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Category: Intelligence Agencies

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Announces Arrest of Prolific Chinese State-Sponsored Contract Hacker

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    China’s Ministry of State Security Directed the Theft of COVID-19 Research and the Exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities, Known Publicly as the Indiscriminate ‘HAFNIUM’ Intrusion Campaign

    The Justice Department announced today that Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 33, of the People’s Republic of China was arrested on July 3 in Italy at the request of the United States. Xu and his co-defendant, PRC national Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, are charged in a nine-count indictment, unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas, for their involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the indiscriminate HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, and will face extradition proceedings.

    According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Xu worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. (Powerock). Powerock was one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government.

    “This arrest underscores the United States’ patient and tireless commitment to pursuing hackers who seek to steal information belonging to U.S. companies and universities,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. “The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions.”

    “The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas has been waiting years to bring Xu to justice and that day is nearly at hand. As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget.”

    “In February 2020, as the world entered a pandemic, Xu Zewei and other cyber actors working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeted American universities to steal groundbreaking COVID-19 research. The following year, these same actors, operating as a group publicly known as HAFNIUM, exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in U.S. systems to steal additional research,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of FBI’s Cyber Division. “Through HAFNIUM, the CCP targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, successfully victimizing more than 12,700 in order to steal sensitive information. This arrest, carried out with our Italian law enforcement partners, demonstrates the FBI’s relentless commitment to holding CCP-sponsored hackers accountable for their crimes.” 

    According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university. Xu later confirmed for the SSSB officer that he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes.

    Beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely-used Microsoft product for sending, receiving, and storing email messages. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.” In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. Throughout March 2021, Microsoft and other industry partners released detection tools, patches, and other information to assist victim entities in identifying and mitigating this cyber incident. Additionally, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a Joint Advisory on Compromise of Microsoft Exchange Server on March 10, 2021. However, by the end of March 2021, hundreds of web shells remained on certain U.S.-based computers running Microsoft Exchange Server software. In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States made vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors. In July 2021, the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS.

    Among the victims of Xu’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were another university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. These web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions, under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the other university’s network. Later, on or about Feb. 28, 2021, Xu updated a SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer. Unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms included “Chinese sources,” “MSS,” and “HongKong.”

    The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach results in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third parties.

    Xu is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count; conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud, and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Zhang Yu, remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

    The FBI’s Houston Field Office is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McIntyre and John Marck for the Southern District of Texas and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extradition.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Arrest of Prolific Chinese State-Sponsored Contract Hacker

    Source: United States Attorneys General 2

    China’s Ministry of State Security Directed the Theft of COVID-19 Research and the Exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities, Known Publicly as the Indiscriminate ‘HAFNIUM’ Intrusion Campaign

    The Justice Department announced today that Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 33, of the People’s Republic of China was arrested on July 3 in Italy at the request of the United States. Xu and his co-defendant, PRC national Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, are charged in a nine-count indictment, unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas, for their involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the indiscriminate HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, and will face extradition proceedings.

    According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Xu worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. (Powerock). Powerock was one of many “enabling” companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government.

    “This arrest underscores the United States’ patient and tireless commitment to pursuing hackers who seek to steal information belonging to U.S. companies and universities,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division. “The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions.”

    “The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins,” said Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “The Southern District of Texas has been waiting years to bring Xu to justice and that day is nearly at hand. As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget.”

    “In February 2020, as the world entered a pandemic, Xu Zewei and other cyber actors working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeted American universities to steal groundbreaking COVID-19 research. The following year, these same actors, operating as a group publicly known as HAFNIUM, exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in U.S. systems to steal additional research,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of FBI’s Cyber Division. “Through HAFNIUM, the CCP targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, successfully victimizing more than 12,700 in order to steal sensitive information. This arrest, carried out with our Italian law enforcement partners, demonstrates the FBI’s relentless commitment to holding CCP-sponsored hackers accountable for their crimes.” 

    According to court documents, in early 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. Xu and others reported their activities to officers in the SSSB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, on or about Feb. 19, 2020, Xu provided an SSSB officer with confirmation that he had compromised the network of a research university located in the Southern District of Texas. On or about Feb. 22, 2020, the SSSB officer directed Xu to target and access specific email accounts (mailboxes) belonging to virologists and immunologists engaged in COVID-19 research for the university. Xu later confirmed for the SSSB officer that he acquired the contents of the researchers’ mailboxes.

    Beginning in late 2020, Xu and his co-conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely-used Microsoft product for sending, receiving, and storing email messages. Their exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server was at the forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide and known publicly as “HAFNIUM.” In March 2021, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state-sponsored hackers operating out of China. Throughout March 2021, Microsoft and other industry partners released detection tools, patches, and other information to assist victim entities in identifying and mitigating this cyber incident. Additionally, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a Joint Advisory on Compromise of Microsoft Exchange Server on March 10, 2021. However, by the end of March 2021, hundreds of web shells remained on certain U.S.-based computers running Microsoft Exchange Server software. In April 2021, the Justice Department announced a court-authorized operation to remediate hundreds of computers in the United States made vulnerable by HAFNIUM actors. In July 2021, the United States and foreign partners attributed the HAFNIUM campaign to the PRC’s MSS.

    Among the victims of Xu’s exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server were another university located in the Southern District of Texas and a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, D.C. After exploiting computers running Microsoft Exchange Server, Xu and his co-conspirators installed web shells on them to enable their remote administration. These web shells were specific to HAFNIUM actors at the time. As with the earlier COVID-19 research intrusions, Xu and Zhang worked together on the HAFNIUM intrusions, under the supervision and direction of SSSB officers. For example, on or about Jan. 30, 2021, Xu confirmed to Zhang that he had compromised the other university’s network. Later, on or about Feb. 28, 2021, Xu updated a SSSB officer on his successful intrusions. This SSSB officer then directed Xu to obtain a list of other, successful intrusions from a second SSSB officer. Unauthorized access to the law firm’s network allowed Xu and his co-conspirators to steal information from mailboxes and search them for information regarding specific U.S. policy makers and government agencies. Their search terms included “Chinese sources,” “MSS,” and “HongKong.”

    The announcement of charges against Xu is the latest describing the PRC’s use of an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured the PRC government’s involvement. Operating from their safe haven and motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government. This largely indiscriminate approach results in more victims in the United States and elsewhere, more systems worldwide left vulnerable to future exploitation by third parties, and more stolen information, often of no interest to the PRC government and, therefore, sold to other third parties.

    Xu is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count; conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud, and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Zhang Yu, remains at large. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

    The FBI’s Houston Field Office is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark McIntyre and John Marck for the Southern District of Texas and Deputy Chief Matthew Anzaldi of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extradition.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Unsealed Indictment Charges Three Men with Stealing Dozens of High-End and Luxury Vehicles Worth Over $5 Million

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three Charlotte men are facing federal charges for conspiring to steal and transport across state lines dozens of luxury and high-end vehicles worth well over $5 million, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A criminal indictment was filed in June and unsealed today in federal court.

    Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

    Aquanzae Jamal Switzer, 24, Da’Quante Antwone Banks, 24, and Trajan Dakiel Mack, 26, all of Charlotte, are charged with conspiracy to transport, possess, and sell stolen vehicles in interstate commerce, possession of a stolen vehicle, and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.

