Indira Patel An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to possessing a green card he illegally obtained by concealing that he had been charged with a war crime in Croatia prior to emigrating to the United States. According to court documents, Jugoslav Vidic, 55, of Parma Heights, in applying to become a lawful permanent resident of the United … Read more
WASHINGTON – An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to possessing a green card he illegally obtained by concealing that he had been charged with a war crime in Croatia prior to emigrating to the United States. According to court documents, Jugoslav Vidic, 55, of Parma Heights, in applying to become a lawful permanent resident of … Read more
Two more defendants have been charged for scamming Chinese investors out of more than $26 million, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. Stephen Wall, 65, and Saskya Bedoya, 42, were charged in a superseding indictment filed this week with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count … Read more
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nathan Hernandez, 20, of Yuma, pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl last week. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 25, 2024, before United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi. Hernandez admitted that on November 3, 2023, he entered the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry … Read more
BILLINGS — A federal jury on Dec. 12 convicted a Crow Agency man of sexually abusing two girls on the Crow Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. After a two-day trial that began on Dec. 11, the jury found Edwin Ivan Don’tMix, 59, guilty of abusive sexual contact of a child and abusive … Read more
SOUTH BEND – Martin Devalois, 40 years old, of Romeoville, Illinois, was found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a two-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. Devalois is scheduled for sentencing on March 29, … Read more
BANGOR, Maine: A Carroll Plantation man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records, in November 2022, a Maine State Police trooper arrested Jason Levasseur, 47, for a state probation revocation after recognizing Levasseur’s pickup truck at a gas station in Danforth. … Read more
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jeremy Espuma, 31, of Sells, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 248 months in prison for child exploitation offenses. Espuma, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, pleaded guilty to Child Exploitation by way of Production of Child Pornography on March 22, 2023. Upon release from … Read more
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon from St. Louis, Missouri to 15 years in prison after he was caught with a handgun. Doctavious Pegues, 39, pleaded guilty in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Oct. 7, 2021, St. … Read more
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Marysville, Washington man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for traveling to West Virginia to have sex with a child. Nathaniel James Davis, age 34, was sentenced today by Chief Judge Thomas Kleeh after having previously pled guilty to interstate travel with intent to engage in sexual … Read more
BOSTON – A Texas man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to threatening a Boston doctor who provided care for members of the transgender community. Matthew Jordan Lindner, 39, of Comfort, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transmission of threatening communication. Senior U.S. District Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for … Read more
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Rohan Conrad Campbell (49, Jamaica) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud offense and a consecutive minimum mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison for … Read more
CONCORD – A Boston, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Victor Cuevas Romero, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely, fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for … Read more
LAS VEGAS – An Arizona resident was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva to 135 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, Mateo Vailon-Ramirez, aka Juan De Dios Yuen Felix, 38, conspired with … Read more
TUCSON, Ariz. – Pilar Angel Leon-Beltran, 44, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 144 months in prison. Leon-Beltran pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime on March 22, 2023. … Read more
HONOLULU – Richard Ascencio, 52, of Wahiawa, Hawaii, was sentenced yesterday by Chief United States District Judge Derrick K. Watson to 42 months in prison and two years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Ascencio pled guilty to the charges on September 21, 2022. According … Read more
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton today sentenced Coury Robert Badnell (38, Oakland, FL) to 27 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Dalton previously sentenced Anthony Roberto Hutchinson (26, Orlando), Deandre Devante Levy (26, Orlando), and Jordan Brian Burgos (26, Orlando) to terms of imprisonment of 24 … Read more
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Edward Maxwell, age 44, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for fentanyl trafficking and unlawful firearm possession. According to court documents and statements made in court, Maxwell was selling fentanyl from his home. Investigators searched the property and found fentanyl and a pistol. … Read more
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Troy Allen Shirey, age 48, formerly of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to serve 40 months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised released based upon his previously entered … Read more
CONCORD – A Derry man pleaded guilty in federal court to possession with intent to distribute steroids and causing a drug to become misbranded after shipment in interstate commerce, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Ralph Cardarelli, 44, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute steroids and causing a drug to become misbranded … Read more
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The remaining defendants in a deadly fentanyl distribution network were sentenced to federal prison today for a variety of crimes including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, carrying firearms in furtherance of the distribution of fentanyl, and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death or serious bodily injury. A total of eleven defendants were … Read more
The Justice Department published two pieces of model legislation for states to consider to help address the continuing epidemic of gun violence affecting communities across the country. The model legislation is drawn from commonsense gun-safety statutes already on the books in a broad cross-section of states. First, the Department published model legislation to help states … Read more
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned nine unsealed Indictments charging 11 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. * Ravier Olivas-Valenzuela, age 32, … Read more
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the extradition of Afeez Akinloye, 42, a Nigerian national, from South Africa to the District of Nebraska on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and access device fraud filed in July 2018. The United States requested Akinloye’s extradition in November 2021, and South African authorities arrested him … Read more
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Anthony Charles Howe, Sr., age 60, of Oswego County, New York, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for failing to disclose his email address to the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services, as required by the Sex Offender Registration … Read more
