title: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS OVER $6.3 MILLION TO THE LOUISIANA COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT

component: USAO - Louisiana, Middle

body_text: The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs has awarded $6,361,777 to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (“LCLE”) to provide resources to help Louisiana agencies combat the drug epidemic, violent crimes, and to strengthen the juvenile justice system, announced U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall. $5,894,572 was awarded through Bureau of Justice Assistance. The goal of the grants is to provide state and local government funding to enforce drug control laws, improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, and enhance funds for antiviolence programs, mental health courts and drug courts to fight the drug epidemic and violent crime. $467,205 was awarded through the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Program to support the state's ongoing efforts to maintain compliance with the core requirements, strengthen juvenile justice system improvements, and enhance services for youth and communities across Louisiana that promote public safety, reduce juvenile delinquency, and improve outcomes for youth in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. LCLE is a foundation located in Baton Rouge dedicated to improving the operations of the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems and to promoting public safety by providing progressive leadership and coordination within the criminal justice community. For more information about these awards, please contact the OJP Office of Communications at 202-307-0703 or OJP.OCOM@ojp.usdoj.gov .


title: Two Defendants Charged with Felony Murder, Child Abuse, Animal Cruelty

component: USAO - Georgia, Middle

body_text: MACON, Ga. — U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes today announced that a federal grand jury has returned an eight-count indictment charging a couple with allegedly starving their son to death and abusing their pets, causing the death of one of their dogs. The federal indictment in Case No. 4:26-CR-00011, filed on July 15, charges the following individuals: Emma Bradshaw, 22, of Carson City, Nevada, and Ladarrion McCray, 23, of Valdosta, Georgia, are both charged with one count of felony murder by child abuse; one count of cruelty to children in the first degree; one count of making false statements; one count of animal crushing; one count of aggravated animal cruelty; and two counts of animal cruelty. They each face a maximum of life in prison. The defendants will have their initial appearances at times determined by the Court. According to the indictment and statements made in court, the defendants are alleged to have willfully deprived their son of necessary sustenance between Jan. 14 and Jan. 28, which jeopardized the child’s health and well-being, resulting in the death of their child on Jan. 28. At the time of the alleged conduct, both defendants were residing in housing on Fort Benning. McCray was an active-duty soldier who had recently been transferred to Fort Benning. Bradshaw joined McCray on post shortly after his arrival. At the time Bradshaw arrived at Fort Benning, she was pregnant with their child. Bradshaw and McCray allegedly abused their three dogs, a female dachshund, a male hound, and a female doberman, by failing to provide adequate food, water, sanitary conditions, and ventilation. On Jan. 28, 2026, members of CID executed a search warrant at the residence the defendants shared on post. While executing that search warrant, they located two dogs, the male hound and female doberman, who appeared severely malnourished. The third dog, the dachshund, was located deceased in a trash barrel outside of the home. The two surviving animals were brought to an animal shelter on Fort Benning, where medical evaluation revealed they were experiencing severe malnourishment and significant muscle wasting. A necropsy was conducted on the dachshund, which concluded the animal died of starvation. Bradshaw and McCray are accused of lying to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division special agents by claiming their child showed no signs of illness before his death. They also allegedly told investigators that their Dachshund died from illness and was buried at a park off Fort Benning. However, the indictment alleges both knew their son was suffering from severe malnourishment prior to his death, and that the dog's remains were placed in a garbage bag and disposed of in the household trash near their residence. McCray is currently subject to discharge proceedings to remove him from military service as a result of the alleged conduct. The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case. Deputy Criminal Chief Veronica Hansis is prosecuting the case for the Government. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Nineteen Individuals Plead Guilty to Statewide Bank Fraud Conspiracy

component: USAO - Florida, Middle

body_text: Tampa, Florida– Nineteen individuals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. These individuals include Qornelious Campbell (33, Winter Haven), Kenneth Cole II (27, Winter Haven), Kenisha Coffer (27, Minneola), D’Andranika Crews (22, Lakeland), Ebony Fields (28, Winter Haven), Victoria Ferrer (24, Lakeland), Aaliyah Gotay-Woods (25, Bartow), Bre’asia Harris (28, Winter Haven), Jaun Hillman (53, Winter Haven), Keith Honors, Jr. (41, Lakeland), Kendrick Iles (22, Plant City), Arkuria Lewis (24, Lakeland), Deven Little (30, Lakeland), Josie Lopez (31, Haines City), Clarissa Morris (26, Lakeland), Tamiria Perry (29, Winter Haven), Tamaries Richardson (32, Bartow), Kalei Spicer (24, Live Oak), and Tyler Jacob (26, Winter Haven). Jacob also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, witness tampering, and destruction of evidence. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, in 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into a violent street gang known as the “Trap Boys,” who were operating throughout the Middle District of Florida. This investigation and subsequent arrests were predicated upon several retaliatory shootings between the Trap Boys and other violent street gangs. During these arrests, several members of the gang were found to be in possession of large quantities of checks, debit cards, financial statements, and identification cards in the names of third parties. Further investigation of these materials revealed that from at least July 2021, and continuing through November 2023, a group of individuals had engaged in a conspiracy to defraud banks, credit unions, individual persons, and various businesses throughout Florida, including Winter Haven, Auburndale, Riverview, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Tampa, and Miami. As part of this conspiracy, the co-conspirators stole checks from individuals and businesses. Using check writing software, the co-conspirators then altered those checks and created fictitious checks, changing the banks, businesses, and the check amounts. Using automated systems and online databases, the co-conspirators then learned of the banking information of various businesses, including their transaction history, account balances, check numbers and other information. Members of the conspiracy then recruited accomplices who provided members of this conspiracy with their own bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, debit cards, and their own individual bank account log credentials and passwords. The co-conspirators then deposited the fraudulently created checks at dozens of banks and credit unions throughout the Middle District of Florida. Over the course of this conspiracy, approximately 26 banks and more than 200 victims were defrauded, including insurance companies, law firms, construction companies, tile companies, auto shop businesses, public school districts, colleges, and state agencies. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.