    “This multi-state automobile theft ring was organized and sophisticated,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Organized crime has no place in the Western District of North Carolina, and I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for disrupting this operation.”

    The indictment alleges that, between 2022 and April 2024, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to steal dozens of high-end motor vehicles worth millions of dollars from individuals, car dealerships, and other businesses located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. To maximize their profits, Switzer, Banks, and Mack allegedly targeted luxury models by BMW, Land Rover, and Mercedez-Benz, as well trucks, sports utility vehicles, and high-end horsepower models manufactured by Chevrolet, Ford and Jeep.

    The defendants allegedly stole multiple vehicles at once, generally at night, using key fob programmers, and conspired with other individuals who served as drivers of the stolen vehicles. For example, the indictment alleges that the defendants, aided and abetted by others, stole 12 vehicles from a car dealership located in Lillington, North Carolina. To avoid detection, the co-conspirators used temporary and fictitious vehicles tags on the stolen vehicles, removed the GPS navigation and tracking systems from the vehicles, and changed the appearance of the stolen vehicles soon after the thefts.

    According to allegations in the indictment, the co-defendants and their co-conspirators often sold the stolen vehicles at prices significantly below their retail value and kept some of the vehicles for personal use and to further facilitate the scheme.

    The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    This is the sixth indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte for federal offenses involving the interstate theft of vehicles since 2023. Previously, federal charges were filed against three Charlotte men for conspiring to steal luxury vehicles and transporting them across state lines. A Charlotte man was indicted for stealing high-end vehicles, including several vehicles from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Two individuals were charged for a scheme that involved buying and selling stolen vehicles from across the country. Five individuals were indicted for stealing luxury vehicles from dealerships throughout the United States, and two additional individuals were indicted for orchestrating high-end auto thefts from businesses in South Carolina.

    The charges against the defendants are allegations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the Secret Service and CMPD for their investigation of this case and thanked the FBI and the National Insurance Crime Bureau and Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance with the prior prosecutions. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bozin and Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the cases.

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lame Deer Woman Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    BILLINGS – A Lame Deer woman accused of sex trafficking a minor admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Veronica Clarice Baker, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Baker faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. U.S. District Court Judge Susan P. Watters will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at a later time. Baker was detained pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that sometime prior to April 9, 2023, Baker met Dr. Usman Khan on a social media website for people interested in a commercial sex relationship.  Then, on or about April 9, 2023, Baker and Khan communicated for the purpose of arranging a commercial sex date between Khan and Jane Doe 1. Baker had known Jane Doe 1 for some time and Doe had, on occasion, watched Baker’s children. Baker knew Jane Doe 1, who was under the age of 18 at the time, was a minor.

    On April 9, 2023, while Baker and Khan were texting about Baker providing Jane Doe 1 for the purpose of a commercial sex date, Baker and Doe were in a hotel room in Billings. Baker sent Khan pictures of her and of Jane Doe 1 and she and Khan discussed rates. Ultimately, Baker agreed to transport Jane Doe 1 to Khan’s residence for the purpose of a commercial sex date. Baker left Jane Doe 1 at Khan’s residence and Jane Doe 1 and Khan engaged in sexual activity. Khan paid Jane Doe 1 for the encounter, and Doe provided some of the money to Baker.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

    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 Justice.gov/PSC.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck

    Source: US FBI

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, 33, an undocumented Mexican citizen, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and threatening the U.S. Postal Service employee.

    In addition to his term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow sentenced Hernandez to 36 months’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,828.89 in restitution for damage to the postal vehicle and missing postal equipment.

    According to court documents and statements made at Hernandez’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on February 5, 2024, Hernandez stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Salt Lake City. He admitted to checking the door handle of the postal truck and entering the vehicle. When he was told to get out of the vehicle by the postal employee, he pointed a knife at him and fled from the area. Hernandez was tracked using GPS technology and stopped by law enforcement before he was subsequently taken into custody. See prior release here: Salt Lake City Man Accused of Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and Causing Multiple Car Accidents is Arrested and Charged.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck

    Source: US FBI

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, 33, an undocumented Mexican citizen, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and threatening the U.S. Postal Service employee.

    In addition to his term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow sentenced Hernandez to 36 months’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,828.89 in restitution for damage to the postal vehicle and missing postal equipment.

    According to court documents and statements made at Hernandez’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on February 5, 2024, Hernandez stole a U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Salt Lake City. He admitted to checking the door handle of the postal truck and entering the vehicle. When he was told to get out of the vehicle by the postal employee, he pointed a knife at him and fled from the area. Hernandez was tracked using GPS technology and stopped by law enforcement before he was subsequently taken into custody. See prior release here: Salt Lake City Man Accused of Carjacking a U.S. Postal Service Truck and Causing Multiple Car Accidents is Arrested and Charged.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 10 suspects charged in July 4 attack on Texas ICE detention facility

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    The FBI has arrested 10 of the 11 suspects, and the Johnson County Sheriff has confirmed that each now face local charges of terrorism, aggravated assault on a public servant with a deadly weapon, or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer. The final suspect is still at large.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Individual Arrested for Child Exploitation

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On June 26, 2025, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Juan Edgardo Negrón-Navarro, age 27, of Jayuya, PR, with coercion and enticement of minors, sexual exploitation of children, and interstate threat communications. Today, FBI special agents arrested Negrón-Navarro. 

    According to court documents, from in or about April 2023 to in or about May 2023, Juan Edgardo Negrón-Navarro did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a female minor between 15 and 16 years old (Minor 1) to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. The defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct. Negrón-Navarro threatened Minor 1 by threatening to post the sexually explicit images on the Internet and to damage her reputation if she did not comply with sending sexually explicit images to him.

    Additionally, from in or about September 2024 to in or about November 2024, Juan Edgardo Negrón-Navarro did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce another female minor while she was 17 years of age (Minor 2), to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. At the same time, the defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct.

    Moreover, on or about August 3, 2024, Negrón-Navarro, through the Internet, threatened to kill an adult female if she did not send him sexually explicit images.

    The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcos E. López of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, the defendant faces a minimum term or imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years for the charge of sexual exploitation of children; a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life for the charge of coercion and enticement of a minor; and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for the charge of interstate communications. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.  

    “Child exploitation, in all its forms, are the most heinous crimes a person can commit, and the emotional pain inflicted on the victims is overwhelming,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are fully committed to identify, locate, arrest, and prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law. Nonetheless, the community, including teachers and parents, must be vigilant and proactive with our children and educate them on how to protect themselves from these offenders.”

    “There is no place in Puerto Rico—or anywhere in America—for child predators,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “If you exploit children, the heroic men and women of the FBI and our law enforcement partners are coming for you—no matter how long it takes or how much you try to hide.  That is a promise we intend to keep, every single time.”

    The FBI is investigating the case with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.

    Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Emelina Agrait-Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

    An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ransomville Man Going to Prison on Child Pornography Charge

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John Stuart, 37, of Ransomville, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison and 25 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Stuart must also register as a sex offender.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who handled the case, stated that in August 2019, the FBI received a lead indicating that in May 2019, an online user accessed child sexual abuse and exploitation material via a website on the Tor network. Subsequent investigation traced the IP address to Stuart. In October 2020, a search warrant was executed at Stuart’s residence, during which law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices, including two laptop computers, a cell phone, a hard drive, and a desktop computer tower. A forensic review recovered approximately 8,000 videos and approximately 2,000 images of child pornography on one of the laptops, and approximately 150 images and one video of child pornography on the second laptop. Approximately 90 images and 150 videos of child pornography were recovered from the cell phone and approximately 90 images and two videos on the hard drive. Some of the images included depictions of violence against children.

