COLUMBUS, OH — A Columbus man was sentenced on July 1 to three consecutive life sentences plus 60 additional months in federal prison for murdering three people as part of…
NEWARK, N.J. — Twenty-four individuals connected to the Bloods-affiliated gang “Sex, Money, Murder” were charged Wednesday with narcotics and firearms offenses following a 14-month federal investigation into drug trafficking at…
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Eight individuals have been indicted in Brooklyn on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges involving four minors and one adult victim, following a multi-state investigation into an alleged…
NEWARK, N.J. — A Paterson man admitted in federal court to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and possessing the drug with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Habba announced Tuesday. Angelo Restituyo-Garcia,…
TRENTON, NJ — A former Mount Arlington councilman admitted Thursday to accepting a $7,000 cash bribe in exchange for backing an attorney’s reappointment as municipal counsel, New Jersey Attorney General…
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Eight individuals have been indicted on charges related to a multi-state sex trafficking operation that allegedly involved the trafficking of four minors and one adult woman between…
A federal jury in Boston convicted former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Gary Cederquist on Thursday for orchestrating a years-long scheme to fraudulently pass dozens of unqualified commercial driver’s license (CDL)…
TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two Ocean County residents were arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with a child pornography distribution and manufacturing conspiracy, following a multi-agency investigation that began with…
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal narcotics conspiracy charges for selling fentanyl and crack cocaine alongside his brother during a two-month operation in 2023. Key…
State Department Employee Arrested for Alleged Information Conspiracy
**Washington, D.C.** – Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old resident of Alexandria, Virginia, has been arrested on charges linked to an alleged conspiracy involving national defense information.
Court documents reveal Schena worked for the U.S. Department of State at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., holding a top secret security clearance. Starting around April 2022, he purportedly shared unauthorized information with individuals met online, receiving payments in return. On February 27, he supposedly used a cellphone to photograph documents labeled “SECRET” from his classified computer monitor and subsequently returned home, where his cellphone was confiscated.
Facing charges of conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information, Schena could receive a prison sentence of up to 10 years. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with support from the FBI Richmond Field Office and other agencies. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale, alongside Trial Attorney Maria Fedor from the National Security Division.
Former Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Attempted Attack
**Chicago, IL** – In a significant development, former Navy sailor Xuanyu Harry Pang has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Chicago to plotting an attack on Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois, on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The plea was entered on Tuesday in a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and subsequently unsealed.
Court documents reveal that in the summer of 2021, Pang engaged with a person in Colombia about collaborating with Iranian actors to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC Quds Force general killed by the U.S. military in 2020. The FBI, through a covert employee posing as a Quds Force affiliate, initiated contact with the Colombian individual, ultimately connecting with Pang.
The communications focused on potential targets, including Naval Station Great Lakes and other locations in Chicago. In fall 2022, Pang met with an FBI associate, providing photos, videos of the Naval Station, two U.S. military uniforms, and a cell phone intended for use as a detonator test.
Pang remains in custody without bond and awaits sentencing, facing a maximum
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for his role in a multi-state wire fraud conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the…
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jasmin Osteen, a 27-year-old resident of Jamestown, New York, has been sentenced to 144 months in prison for her part in a sex trafficking scheme that exploited…
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Fourteen alleged members of the 59 Brims and Bloodhound Brims gangs have been indicted on charges including murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy in connection with a series…
ALBANY, N.Y. — A Virginia woman pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud for her role in a nationwide scheme that used stolen identities to steal millions from…
TRENTON, N.J. – Florence Ndubizu, 64, a former pharmacist from Princeton Junction, New Jersey, was found guilty on Wednesday for her role in a conspiracy to unlawfully distribute large quantities…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A 55-year-old Great Falls woman admitted Monday to her role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that spanned over four years, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced. Melissa…
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A federal jury has convicted Peter Gerace, the 57-year-old owner of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club, on charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, bribery, sex trafficking conspiracy,…
TRENTON, N.J. — He was once a loyal Trump insider, now this former New Jersey Governor is looking from the outside, in and trying to throw whatever he can at…
TRENTON, N.J. — Amid mounting concerns over mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state has deployed advanced federal equipment to monitor and identify unmanned…
NEWARK, N.J. – Two brothers were re-sentenced to 360 months in prison for committing two violent armed bank robberies and conspiring to rob an armored car in 1997 and 1998,…
MENDHAM TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has confirmed a drone sighting over his home in Mendham, adding a new layer of intrigue to the wave of…
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is urging the Biden administration to dedicate more federal resources to investigating a series of unexplained drone sightings in New Jersey and…
QUEENS, N.Y. — Eleven alleged members of two violent street gang subsets have been indicted on charges including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and reckless endangerment following a three-and-a-half-year…
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Jamar Deontae Barnes, 42, of Stockton, admitted Tuesday to his role in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs, U.S. Attorney Phillip…