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Gregory William Hill, age 39, of Georgia, whose many aliases include Gregory Allen Davis, Gregory William Davis, Gregory Davis Dutton, and John Martin Hill, was sentenced today to 45 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to misuse of a social security number and aggravated identity theft. United States Attorney Carla … Read more
LOS ANGELES – The former president and CEO of a Los Angeles-based anti-poverty nonprofit agency was sentenced today to six months in federal prison for embezzling money from the nonprofit for his personal benefit, failing to report these funds on his tax returns, and intentionally misapplying more than $600,000 in grant money to pay for … Read more
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 12, 2023 SAN DIEGO –Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez of Guatemala pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and his co-conspirators coordinated the smuggling of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Guatemala with an ultimate destination of the United States. Castillo-Hernandez was arrested on August 31, 2021, … Read more
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 12, 2023 SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Andre Maurice Chevalier pleaded guilty in federal court today to using unreasonable force on an individual who had applied for admission to the United States from Mexico. Chevalier admitted in his plea agreement that on April 23, 2022, while … Read more
WASHINGTON – Kevin Brown, 39, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of bias enhanced simple assault stemming from the October 6, 2020, attack at the Fort Totten Metro Station, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. … Read more
LOS ANGELES – FBI agents this morning arrested a West Los Angeles man who is one of two defendants charged in a federal grand jury indictment alleging a scheme that laundered at least $2 million in proceeds obtained from victims of grandparent scams who were defrauded with bogus claims that their relatives were in distress … Read more
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger today sentenced Anna Parsons (38, Poinciana) to 15 years in federal prison for fentanyl distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Parsons had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023. According to court documents, at approximately 1:00 a.m. on March 15, 2022, Parsons arrived at a … Read more
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Edward James Bess III (29, Fort Myers) to 33 years and 4 months in federal prison for carjacking causing serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and carjacking. The court also ordered Bess to forfeit the firearm … Read more
LOS ANGELES – An Inglewood man, who last year was granted compassionate release after serving 26 years in federal prison for armed robberies of armed couriers, was indicted today for allegedly robbing a Brinks courier at gunpoint in a bank parking lot in Westchester in August. Markham David Bond, 60, is charged in a three-count … Read more
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury today convicted an Arlington woman of illegally prescribing and distributing oxycodone pills, a controlled substance. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kirsten Van Steenberg Ball, 69, issued prescriptions for over one million oxycodone pills. Ball was a primary care physician who operated a medical practice out … Read more
Seattle – A 35-year 0ld Seattle man was convicted late Friday December 8, 2023, of abusive sexual contact on a flight from Paris to Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Milan Edward Jurkovic was convicted following a three-day jury trial. The jury deliberated about three hours before reaching its verdict. Jurkovic faces up … Read more
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal jury convicted three men yesterday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 … Read more
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Christopher Bruce Gooch, 46, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Robbery Affecting Commerce. U.S. Senior District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson imposed a sentence of 48 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of … Read more
The District Court for the Middle District of Florida permanently enjoined Tyrone Johnson and TJ Professional Services LLC yesterday from preparing federal income tax returns for others, from owning or operating any tax return business in the future and from transferring customer lists or other customer information. In issuing the injunction, the court accepted as … Read more
A federal jury in Norfolk, Virginia, convicted three men yesterday of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ronald Jenkins, 42, of Franklin, Virginia; Japree Brooks, 40, of Murfreesboro, North Carolina; and Malik Newsome, 30, of Ivor, Virginia, participated in three shootings in 2017 and 2019 … Read more
Today, as part of the Justice Department’s Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative, the Civil Rights Division hosted a virtual convening with law enforcement stakeholders to discuss their efforts to address language barriers in policing and build effective language access programs. The initiative, launched in December 2022, is a nationwide effort to assist law enforcement agencies … Read more
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CARLOS FERNANDEZ-BARRITOS, also known as “Ricardo Fernandez,” 30, a citizen of Mexico formerly residing in East Hartford, has been charged by indictment with illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported. As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on … Read more
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to a total of 10 years of imprisonment on his revocation of federal supervised release in connection with his violent conduct occurring in July of 2022, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy … Read more
A medical clinic office manager was sentenced today to seven years in prison for operating a pill mill clinic that unlawfully distributed over 600,000 opioid pills in exchange for cash. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Andres Martinez Jr., 30, of Laredo, Texas, was the office manager of Jomori Health and Wellness … Read more
ALBUQUERQUE – On December 5, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Albuquerque Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service, and City of Albuquerque’s Office of Equity and Inclusion convened a United Against … Read more
BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Terrence Talbot, 57, to time served followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $38,000. Talbot was in custody for nine months. … Read more
LONDON, Ky. – A Somerset, Ky., man, Dennie Smith, 50, was sentenced to 217 months on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Smith is the last of six defendants sentenced for their roles in … Read more
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christopher Travon Brown, 32, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation from Tulsa to a statutory maximum term of 120 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Brown was sentenced on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian … Read more
Good morning, Chair Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, and distinguished members of the committee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. In 2006, Congress established the National Security Division (NSD) to carry out the Justice Department’s mission of combating terrorism, espionage, and other threats to national security. Fighting terrorism remains a priority for us, but the … Read more
U.S. District Judge Terence C. Kern sentenced Jacob Nolan Jessup, 35, a citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation, to 71 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release. Jessup was indicted in October of 2022 and ultimately plead guilty to two separate counts for felon in possession of a firearm. Both counts included violations … Read more