    Stuart also admitted that during the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement recovered live marijuana plants, more than a pound of dried marijuana ready for consumption, and that he was a chronic user of marijuana. Stuart was also found to be in possession of three firearms. Because he was a user of controlled substances, Stuart was legally prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tonawanda Doctor Pleads Guilty for His Role in Prescription Scam

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that William Stephan, 65, of Tonawanda, NY, who was convicted of misprision of felony, was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours community service by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that Stephan is a medical doctor with a family practice located in Tonawanda, NY. In April 2015, Stephan was asked by Erik Berg to sign prescriptions for compounded medications. Over a several-month period, he signed compounded prescriptions for 19 patients. When Berg presented these prescriptions to Stephan, they had already been filled out, as well as the number of refills. Stephan then typically signed these prescriptions based on Berg’s representation that the patient had a medical need for the prescription(s). When signing the prescriptions, Stephan did not take note of any refills he was authorizing. Prescriptions signed by Stephan for these patients were refilled more than 500 times. None of the 19 patients were Stephan’s patients.

    The compounded medications prescribed by Stephan carried substantial reimbursement rates, which averaged more than $16,000 per prescription. Health care benefit programs paid $8,750,315 in reimbursement for the prescriptions, including refills. Pharmacy benefit managers providing the prescriptions signed by Stephan, would not have approved the prescriptions for reimbursement if they had known that Berg had presented the prescriptions to Stephan already filled out, the compound formula did not address the particular medical needs of a particular patient, but rather to obtain the highest reimbursement from the insurance companies, and that Berg knew that Stephan did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the individual for whom the prescription was written.

    In addition, Stephan signed compounded prescriptions for other individuals, including Scott Trapp and Michael Luehrsen.

    In June 2016, Express Scripts, Inc. performed an audit of certain prescriptions written by Stephan. During the audit, he and Berg completed audit forms on which Stephan stated that he had written and signed certain prescriptions for compounded medications, concealing the fact that he had not, in fact, written out the prescriptions, and that he did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the patients.

    Berg and Luehrsen were previously convicted and awaiting sentencing. Trapp was previously convicted and sentenced.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to 68 Years in Prison for Eight Murders, Multiple Attempted Murders, Arson, Narcotics Trafficking, and Firearms Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    Alexi Saenz Led a Brutal Crime Wave that Terrorized the Communities of Brentwood and Central Islip in 2016 and 2017

    Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Alexi Saenz, also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky,” the leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 68 years’ imprisonment.  On July 10, 2024, Saenz pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with his participation in eight murders, namely, the January 28, 2016 murder of Michael Johnson; the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta; the September 5, 2016 murder of Marcus Bohannon; the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens; the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo; the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks; and the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, in addition to his participation in three attempted murders, and arson, narcotics trafficking, and firearms offenses.   

    Joseph Nocella, Jr, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI New York); and Kevin Catalina, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the sentence.

    “Alexi Saenz led an unspeakable reign of terror, killing, and crime that damaged his community and cost several people their lives,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to hold the MS-13 and its members accountable for their horrific acts, including the pain they’ve caused victims and their loved ones.  This sentencing is one of many in our relentless pursuit to dismantle the MS-13 and other violent criminal organizations.” 

    “For years, Alexi Saenz wielded his role as a local MS-13 leader to facilitate and participate in eight brutal murders of perceived rivals. Saenz terrorized Long Island as he indiscriminately targeted and hunted a wide range of victims, with careless regard to innocent bystanders harmed by his actions. May today’s sentencing emphasize the FBI’s relentless determination to crush all gang violence plaguing our communities,” stated FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Raia.

    “Alexi Saenz is a violent career criminal whose path of destruction ripped apart families and terrorized Suffolk County with his MS-13 cohorts,” stated SCPD Commissioner Catalina.  “I commend the efforts of the SCPD officers and our law enforcement partners who are dedicated to bringing violent gang criminals to justice and offering closure to the victims’ families.”

    As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum, prior court filings, and statements during the sentencing, Alexi Saenz was the local leader of the Brentwood/Central Islip chapter of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 – one of the more powerful, violent, and well-established cliques on the East Coast of the United States.  He committed the following crimes in order to maintain and increase his membership and status within the gang and to further the mission of the MS-13:

    January 28, 2016 Murder of Michael Johnson

    On January 28, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other MS-13 members and associates were at the Jocorena Deli in Brentwood, where they saw 29-year-old Michael Johnson, and claimed to recognize him as a member of the rival Bloods street gang.  At that point, Johnson was marked as their “food” – a reference to their intention to kill him. 

    After receiving the requisite approval from the New York leader of the Sailors clique to commit this murder, Alexi Saenz contacted several other MS-13 members, informed them of the plan to kill Johnson, and instructed them to bring weapons, including a machete and a baseball bat, to a wooded area in Brentwood.  Alexi Saenz then lured Johnson to that secluded meeting location under the guise of smoking marijuana.  The MS-13 members and associates ambushed Johnson from behind – striking Johnson with the baseball bat, stabbing him with a knife, and taking turns hacking him with the machete.  They fled after hearing police sirens in the area.   

    Johnson was reported missing by family members. Less than one week after his murder, on February 2, 2016, members of the SCPD responded to a 911 call about a body found in the woods by a passerby, and recovered Johnson’s body.  An autopsy determined Johnson’s cause of death to be sharp and blunt force injuries.   

    April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

    In early 2016, Alexi Saenz and his fellow Sailors clique members decided to “green light,” or approve, the murder of 19-year-old Oscar Acosta because they suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13. The New York Sailors clique leader assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

    On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise, and summoned other MS-13 members, including Alexi Saenz.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of Alexi Saenz’s car, and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  At the direction of Alexi Saenz, the MS-13 members removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by Alexi Saenz, as his role as the local clique leader.  The MS-13 members then buried Acosta’s body in a shallow grave.   

    Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

    July 18, 2016 Attempted Murders of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2

    On July 18, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant instructed the group to hunt for rival gang members who had been disrespectful to the MS-13, in order to attack and kill them.

    Later that evening, other members of the MS-13, who were driving around Brentwood armed with firearms and a machete, spotted a group of men on Apple Street. Believing these men to be members of a rival gang, three MS-13 members got out of the car and attacked the group, firing rounds from two different guns, and then using a machete to hack at one of the men who had fallen to the ground.  After the attack, the group drove back to Alexi Saenz’s house, where they hid the weapons.

    Two individuals were injured as a result of this attack.  John Doe #1 was struck with a bullet, but survived.  John Doe #2 was attacked with a machete, and was permanently disfigured.

    August 10, 2016 Attempted Murders of Suspected Rival Gang Members

    In 2016, members of the MS-13 were engaged in a series of disputes with members of the Goon Squad, a rival gang in Brentwood. 