title: Four-Time Deported Mexican National Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Reentry into the United States

body_text: Jacksonville, Florida – Miguel Reyes Estrada (43, Mexico) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jordan E. Pratt to 37 months in federal prison for illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Estrada pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, in 2021, after being deported three times, Estrada reentered the United States and was convicted of state drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. In 2022, Estrada was convicted in the Southern District of Florida for illegal reentry and was subsequently removed to Mexico in May 2023. On January 19, 2026, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that Estrada was back in the United States and in custody on an unrelated charge. Estrada was subsequently indicted for illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. This case was investigated by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard L. Lasseter. 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: Brooksville Man Found Guilty of Receiving, Distributing, and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Julian Russell Clawson (43, Tampa) guilty of receiving, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Clawson faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for each count of receiving and distributing CSAM, and a minimum of 10 years, up to 20 years, in prison for possessing CSAM. He faces enhanced penalties in this case and a violation of supervised release based on a previous conviction for possessing CSAM. His combined violation and sentencing hearing will be held at a future date. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Clawson traded CSAM on a social media application (app). He engaged in graphic sexual discussions around the abuse of minors in public groups on the app, as well as with two different undercover FBI agents from the Sarasota and Jacksonville offices. As part of Clawson’s direct messages with the FBI agents, he distributed CSAM to both undercover agents on multiple dates in April 2023. Through records obtained from the social media platform, the investigation revealed that Clawson also received CSAM through this application. In June 2023, a search warrant was executed for Clawson’s cellphone revealing that he possessed more than 250 images and videos of CSAM on his phone. This case was investigated by the FBI in Sarasota and Jacksonville, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hernando County Sherriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel. 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc.


title: Montgomery County Schoolteacher Sentenced to More Than  a Decade in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

component: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

body_text: Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland woman is headed to federal prison for more than 12 years in connection with a drug-trafficking transaction that left a victim dead. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Sarah Katherine Magid, 36, of Burtonsville, to 151 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Judge Xinis also ordered Magid to pay a restitution amount of $25,090, for costs associated with the victim’s burial. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division, and Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD). According to court documents, in March 2024, Magid distributed fentanyl that resulted in the death of a victim. During the investigation, law enforcement discovered text messages between Magid and the victim pertaining to distributing fentanyl. Specifically, a forensic analysis of the victim’s cell phone revealed a text conversation and subsequent meeting between Magid and the victim. The messages uncovered a drug transaction involving pills that were pressed to appear like oxycodone hydrochloride pills, but they actually contained fentanyl. After the meeting and transaction, the victim was found deceased. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia determined the victim died from fentanyl toxicity. Additionally, in July 2024, a complainant reported to law enforcement that Magid, a Montgomery County first-grade schoolteacher, exited her classroom to sell drugs to people outside of the school. Law enforcement subsequently identified text messages from Magid’s phone indicating that she dealt drugs during work hours. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA and MCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan S. McKoy and Elizabeth Wright who prosecuted this federal case. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md . # # #


title: Former Department of Education Employee Agrees to Pay  More Than $160,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

component: USAO - Maryland

body_text: Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, a former U.S. Department of Education employee agreed to pay a settlement in connection with federal False Claims Act violation allegations. Natayah Adams, 44, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, agreed to pay the United States $161,248.30 to resolve allegations that she submitted false claims to obtain three Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the settlement with Special Agent in Charge Jamila Davis, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Eastern Regional Office (ED-OIG). The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a federal law enacted in March 2020 — provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It gives financial assistance including forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses. Established by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA) — along with the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), helped businesses meet their financial obligations. In 2021, Adams submitted applications for three PPP loans in less than three months, each with a different lender. In total, Adams received $62,499.32 in PPP loans. The United States contends that in her loan applications, Adams knowingly made material misrepresentations. Among other things, Adams falsely claimed that her business — in which Adams resold jewelry purchased from another company on Etsy — brought in a gross income of $100,000.00. But Adams knew, the gross income of the business was less than $100,000.00. Additionally, Adams did not use the loans for the approved purposes listed on her applications. Instead, she diverted the money for personal use and to put toward a separate business. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ED-OIG for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Shea who handled this case. The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud . # # #


title: Rockland Congruity LLC Agrees to Pay $2.6 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan Fraud

component: USAO - Massachusetts

body_text: BOSTON – Rockland Congruity LLC (Rockland), a Delaware limited liability company with a principal place of business in Pembroke, Mass., has agreed to pay $2,687,700 to resolve allegations that it fraudulently obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was ineligible. Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and the Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP, which the Small Business Administration (SBA) administered. The PPP provided for loans in two “draws”—first draw loans became available in March 2020, and second draw loans became available in January 2021. To be eligible for PPP loans, businesses were required to certify on their loan applications that they met certain size standards based on, for example, the number of employees they, and their affiliated entities, collectively employed. In determining number of employees, businesses generally were required to count all employees of U.S. and foreign affiliates. Businesses with more than 300 employees were not eligible for second draw loans. As part of the settlement , Rockland admitted that, in March 2021, it received a $1,709,099 second draw PPP loan. Rockland certified that it was eligible for the loan under the PPP regulations in effect at the time of the application and represented on its application that it had 96 employees, including affiliates’ employees. Rockland later sought and received forgiveness of the full amount of that loan. Prior to 2021 and through 2022, Rockland was a subsidiary of Procurri Corporation Limited, a company with global operations. When it applied for the loan and when it applied for forgiveness, Rockland had more than 300 employees, when considering employees of Procurri, and was ineligible for the PPP loan. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.


