturbing offenses the FBI investigates. It is especially troubling when the crime is allegedly committed by a trusted leader of faith,” said Allen D. Davis II, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “Criminals who receive, possess, or distribute this material fuel the continued exploitation of innocent children. No position of trust, title, or status will shield anyone from accountability. FBI Buffalo, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to protect innocent children, identify child predators, and bring offenders to justice.” Nowak will make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer on July 9, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti. 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: Honduran National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Nearly $500,000 Home Depot Refund Scheme

component: USAO - North Carolina, Western

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Darwin Alberto Corea Calderon, 34, a Honduran national, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in carrying out a refund scheme and conspiracy that defrauded The Home Depot stores in North and South Carolina of nearly half a million dollars, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. “Those who defraud retailers make prices higher for all of us,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Corea’s crimes were born out of greed, not necessity. This was a calculated scheme that he repeated over and over, and would continue to repeat, until federal law enforcement brought it to an end.” According to court records, from 2022 to 2025, Corea conspired to conduct an extensive refund scheme against The Home Depot that caused the retailer to issue hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent refunds. Corea targeted more than a dozen Home Depot stores in the region, including stores in Charlotte, Cornelius, Gastonia, Kannapolis, Matthews, and Statesville, as well as stores in Rock Hill and Spartanburg, South Carolina. In total, the scheme defrauded Home Depot of more than $464,000. In addition to the refund scheme, Corea also committed theft by engaging in a skip-scanning scheme, in which he purposely failed to scan products at Home Depot’s self-checkout registers and walked out with them. U.S. v. Corea - Corea at the Home Depot in Cornelius, North Carolina on June 14, 2023. At today’s sentencing hearing, the government also presented evidence of Corea’s 2024 state felony larceny conviction in Cabarrus County for stealing power tools, a vacuum, and a microwave from Lowe’s Home Improvement. Corea previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals until he is transferred to a federal facility upon placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After serving his prison sentence, Corea will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation of the case and thanked The Home Depot for its invaluable assistance throughout the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.


title: Federal Jury Finds Charlotte Man Guilty of Sex Trafficking a Minor

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury in Charlotte returned a guilty verdict today against Marvin Qualls, 42, of Spencer, N.C., for sex trafficking a 16-year-old female victim, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Qualls was convicted of conspiracy to sex traffic a minor and sex trafficking of a minor. Qualls’s co-defendant, Out Ekong, 22, previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor. “Those who prey on vulnerable teenagers deserve to be in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “I am proud of the prosecutors in my office who worked night-and-day to make sure Qualls and Ekong’s days of preying on children are over.” “This guilty verdict reflects the strength of the FBI’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office who together worked tirelessly on this case. Combating the trafficking of children requires a unified response, and we will continue to identify victims, pursue offenders, and ensure that those who exploit the most vulnerable are brought to justice,” said Reid Davis, the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge. According to filed documents, evidence presented at trial, and witness testimony, between December 2023 and January 2024, Qualls and Ekong engaged in a conspiracy to sex traffic a 16-year-old victim, who had run away from home. Trial evidence established that Qualls met the minor at work, and soon after began to sex traffic the victim with Ekong, knowing she was underage. In trafficking the victim, the two men posted advertisements of the minor on commercial sex websites, set prices and arranged the minor victim’s sexual encounters with customers, booked hotels rooms where the encounters took place, and acted as security while the victim engaged in commercial sex transactions. Qualls and Ekong traveled with the victim across North and South Carolina for her to engage in commercial sex transactions, and the two men kept the money the victim earned from these commercial sexual encounters. Both Qualls and Ekong will both remain in federal custody until they are sentenced at a later date. The conspiracy to conspiracy to sex traffic a minor carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a minimum term of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison. In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Spaugh and Timothy Sielaff are prosecuting the case. If you are the victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please call the FBI, local law enforcement, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur. To submit a tip to the NHTRC online please visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking .


title: Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Possessing Sawed-Off Shotgun

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Daquan Devonte Jeter, 34, of Charlotte, and a previously convicted felon, was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. “This defendant’s violent conduct endangered multiple victims, including a young child,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Those who illegally possess firearms and use them to terrorize others should expect to face significant federal prison time.” According to court records, on March 23, 2025, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) received a 911 call for service at approximately 1 a.m. about a potential assault involving Jeter and a firearm. Officers responding to the scene met a woman who had visible injuries to her mouth. The victim told officers that Jeter had fired a shotgun. Jeter was not on scene, but officers recovered several live shotgun shells from the ground. The victim also told law enforcement that Jeter had struck her in the mouth with the firearm. Court documents show that approximately an hour and a half after the Charlotte 911 call, the Mint Hill Police Department received a call reporting that an SUV was stopped in the middle of the road. Responding officers found Jeter behind the wheel of the SUV, with the vehicle still running and in drive. Jeter was unconscious in the driver’s seat holding the firearm in his hands. A toddler was also in the back seat of the SUV. Jeter was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital. While at the hospital, Jeter was combative and threatened to sexually assault family members of the arresting officers upon his release from custody. In September 2025, Jeter pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, CMPD, and the Mint Hill Police Department investigated the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Armed Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced on Drug and Gun Charges