    On August 10, 2016, Alexi Saenz and another MS-13 member drove through the neighborhood around Lukens Avenue in Brentwood, and spotted several men who they believed were members of the Goon Squad. They then rallied other members of the Sailors clique to come kill the rivals. 

    The MS-13 members divided into two vehicles, and drove towards the house where the suspected Goon Squad members had been spotted. Alexi Saenz’s car kept watch for the police, while two other MS-13 members, each bearing a gun, approached the group of suspected rivals and fired numerous shots in their direction.  No one was hit, although a stray bullet entered a neighbor’s house and struck the headboard of a bed in which the neighbor was sleeping.

    September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

    On September 4, 2016, during a Sailors clique meeting at Alexi Saenz’s house in Central Islip, the defendant and other MS-13 members went out hunting for rival gang members to kill.

    The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until Alexi Saenz’s group spotted 27-year old Marcus Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him, and started shooting.  Alexi Saenz then drove them away.  Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

    September 12, 2016 Arson

    During the summer of 2016, Sailors clique members of the MS-13 engaged in regular altercations with local gang members based in a neighborhood on Freeman Avenue in Brentwood.

    On September 12, 2016, MS-13 members retaliated by setting fire to a car parked in the driveway of one of the houses in that rival gang neighborhood.  Alexi Saenz directed other gang members to purchase gasoline and carry out the arson, while he drove around watching for police presence.  The other MS-13 gang members drove to that house, where they poured gasoline on a car parked in the driveway, and set it on fire.  The car exploded, and set another parked car on fire.   

    September 13, 2016 Murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens

    On September 13, 2016, Sailors clique members brutally murdered 15-year-old Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, both students at Brentwood High School.

    In the months leading up to the murders, Cuevas was involved in a series of disputes with members and associates of the MS-13.  Approximately one week before the murders, these disputes escalated when Cuevas and several friends were involved in an altercation with MS-13 members at Brentwood High School.  After that incident, the MS-13 members vowed to seek revenge against Cuevas.

    On the evening of September 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of the MS-13 were driving in separate cars around Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.  One group of MS-13 members spotted Cuevas and Mickens walking down residential Stahley Street.  Recognizing Cuevas, they called Alexi Saenz and were granted permission to kill the girls. Several MS-13 members then chased down and attacked both Cuevas and Mickens, wielding baseball bats and a machete, striking each of the girls numerous times in their heads and bodies, while Alexi Saenz’s car drove around watching for police.  After the murders, the group retreated to Alexi Saenz’s home in Central Islip, where they changed clothes and hid the weapons.   

    Mickens, whose body was discovered later that evening on Stahley Street, not far from Cuevas’s home, sustained significant sharp force trauma to her face and blunt force trauma to her head.  Cuevas, whose body was discovered the following day behind a house adjacent to where Mickens’s body was found, sustained significant blunt force trauma to her head and body and multiple lacerations.

    October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

    In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted 15-year-old Javier Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13’s principal rivals. 

    On October 10, 2016, several members of the Sailors clique convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to drive with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Once there, they met Alexi Saenz and other Sailors clique members.  The group then lured Castillo to an isolated marsh area in Cow Meadow Park, where they attacked him, taking turns hacking him to death with a machete. 

    Afterwards, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in late October 2017.  Castillo was determined to have suffered multiple sharp force injuries to his head, neck, torso, and extremities.

    October 13, 2016 Murder of Dewann Stacks

    On the evening of October 13, 2016, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 were driving around Central Islip and Brentwood in search of rival gang members to attack and kill.

    That night, they spotted 34-year-old Dewann Stacks and, believing him to be a rival gang member, Alexi Saenz authorized his murder.  While Alexi Saenz drove around watching for police presence, another group of MS-13 members, armed with two machetes and a baseball bat, drove over to attack Stacks.  Three armed MS-13 members got out of the car, and beat and hacked Stacks to death on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood.  Stacks sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to his face and head, leaving his body nearly unrecognizable.

    January 30, 2017 Murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla

    On the morning of January 30, 2017, Alexi Saenz and other members of the Sailors clique of MS-13 spotted 29-year-old Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla inside El Campesino Deli in Central Islip.  Since Alvarado-Bonilla was wearing a football jersey bearing the number “18,” the MS-13 concluded that he was a member of a rival gang and plotted to kill him.

    Several other MS-13 members obtained a mask and another vehicle that would be used to commit the murder.  Alexi Saenz provided the clique’s 9-millimeter handgun for use in the murder.

    At approximately 10:30 a.m., a masked MS-13 member entered the deli, approached Alvarado-Bonilla from behind, and shot him multiple times, killing him.  One of the bullets pierced through Alvarado-Bonilla’s head and struck the chest of a female employee of the deli, who was standing directly in front of him.  The deli employee survived the gunshot wound.   

    Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracy

    For a year and a half, from approximately April 2016 through March 2017, in order to finance the illegal operations of the Sailors clique, Alexi Saenz obtained wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana, which he distributed to other Sailors clique members and associates for street-level sales in Brentwood and its surrounding areas.  After the sales, the profits were turned over to Alexi Saenz, for use in, among other things, purchasing firearms for use by clique members, wiring money to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador, and buying additional narcotics for further distribution.     

                                       *          *          *          *

    Today’s sentencing is the latest achievement in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders, and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 75 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

    The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at eradicating transnational criminal organizations, combating violent crime, and restoring the rule of law.

    This prosecution is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci, and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Kerryanne Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

    The Defendant:

    ALEXI SAENZ (also known as “Blasty” and “Plaky”)
    Age: 30
    El Divisadero, Morazán, El Salvador; and Central Islip, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-8) (GRB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Half a Century in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Christopher M. Callaway, 41, of West Farmington, Ohio, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, after he pleaded guilty in March to six counts of sexually exploiting children, receipt and distribution of minors engaged in sexually explicit content, and possession of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  He was also ordered pay $40,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Judge Gaughan imposed the sentence July 1.

    According to court documents, Callaway groomed victims from 2015 to 2022 and targeted vulnerable girls who ranged in age from 10 to 17 years old. He targeted his victims on social media and initiated contact with them through messaging apps such as KIK, Snapchat, or Facebook. Specifically, he sought out so called “daddy-daughter” online groups where older men communicated with underage girls.

    Callaway groomed his victims by telling them that he loved them and by sending them food, clothing, money, and gift cards. Once victims trusted him, he manipulated them into sending nude images or videos of themselves performing sexual acts. Callaway also sent victims sex toys, lingerie, and other items which he directed them to use so he could produce pornography to distribute online. Additionally, the defendant sent his victims sexually explicit photos and videos of himself.

    In total, federal investigators found that Callaway produced CSAM of more than 40 minors with 21 identified in the case. Most of the victims were from outside the state of Ohio and one from New Zealand. Callaway traveled to Virginia and Florida to rape victims and record the crimes as he committed them. He also traveled to the minors and brought a few to live with him in Ohio.

    During a search warrant execution of Callaway’s residence, federal agents seized electronic devices containing more than 20,000 images and videos of CSAM.

    The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District of Ohio.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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, visit justice.gov/PSC.

    To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan National Unlawfully Residing in Oregon Faces Federal Charges for Traveling to Washington to Sexually Abuse a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    EUGENE, Ore.—A suspected child abuser is facing federal charges today for enticing and sexually abusing a minor in Oregon and Washington.