title: Operators of Transnational Elder Fraud Scheme Plead Guilty

body_text: BOSTON – Four Dominican nationals have pleaded guilty, and another has been sentenced, for their roles in connection with a transnational “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. In total, the investigation identified over 400 victims with an average age of 84, including at least 50 in Massachusetts, and more than $5 million in losses. Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, 34; Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez, a/k/a “Paflow,” 34; Edward Jose Puello Garcia, 45; and Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, 27, have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and one count of money laundering conspiracy. The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024. They were arrested in August 2025 in the Dominican Republic at the request of the United States, extradited, and detained pending trial. A fifth defendant, Luis German Santos Burgos, 33, was sentenced on June 25, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the elder fraud operation. A sixth defendant, Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez Nuñez, 41, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy for his role in laundering scam proceeds from the United States to the Dominican Republic. According to the charging documents , the defendants, led by Castanos Garcia, ran a sophisticated “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren and other close family members were in trouble and needed money. Once the defendants obtained the money, they laundered their illicit proceeds back to the Dominican Republic. Castanos Garcia oversaw call centers in the Dominican Republic, where he employed co-conspirators who spoke English and carried out what are commonly known as “grandparent scams.” These scams would begin with an “Opener” employee, who would call victims and pretend to be a grandchild who was in an accident. Then, a “Closer” would allegedly follow up with another call, pretending to be the grandchild’s attorney, asking for a sum of money to pay for the grandchild’s attorney’s fees. Castanos Garcia ran these call center locations with the help of several managers, including Cruz Rodriguez and Puello Garcia, who supervised, instructed and paid the employees. Callers for Castanos Garcia’s call centers would instruct elderly victims to provide cash to “runners” in the United States, including Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon. Most often, the callers would instruct victims to give the packages with cash to rideshare drivers who were ordered to the victim’s house by a runner. Runners would then have the unsuspecting rideshare drivers deliver the packages to the runners at nearby locations. In some cases, the callers would direct the victims to ship packages of cash to specified addresses via mail or commercial carriers. Often times, the call center would call victims again and ask for additional funds for their grandchildren, sometimes two or three additional times. For example, callers would claim that there had been a “mix up” or that a “pregnant women’s baby was lost in the crash.” At times, co-conspirators would order unwitting rideshare drivers to drive the elderly victims to the bank to withdraw additional funds. Castanos Garcia directed the runners to deposit the victims’ money into bank accounts or deliver it to co-conspirators. The operators of the scheme relied on money launderers in the United States and the Dominican Republic, including Nuñez Nuñez, to transmit proceeds from victims in the United States to Castanos Garcia and others in the Dominican Republic. As alleged in the indictment, Nuñez Nuñez provided call center operators with access to bank accounts in the names of purported businesses, into which runners deposited scam proceeds. He also arranged for the runners to hand-deliver cash from victims to individuals in New York and elsewhere. Nuñez Nuñez then provided cash to the call center operators in the Dominican Republic. Santos Burgos ran another grandparent scam call center in the Dominican Republic and coordinated with Castanos Garcia to send U.S.-based runners to pick up scam proceeds for their respective operations. Members of the public who believe they may be victims of this case, or other elder fraud scams, should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Suspected fraud can also be reported on the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center . The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the loss to the victim. The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and law enforcement partners in the Dominican Republic. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ### ADDENDUM Defendant Alleged Role Charges Status Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, 34, of the Dominican Republic Call Center Operator Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody; pleaded guilty Joel Jose Cruz Rodriguez, a/k/a “Paflow,” 34, of the Dominican Republic Call Center Manager Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody; pleaded guilty Edward Jose Puello Garcia, 45, of the Dominican Republic Call Center Manager Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody; pleaded guilty Joan Manuel Mathilda Leon, 28, of the Dominican Republic and the Bronx, N.Y. Recruited and oversaw “runners”; runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody Luis German Santos Burgos, a/k/a “Mambo Flow,” 33, of the Dominican Republic and Dorchester, Mass. Call Center Affiliate Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. Sentenced to 48 months prison Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez Nuñez, 41, of the Dominican Republic Money Launderer Money laundering conspiracy. In custody; agreed to plead guilty Ransel Starlin Tavarez Jimenez, 27, of the Bronx, N.Y. Recruited and organized “runners”; runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. At-large Joel Francisco Mathilda Leon, 27, of the Bronx, N.Y. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody; pleaded guilty Andry Joel Baez Santana, 32, of the Bronx, N.Y. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody Jose Osvaldo Polanco Batista, a/k/a “Obbi,” 29, of Winter Park, Fla. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody Chaman Samael Silverio Balbuena, a/k/a “Chammy,” 31, of Defiance, Mo. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody Manuel Nicolas Rivera Cueto, 26, of Santa Clara, Cal. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. In custody Jose Arony Fermin Vasquez, a/k/a “Chiky,” 31, of N.J. Runner Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; and money laundering conspiracy. At-large


title: Labcorp Agrees to Pay $14.5 Million for Testing Fraud

body_text: BOSTON – Laboratory Corporation of America (Labcorp), a national diagnostics testing laboratory, has agreed to pay $14.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting medically unnecessary claims for urine drug testing (UDT) to Medicare for payment. Labcorp offered clients a testing panel called “Toxassure Comprehensive,” which contained both “Presumptive” and “Definitive” testing methods. Generally, Presumptive UDT detects the presence or absence of certain drug classes subject to thresholds, while Definitive UDT identifies individual substances and their concentrations, where applicable. Medicare pays a flat rate for laboratory-based Presumptive UDT, regardless of the number of drug classes tested, and Medicare pays a flat rate for 22 or more drug classes tested under the Definitive method. As part of the settlement announced today, Labcorp admitted and accepted responsibility for the following facts. From Jan. 1, 2018, through Nov. 22, 2023, Labcorp routinely submitted claims to Medicare for Presumptive and Definitive UDT, some of which it submitted pursuant to a testing panel that Labcorp marketed as “ToxAssure Comprehensive.” ToxAssure Comprehensive consisted of a preselected combination of Presumptive UDT for certain substances and direct-to-Definitive UDT (i.e., with no prior Presumptive test) for other substances. Labcorp ran many of these tests simultaneously for the same patient, on the same date of service, using the same urine sample, and billed Medicare with CPT code 80307 for the Presumptive UDT and HCPCS code G0483 for the Definitive UDT. In other words, Labcorp billed Medicare for both the all-inclusive Presumptive code and the highest-tier Definitive code each time it performed the ToxAssure Comprehensive panel. For several of the substances tested on a direct-to-Definitive basis, a Presumptive testing option existed but Labcorp performed its Definitive tests without first performing a Presumptive test to determine the necessity of Definitive testing for that substance. The government alleges that Labcorp’s conduct resulted in its billing Medicare for medically unnecessary UDT claims. “Today’s settlement reflects my Office’s enduring commitment to combatting healthcare fraud and recovering taxpayer money. Labcorp’s conduct resulted in Medicare payouts for unnecessary tests,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We will continue to hold accountable providers who engage in fraud, waste, and abuse.” “The government expects that any testing it pays for is medically necessary and not wasteful or structured in a way that maximizes billing opportunities for providers at the expense of the federal fisc,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold providers who do otherwise accountable.” “Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers should be able to trust that testing and billing practices are fair and appropriate,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “Today’s settlement makes clear that when providers put profits before patients and ignore billing rules, we will act decisively to hold them accountable” As part of the settlement, Labcorp represented that it ceased billing the combination of CPT code 80307 and HCPCS code G0483 for UDT using the ToxAsssure Comprehensive panel. Labcorp has been credited in this settlement under the Department of Justice’s guidelines for taking disclosure, cooperation and remediation into account in False Claims Act cases, Justice Manual §4-4.112. U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Shumate and Acting Deputy IG Bennett made today’s announcement. The case was handled by Civil Chief Abraham R. George along with Senior Counsel for Health Care Fraud Augustine Ripa of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Investigative support was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation


title: Cambridge Man Convicted of Drug and Gun Offenses

body_text: BOSTON – A previously convicted felon from Cambridge has been found guilty by a federal jury of possessing cocaine intended for distribution and unlawfully possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking while a convicted felon. Abdelouahab Adel, 26, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Oct. 20, 2026. Adel met and sold cocaine to a cooperating witness on Sept. 19, 2023 in Revere, Mass. After selling the cocaine, he was arrested with a Glock, Model 26, 9mm semiautomatic pistol and an additional quantity of cocaine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. As a person who had previously having been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, Adel was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Specifically, in 2018, Adel was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court for Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, among other charges. The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, to be served consecutively to the sentence for other crimes, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Massachusetts State Police; the Billerica and Lowell Police Departments; and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.


title: Kansas man indicted for child pornography distribution

component: USAO - Kansas

body_text: WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Colton Wiggins, 25, of Wichita is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography. In February 2026, Wiggins is accused of using a computer to distribute CSAM. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . OTHER INDICTMENTS Pedro Jose Lerma-Rivas, 37, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. Miguel Mendez-Cisneros, 52, an illegal alien from Mexico, was indicted on one count of possession of ammunition by an illegal alien and one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. Jose Cruz-Vasquez, 38, an illegal alien from Honduras, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry after deportation. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. 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: Oahu Man Pleads Guilty to Transferring Money to Iran in Violation of U.S. Sanctions

component: USAO - Hawaii

body_text: HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Arash Einolghozati, 37, of Waialua, Oahu, pled guilty on July 13, 2026 in federal court to transferring funds from the United States to Iran without a license, in violation of U.S. sanctions. Sentencing is set for October 29, 2026. According to court records, beginning as early as March 2017, and continuing until at least April 2022, Einolghozati engaged in multiple money transfers intended to move money from the United States to Iran. Einolghozati sent both government-issued currency and cryptocurrency from within the United States to recipients that he knew were in Iran or to recipients who would further transfer the funds to individuals in Iran. In each case, Einolghozati knew that it was unlawful to send the funds without a license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control but did so anyway. As described in the plea agreement, Einolghozati transferred more than $150,000 to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Einolghozati faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a period of supervised release of up to three years. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese is prosecuting the case.


title: Spokane Valley Man Arrested After a Joint FBI, DEA, Spokane Valley and Steven’s County Drug Trafficking Investigation

component: USAO - Washington, Eastern

body_text: Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on Friday July 10, 2026, Jack Alexander Gentry, 45, of Spokane Valley, was arrested after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with multiple counts of distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Gentry faces a ten-year mandatory minimum jail sentence based upon the quantities of drugs he has been alleged to have distributed. At the time of his arrest, agents located and seized 14 firearms one of which has been identified as a personally manufactured gun or ghost gun, countless rounds of ammunition, magazines, gun parts and approximately $28,000 in cash, as well as distribution amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. This case is being investigated by the FBI, the Spokane Valley Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office. Gentry is currently in federal custody pending resolution of his federal charges. This investigation 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 Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 2:26-CR-75-TOR


title: Arlington man sentenced to prison for sexually exploiting minors and attempting to destroy evidence

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 18 years and 10 months in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and destruction or removal of property to prevent search or seizure. According to court documents, from at least May 2023 through May 2025, Stephen Chadwick Howell, 25, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with at least three minor victims. Howell at times misrepresented his age, sent sexually explicit images of himself, and requested and received sexually explicit images. Howell met at least one minor victim with whom he engaged in sex and produced sexually explicit images and videos of the victim, which he later distributed to her. Howell sent money to a 16-year-old victim who sent sexually explicit images of herself that were later found on Howell’s cellphone. Between January 2023 and January 2024, Howell communicated online with an individual in Brooklyn, New York, about their shared interest in CSAM. Howell distributed sexually explicit images of minors to the individual and requested advice on grooming minors such as what age to represent himself to victims online. Howell asked the individual’s assistance rebuilding his CSAM collection after having deleted it. On May 7, 2025, the FBI executed a search warrant at Howell’s residence. When investigators arrived, however, Howell did not comply with orders to exit the residence. Instead, he retrieved two knives from the kitchen and barricaded himself in his bedroom, leading to a nine-hour standoff. During the standoff, Howell urinated on his laptop in an attempt to prevent the FBI from accessing its contents. Investigators were able to partially repair the laptop and recover sexually explicit images of minors. The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case. The FBI’s New York Field Office provided substantial assistance in the investigation of this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura D. Withers and Lauren Halper prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-235.


title: Bethlehem Man Sentenced for Election Fraud Offenses

body_text: PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Matthew Laiss, 32, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to three years of probation with the first six months on home confinement, a $6,000 fine, and $200 special assessment by United States District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. for election fraud offenses in connection with the 2020 presidential election. The defendant was charged by indictment in September of last year with one count of voting more than once in a federal election and one count of voter fraud. In March, he was convicted on both charges at trial. As detailed in court filings, from at least October 2012 until about August 2020, Laiss resided in, and was lawfully registered to vote in, Ottsville, Pennsylvania, a municipality located in Bucks County. In or around August 2020, Laiss moved his primary residence from Ottsville, Pennsylvania, to Frostproof, Florida. The same month, he applied for and obtained a Florida driver’s license and registered to vote in Florida. In or about October 2020, the Bucks County Board of Elections mailed a ballot for the November 2020 general election to the defendant’s former address in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, where Laiss’s parents continued to reside. As proven at trial, on or about October 31, 2020, Laiss filled out and returned the Pennsylvania mail-in ballot, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America. Then, on or about November 3, 2020, Laiss went to a polling location in or around Frostproof, Florida, and voted in the 2020 general election, casting a vote for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America. This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of State, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff.


title: Seminole County Resident Pleads Guilty To Illegally Possessing Firearm And Ammunition

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

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jeffery Ryan Black, age 29, of Wewoka, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Indictment charged Black with knowingly possessing one semi-automatic rifle, 65 rounds of ammunition, and three cartridge casings on January 23, 2026, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department. The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Black will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.


title: Owner Of Long Island Bus Company Sentenced to Prison for  Multi Million-Dollar Bank Fraud

component: USAO - New York, Eastern

body_text: Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, John B. Mensch, the owner and chief executive officer of a bus conglomerate based in Medford, Long Island, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury to 18 months in prison for bank fraud conspiracy. Judge Choudhury also ordered Mensch to pay restitution in the amount of $9,326,366.03. Mensch pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2024. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, New York Field Office (USSS), announced the sentence. “John Mensch kept a failing business afloat by manipulating the banking system and exploiting the trust that financial institutions place in their customers,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “By cycling worthless checks through multiple bank accounts, the defendant obtained millions of dollars in funds that did not exist, creating the illusion of financial stability while concealing the company’s insolvency. Today’s sentence should serve to warn fraudsters like the defendant that the loss of freedom and restitution to victims is the price of their crimes. This Office will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the financial system through sophisticated fraud schemes.” “John Mensch’s feedback loop of fraud stole more than nine million dollars and manipulated financial institutions to keep his bankrupt business afloat. The FBI continues to hold accountable fraudsters who abuse our economic system for personal enrichment,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. “This was not a victimless crime. It was a sophisticated scheme involving millions of dollars in fraudulent checks to benefit the defendant, while threatening the integrity of the banking system and harming his creditors, customers and employees,” stated USSS Special Agent in Charge McCool. “This sentencing should serve as a warning to other criminal fraudsters: We will catch you and you will be held accountable. Thanks to our partners in the New York law enforcement community and the Eastern District of New York for your collaboration in bringing justice in this case.” Mensch was the owner and operator of East End, a transportation company that provided busing services for students on Long Island and elsewhere. Between 2017 and September 2018, East End maintained numerous accounts—and was granted expedited check-clearing privileges—at banks located in Suffolk County, New York, and Orange County, New York. Those privileges allowed East End to obtain near-immediate access to the deposited funds before the underlying checks had cleared. Mensch and other East End executives abused those privileges by engaging in an elaborate “check-kiting” scheme, passing fraudulent checks between East End’s various accounts to keep East End operational despite being effectively insolvent. Specifically, Mensch and other East End executives drew checks on East End’s bank accounts at Financial Institution #1, despite those accounts containing insufficient funds to cover the checks. Those bad checks were then deposited into East End’s bank accounts at Financial Institution #2, which, unaware that the checks would eventually bounce, allowed East End immediate access to the funds. East End withdrew those funds to meet various financial obligations and then, before the checks bounced, conducted the same process in the reverse, drawing bad checks on its Financial Institution #2 accounts and depositing them into its Financial Institution #1 accounts to create the false impression that funds were available to cover the earlier checks. This circular flow of worthless checks continued, with the banks advancing East End non-existent funds for several months until the scheme was detected in September 2018. By that time, East End had obtained nearly $10 million dollars from Financial Institution #1 and Financial Institution #2, all of which it had spent while continuing to operate at a deficit. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division. Assistant United States Attorney Adam R. Toporovsky is in charge of the prosecution, with help from Paralegal Specialist Janelle Robinson. The Defendant : JOHN B. MENSCH Age: 55 Quogue, New York E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-334 (NJC)


title: Former Ship Captain Pleads Guilty to The Drugging and Sexual Assault at Sea of Merchant Marine Academy Student Cadet

body_text: Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, John Merrone pleaded guilty to all five counts of an indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact relating to the rape of a 21-year-old United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) student cadet (Jane Doe) working on a vessel under the command of the defendant. Merrone pleaded guilty after a jury was selected yesterday. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ramon E. Reyes. When sentenced, Merrone faces up to life in prison. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea. “The defendant today admitted abusing his authority as a ship captain to carry out a heinous sexual assault on a young woman, who was under his supervision, as she embarked on a career as a mariner,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “It is my hope that today’s guilty plea will give the survivor of this attack some measure of closure knowing that the defendant has been held accountable for his despicable conduct.” Mr. Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the United States Coast Guard for its investigative work on the case. “Former Captain John Merrone grossly violated his authority by drugging and raping a U.S. Merchant Marine cadet training aboard his ship. The FBI is dedicated to holding accountable those in trusted roles from heinously abusing the brave servicemembers protecting this country,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. In September 2019, Jane Doe was aboard a commercial vessel as part of her participation in the USMMA Sea Year Program where cadets study to be midshipmen and are assigned to a U.S.-flagged merchant vessel to obtain experience being a merchant mariner. The vessel was in the Atlantic Ocean bound for Corpus Christi, Texas. Merrone, then 47 years-old, was the highest-ranking official on the vessel. On September 9, 2019, Merrone summoned Jane Doe and another female cadet to his stateroom for a soda and poured each of them an alcoholic drink from an open bottle. Shortly after consuming the drinks, Jane Doe and the fellow student lost recollection of the remainder of the evening. Jane Doe awoke the next morning in her bed wearing only a shirt and bra, and no underwear or pants. She felt nauseous, had a headache and felt like someone had had sex with her. The next day, Merrone called Jane Doe to his stateroom and said that he had “fun last night” and asked her to do it again. Jane Doe told him that she did not recall what had happened, and Merrone told her “one thing led to another.” Jane Doe reported the sexual assault to her mother and a friend when she returned to the United States, and sought medical attention. She reported the attack to law enforcement in 2021. At his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that he knowingly gave Jane Doe an intoxicant without her knowledge or consent, and she became incapacitated. He then had sex with her without her consent. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Kayla Bensing and Rachel Bennek are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Emily Woodruff. The Defendant : JOHN MERRONE Age: 54 Hohenwald, Tennessee E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-171 (RER)


title: A‑Plus Management and Its Owner Agree to Pay $1M to Settle Alleged False Claims at Post for Office Repairs

component: Civil Division

body_text: RALEIGH, N.C. – A-Plus Management, LLC and its owner, Jared Chavis of Maxton, agreed to pay $1,000,000 to the U.S. government to resolve alleged false claims for overstated repairs at United States Postal Service (USPS) facilities. “This civil fraud settlement demonstrates our commitment to protect taxpayer money from dishonest contractors,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “Our office zealously pursues those who submit false invoices to wrongfully take government funds, whether large or small amounts.” This settlement arose from allegations that A-Plus and Jared Chavis falsely overstated labor, mischarged travel expenses, altered invoices, and failed to provide accurate documentation for repairs at USPS properties. The False Claims Act allows the Government to seek recovery of three times the money falsely obtained, plus substantial penalties for each false claim submitted. It should be noted that the civil claims resolved by settlement here are allegations only, that there has been no judicial determination or admission of liability, and that A-Plus and Jared Chavis deny these fraud allegations. “The USPS OIG will continue to aggressively investigate companies that engage in activities designed to defraud the Postal Service’s contracting process,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kevin Cloninger of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “This settlement demonstrates that our special agents, along with the United States Attorney’s Office, will pursue contractors that overcharge the government and enrich themselves at the expense of USPS customers.” The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is an independent oversight and law enforcement agency established under the Inspector General Act. Responsibilities include conducting investigations, detecting fraud, waste, and abuse. W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. This investigation came from the United States Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.


title: Cartel Partner Gets 30 Year Federal Sentence for Guns and Meth

body_text: NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced, Fernando Chaidez, 46, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. On April 1, 2026, a federal jury convicted Chaidez of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a firearm used to help selling drugs. On November 8, 2023, Customs and Border Enforcement intercepted a package coming from Guerrero, Mexico to Duplin County, North Carolina. The package contained flip‑flops with approximately 2.2 pounds of meth hidden inside the lining. A week later, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, HSI, and NCSBI carried out a controlled delivery of the package at the home of Stephen Darden in Duplin County. Darden accepted the package and they arrested him. Shortly after that, Chaidez arrived at Darden’s home, picked up the package, and they arrested him too. When they searched Chaidez’s car, they found meth and a garage door opener for his home in Wayne County. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, along with HSI, executed a search warrant where they found several cut open flip-flops that appeared to have previously contained drugs. They also found several firearms, including an AR‑15, a 5.7 semi‑automatic handgun, and a large 5.7‑caliber drum magazine. “Cartels spread evil from south of the border and destroy our communities in Eastern North Carolina. Drug thugs like this Big Shark Bad Boy pose a serious threat to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We will continue partnering with our local, state, and federal teams to shut down these operations, clean these villains off our streets, and protect our citizens. If you sell drugs, we will find you, prosecute you, and throw you in prison for a long time.” Chaidez had a page full of prior convictions for manufacturing and selling meth dating as far back as 2010. Chaidez spent time in prison until his release in 2022, but he went right back to selling drugs by distributing more than 154 pounds of meth from 2022 until the time of his federal arrest in 2023. Darden eventually received a sentence of three years and four months for his involvement. "The successful prosecution of Fernando Chaidez removes a significant quantity of methamphetamine and multiple firearms from our streets," said Mark M. Zito, special agent in charge of HSI Carolinas. "This investigation highlights the grave dangers posed by the illicit drug trade and the tenacity of our agents to hold offenders accountable. This sentence sends a clear message that Homeland Security Investigations will continue to relentlessly pursue those who attempt to profit from the distribution of poison in our neighborhoods." "This is the result of hard work and strong partnerships between every agency involved in this investigation. When we work together, we send a clear message that crime won't be tolerated in our communities. I'm grateful to everyone who worked on this case, and we'll continue working every day to keep Wayne County safe,” said Wayne County Sheriff Larry Pierce "This case is a great example of why strategic partnerships are so effective. HSI Wilmington brought federal resources, our SBI Coastal District agents brought the local knowledge, and the Duplin and Wayne County Sheriff's Offices were partners from day one. Four agencies, one case, one Cartel trafficker who was moving meth through eastern North Carolina and is now going to prison for 30 years. This is what great partnerships and outstanding teamwork does,” said SBI Director Chip Hawley. This prosecution is part of Operation Tsunami Rising which 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. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. HSI, Custom and Border Patrol Enforcement, FBI, Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and NCSBI investigated the case. A copy of this press release is located on our website . Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-CR-102-FL


title: New Orleans Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Methamphetamine and Committing Federal Firearms Offense

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LIONEL WINDING, JR. (“WINDING”) , age 21, was sentenced on July 14, 2026 by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $700 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to seven federal drug and gun offenses, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. WINDING was sentenced for his convictions that included, one count of conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846; two counts of distributing various quantities of fentanyl, two counts of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), (b)(1)(C), and (b)(1)(D); and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). According to court documents, over the course of five transactions between November 2024 and January 2025, WINDING, and his co-conspirators, sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, and firearms to individuals he believed to be legitimate purchasers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. WINDING was personally armed with a handgun during two of those transactions. WINDING was arrested on January 30, 2025. Law enforcement officers searched the motel room where he was staying and recovered cocaine and marijuana that WINDING intended to sell, and a Glock Model 22 firearm equipped with a drum magazine that was loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition. 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. ` The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution. ***


title: Honduran Alien Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Illegal Entry into the United States

component: USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

body_text: NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA – EZEQUIEL LARA-REYES (“LARA-REYES”) , age 28, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on July 15, 2026 to time served by U.S District Judge Lance M. Africk after previously pleading guilty to illegal entry into the United States, and avoidance of examination and inspection by U.S. immigration officials, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1325(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to court documents, in 2018, LARA-REYES, an illegal alien, failed to appear for his required immigration check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On September 12, 2018, ICE determined that LARA-REYES had absconded from the Alternative-To-Detention program and, as such, was subject to Expedited Removal from the United States. On April 15, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers located LARA-REYES in a vehicle in Tangipahoa Parish. Officers attempted to arrest LARA-REYES, but the vehicle drove off, after which he eventually barricaded himself inside a trailer for over 13 hours. Immigration enforcement officers then acquired a criminal Complaint and Search Warrant and entered the trailer and arrested LARA-REYES . This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters, of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution. * * *


title: Gulfport Man Guilty of Travelling for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minors

body_text: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DUSTIN LEE SEITZ (“SEITZ”) , age 40, of Gulfport, Mississippi, plead guilty today to travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to the bill of information, beginning on or about March 2, 2026, and culminating on or about March 4, 2026, SEITZ travelled by car from Gulfport, Mississippi, to Mandeville, Louisiana, for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with an individual that SEITZ believed to be a fifteen-year-old female. SEITZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) years, at least five (5) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. SEITZ may also be required to register as a sex offender. U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion set SEITZ ‘s sentencing for October 20, 2026. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn McHugh of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution. * * *


title: Washington State Man Sentenced in D.C. for Distribution of Child Pornography

body_text: WASHINGTON – James Davis, 36, of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “James Davis exploited online anonymity to engage in the abuse of children and to seek out other predators,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When investigators closed in, he attempted to destroy evidence rather than take responsibility. This office will continue to track down offenders who believe they can hide behind digital shadows.” Davis, who used the online screen name “Ulphednar,” pleaded guilty on Jan. 7, 2026, before Judge Amir H. Ali to distribution of child pornography. In addition to the five-year prison sentence, Judge Ali ordered Davis to serve 10 years of supervised release. According to court papers, the investigation began when a law enforcement officer, working in an undercover capacity for the Metropolitan Police Department-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, encountered Davis on a website used to trade child sexual abuse material. Davis began exchanging messages with the undercover officer and later continued the conversation on a messaging application. During those exchanges, Davis said he had sexually abused a minor over a period of years and sent images depicting the abuse. Davis exchanged similar material with other users of the messaging application and discussed a shared sexual interest in children. On April 11, 2025, the FBI executed a search warrant at Davis’s residence. As agents arrived, Davis attempted to destroy a cellphone that contained evidence of the offense. Davis later waived his Miranda rights and admitted to trading child sexual abuse material online. The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation Task Force, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Seattle Field Office. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov . 25cr132 Follow us on X , Instagram , and YouTube Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Maryland Felon Pleads Guilty in D.C. to Illegal Possession of Firearm

body_text: WASHINGTON – Joseph Thompson, 37, a previously convicted felon residing in Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. Thompson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. Judge Mehta scheduled sentencing for Nov. 18, 2026. According to court papers, on March 7, 2025, members of the Metropolitan Police Department's Robbery Suppression Unit were on patrol in the 4600 block of Livingston Road SE when they saw Thompson standing outside the South Capitol Liquor Store. As officers approached, Thompson abruptly ended a conversation and entered the store. An officer addressed Thompson and noticed a heavy, rectangular object in Thompson's jacket pocket after his unzipped coat shifted open. As another officer remarked to Thompson that his pocket looked heavy, Thompson broke into a sprint. Officers chased him and during the pursuit Thompson tossed a firearm into the street. Officers recovered a loaded .45-caliber pistol with one round in the chamber and 13 additional rounds in the magazine. The firearm was not registered in the District, and Thompson did not have a concealed carry permit. Thompson has a previous 2017 felony conviction out of Arlington County, Virginia, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison, therefore making it unlawful for him to possess any firearm. The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Office. The matter was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole. Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump's Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators. 25cr72 Follow us on X , Instagram , and YouTube Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc


title: Former Adviser to Federal Reserve Board of Governors Sentenced to Federal Prison Term

body_text: WASHINGTON – John Harold Rogers, 64, a former senior adviser for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (FRB), was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 38 months in federal prison in connection with making false statements to federal investigators about sharing restricted Federal Reserve information with Chinese intelligence operatives, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “John Rogers spent years secretly funneling sensitive Federal Reserve information to Chinese spies, then looked investigators in the eye and lied about it. And when that wasn’t enough, he lied again under oath at trial,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Federal Reserve employees entrusted with America’s most sensitive economic information cannot sell out their country and their colleagues for personal gain and then expect to hide behind a single word.” A federal jury deliberated for two days before finding Rogers guilty on February 3 of making false statements to government investigators at the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In addition to the 38-month prison sentence, Judge Dabney Friedrich ordered Rogers to serve 12 months of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 60-month prison term. “John Rogers deliberately lied to our investigators to conceal the fact he shared restricted non-public Federal Reserve information with intelligence agents working for China,” said Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that those who mislead and obstruct federal agents will be brought to justice. I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our agents, and our federal law enforcement partners for their hard work and persistence, which led to this result.” “While holding a position of trust, Rogers repeatedly violated Federal Reserve information security policies by taking sensitive, nonpublic information and sending it to himself, while he was in China, and to others affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel Wierzbicki of the Washington Field Office's Counterintelligence and Cyber Division. “Rogers then lied to federal agents about these disclosures. His sentencing underscores the shared commitment of the FBI and the Federal Reserve Board Office of Inspector General to pursue anyone who endangers U.S. economic and national security by passing confidential information to an adversarial government.” Rogers, of Vienna, Virginia, is a U.S. citizen who holds a Ph.D. in economics. According to court papers, Rogers served for decades as a Senior Advisor at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, where he had access to restricted, nonpublic information about monetary policy and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). From 2010 until 2021, Rogers worked as a senior adviser in FRB’s Division of International Finance where he was entrusted with confidential FRB information. Beginning in 2017, Rogers developed a clandestine relationship with Hummin Lee, a Chinese intelligence operative, whom he met at a conference in China. Over the following years, Rogers met Lee and associates in hotel rooms in China under the guise of teaching academic “classes,” using the sessions to convey Federal Reserve information that Lee had specifically tasked him to collect. Rogers printed restricted documents to bring on a trip to China, stripped classification markings from materials before emailing them to his personal account, and forwarded sensitive information to a professor at Fudan University, a Chinese state-run institution, days before meeting Lee. Rogers understood that Lee was writing reports for the Chinese government using the information he provided, and knew China could use advance knowledge of Federal Reserve interest rate decisions to generate enormous profits trading its roughly $1.5 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities. In exchange, Rogers received help with his new wife, university professorships, and substantial financial benefits from Lee and Chinese universities. He told investigators he “owed everything” to Hummin Lee. On Feb. 4, 2020, Rogers agreed to be interviewed by investigators from the Federal Reserve’s Office of Inspector General. When asked directly whether he had ever shared restricted Federal Reserve information outside the Board, he answered: “Never.” The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Federal Reserve Board Office of Inspector General. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Barry and Jocelyn Ballantine, Trial Attorneys Nicholas O. Hunter and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division, and Paralegal Specialist Derra McQuaig of the National Security Division. 25cr33


title: Two TD Bank Insiders Sentenced to Prison for Facilitating Money Laundering, Fraud

component: Criminal Division

body_text: A New York-based former employee of TD Bank, N.A. was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for facilitating a money laundering network’s movement of millions of dollars through TD Bank accounts. A second New York-based former employee of TD Bank, N.A. and another financial institution was sentenced yesterday to 24 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and making false bank entries or reports as a bank employee. According to court documents, Wilfredo Aquino, 47, of Manhattan, New York, leveraged his position as a TD Bank assistant store manager to facilitate a money laundering network’s movement of hundreds of millions of dollars through TD Bank accounts from 2019 to February 2021. During that time, the leader of the network, Da Ying Sze, also known as David, and his co-conspirators moved approximately $474 million through TD Bank accounts by depositing cash at TD Bank stores in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere. In February 2022, David pleaded guilty to coordinating a $653 million money laundering conspiracy, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and bribing bank employees in connection with financial transactions. During David’s money laundering scheme, Aquino processed approximately 1,680 official bank checks at TD Bank for David and his co-conspirators, totaling more than approximately $92 million. Nearly all of these bank checks were funded with a corresponding cash deposit exceeding $10,000, which triggered TD Bank’s legal requirement to file a currency transaction report (CTR). Although Aquino knew that David was conducting these cash deposits, Aquino never identified David as the “conductor” on the CTR. Aquino also knew that TD Bank had closed other accounts linked to David for suspicious activity; one colleague even warned Aquino that David’s activity “looks like money laundering.” In February 2021, Aquino facilitated three of David’s money laundering transactions, totaling almost $2 million in cash, in a third party’s account. He failed to report David as the conductor of the transactions, thus concealing David’s role in the money laundering scheme. Aquino accepted numerous retail gift cards from David totaling over $11,000 in return for his facilitation of this scheme, including for the three transactions in February 2021. In January 2026, Aquino pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments. According to court documents, from January 2021 through May 2021, Edward Low, also known as “a Mang Wah Low” and “Eddie Low,” 31, of Flushing, New York, accepted bribes and leveraged his position as a TD Bank, N.A. retail employee to fraudulently obtain confidential customer information that he passed to outside co-conspirators, who used it to take over accounts and steal money from customers. Low also processed some of their illicit transactions. In total, Low received at least $26,700 in bribes and facilitated $484,572.16 in fraud at TD Bank. Then, from May 2022 through August 2022, while employed at another financial institution, Low accepted a bribe to falsify bank records to open an account in the name of a shell company. Low’s co-conspirators then used that account to commit at least $47,195 of fraud. In February 2026, Low pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and making false bank entries or reports as a bank employee. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey; Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) New York Region made the announcement. The IRS-CI Newark Field Office and the FDIC OIG New York Region investigated the cases. The Department also thanks the Morristown Police Department for its assistance with the investigation. Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of New Jersey, prosecuted the case. The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations. MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.


title: Redi-Bag USA and CEO Agree to Pay $7.3M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Evaded Customs Duties

body_text: New York Packaging II LLC doing business as Redi-Bag USA, a New York-based supplier of custom bags, liners, and packaging, along with the company’s CEO, Jeffrey Rabiea, have agreed to pay a total of $7.3 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by misrepresenting on customs entry forms the country of origin of polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs), thereby evading antidumping duties owed to the United States. “Companies that benefit from access to U.S. markets must follow U.S. law, including by paying import duties that protect American manufacturers and workers from unfair foreign competition,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will hold accountable those who evade duties owed to the United States.” “Antidumping duties help protect American taxpayers, workers, and businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “This settlement agreement shows that our Office will continue to vigorously investigate and pursue allegations that businesses are evading those duties through unlawful conduct.” “CBP ensures that all companies comply with U.S. customs and trade laws,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott. “With this settlement, we are protecting the integrity of our nation’s borders and holding those who attempt to evade customs duties accountable. We continue to work closely with our partners to safeguard fair trade and support lawful commerce.” To enter goods into the United States, an importer must declare, among other things, the country of origin of the goods, the value of the goods, whether the goods are subject to duties, and the amount of duties owed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collects applicable duties, including antidumping duties assessed by the Department of Commerce. Antidumping duties protect against foreign companies “dumping” products on U.S. markets at prices below cost. During the relevant time period, PRCBs from the People’s Republic of China (China) were subject to antidumping duties. The settlement resolves allegations that Redi-Bag USA and Mr. Rabiea knew that PRCBs they imported and supplied to customers across the United States were manufactured in China and transshipped through Hong Kong. Redi-Bag USA and Mr. Rabiea nevertheless misrepresented on customs entry forms that the country of origin of the PRCBs was Hong Kong, thus evading antidumping duties assessed by the United States under Antidumping Duty Order No. A-570-886 (ADD Order). When applicable, the ADD Order imposed an antidumping duty of up to 77.57% on the value of PRCBs manufactured in China and imported into the United States. The United States alleged that Redi-Bag USA and Mr. Rabiea concealed the PRCBs’ true country of origin by hiding information from others, including the company’s customs broker and CBP, by directing employees to cover up “Made in China” markings, directing the manufacturer to remove “Made in China” markings, and directing the cancelation of orders after learning the orders would be inspected by customs authorities. The settlement with Redi-Bag USA and Mr. Rabiea resolves a civil lawsuit filed by relator John Maierhoffer, a former contracted sales representative for Redi-Bag USA, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and is captioned United States ex rel. Maierhoffer v. New York Packaging II LLC, et al. , Civil No. 21-20170 (D.N.J.). As part of today’s resolution, Mr. Maierhoffer will receive approximately $1,332,250 of the settlement proceeds. This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division. In 2025, the Department of Justice launched a cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force to enhance efforts to combat and prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force augments existing coordination mechanisms within the Department of Justice, leveraging expertise from both the Civil and Criminal Divisions, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, to aggressively pursue enforcement actions against any parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Department’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here . The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, with assistance from CBP’s Office of Associate Chief Counsel, New York, Northeast Region; CBP’s Office of Trade, Trade Regulatory Audit; and CBP’s Industrial & Manufacturing Materials Center, Office of Field Operations. Trial Attorney Gavin Thole of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Simunovich for the District of New Jersey handled the case. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.


title: Promoter of Abusive Tax Shelter Indicted for Tax Crimes and for Retaliating Against Federal Officials

component: National Fraud Enforcement Division

body_text: An indictment was unsealed on Monday in the Eastern District of Texas charging a Texas man with various tax crimes related to the use, promotion, and sale of an abusive tax shelter. He was also charged with filing false retaliatory liens against federal officials. According to the indictment, Roger Napoleon Grant of Plano, Texas, used an abusive trust tax shelter to conceal his income from the IRS. He also allegedly promoted and sold this tax shelter to others. The tax shelter allegedly consisted of a multi-tiered trust structure typically consisting of at least two sham trusts and a purported charitable foundation. Grant allegedly told his clients that by implementing this structure, any income assigned to the trusts would be tax free. The indictment alleges that Grant typically charged clients between $12,500 to $50,000 to purchase the abusive trust tax shelter from him. For the years 2017 through 2022, Grant allegedly assigned income he earned from promoting this tax shelter to a purported business trust. Though Grant reported about $80,521 in total income between 2017 and 2022, he received millions into a bank account held in the name of the purported business trust during that period. Grant had exclusive authority over this account, which he routinely used to pay for his personal expenses. Grant was allegedly responsible for preparing and distributing the purported trust and foundation instruments for clients and providing clients with information and ongoing support related to their use of the tax shelter. Grant allegedly assured his clients that despite this reassignment of income, the clients’ business operations would not change and that his clients, as trustees, would retain complete control over their businesses and the income that their businesses generated. Grant allegedly knew that the deductions reported on both his and his client’s trust tax returns were fraudulent and used to conceal his and his clients’ true income from the IRS. In April 2025, Grant learned about the criminal investigation against him. According to the indictment, Grant retaliated by filing false liens against government officials, including the Attorney General of the United States, the Acting IRS Commissioner, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, the Clerk of Court for the District of Colorado, and an attorney with the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Grant is charged with five counts of tax evasion, 10 counts of aiding and assisting the filing of false income tax returns, and 10 counts of filing false retaliatory liens. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each tax evasion count, three years in prison for each count of aiding and assisting in the filing of false income tax returns, and 10 years in prison for each count of filing false retaliatory liens. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs of the Eastern District of Texas made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Boris Bourget and Trial Attorney Lauren K. Pope of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 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.