body_text: CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jacquese Dominique Warren, 36, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and illegally possessing firearms, including rifles with high-capacity magazines, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. “Law enforcement in Charlotte has been clear: we are not going to let hotels be turned into havens of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “If you use a hotel room to traffic drugs or guns, your next room will be a federal prison cell.” According to filed documents and court proceedings, in October 2024, law enforcement began an investigation into Warren after learning he was selling narcotics from his hotel room. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled drug buys from Warren. On at least two occasions, an individual cooperating with law enforcement purchased methamphetamine and firearms from Warren, including two rifles fitted with 30-round high-capacity magazines, as well as boxes of ammunition. Court records show that, on February 8, 2025, Warren was involved in a shootout outside of the hotel where he was staying. Law enforcement responding to the scene obtained and executed a search warrant for Warren’s room. During the search, law enforcement seized an AR pistol and a revolver reported stolen, quantities of cocaine base, MDMA, and several boxes of ammunition. In September 2025, Warren pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and distribution of methamphetamine. He is currently in federal custody pending placement with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The ATF and CMPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman was in charge of the prosecution. This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Guatemalan National Sentenced for Unlawfully Returning to the United States

component: USAO - Missouri, Western

body_text: KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Guatemalan National was sentenced in federal court for unlawfully returning to the United States for the fifth time after multiple prior illegal reentries. Edras Leonel Alcides Ramirez-Peralta, 35, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a previously deported alien and was sentenced today to one year and a day by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips. According to court documents, Ramirez-Peralta was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen when he was stopped by a deputy with the Henry County Missouri Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 8, 2025. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a folded dollar bill containing methamphetamine and a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue. Ramirez-Peralta was subsequently charged with felony possession of a controlled substance in the Circuit Court of Henry County, Mo. Immigration authorities later determined that Ramirez-Peralta is a native and citizen of Guatemala who had been previously deported from the United States on four prior occasions, most recently on Nov. 15, 2024. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Operation Take Back America This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.


title: Cole County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges Involving Multiple Victims

body_text: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Cole County, Mo., resident Anthony Dale Pitts-Fugate, 33, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of production of child pornography in two separate cases. According to court documents filed in this case, in March 2023, the defendant communicated with a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Task Force Officer who was acting in an online undercover (UC) capacity as part of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force operating out of a satellite office in Washington, D.C. The UC was monitoring a public online group to include members actively involved in the distribution, possession, receipt and production of child exploitation material (CSAM.) During his communication with the UC, the defendant sent CSAM depicting a pre-pubescent child to the UC. The defendant produced the CSAM image he sent to the UC. In April 2023, a witness reported to the Cole County Sheriff’s Department that the defendant contacted her when she was 16 years old and requested sexually explicit photos. FBI agents applied for and received search warrants for the defendant’s SnapChat accounts. A review of the SnapChat records showed the defendant used a false persona of a 16-year-old male and to cause at least two minor females to produce CSAM. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 60 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner It was investigated by The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Jefferson City Police Department. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources." The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.


title: Callaway County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Offense After Paying for Live Child Porn Videos in the Philippines

body_text: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Holts-Summit, Mo. man, David Lee Maddox, 60, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempted production of child pornography. The investigation began on Aug. 8, 2023 when the St. Louis Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office received a referral from HSI Portland, Maine pertaining to the defendant’s communication via Microsoft Skype with known traffickers/sellers of live and recorded child sexual abuse videos operating in the Philippines. The investigation showed defendant used Skype to receive “shows” from minor victims in the Philippines and paid for the shows by sending money via various money transmittal services. From on or about Sept. 20, 2021, through Dec. 23, 2023, the defendant received “shows” depicting underage females on approximately 20 occasions. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources." The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.


title: Two Men Sentenced for Distribution of Methamphetamine and Firearms Offenses

component: USAO - Kentucky, Western

body_text: Louisville, KY – A Louisville man and Berea man were sentenced on July 2, 2026, to 18 years and 7 years respectively for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Dennis M. Fetting of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Acting Special Agent in Charge Bobby Kuszynski of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement. Shawn Beason , 36, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Justin Cummins , 29, of Berea, Kentucky, was sentenced to 7 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On April 5, 2024, investigators were conducting surveillance of Shawn Beason . Beason was followed and observed in the Lowe’s parking lot located at 9800 Preston Crossings Boulevard, Louisville, Kentucky. Investigators observed Justin Cummins , enter the backseat of Beason's vehicle and remain there for approximately one minute before exiting and returning to his vehicle. Beason then departed from the area. After Beason departed from the area, investigators conducted surveillance on Cummins and conducted a traffic stop of Cummins’ vehicle. Law enforcement recovered 536.9 grams of methamphetamine from the vehicle. On February 24, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Beason’s residence. Two firearms were seized during the search: a Glock, 17 Gen 4, 9mm pistol and a Glock, 42, .380 caliber pistol. Beason was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses: On July 27, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Beason, was convicted of complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree (two counts). On July 27, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Beason, was convicted of enhanced trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree. On July 27, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Beason, was convicted of complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree. On July 27, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Jefferson County, Kentucky, Beason, was convicted of complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree. Based upon his criminal history, Beason qualified as a Career Offender and Armed Career Criminal and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated, “Louisville has been plagued by career criminals who remain armed and continue to sell drugs. This Department of Justice is determined and committed to imprison these incorrigible career criminals to make our communities safer. My hope is that Beason’s 18 year prison sentence sends a strong deterrent message to Louisville’s other career criminals to stop and stop now.” Special Agent in Charge John Nokes stated, “The sentence Beason and his co-conspirator received in this case shows ATF’s commitment to keeping the public safe from career offenders and those who continue to plague our communities with harmful narcotics.” Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department stated, “These criminals fueled the distribution of dangerous drugs on our streets. Thanks to the relentless efforts of our law enforcement partners, they have been held accountable, and our community is safer because of it.” There is no parole in the federal system. The case was investigated by the ATF Louisville Field Division, the Louisville Metro Police Department, the DEA Louisville Field Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts prosecuted the case. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Louisville comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, and IRS, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. ####


title: Illegal Alien from Mexico Charged by the District of Utah After Allegedly Possessing a Large Quantity of Fentanyl Powder in the District of Utah

component: USAO - Utah

body_text: SALT LAKE CITY , Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging an illegal alien from Mexico with drug and immigration crimes after 171 grams of fentanyl powder was allegedly found in his vehicle during a traffic stop. Martin Erubiel Algandar Castro, 25, who was found illegally in Salt Lake City, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 30, 2026. According to court documents, on June 25, 2026, law enforcement stopped a Jeep Cherokee driven by Castro for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, a K-9 officer alerted positive for the presence of drugs and the vehicle was searched. In the vehicle, law enforcement located and seized approximately 171 grams of suspected fentanyl powder, which field-tested positive for fentanyl. During the search, law enforcement also located and seized $1,513 on Castro and several wire transfer receipts sending money to Mexico. As alleged in court documents, a brief search of Castro’s phone revealed evidence of distribution. Additionally, Castro is not a citizen of the United States, and the government is unaware of any ties that Castro has to Utah and to the United States. Castro is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for July 9, 2026, at 10:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement. The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force. Special Assistant United States Attorney Pete Reichman for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: Boone County Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Benefits

component: National Fraud Enforcement Division

body_text: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Barbara Ferrell, 63, of Seth, pleaded guilty today to theft of government monies. Ferrell admitted that she stole approximately $160,394.02 in veterans and Social Security benefits meant for a family member by abusing her position overseeing those funds. According to court documents and statements made in court, from October 20, 2021, through March 11, 2024, Ferrell served as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) appointed fiduciary for the family member. Ferrell also served as the Social Security Administration (SSA) representative payee for the family member from approximately August 2021 to November 2024. As part of her guilty plea, Ferrell admitted that from April 13, 2022, through February 29, 2024, she knowingly and fraudulently took VA fiduciary benefits meant for the family member totaling approximately $114,660.82. Ferrell further admitted that from June 1, 2022, through July 9, 2024, she knowingly and fraudulently took approximately $45,733.20 in SSA benefits that were for the family member’s benefit. Ferrell stole the benefit funds by periodically withdrawing the money once it had been electronically deposited for the family member in a joint checking account. Ferrell admitted that she spent the funds meant to benefit the family member for her own use and enjoyment. “Stealing from veterans is a particularly disgraceful form of greed,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito. “These are men and women who put on our nation’s uniform and sacrificed in service to this country — and the idea that someone would deliberately prey on them for personal profit is disgusting. Our veterans deserve our gratitude and protection, not to be treated as targets. I commend the dedicated investigators of the VA Office of Inspector General for uncovering this fraud and relentlessly pursuing accountability. Together, we will continue to protect those who served and aggressively prosecute anyone who tries to exploit them.” Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) and the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG). “Today’s guilty plea sends a clear message that the VA OIG will vigorously investigate those who steal from vulnerable veterans who are unable to manage their financial affairs,” said Special Agent in Charge Nate Landkammer with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “The VA OIG appreciates the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts to stop fraud within VA’s Fiduciary Program.” “This defendant intentionally exploited a family relationship to steal more than $45,000 in Social Security benefits intended for a relative,” said Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), Boston–New York Field-Philadelphia Division. “We remain committed to investigating those who misuse benefits for personal gain and ensuring they are held accountable.” Ferrell is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Ferrell also owes $160,394.02 in restitution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case. On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division . The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs. A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-80. ###


title: Texas man gets max sentence for federal firearms violation related to attempted murder of police officer

component: USAO - Texas, Southern

body_text: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 22-year-old Premont man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Damian Rodriguez aka Diablo pleaded guilty March 31. U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered Rodriguez to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Rodriguez’s use of the firearm with the obliterated serial number to commit several crimes, including attempted murder of a local victim as well as a police officer. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted the Rodriguez’s actions and sentenced him to the maximum possible sentence allowed under the law. At the sentencing hearing, Rodriguez was held responsible for the attempted murder of both the local victim and the police officer. On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement was dispatched to a local residence in response to a call regarding multiple gunshots. Surveillance footage of the area revealed the shooter, later identified as Rodriguez, firing multiple gunshots into the residence from an adjacent alley. Further investigation revealed he had made multiple threats to the victim’s life on social media. Authorities recovered 11 shell casings at the residence, but the victim did not sustain any injuries. Two days later, a local police officer discovered multiple threats on his life from Rodriguez’s social media accounts. Law enforcement learned Rodriguez had been walking in the area with a loaded gun and attempted to locate him. Rodriguez saw them and began shooting. During another incident the same day, shots had also been fired at law enforcement. The shell casings at those scenes matched those from the prior attempted murder scenes. The investigation led to a residence where authorities located Rodriguez. Among his belongings was a Colt .223 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number. Analysis and tests showed a match between the firearm and the shell casings from the prior shootings. At the time of his arrest, Rodriguez had also made multiple comments regarding his attempts to shoot and kill the police officer. Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Police departments in Premont and Falfurrias, Brooks County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith is prosecuting the case.


title: South Texan sent to prison after using child sexual abuse material to entice a minor to produce pornographic material

body_text: McALLEN, Texas – A 20-year-old Edinburg man has been sentenced for distributing child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Carlos Genaro Rodriguez-Luna Jr. pleaded guilty April 23, 2025. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now sentenced Rodriguez-Luna to 262 months and 60 months for the coercion and enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run in part consecutively for a total 300-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard about the disturbing content Rodriguez-Luna collected and distributed to others. Additionally, the court heard how Rodriguez-Luna communicated with a 13-year-old minor victim discussing his disturbing fantasies. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the seriousness and gravity of the content involved in the case. Rodriguez-Luna was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Rodriguez-Luna will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. The investigation began in December 2024 after authorities identified a social media account sharing images and videos of people performing self-inflicted harm and child sexual abuse material. Rodriguez-Luna was the owner of that account. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence where they located and seized several electronic items and his cell phone. Authorities observed a current conversation between Rodriguez-Luna and a 13-year-old female who he identified as his girlfriend. The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Luna distributed child pornography to the minor and discussed sexual assault fantasies. He also asked her to produce sexually explicit material and send to him. Additional content on the devices included sexual acts committed on infants, toddlers and prepubescent children as well as other severe material he collected and distributed. Rodriguez-Luna admitted to previously downloaded and viewed child pornography at his Edinburg residence. He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. FBI McAllen conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page . For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page .


title: Sex offender sentenced to 15 years for possessing nearly 10,000 sexually explicit videos and images of children

body_text: HOUSTON – A 71-year-old Bacliff man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material for the second time, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. Wesley Joseph Slanina pleaded guilty Dec. 17, 2024. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now sentenced Slanina to serve 186 months in federal prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release, during which time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. At the hearing, the court held him accountable for possessing over 7,000 images and heard additional information that Slanina was previously convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material and using a government-issued laptop to access prohibited material. Slanina was further ordered to pay $71,000 in restitution to the victims and will also be ordered to re-register as a sex offender. The investigation began in June 2019 when law enforcement discovered Slanina sharing multiple files containing child sexual abuse material using peer-to-peer software. The videos and images depicted children, including infants and toddlers, in various sexual acts. On June 10, 2020, authorities executed a search warrant at his home and discovered and seized several electronic devices. Forensic analysis of his personal computer and 129-gigabyte storage card resulted in the discovery of 2,503 videos and 7,172 images containing child sexual abuse material. Slanina will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Leo, Amanda Alum and Michael Day prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page . For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page .


title: Illegal alien and Guatemalan national extradited to U.S. admit to roles in 2021 alien smuggling mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico

body_text: LAREDO, Texas – Two foreign nationals have pleaded guilty to smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more. These two are part of a group of six who were charged in this case. Five have now admitted to their role in a conspiracy to bring illegal aliens from Guatemala into the United States. Agapito Jorge Ventura, 34, an illegal alien from Guatemala, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 26, a Guatemalan national extradited in 2025, acknowledged they conspired with other smugglers to transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. Aliens paid Ventura, Zavala Quino and their co-conspirators to be smuggled into the United States, with Ventura coordinating from the Houston area. During the previous administration’s policy to parole illegal aliens into the United States, Ventura also facilitated the release of Guatemalan aliens who were smuggled illegally into the United States from U.S. immigration authorities, to include unaccompanied minors. Ventura provided co-conspirators, including Zavala Quino, with falsified scripts and instructions to provide to adults and unaccompanied minors on what to say to immigration officials if apprehended to secure their release. Ventura would also provide a person who would falsely pose as a relative of the apprehended alien to gain the alien’s release. On Dec. 9, 2021, Ventura, Zavala Quino and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. Over 150 illegal aliens, including adults and unaccompanied minors, were crammed into the trailer. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury. “With today’s guilty pleas, five defendants charged in this case have now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” stated Marck. “These defendants treated more than 150 people as cargo, packing them into a tractor-trailer for profit with total disregard for human life. The Southern District of Texas will continue to hunt down smugglers wherever they hide, because there is no place on earth safe enough to escape justice for the lives lost on that Chiapas roadside.” “This crime shows that human smugglers care only about profiting from their crimes, not about the illegal aliens they transport and the life-and-death risks to which they expose them” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants worked together to exploit vulnerable people by breaking the immigration laws of this country, with deadly consequences that followed. Robust border enforcement avoids deadly results like this. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue those who put profit over people and ensure our nation’s immigration laws are enforced.” “This case underscores U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations’ relentless pursuit of transnational criminal organizations that profit from the exploitation of vulnerable individuals,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of HSI. “The guilty pleas of these defendants send a clear message: those who orchestrate and facilitate dangerous human smuggling operations — placing lives at grave risk — will be held accountable. HSI remains committed to working with our domestic and international partners to dismantle these criminal networks, protect our borders and uphold the rule of law.” Ventura and Zavala Quino pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has set sentencing for Oct. 6. At that time, all face up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala, 44, and Alberto Macario Chitic, 33, all of Guatemala, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. Canil De Zavala, Macario Chitic, Zavala Ramos, Zavala Quino and Tomas Quino Canil were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested Ventura at his residence in Cleveland in December 2024. HSI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office conducted the investigation in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall. The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking cartels and transnational criminal organizations commit. A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s HRSP Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 464 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 414 U.S. convictions; and more than 360 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. This case is also 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.


title: U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton Announces Appointment Of James McDonald As Deputy United States Attorney; SDNY Plans Leadership Transition

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Appointment of James M. McDonald Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that James M. McDonald will rejoin the Office as Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for a period of transition. “Mr. McDonald, an alumnus of the Office, is a remarkably accomplished, highly respected, and widely sought after counselor, strategist, and advocate, inside and outside the courtroom,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Jamie is President Trump’s choice to be the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and he is an outstanding choice to lead the women and men of the Office in their efforts to serve New York families and all Americans.” Jamie McDonald’s experience as a lawyer and manager is vast. In addition to serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, Mr. McDonald served as the Director of Enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, as a Deputy Associate Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel, and as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to his appointment, Mr. McDonald was a Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP where he was Co-Head of both the firm’s Securities & Commodities Investigations Practice and its Commodities, Futures and Derivatives Group. He currently serves as an Adviser to the American Law Institute’s Principles of Compliance, Risk Management, and Enforcement. Mr. McDonald previously served as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School and as a Senior Fellow at New York University Law School’s Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement. Mr. McDonald, originally from Oklahoma, graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and from Harvard College. SDNY Leadership Transition U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, who has led the Office since April 2025, was recently nominated by President Trump to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. To best serve the public and ensure a seamless transition in Office leadership, Deputy U.S. Attorney McDonald will begin to supervise the work and operations of the Office while Mr. Clayton attends to the Senate confirmation process. During this transition period, the executive leadership team of Sean Buckley, Amanda Houle, Jeff Oestericher, and Karl Metzner will continue to lead the Office’s work. “Under Sean, Amanda, Jeff, and Karl’s leadership, the Office has thrived,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Their strategic allocation of resources, coordination with the NYPD, the FBI, HSI and other law enforcement partners, and their mentorship of our AUSAs have made our streets safer, combatted the efforts of terrorists and drug cartels, and pursued perpetrators of sexual exploitation and hate crimes in all aspects of our society. We have steadfastly protected the interests of the United States, including rooting out fraud and abuse, and ensuring those entitled to benefits receive them. It has been my great pleasure to work with Sean, Amanda, Jeff, and Karl, and I know that, with the addition of Jamie, they will continue to be an extremely effective leadership team.” Jay Clayton Applauds the Work of the SDNY and its Law Enforcement Partners Statement of U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton: “In my first days as U.S. Attorney in April 2025, I asked the members of the Office ‘Where would New York families want us to focus our resources?’ Their answers led to setting the following priorities for the Office: Removing career, gun-toting criminals from our streets ; Combating the deadly fentanyl epidemic by bankrupting drug cartels and incarcerating gang leaders and their deadly soldiers ; Pursuing foreign adversaries who are committed to harming Americans, sowing dissent, and undermining our freedoms ; and Uncovering and prosecuting sex crimes and hate crimes across our communities . We also turned our ‘white collar’ resources on the most egregious fraudsters, insider traders, and abusers of our financial systems, public trust, and benefits programs — focusing on individual accountability and the interest of victims. Through the round the clock efforts of the women and men of the Office, and in partnership with the NYPD (the greatest police force in the world), our DOJ colleagues, the FBI, Homeland Security, the DEA, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and our many other law enforcement colleagues, we have delivered on these priorities for our fellow New Yorkers and our fellow Americans. I am grateful to every member of the Office and the tens of thousands of officers, agents, and others who wake up every day with a commitment to ensuring our safety and protecting our freedoms. Their dedication to the public, expertise in the law, skills in advocacy, and most importantly, mutual support, are unparalleled.” Below are some examples of the results of this team effort in our priority areas. Removing Career, Gun-Toting Criminals from Our Streets In April 2025, the SDNY joined with the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership (GVSP), an important New York City-led organization where representatives of over twenty city, state, and federal law enforcement bodies meet seven days a week to immediately and collectively address gun violence from the previous day. Dedicated SDNY personnel work continuously with the GVSP and the NYPD to identify gun crimes where federal charges will remove career, gun-toting criminals from our streets immediately and continuously. Through our efforts to combat gun violence, in the past 15 months, over 250 individuals with career criminal histories have been charged with federal gun crimes and detained pending trial. More importantly, compared to 2024, the murder rate in New York City is down by 25% and trending lower. New York is our safest large city. This is what New York families want and deserve. Combatting the Deadly Fentanyl Epidemic; Bankrupting Drug Cartels; Incarcerating Gang Leaders and their Deadly Soldiers The illegal drug trade is a scourge on America. The international drug cartels are committed to flooding all aspects of our society — schools, businesses, public housing, etc. — with addictive drugs. These are billion dollar, often foreign government-enabled criminal organizations that have vast production and distribution networks. Hooking Americans, corrupting government and business leaders, and brutally defending their turf is their stock-in-trade. They knowingly embrace the death and destruction that follow. We have joined the Administration’s whole of government approach to combatting these enemies of America. From New York City, Yonkers, White Plains, and Newburgh, to South and Central America, to China and the Middle East, our prosecutors and law enforcement partners are on a mission to bankrupt the cartels and take back our parks, schools, and housing projects. We are winning. Provisional reporting shows overdose deaths in New York in 2025 were down by approximately 25% compared to 2024 and continue to drop to their lowest levels in years. The Office is committed to continuing this trend. In October 2025, together with the NYPD and the DEA, we shut down open-air drug dealing in Washington Square Park and charged over 15 individuals with federal drug crimes involving multiple overdose deaths. Children can now play safely in Washington Square Park, and we have taken that model to other parks and housing projects. Drug gangs in New York now know our truth: if you deal in fentanyl, you deal in death, and we will hold you accountable. In April of 2026, we charged nine current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and related federal crimes. These allegations center on coordination with the Sinaloa Cartel, an organization responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans. We also charged drug trafficking and weapons offenses involving Nicolas Maduro and other Venezuelan officials and Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) . The drug cartels affiliate with large-scale gangs, including Tren de Aragua (TDA), in their bloodthirsty efforts to expand and protect drug distribution. Our focus on incarcerating gang leaders and their soldiers has resulted in charges against more than 40 alleged gang members in the past year. In December 2025, we charged a top leader of TDA with racketeering, terrorism, and drug trafficking offenses. We also charged leaders of the Anti-Tren splinter gang with similar offenses and have overall secured convictions against more than 10 TDA-related gang members, including multiple convictions for murder, drug-trafficking, and sex-trafficking. Some believe we must accept cartels, gangs, and deadly drugs as part of our community. They have been proven wrong. Pursuing Foreign Adversaries Who Threaten our Safety and Seek to Sow Discontent Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, the IRGC, and ISIS are terrorist organizations and sworn enemies of the United States and western society, seeking to kill Americans at home and abroad. Together with partners across the federal government, we are bringing their leaders to justice. In May 2026, Mohammad Al-Saadi, an alleged senior operative of Kata’ib Hezbollah and the IRGC, was arrested on terrorism charges involving multiple attacks and attempted attacks in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. Al-Saadi is now detained in the United States and awaits trial in Manhattan. This is one of several recent actions by our Office to disrupt the IRGC threat, including in the cybersecurity space. These terrorist organizations rely on foreign governments and others for funding. Our Office is working with our federal partners to cut off their access to funds and to charge those who provide financial and other support for terror. We recently charged Reda Sabassi in connection with his efforts to divert funds raised through purported charitable campaigns to Hamas and for personal use, and, together with our federal partners, we are pursuing similar targets. Our social media platforms and on-line networks are being exploited by terrorists, hostile foreign governments, and their proxies to commit offensive hacking of critical infrastructure networks and to radicalize young men and women and sow political and social discontent. This activity is pervasive. The costs to our foreign adversaries to radicalize and inflame using social media are low and the “benefits” to our adversaries can be great. In March 2026, we charged two men with multiple federal terrorism charges for allegedly throwing bombs into a crowd outside the New York City Mayor’s residence (Gracie Mansion). Our Indictment alleges that these young men, residents of Pennsylvania, were radicalized on-line, including by watching ISIS propaganda, and intended to kill in upwards of sixty people. We also continue in our investigations of efforts by foreign adversaries to wage influence campaigns within the United States, to affect U.S. public policy and opinion, and to interfere with government functions. A great challenge we all face, and one our Office is facing head on, is protecting our sacred freedoms of speech, free association, and privacy while combatting foreign actors who use criminal means in efforts to exploit our open communications and other networks to harm us. Uncovering and Prosecuting Sex Crimes and Hate Crimes Across Our Communities Sex crimes, including the sexual exploitation of minors, are all too prevalent in our communities, including our schools, our hospitals, and our places of worship — the places we must trust most and must keep free from predators. Our Office has dedicated substantial resources to this mission and adopted a victim-oriented approach to uncovering and prosecuting sexual predators. In the past 18 months, our Office has charged 41 individuals with federal sex crimes, including teachers, licensed therapists, bankers, and others in positions of significant trust, as well as gang members and others involved in violent crime. Our Office, including through our Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit, has focused on advocating for victims by holding accountable perpetrators of sex crimes from all corners of society, including drug dealers and gang members, well-resourced financial industry leaders, real estate professionals , and public media personalities . In addition, our prosecutors and our Civil Division AUSAs are working with our schools, hospitals, and other institutions to ensure that processes for identifying predators are improved and victims feel safe coming forward. In the past 18 months, the Office has also prosecuted several significant hate-based crimes in New York City, including a defendant charged with three hate crimes in connection with repeated assaults of Jewish victims in New York City between 2024 and 2025; a violent attack on a visiting Israeli rabbi on the street outside a well-known kosher restaurant, allegedly based on his religion; and an alleged attack on a gay man in the Bronx. To further our work in this area, we hosted a conference with community leaders at NYU Law School on June 8, 2026. The conference, titled Combatting Hate Crimes in NYC , brought together approximately 100 leaders from a diverse range of religious, ethnic, and other backgrounds to discuss federal and state efforts to prevent, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes. When someone is attacked because of who they are — because of their faith, their ethnicity, their race, their sexual orientation — the message is not just directed at that one victim. The message is sent to an entire community: you are not safe here. You do not belong here. You are vulnerable. That message is unacceptable — in New York City, or anywhere else in the United States. Prosecuting and Deterring Fraud, Waste, and Abuse The world-leading success of our financial markets is a direct result of their integrity and the public trust. Our Office has had a remarkably active role in ensuring market integrity in the last 18 months, criminally charging 27 CEOs and corporate leaders with fraud, charging 12 individuals with insider trading, and doubling the number of insider trading investigations year over year. Beyond our financial markets, we have relentlessly pursued and charged those responsible for defrauding consumers, investors, and lenders of more than $1 billion in the past year alone, as well as those who cheat taxpayers by defrauding our local and federal government out of millions more. Our Civil Division has continued its exemplary efforts to combat benefits fraud — a scourge that wastes billions of taxpayer dollars every year. In April 2025, we obtained a judgment after trial of nearly one billion dollars against Omnicare for fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid for drugs dispensed without a proper prescription. In December 2025, we entered into a $37.76 million health care fraud settlement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc. for dispensing more insulin than patients needed and improperly receiving reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. And just last month, we obtained a $36.5 million settlement of a False Claims Act suit against Matrix Medical Network for submitting false and invalid patient diagnoses to the Government to artificially inflate its Medicare payments. We have also improved our program that incentivizes companies to report misconduct so that it can quickly be addressed, individuals can be held accountable, and victims can be made whole. Since its launch on February 24, 2026, SDNY’s Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self‑Disclosure Program for Financial Crimes has quickly gained traction and yielded tangible results. Companies have a mechanism through which they can quickly commit to cooperation, restitution, and remediation and, in exchange, have prompt and predictable results. Following the announcement of our program, our self-reports have substantially increased. Importantly, several of the resulting investigations have led to the identification of criminal conduct well beyond the reporting companies that, absent the self-report, may have gone undetected. A first public and flagship example of the benefits of this program to the public is Telekom Malaysia Berhad , which self-reported a fraud scheme and promptly received a declination conditioned on full cooperation, and, just weeks later, we were able to charge senior leaders at the company’s U.S. subsidiary with fraud. Our efforts to root out misconduct and build public trust have extended to prosecution of public officials who prioritize greed over the public good. In January 2026, we charged a former high-ranking City Hall official with abusing his position to commit bribery and fraud. In February 2026, we secured an indictment charging the former commanding officer of the New York City Police Department School Safety Division and a Florida businessman with bribery offenses. We have also secured convictions and sentences of former high-ranking chiefs in the New York City Fire Department for soliciting and accepting bribes ; 70 NYCHA employees charged with bribery, fraud, or extortion offenses; and defendants who have defrauded federal programs and charities out of millions. Conclusion “Working with the women and men of the SDNY and our partners on behalf of New York families and all Americans to keep them safe from harm, protect their freedoms, and improve their quality of life, has been an immense privilege. The Office is in great hands, has remarkable professionals, and will deliver more and more for the people of New York and America in the days to come. I thank President Trump for entrusting me with this important role, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for his leadership, my colleagues at the SDNY for their unwavering commitment to the priorities of the Office, and the people of New York for their partnership, including, importantly, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the women and men of the NYPD. New York is the greatest city on Earth, in the greatest country on Earth, because we support each other’s safety and freedom.”


title: U.S. Attorney Announces Return Of Two Looted 8th Century Sculptures To The Republic Of Indonesia

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today the return of two antiquities which were stolen from the Republic of Indonesia as part of an organized looting network and sold by antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford to an American collector (the “Collector”). In or about late 2021, the Collector voluntarily relinquished a total of 34 Cambodian and Southeast Asian antiquities purchased from Latchford. The two antiquities were returned to Indonesia today at a ceremony celebrating their repatriation at the Indonesian consulate. “Today, we celebrate the return of Indonesia’s cultural heritage to the Indonesian people,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “This Office is committed to thwarting the illicit trafficking of looted and stolen art and antiquities. We will continue to partner with HSI to end callous profiteering from stolen artworks of cultural significance, and we thank the collector of these works for their voluntary safe return. It is with great pleasure that we send these artworks on the final leg of their journey home.” The antiquities returned to Indonesia today are two 8 th Century standing bronze Buddhist sculptures depicting Avalokiteshvara, approximately 16 and 20 inches tall. The sculptures were illicitly removed from archeological sites in Indonesia by a team of looters decades ago and then sold to Latchford, who was based in Bangkok. Between 2003 and 2007, Latchford sold these and other Southeast Asian antiquities to the Collector. Over the years, Latchford lied to and withheld information from the Collector to conceal that the pieces were stolen. The two bronze sculptures returned to Indonesia were the subject of a civil forfeiture action filed in this District, United States v. A Late 12th Century Bayon-Style Sandstone Sculpture Depicting Eight-Armed Avalokiteshvara, et al. , 22 Civ. 229 (JMF), and identified as “Sculpture-12” and “Sculpture-27” in the civil forfeiture complaint. Since 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), has successfully investigated, identified, and repatriated dozens of stolen and illegally imported Cambodian and other Southeast Asian antiquities in the possession of individuals and institutions in the United States. Latchford was previously indicted in the Southern District of New York in 2019 for orchestrating a multi-year scheme to sell looted Cambodian and other Southeast Asian antiquities on the international art market. The Indictment was later dismissed due to Latchford’s death. * * * Mr. Clayton thanked HSI for its outstanding work to recover and repatriate the stolen and looted cultural property. This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecilia Vogel is in charge of the case.


title: Bronx Man Charged With Sex Trafficking Of A Minor And Child Pornography

body_text: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of a six-count Indictment charging SEAN CHISOLM, a/k/a “Slutty,” with the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old victim (“Minor Victim”), coercion and enticement of the Minor Victim, transportation of the Minor Victim from another state to New York for unlawful sexual activity, sexual exploitation of a child, and two counts of receipt and distribution of child pornography. CHISOLM was arrested today and will be presented at a later date. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels. “As alleged, Sean Chisolm lured a 16-year-old girl to New York so that he could sexually exploit and traffic her,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Chisolm then had her engage in dangerous sex work, from which he financially profited. Crimes like these, which target and exploit our most vulnerable, are among the worst crimes in our society. The message from our Office and the NYPD is clear: if you sexually abuse a minor, we will find you and you will go to prison.” “This defendant targeted a minor, coerced her into traveling out of state, and cruelly exploited and trafficked her for money,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “These crimes are not only illegal, they are absolutely reprehensible, and the NYPD is committed to protecting children from predators like this defendant. I thank our NYPD investigators and law enforcement partners for their work on this case to bring this criminal to justice and prevent other children from being victimized by him.” As alleged in the Indictment and other public filings:(1) Beginning around January 2026, CHISOLM enticed the Minor Victim to travel from out-of-state, where she lived with her family, to New York so that the Minor Victim could engage in commercial sex work at CHISOLM’s direction. Before the Minor Victim traveled to the Bronx, CHISOLM obtained from the Minor Victim a photograph and two videos that depicted the Minor Victim naked. CHISOLM also talked with the Minor Victim about the sex acts that he wanted to engage in with her when she arrived. Between approximately February 2026 through March 2026, CHISOLM acted as Minor Victim’s self-described “pimp,” arranging for multiple acts of commercial sex for the Minor Victim and requiring the Minor Victim to provide him with her earnings. CHISOLM also posted an advertisement on an online classifieds website, featuring naked photos of the Minor Victim, which advertised the Minor Victim as, among other things, “Fetish Friendly.” In addition, during this time, CHISOLM filmed a video of the Minor Victim engaging in a sex act, which he told her he was planning to post online to expand her customer base. As early as their first conversation, CHISOLM was aware that the Minor Victim was 16 years old and frequently discussed with the Minor Victim the precautions that they would need to take as a result of the Minor Victim’s age. For example, CHISOLM told the Minor Victim, “We just have to move correct ma[.] Because of ya age feel me? Never let anyone know ya real age but me NOBODY.” CHISOLM also instructed the Minor Victim, “My rules is listen to me nd don’t tell nobody your real age nobody but daddy should know that.” * * * CHISOLM, 33, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; transportation of a minor for unlawful sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; sexual exploitation of a child, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; and two counts of receipt and distribution of child pornography, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the NYPD SVU Citywide Human Trafficking Squad and the Special Agents, Task Force Officers, the Digital Forensics Unit, and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in connection with this investigation. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in New York. This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Cohen and Meredith Foster are in charge of the prosecution. The charge contained in the Indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ^ As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.