    Leonias Juber Ramos-Garcia, 25, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Culver, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

    According to court documents, in 2024, Ramos-Garcia met the minor at a business in Jefferson County, Oregon. In February 2025, undeterred by the minor’s age, Ramos-Garcia gave the minor a note which contained cash and professed his affection for the minor.

    In March 2025, Ramos-Garcia is alleged to have engaged in sexually explicit communication with the minor and, despite the victim’s reluctance, Ramos-Garcia persuaded the minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct at a hotel in Central Oregon. In April 2025, Ramos-Garcia traveled from Oregon to Washington and took the victim to a second hotel where he again sexually abused the minor.

    Ramos-Garcia was arrested Tuesday in Culver, Oregon, and made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Madras Police Department. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged with Various Offenses Including Arson, Assaulting a Federal Officer, and Depredation of Federal Property During Protests Near Local ICE Office

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—Four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday after committing various offenses—including arson and willful depredation of government property—during ongoing protest gatherings near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.

    Nadya Malinowska, 33, of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offense of failing to obey a lawful order.

    David Pearl, 35, also of Portland, has been charged by information with the misdemeanor offenses of failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance.

    August Dean Gordon, 31, of Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by criminal complaint with the misdemeanor offenses of willful depredation of government property and assaulting a federal officer.

    Trenten Edward Barker, 34, of Portland, has been charged by criminal complaint with the felony offenses of arson of federal property and depredation against federal property.

    According to court documents and information shared in court, on June 29, 2025, several individuals gathered near an ICE office in South Portland where, for weeks, individuals have repeatedly targeted the building and federal law enforcement officers.

    At approximately 3:14am, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Gordon, pulling a proximity card reader from a stanchion located on the ICE facility’s driveway. During his arrest, Gordon kicked and grabbed the officers, injuring five officers as they placed him into custody.

    Later that evening, after federal officers directed the crowd to disperse, Malinowska refused to leave the premises. Malinowska was also charged with failing to comply with an officer’s orders to leave the premises on June 17, 2025, and on June 21, 2025.

    The same evening, while officers were arresting an individual, Pearl attempted to interfere with the officers as they placed the individual into custody.

    On June 11, 2025, during related gatherings at the ICE office, federal officers observed a group of individuals attempting to construct a barricade against the vehicle gate of the ICE building using a range of materials. At approximately 9:51pm, federal officers observed an individual, later identified as Barker, retrieve a flare from his backpack which he lit and tossed onto the pile of materials stacked against the vehicle gate, igniting the materials. Officers observed other individuals adding items to the pile of materials as the flames grew. The officers fully extinguished the fire within minutes. Barker was arrested on June 27, 2025.

    All four defendants made their first appearances in federal court Monday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were released on conditions pending future court proceedings.

    Felony arson of federal property is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. Misdemeanor assault of a federal officer and misdemeanor willful depredation of government property are punishable by up to one year in federal prison. Failure to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance are Class C misdemeanors and carry a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison.

    These cases were investigated by the FBI, Federal Protective Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

    A criminal complaint and an information are only accusations of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Versailles Felon Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Firearm

    Source: US FBI

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 121 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Keion Washington, 25.

    According to information presented to the Court, on February 7, 2024, Washington was driving a vehicle associated with an incident that occurred a few days prior. When law enforcement officers tried to stop the car, Washington initially drove off, then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers found a stolen rifle in the car, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.

    Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that the sentence took into account the nature of the offense and Washington’s criminal history, including the fact that Washington had been convicted of two prior controlled substances felony offenses.

    Assistant United States Attorneys DeMarr W. Moulton and Jacqueline C. Brown prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illinois Man Pleads Guilty and Pennsylvania Man is Sentenced in Separate Schemes to Transport Contraband into FCI McDowell with Drones

    Source: US FBI

    BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Today, Francisco Alejandro Gonzalez, 24, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and Gamalier Rivera, 33, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to three years of federal probation, including two months on home detention, for aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison. Gonzalez and Rivera each admitted to their roles in separate schemes to deliver contraband into Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell using drones.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 1, 2024, Gonzalez traveled on foot with co-defendant Miguel Angel Aleman-Piceno to the fence surrounding FCI McDowell. Gonzalez and Aleman-Piceno possessed a backpack and a duffle bag containing a drone and two camouflaged packages containing four cell phones, chargers, phone cards, marijuana, and tobacco. As part of his guilty plea, Gonzalez admitted that they intended to fly the packages onto the grounds of FCI McDowell using the drone, and were stopped by law enforcement as they prepared to launch the drone.

    Gonzalez further admitted to traveling to McDowell County, West Virginia, from Chicago with Aleman-Piceno and co-defendant Arturo Joel Gallegos. Gonzalez also admitted that he and his two co-defendants stayed an area motel where law enforcement seized marijuana, tobacco and materials used to make the camouflaged packages.

    Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    Aleman-Piceno, 22, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to conspiracy to commit the felony crime of attempting to introduce contraband into a federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8, 2025. The indictment against Gallegos, 26, of Chicago, remains pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    On February 9, 2024, correctional officers at FCI McDowell detected a drone flying over the prison facility. The flight path of the drone took it from the fence securing the prison facility to a cell in one of the housing units. Officers searched the cell and found a broken exterior window, numerous cell phones, tobacco, and marijuana within the cell.

    Officers traced the flight path back to the drone’s launch site, where they found and apprehended Rivera and co-defendants Hector Luis Gomez DeJesus and Raymond Luis Saez Aviles. Officer seized the drone, the drone’s remote controller, and contraband consistent with what was found in the cell.

    As part of his guilty plea, Rivera admitted that he, DeJesus, and Aviles participated in the introduction of the contraband into FCI McDowell by using the drone to transport marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison facility. Rivera further admitted that he expected to be paid for his participation in the contraband introduction.

    DeJesus, 32, of Sanford, North Carolina, and Aviles, 37, of Poinciana, Florida, each pleaded guilty on April 29, 2025, to aiding and abetting the introduction of contraband into a federal prison and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2025.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office.

    Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons is prosecuting the cases.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-126 (Gonzalez) and 1:24-cr-127 (Rivera).

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking South Carolina Federal Agent and Family

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Scott Robert Tardy, 31, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, providing false statements to the FBI, and obstruction of justice in a scheme that targeted a South Carolina federal law enforcement agent and his family.

    According to evidence presented in court, in February, Tardy operated an account with the username “connecticut12345” on the Kik social media platform in which he joined an anti-law enforcement chatgroup. In that group, Tardy posted numerous messages discussing and soliciting violence against a specific agent and the agent’s spouse. 

    In those messages, Tardy repeatedly identified the victims’ employment affiliation as a reason to target them. He also shared photographs of the agent’s spouse and the city and state in which they live. Tardy discussed violence against the agent and the agent’s family, including throwing a Molotov cocktail in their bedroom while they were sleeping. He asked for the conversation to be moved to the Telegram platform, where he operated the username “slimybanana,” because he believed it was more secure. 

    On the second platform, Tardy discussed what a cartel would do to the victims, he discussed having one of the victims “ruined,” “destroyed,” and “tortured for days.”  He said burning the house was “good enough” if the victim was inside. Tardy then shared the location of the victims’ home by sharing a map with a pin drop on the victims’ street, and asked another user how long it would take them to get there.

    When the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Tardy’s apartment on Feb. 16, he falsely denied ever using Kik or Telegram and he denied responsibility for the solicitations and messages. He gave further false statements in an interview with investigators, and he caused the phone he used to be reset, clearing its content, and exchanged with Apple for a new phone. 

    Despite that, investigators recovered the map of the victims’ home with the pin drop on it from an account associated with Tardy. Data related to the Kik and Telegram accounts showed that Tardy controlled the accounts. During the scheme, Tardy worked as a corrections officer at a detention facility in Connecticut.

    Tardy faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and five years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office to follow a term of imprisonment.

    United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted Tardy’s guilty plea and will sentence the defendant after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. 

    The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office with critical assistance from FBI Boston field office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting the case. 

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texarkana Inmate Receives Additional Sentence for Injuring Corrections Officer

    Source: US FBI

    TEXARKANA, Texas – A federal inmate has received an additional prison sentence for assaulting a correctional officer in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Andrew Hunter, 23, of Mount Pleasant, pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer and was sentenced to an additional 18 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III, on July 2, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on November 29, 2022, Hunter, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, had an altercation with a correctional officer in a hallway at the Federal Prison Camp.  During the altercation, Hunter shoved the officer causing him to strike the back of his head against a wall.  The officer sustained serious injuries that required medical attention.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Noble.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: In Just Four Days, the Southern District of Texas Charges Nearly 100 Individuals in Border Security and Transnational Gang-Related Matters

    Source: US FBI

    HOUSTON – A total of 95 cases have been filed from June 27-July 2 on immigration matters and related efforts to secure the southern border in support of Operation Take Back America, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    A total of 62 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 26 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to human smuggling and other immigration crimes, drug trafficking and firearms.

    Among the notable cases are charges against 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in Houston for drug trafficking and weapons allegations following an operation targeting Venezuelan nationals linked to the Anti-Tren criminal organization. Similar to the criminal activities members of Tren de Aragua have committed, Anti-Tren affiliates allegedly engaged in attempted murder, other acts of violence and threats of such. Some members have been charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and various weapons crimes, with one allegedly being an alien in possession of ammunition.  

    “The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” said Ganjei. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”

    New criminal complaints filed this week include the illegal reentry of several Mexican nationals after recent removals, including Cesar Alejandro Tovar-Guillen, a convicted felon for cocaine distribution. He had just been removed in March, but authorities discovered him unlawfully in the United States near Alton, according to the allegations. Charges allege Osvaldo Aguilar-Aguilar and Jose Alejandro Dominguez-Guzman had last been removed in October and November 2024, respectively. They both have previous convictions of illegal reentry and had served time in federal prison, according to their criminal complaints. While Juan Esquivel-Garcia allegedly has a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and was previously sentenced to 75 months before his removal. They all face up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.  

    In McAllen, Margarito Llanes was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for alien smuggling. He led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit ending when Llanes crashed into a tree seriously injuring all eight passengers. The pursuit lasted 1.5 miles with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. At the hearing, the court heard about his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling.

    Two Mexican nationals received multi-year sentences for illegally reentering the United States. Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria was ordered to serve 51 months, while Jose Angel Lopez-Herrera received a 46-month-term of imprisonment. At the Lopez-Herrera hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding his criminal history, which included not only having reentered the country in 2022 but a human smuggling case in which one had drowned. In handing down Hernandez-Doria’s sentence, the court noted he needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again. He had three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as a felony conviction for taking a weapon from an officer. His most recent removal was in July 2024. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

    An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Western District of Texas U.S Attorney’s Office Adds 208 Immigration Cases in Six Days Going Into July

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 208 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 27 through July 2.

    Among the new cases, Mexican national Erik Garcia-Rodriguez aka Eduardo Soto-Garcia aka Gerardo Reyes, was encountered by Texas Department of Public Safety in San Antonio on June 26. According to a criminal complaint, TX DPS requested immigration determination assistance from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officer, who determined Garcia-Rodriguez to be an alien illegally present within the United States who had previously been removed from the United States, and who was residing at an address in San Antonio. On May 26, 2011, Garcia-Rodriguez was convicted for trafficking cocaine and heroin in Dallas County. He was removed from the U.S. on Dec. 7, 2011.

    Mexican national Ismael Nieto Balverde was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin in Austin. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation led to two controlled purchases of heroin from Balverde, totaling approximately 2,034 grams of the narcotic.

    In Ector County, Roberto Adan Gandara-Ramirez, a Mexican national, was arrested on a warrant for alleged sexual assault of a child, according to a criminal complaint, and was released to ICE/ERO custody by Ector County Sherriff’s Department deputies. Gandara-Ramirez was previously removed from the U.S. through Del Rio in 2015.

    Daniel Hernandez, of Asherton, was arrested near Carrizo Springs on June 29 for conspiring to transport an illegal alien further into the United States. Hernandez was stopped by the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office, who requested U.S. Border Patrol assistance. USBP agents conducted an immigration inspection and allegedly discovered that the vehicle contained two U.S. citizens and one Mexican national without proper documentation to enter or remain in the U.S. Hernandez allegedly stated that he was in contact with a facilitator who had instructed him to pick up the illegal alien and take the alien to Asherton. In 2014, Hernandez was convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in Del Rio, for which he was sentenced to 27 months confinement.

    A convicted felon on U.S. probation was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry after he was found approximately a mile east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Mexican national Eduardo Lopez-Castillo has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico three times, the last one being May 28, 2024. In April 2024, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and in 2021, Lopez-Castillo was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

    Alfonso Lopez-Castro, a Mexican national, attempted to gain entry into the U.S. at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry by presenting a New Mexico driver’s license that allegedly contained the name, date of birth, and photograph of another individual. Lopez-Castro allegedly told the Customs and Border Protection officer that he was a U.S. citizen and that he was going home to New Mexico. He allegedly admitted later that the driver’s license was not his and was given to him by a coworker. Lopez-Castro has been previously removed from the U.S. six times, five of which were between August and November 2014. He is charged with one count of knowingly personating another and attempting to evade immigration laws by appearing under an assumed or fictitious name when applying for admission to the United States.

    An alleged foot guide was arrested in El Paso and charged with bringing illegal aliens into the United States. Mexican national Isaac Nolasco-Ramirez allegedly crossed into the U.S. and attempted to conceal himself with three other illegal aliens inside a canal and under some brush approximately six miles east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that Nolasco-Ramirez stated his friend used a rope ladder to get the group over the fence and that he was told to take the aliens to be picked up along the railroad tracks.

    Two U.S. citizens were also arrested for bringing in illegal aliens after two aliens were observed scaling over the International Border Fence. The aliens were apprehended north of the Rio Grande River and consented that U.S. Border Patrol agents could view and search the contents of their phone. An agent, posing as one of the aliens, allegedly replied to a WhatsApp message with his location and was advised that two Jeeps would soon arrive to pick him up. When the Jeeps arrived, one driver, identified as Diego Mota, was arrested. The other vehicle departed at a high rate of speed before the driver stopped and led an Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Police Officer on a foot chase. That driver, Isaac Steven Hernandez, was soon apprehended and allegedly admitted that he had been involved in alien smuggling schemes approximately eight times.

    A Salvadoran national, Hector Antonio Ostorga Hernandez, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Ostorga Hernandez has been previously deported twice, the last time being to El Salvador on Dec. 20, 2024, through Alexandria, Louisiana. That removal occurred two months after he was convicted in Houston for assault causing bodily harm injuring a family member and was sentenced to 179 days confinement.

    Jose Ignacio Lopez-Ortiz, a Mexican national, was also arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Lopez-Ortiz was last removed to Mexico in January 2013 through Laredo and has since been twice-convicted for driving while intoxicated in April 2023 and April 2025.

    Mexican national Juan Enrique Landeros-Gonzalez was arrested in Del Rio on June 30 for being illegally present in the U.S. after being removed for the sixth time on June 13. Landeros-Gonzalez is a felon with multiple convictions including criminal mischief and probation revocation, illegal re-entry, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

    U.S. Border Patrol in Eagle Pass also arrested Mexican national Joel Escobar-Chavez, who has six prior removals, the last being on March 7, and Donaldo Robles-Zarate, who also has been removed six times, the last one being July 12, 2019. Guatemalan national Byron Antonio Almazan has been removed from the U.S. five times, the last being on Jan. 27 through Alexandria, Louisiana. He was convicted for an illegal re-entry felony in December 2024 and sentenced to 189 days confinement. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

    These cases are 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 Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Prison Guard Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing Inmates

    Source: US FBI

    HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Mikael Salvador Rivera, 48, of Kapolei, Hawaii, was sentenced today in federal court by Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for sexual abuse of wards.

    Rivera was a correctional officer at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu from approximately 2014 to 2018. As part of his prior guilty plea in March 2025, Rivera admitted that while on duty as a correctional officer, he ordered an inmate to participate in multiple sexual acts to which she did not consent and engaged in sexually abusive conduct with two additional inmates under his supervision. According to information provided to the Court, Rivera would leave cell doors unlocked so that he could enter or escort his victims out undetected. Rivera’s guilty plea came after he initially fled on the eve of trial, leading law enforcement on a days-long manhunt across Oahu.

    At sentencing, Judge Seabright imposed an upward variance from the advisory Sentencing Guidelines range, stating that with respect to the offense conduct, “there is nothing in mitigation, nothing I see but a gross abuse of Mr. Rivera’s position of authority within FDC, and a gross abuse of that power in sexually abusing these three inmates over one calendar year.” Judge Seabright went on to state, “His conduct was the exact opposite of what was intended. You were supposed to help, to rehabilitate those in your care. Instead, you preyed on them. You became a predator to them.” 

    “Correctional officers serve an invaluable role in our justice system, working in dangerous environments where they are entrusted to ensure order in our detention facilities and the safety of our inmates. While nearly all federal correctional officers are hardworking, ethical, and honest, there are those very few who abuse their power over inmates. Their conduct erodes public faith in our institutions and justice system, and we must accordingly seek to investigate, prosecute, and punish those who abuse vulnerable inmates in federal custody. Those who violate the public trust will experience the full force of law and justice in the District of Hawaii,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Today’s lengthy sentence serves as a warning that sexual misconduct by federal correctional officers will be investigated, prosecuted, and severely punished.”

    “Sexual abuse of individuals in custody by federal correctional officers is a profound breach of public trust. The Office of the Inspector General is committed to ensuring that those who violate that trust are held accountable for abusing their authority,” said Anne Walsh, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) Western Region.

    “Not only did Mikael Rivera abuse the power of his position to commit horrific acts of sexual violence and silence his victims, but his actions undermined the efforts of all correctional officers,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Today’s sentence sends the clear message that the FBI will investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates federal law, regardless of their position.”

    The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Ayabe for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Nicole Lockhart of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) prosecuted the case, with substantial assistance from former PIN Deputy Chiefs Jennifer Clarke and Marco Palmieri.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Greenup County Man Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ASHLAND, Ky. – A Flatwoods, Ky., man, Geoffrey Potts, 25, was sentenced on Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 114 months in prison, for receiving child pornography. 

    According to his plea agreement, in March 2024, law enforcement received information that a user was downloading child pornography, and linked the user’s IP address with Potts’ residence. Law enforcement searched Potts’ cellphone and found numerous images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that had been downloaded via the internet. In total, over 219 images and 45 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were located on Potts’ cellphone. 

    Under federal law, Potts must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years. 

    Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and W. Todd Kelley, Chief of the Ashland Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

    The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, and Ashland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 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.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Louis County Man Sentenced to 34 Years for Five Armed Robberies

    Source: US FBI

    ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah. E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who committed five armed robberies in Missouri and Illinois in 2023 to 34 years in prison.

    Ronald O. Perkins, 30, of Black Jack, Missouri, was armed with a handgun, fired multiple shots during one of the robberies and often banged the gun on the counter while demanding money or pointed it at employees, according to evidence and testimony at Perkins’ trial in April.

    Perkins first robbed a gas station and convenience store on Riverview Drive in St. Louis on Sept. 8, 2023. He demanded money and then grabbed cash out of the register. He fired several shots when an employee tried to intervene.

    On Nov. 8, 2023, Perkins robbed a gas station on Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, stealing cash and a pack of cigarettes.

    Less than two hours later, he robbed a 7-Eleven on Hoffmeister Avenue in St. Louis County, stealing cash.

    Four days later, he robbed a gas station on Fee Fee Road in St. Louis County.

    Five days after that, on Nov. 17, 2023, he robbed a liquor store on St. Louis Road in Collinsville, Illinois, again stealing money from the register.

    At trial, jurors saw physical and electronic evidence and surveillance video that showed Perkins was responsible for all five robberies. Officers also recovered the gun that was a ballistic match to the firearm used in the first robbery from Perkins’ pants.

    In court Thursday, Judge Pitlyk called the evidence “overwhelming.”

    “Use of a firearm during a crime of violence can subject you to a sentence of seven years in prison consecutive to any other charge. In Ronald Perkins’ case, that meant he faced at least 31 years in prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake. “It’s a very old cliché, but violent crime really does not pay. Perkins fired multiple shots during one of the robberies and held employees at gunpoint. He netted a total of $1,650 from five robberies that left nine innocent employees and two customers terrified and mentally scarred. All of that for what works out to be just pennies for each day that he will spend in prison.”

    Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Perkins guilty of four counts of robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony.

    The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the Columbia (Illinois) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bluestone and Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterloo Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    A Waterloo man who was responsible for distributing over thirteen pounds of ice methamphetamine was sentenced on July 2, 2025, to more than nineteen years in federal prison.

    Matthew James Wessels, age 44, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after a prior conviction for a serious drug felony. 

    In a plea agreement, Wessels admitted that during the summer of 2024, after being released from federal prison for a previous controlled substance conviction, he conspired with several others to import ice methamphetamine and then distribute the methamphetamine in Waterloo and the surrounding area.  On three separate occasions, Wessels distributed ice methamphetamine to an undercover police officer.  On another occasion, officers found him in possession of over three pounds of ice methamphetamine.  In total, Wessels was personally responsible for distributing over thirteen pounds of ice methamphetamine. 

    Wessels was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Wessels was sentenced to 234 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Jones County Sheriff’s Department; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 24-CR-2035.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oregon Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ALEXANDRIA, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Jon Scot Taylor, 69, of Portland, Oregon, has been sentenced for distribution of child pornography.  Taylor was sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 180 months (15 years) in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release following his release from prison.

    In August of 2023, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) began communicating in an undercover capacity in an online chat forum with a user who was later determined to be Taylor. The agent was posing as a 13-year-old girl. Their conversations moved from the chat forum to text messaging. Throughout their conversations which continued through February 2024, Taylor asked the individual, who he believed was a 13-year-old girl, to send him sexually explicit images of herself. In the course of their communication, Taylor also sent the person he believed was a 13-year-old girl some child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that depicted other 12 or 13-year-old children. 

    At the guilty plea hearing, Taylor admitted to knowingly distributing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that these visual depictions were sent from him in the State of Oregon to the Western District of Louisiana using interstate or foreign commerce by means of the computer. Taylor pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy.

    This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.

    To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Charged with Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor

    Source: US FBI

    WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Marvin Isaac Dagoc, age 27, of Lakeside, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment alleges that from January to March 2025, Dagoc enticed a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, traveled to Lycoming County to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in March of 2025, and produced child pornography on March 17, 2025.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc.

    The maximum penalty under federal law for the offense is up to life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Belmont County Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Multiple Children

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dennis Stopar, 65, of Flushing, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 720 months in prison for sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography.

    According to court documents, between 2022 and 2023, Stopar sexually assaulted at least nine minor victims, both male and female, and created hundreds of videos and images of the horrific abuse. At the time of the sexual assaults, most of the minor victims were in foster care of a family member of Stopar.

    In December 2023, while investigating a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography being uploaded to a Dropbox account at an address in Belmont County, law enforcement encountered Stopar. Further investigation revealed Stopar, a convicted sex offender, possessed child pornography he had created of one of the minor victims on his phone. Stopar was arrested and his electronic devices were subsequently processed via a federal search warrant, and he was charged federally in April 2024.

    Forensic examinations on his devices revealed Stopar had filmed the sexual assaults of at least seven of the minor victims he had access to.  Approximately 160 images and 12 videos of the identified victims being sexually assaulted by Stopar were recovered.

    Stopar’s prior sex offense is a rape conviction for sexually abusing a victim beginning when the victim was approximately 6 years old until the victim was 16 years old.

    The defendant pleaded guilty in this case in December 2024.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Belmont County Sheriff James G. Zusack announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Belmont County Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Multiple Children

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dennis Stopar, 65, of Flushing, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 720 months in prison for sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography.

    According to court documents, between 2022 and 2023, Stopar sexually assaulted at least nine minor victims, both male and female, and created hundreds of videos and images of the horrific abuse. At the time of the sexual assaults, most of the minor victims were in foster care of a family member of Stopar.

    In December 2023, while investigating a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography being uploaded to a Dropbox account at an address in Belmont County, law enforcement encountered Stopar. Further investigation revealed Stopar, a convicted sex offender, possessed child pornography he had created of one of the minor victims on his phone. Stopar was arrested and his electronic devices were subsequently processed via a federal search warrant, and he was charged federally in April 2024.

    Forensic examinations on his devices revealed Stopar had filmed the sexual assaults of at least seven of the minor victims he had access to.  Approximately 160 images and 12 videos of the identified victims being sexually assaulted by Stopar were recovered.

    Stopar’s prior sex offense is a rape conviction for sexually abusing a victim beginning when the victim was approximately 6 years old until the victim was 16 years old.

    The defendant pleaded guilty in this case in December 2024.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Belmont County Sheriff James G. Zusack announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 81 Border-Related Cases This Week

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 81 border-related cases this week so far, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

    In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

    A sample of border-related arrests this week:

    • On June 28, Wilmar Morales Ramirez, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested at the San Onofre gate of Camp Pendleton and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. He was previously deported to Mexico in December 2024.
    • On June 29, Almida Ayala Torres, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, a dog alerted to her vehicle as she tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Customs and Border Protection officers found 85 packages containing 113 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the trunk hatch, driver’s side back door, passenger’s side back door, passenger’s side front door, center console, firewall, driver’s side quarter panel and passenger’s side quarter panel.
    • On June 30, Daniel Yanez Arriaga, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry found that Yanez was hiding five pounds of fentanyl on his body when he attempted to cross the border in his car.
    • On July 2, Fernando Ojeda Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry found 52 packages containing 221 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the rear passenger’s quarter panel, driver’s side passenger’s quarter panel, spare tire and gas tank of the defendant’s car.

    Also this week, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are some of those cases:

    • On July 1, Anderson Fabricio Leon-Chirinos, a citizen of Honduras who was previously convicted of two federal immigration felony convictions as well as state robbery and batter convictions, was found guilty by a jury of Attempted Re-entry of Remove Alien for again reentering the U.S. illegally. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2025; Leon-Chirinos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
    • On July 1, Anderson Fabricio Leon-Chirinos, a Honduran national who was previously convicted of felony Robbery in May 2014, and illegally re-entering the United States in 2018 and 2021, was found guilty by a jury of Attempted Reentry of Removed Alien for again entering the U.S. illegally. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2025, and Leon-Chirinos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
    • On July 2, Juan Carlos Ojeda-Saldana, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 70 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
    • On July 2, Ana Maria Rosas-Ortega, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of two illegal re-entry offenses (Texas 2014 and Arizona 2015), and misuse of a U.S. passport (California 2016), was sentenced in federal court to 46 months in custody for attempting to illegally reenter the United States.

    Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 81 Border-Related Cases This Week

    Source: US FBI

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 81 border-related cases this week so far, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

    In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

    A sample of border-related arrests this week:

    • On June 28, Wilmar Morales Ramirez, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested at the San Onofre gate of Camp Pendleton and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. He was previously deported to Mexico in December 2024.
    • On June 29, Almida Ayala Torres, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, a dog alerted to her vehicle as she tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Customs and Border Protection officers found 85 packages containing 113 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the trunk hatch, driver’s side back door, passenger’s side back door, passenger’s side front door, center console, firewall, driver’s side quarter panel and passenger’s side quarter panel.
    • On June 30, Daniel Yanez Arriaga, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry found that Yanez was hiding five pounds of fentanyl on his body when he attempted to cross the border in his car.
    • On July 2, Fernando Ojeda Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry found 52 packages containing 221 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the rear passenger’s quarter panel, driver’s side passenger’s quarter panel, spare tire and gas tank of the defendant’s car.

    Also this week, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are some of those cases:

    • On July 1, Anderson Fabricio Leon-Chirinos, a citizen of Honduras who was previously convicted of two federal immigration felony convictions as well as state robbery and batter convictions, was found guilty by a jury of Attempted Re-entry of Remove Alien for again reentering the U.S. illegally. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2025; Leon-Chirinos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
    • On July 1, Anderson Fabricio Leon-Chirinos, a Honduran national who was previously convicted of felony Robbery in May 2014, and illegally re-entering the United States in 2018 and 2021, was found guilty by a jury of Attempted Reentry of Removed Alien for again entering the U.S. illegally. Sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2025, and Leon-Chirinos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
    • On July 2, Juan Carlos Ojeda-Saldana, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 70 months in custody for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
    • On July 2, Ana Maria Rosas-Ortega, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of two illegal re-entry offenses (Texas 2014 and Arizona 2015), and misuse of a U.S. passport (California 2016), was sentenced in federal court to 46 months in custody for attempting to illegally reenter the United States.

    Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –