NewzIntel.com

Category: Security

  • MIL-OSI Security: Clay County Man Indicted On Firearm And Drug Charges

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Jacksonville, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging James Malcolm Davis (45, Middleburg) with possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. If convicted, Davis faces a minimum term of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for the drug offense and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for the firearm offense. The indictment also notifies Davis that the United States intends to forfeit multiple firearms, ammunition, and magazines traceable to the firearm offense. Davis was arrested on March 25, 2025, and ordered detained. His trial is set for May 2025.

    According to the indictment and court proceedings, on October 31, 2024, Davis possessed with the intent to distribute over 5 grams of methamphetamine that was found in his car. On that same date, it was also determined that Davis possessed multiple firearms at his residence. At the time of the offenses, Davis had four prior state felony convictions, including aggravated assault, felony battery or domestic, and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon (2010, 2022). As a convicted felon, Davis is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.  

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Jacksonville Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that streamlines efforts and resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Charged After Warrant Served in El Cajon

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – John Washburn, general manager of San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings in El Cajon, and three employees, made their first appearances in federal court today to face immigration charges stemming from a search warrant that was served by federal agents at the property yesterday.

    Washburn, along with employees Gilver Martinez-Juanta, Miguel Angel Leal-Sanchez and Fernando Casas-Gamboa, were arrested yesterday. Washburn was charged with Conspiracy to Harbor Aliens; the employees were charged with using false documents to work in the United States.

    According to the complaint, Washburn employed undocumented workers and allowed them to live in the company’s warehouse. The three charged employees allegedly provided a false attestation regarding their immigration status to secure employment at the business.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major set bond for Washburn at $5,000 and ordered him and the other defendants to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 8, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.

    The Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego Office is investigating these cases with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General; United States Border Patrol; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General; Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego Field Division, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.   

    These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry F.B. Beshar and Michael A. Deshong.

    DEFENDANTS                                            

    Case Number 25mj1458-BLM

    John Washburn                                                         Age: 57             

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Harbor Aliens, in violation of Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) and (v)(I); Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison; $250,000 fine.

    Case Number 25mj1459-BLM

    Gilver Martinez-Juanta                                                        Age: 39

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    False Attestation (Felony), in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 1546(b)(3); Maximum Penalty: 10 years in prison; $250,000 fine.

    Case Number 25mj1460-BLM

    Miguel Angel Leal-Sanchez                                                 Age:39                         

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    False Attestation (Felony), in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 1546(b)(3); Maximum Penalty: 10 years in prison; $250,000 fine.

    Case Number 25mj1461-BLM

    Fernando Casas-Gamboa                                                      Age: 21                        

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    False Attestation (Felony), in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 1546(b)(3); Maximum Penalty: 10 years in prison; $250,000 fine.

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations

    Naval Criminal Investigative Service

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General

    General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General

    Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations

    Drug Enforcement Administration

    Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm,s and Explosives

    U.S. Border Patrol

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges 260 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct in Arizona This Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During this week of enforcement operations from March 22, 2025, through March 28, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 260 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 96 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 155 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 9 cases against 9 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. 

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 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).

    Recent matters of interest include:

    United States v. Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez: On March 25, 2025, Greiby Melissa Barcelo-Velasquez, a Columbian national, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States. Since approximately June 2023, Barcelo-Velasquez coordinated the smuggling of over 100 illegal aliens from Columbia to the United States using her travel company, Baul Travel SAS. This case is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha. Case No. CR-24-00392-PHX-JJT.

    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-044_March 28 Immigration Enforcement

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Individuals Charged with Illegal Re-Entry and Other Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury in separate cases this week for illegally re-entering the United States after they were previously deported.

    Mexican National Indicted for Illegal Reentry

    According to an indictment returned this week, Jesus Enriquez-Vasquez, 32, who was previously removed from the United States on January 24, 2019, was charged with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.  He has never applied to the Attorney General of the United States and/or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for permission to reenter the United States.  On March 3, 2025, he was found voluntarily back in the United States.

    Guatemalan National Charged in Indictment

    In addition, Victor Hugo Vasquez Perez, 31, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Independence, Mo.,  was found illegally present in the United States and charged with possession of a fraudulent immigration document, possession of identification documents unlawfully produced, and improper entry.  

    Honduran National Charged in Indictment

    In addition, Noe Alberto Hernandez-Perez, 31, a citizen of Honduras residing in Kansas City, Mo.,  was charged with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien and resisting and impeding an officer.

    According to the indictment, Hernandez-Perez was previously removed from the United States on June 12, 2015. He has never applied to the Attorney General of the United States and/or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for permission to reenter the United States. On March 16, 2025, he was found voluntarily back in the United States.   

    The charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    These cases were investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations.

    Operation Take Back America

    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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Serial Robber of Five Cash Stores Convicted at Trial

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    An armed serial robber and convicted felon was found guilty by a jury on March 26, 2025, of robbing five cash loan businesses across the Fort Worth metroplex in May 2024, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

    Charles Lenard Brownlee, 37, was charged via criminal complaint in July 2024 and indicted in August 2024.  After two-and-a-half days of trial, a jury convicted him of one count of Hobbs Act Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, five counts of Hobbs Act Interference with Commerce by Robbery, five counts of Using, Carrying, and Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

    According to evidence presented at trial, between May 9 and May 21, 2024, Brownlee robbed at gunpoint five Cash Store businesses in Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, Euless, Hurst, and Grapevine. Trying to conceal his identity, Brownlee covered his face with a medical mask and wore different baseball caps and outfits for the robberies. 

    Reviewing hours of surveillance footage from nearby businesses and other camera systems, detectives from the Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, Euless, Hurst, and Grapevine police departments ascertained that Brownlee used the same vehicle—a black Hyundai Santa Fe equipped with a blue fuzzy steering-wheel cover—to drive to and from each of the five robberies.

    At trial, the jury heard from an eyewitness who observed the robber drop a Black & Mild cigarillo as he was running from one of the robberies and thereafter enter the backseat of a black SUV that had a blue fuzzy covering on its steering wheel.  Law enforcement collected that cigarillo for DNA testing, and the DNA test results were consistent with Brownlee being the robber from that incident.

    The jury also heard testimony from a member of the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team who testified that the cellular phones tied to Brownlee placed him at or near each Cash Store location when it was robbed.

    For two of the robberies, Brownlee enlisted the help of his girlfriend and co-conspirator, who testified that she and Brownlee conspired to rob the Fort Worth and Euless Cash Stores—driving there together in the black Hyundai SUV and with her serving as Brownlee’s getaway driver. She also testified that after committing these “licks” (robberies), Brownlee planned to target jewelry stores and ultimately obtained a Mini Draco-style firearm to do so, since that gun had more “muscle.”

    Shortly after committing the May 21 Grapevine robbery, Brownlee was arrested, and—upon searching the vehicle he was in—law enforcement found a black leather bag that Brownlee used in the Hurst and Grapevine robberies, a blue hat that Brownlee wore during the Euless robbery, a disposable medical mask matching what he wore for all of the robberies, and two loaded firearms—a black Smith & Wesson handgun matching the make and model of the gun identified by one of the victim-witnesses and a Century Arms Mini Draco AK-style pistol. Law enforcement also seized the black Hyundai Santa Fe with the blue fuzzy steering wheel cover, which at the time was being driven by Brownlee’s sister.

    Brownlee’s cell phone showed that he had conducted multiple online searches of and for Cash Stores during the time span of the robbery spree and that he ran searches for nearby jewelry stores and where to purchase a Mini Draco gun. The jury also saw videos and images from Brownlee’s and his co-conspirator’s phones showing them posing with piles of cash and Brownlee smoking a Black & Mild cigarillo like that observed to have been dropped by the perpetrator of the Euless robbery.

    Brownlee now faces a statutory minimum of 35 years and up to life in federal prison. His sentencing date is set for July 11, 2025, before the Honorable Reed O’Connor, who also presided over this trial.

    Brownlee’s co-conspirator pled guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison. She is set to be sentenced on April 8, 2025.

    “A strong relationship with our local law enforcement partners is crucial to tackling violent crime,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The collaboration with multiple agencies from Tarrant County resulted in a successful guilty verdict and sends a message that we will not tolerate acts of violent crime in our communities.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham praised the joint efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved in the case, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Fort Worth Resident Agency, Grand Prairie Police Department, Fort Worth Police Department, Euless Police Department, Hurst Police Department, and Grapevine Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric B. Chen and Levi Thomas prosecuted and tried the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gordon for the Northern District of Texas provided appellate support. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Sex Offender Indicted for Naturalization Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Juan Antonio Ruiz, 47, a naturalized United States citizen, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Tucson on Tuesday for Naturalization Fraud.

    According to the indictment, in June 2015 Ruiz became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In his application for citizenship, his interview with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and his naturalization oath ceremony, Ruiz answered “no” as to whether he had ever committed a crime for which he had not been arrested.

    Three years later, in May 2018, Ruiz was arrested for the crimes of Sexual Conduct with a Minor Under Fifteen, committed between January 17, 2004 and January 16, 2008 and Attempted Molestation of a Child, committed between September 9, 2003 and September 8, 2006. In 2021, Ruiz pleaded guilty to those charges in the Superior Court of Arizona, Pima County, Case Number 20182491-001.

    Naturalization Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 and loss of citizenship and cancelation of naturalization certificate.

    An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Sydney Yew, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-01502-AMM-EJM
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-043_Ruiz

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Announces Judicial Appointment

    Source: US State of Missouri

    MARCH 28, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Kehoe appointed a new Associate Circuit Judge to the 32ndJudicial Circuit.

    Amy Trueblood, of Cape Girardeau, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for Cape Girardeau County in the 32nd Judicial Circuit.

    Mrs. Trueblood earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in environmental science and public policy and economics from Harvard University. She is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri. Mrs. Trueblood currently serves as a judicial law clerk to Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh for the United States District Court in Cape Girardeau. In addition to her legal career, she is an active member of the Federalist Society, Harvard Club of St. Louis, and the Cape Girardeau County Bar Association. Mrs. Trueblood also served on the Cape Girardeau Public Library Board of Trustees, including terms as President and Vice President.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Prison Nurse Indicted for Abusive Sexual Conduct with an Inmate

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS – An Iowa woman has been indicted for abusive sexual contact with an inmate and making false statements to federal law enforcement about the interaction, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    According to court documents, Jessica Lynn Larson, 37, was employed as a nurse by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) assigned to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Rochester, Minnesota.  Larson entered into a romantic relationship with an incarcerated inmate, Victim A, at FMC Rochester.  Over the course of their relationship, Larson exchanged sexually explicit letters with Victim A. On April 3, 2024, Larson and Victim A had a sexual encounter in a shower room. Shortly afterwards, other nursing staff reported Larson’s inappropriate relationship with Victim A, prompting a search Victim A’s cell, where they discovered hidden letters from Larson.  Board of Prison (BOP) officials then found letters from Victim A inside Larson’s backpack.  After being confronted about her relationship with Victim A, Larson submitted a BOP indicate report in which she falsely accused Victim A of sexual assault and claimed that he had threatened to hurt her children if she refused his sexual advances or reported his assault.  Two months later, after being placed on administrative leave, Larson drove more than 600 miles from her home in Iowa to Cincinnati, Ohio, to mail a love letter to Victim A who had been transferred to another BOP facility.

    “In Minnesota, we take sexual abuse—particularly when committed by those in positions of authority—very seriously,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Likewise, lying to the United States is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute defendants who commit these crimes.”   

    Larson will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty on April 9, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General and the Bureau of Prisons.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tigard Man Found Guilty of Attempted Murder and Aggravated Assault for Shooting a U.S. Postal Service Employee

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal judge in Portland found a Tigard, Oregon man guilty Wednesday for shooting a United States Postal Service (USPS) letter carrier.

    Kevin Eugene Irvine, 34, was convicted of one count each of attempted murder of a federal employee, aggravated assault on a federal employee with a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Irvine raised an insanity defense in the bench trial held before a U.S. District Judge. The District Judge found that Irvine had failed to establish legal insanity and was guilty of all three counts in the indictment.

    According to court documents, on December 24, 2022, while driving a white van through a Milwaukie, Oregon neighborhood, Irvine made eye contact with a letter carrier delivering mail on foot dressed in a USPS uniform. Irvine threw his arms in the air, which the letter carrier mistook as waving, and waved back.  

    A short time later, on an adjacent street, the letter carrier noticed the same van and again made eye contact with driver, later identified as Irvine, as he drove past. Irvine stopped the van several houses away, got out of the van with a rifle, knelt on the street and fired three rounds, striking the letter carrier once as the letter carrier ran for cover. After the shooting, Irvine picked up his shell casings and drove off.

    On December 28, 2022, officers spotted the van in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where they stopped the vehicle and arrested Irvine. Later, investigators sought and obtained a search warrant for Irvine’s van and found three rifles, ammunition, spent shell casings, a knife, shooting targets and ballistic gear.

    On February 8, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Irvine with aggravated assault on a federal employee with a firearm, attempted murder of a federal employee, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

    Irvine faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for each count of attempted murder of a federal employee and aggravated assault on a federal employee with a firearm, and a mandatory minimum of ten years of imprisonment with a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He will be sentenced on July 17, 2025.

    The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Milwaukie Police Department and the Lake Oswego Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman and Eliza Carmen Rodriguez, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Judge Gives Southeast D.C. Woman Prison Term for Obstructing Justice in the Murder Investigation of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today to three years in prison for obstruction of justice in connection with the investigation into the murder of Makiyah Wilson, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Robert Okun ordered three years of probation. 

               Ramsuer was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on September 3, 2024, for her role in connection with the July 16, 2018 murder. The evidence at trial showed that on July 16, 2018, five members of the Wellington Park crew, Mark Price, Antonio Murchison, Isaiah Murchison, Gregory Taylor, and Qujuan Thomas, who have all been convicted, drove to the Clay Terrace neighborhood armed with guns. The driver of the vehicle, Mark Price, briefly stopped to allow the other defendants to exit the vehicle. They opened fire on the Clay Terrace courtyard, firing more than 50 shots, indiscriminately. Makiyah Wilson, who was sitting on the front stoop of her home, was killed. Two other members of the Wellington Park crew – Quentin Michals and Darrise Jeffers – were also convicted of their role in assisting in planning the shooting and securing the firearms that were used and crew member Marquell Cobbs was convicted of conspiracy in connection with the incident.

                Ramsuer, who witnessed the defendants preparing for the shooting, continuously refused to testify truthfully when asked the identity of the shooters. The evidence at trial showed that Ramseur lived in or hung out in the Wellington Park neighborhood most of her life and knew almost all of the defendants, one of whom she identified as her cousin. She was observed on video surveillance interacting with the defendants as they loaded into the vehicles to drive to Clay Terrace to commit the shooting. Ramsuer was also observed on video closely engaging with one of the defendants who orchestrated the attack, but who remained behind. Despite the obvious familiarity, Ramseur steadfastly refused to identify the individuals with whom she was interacting in the video, resulting in the charge of obstruction of justice.

                This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Natalie Hynum.

                The trial team was assisted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and Nicholas Coleman, Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Supervisory Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Clark, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Allen, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Maenylie Watson, Information Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce, Supervisory Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Information Technology Specialist Sigourney Jackson, Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, and Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman. Critical assistance also was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Merikas and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rich Barker, John Timmer, and Melissa Jackson who played key roles in the investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rochester woman charged with defrauding Rochester area businesses and charities out of thousands of dollars

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jessica Stadt, 43, of Rochester, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud and access device fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that in March of 2023, law enforcement began investigating Stadt as a suspect in a gift card fraud scheme, which involved Stadt fraudulently acquiring physical and electronic gift cards from and on behalf of Rochester area companies under the guise that they would be used for disadvantaged children and communities. However, instead of using the gift cards for charity, Stadt sold the gift cards to several different individuals using Facebook Messenger. She sold the gift cards under their actual value and indicated to buyers that the money paid be used for charity. Buyers would send money to Stadt’s personal Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App accounts.

    In total, Stadt acquired and sold approximately 607 gift cards on Facebook Messenger, with a total combined loss of approximately $88,882.60 to Wegmans, Youth Advocate Programs, and other not for profit organizations.

    Stadt made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was released on conditions.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the Monroe County Sheriff’s office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

    # # # #

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cedar Rapids Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution Near School

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A man who distributed fentanyl near a school pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

    D’quon Morrow, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of distribution of at least 40 grams of fentanyl near a protected location.  

    In a plea agreement, Morrow admitted that between February 2024 and July 2024, in Cedar Rapids, he agreed with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.  In March 2024, he distributed 6.50 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl to another person.  In April 2024, he sold a firearm to another person.  At the time, Morrow had a felony conviction for eluding.  In May 2024, he distributed 20.75 grams of fentanyl to another person.  In June 2024, he distributed 48.60 grams of fentanyl to another person near Madison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids.  In July 2024, law enforcement searched Morrow’s residence and recovered two firearms, ammunition, and over 1,000 fentanyl pills.    

    Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Morrow remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Morrow faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 80 years’ imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.  

    This case is also 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.

    This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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).

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

    The case file number is 25-CR-4.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Forest City Man Sent to Federal Prison on Multiple Counts of Firearm Possession by a Drug User and Making False Statements to Purchase Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A former Forest City man who possessed firearms as a drug user and made false statements during the purchase of firearms was sentenced to 45 months in Federal Prison.

    Brian Lee Byers, age 39, from Forest City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 7, 2024, guilty plea to 4 counts of possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user and 4 counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

    Evidence showed Byers admitted that between July of 2019 and February of 2020, in Cero Gordo County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, Winnebago County, Iowa, Grundy County, Iowa and Hancock County, Iowa he possessed multiple firearms while using marijuana and methamphetamine. He admitted that on July 25, 2019, November 9, 2019, February 22, 2020, and February 24, 2020, he stated on federal forms he was not a drug user while he purchased multiple firearms

    Byers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Byers was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    Byers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

    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.

    This case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Fletcher and Jack Lammers. 

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

    The case file number is 23-CR-3018.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Spencer Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Dylan Halbur, 32, from Spencer, Iowa, pled guilty March 28, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

    At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on August 26, 2024, law enforcement searched a camper in Spencer, Iowa, where Halbur was known to reside and store items.  Inside, law enforcement located 45 grams of pure methamphetamine, $2,900 in cash, marijuana, a digital scale and other indicia of drug use and distribution.  Halbur admitted the methamphetamine was his and that he intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another.  

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Halbur remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  The penalties for this offense are a sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Spencer Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa DCI Laboratory.  

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

    The case file number is 24-4077.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Joseph Man Charged with Aggravated Identity Theft of Minnesota Man

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man was charged in a federal indictment this week with aggravated identity theft and misuse of a social security number.

    Romeo Perez-Bravo, 42, has been charged with using a stolen identity to obtain employment and state issued identification cards since 2009. The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General received a referral from the St. Joseph, Missouri Police Department that a man had been fraudulently living and working under a Minnesota man’s identity. SSA-OIG identified him as Perez-Bravo who had been living in St. Joseph and working for local area employers under that identity for several years. The victim reported the identity theft when he began to receive unpaid income tax bills from the IRS.   

    If convicted, Perez-Bravo faces a mandatory two-year prison sentence for identity theft and up to five years for misusing the social security number.

    The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case was investigated by Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), ICE Homeland Security Investigations, St. Joseph, Missouri Police Department, and the Olivia, Minnesota Police Department.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CEO of Company that Owned Rights to Notorious Drug Lord’s Name Extradited to United States to Face Fraud, Money Laundering Counts

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A Swedish national was extradited from Spain and was arraigned today on a 115-count federal indictment alleging he licensed the rights of the late Colombian narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar and defrauded investors by marketing and selling products – including flamethrowers and cellphones – that he never delivered.

    Olaf Kyros Gustafsson, 31, a.k.a. “El Silencio,” arrived in Los Angeles this morning after Spanish authorities extradited him. Gustafsson is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 41 counts of money laundering, 35 counts of international money laundering, and 25 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

    Gustafsson was arrested in Spain in December 2023 and was arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Gustafsson pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. A May 20 trial date was scheduled. A federal magistrate judge scheduled an April 3 detention hearing. Gustafsson remains in federal custody. 

    According to the indictment, Gustafsson was the CEO of Escobar Inc., a corporation registered in Puerto Rico that held successor-in-interest rights to the persona and legacy of Pablo Escobar, the deceased Colombian narcoterrorist and head of the Medellín Cartel. Escobar Inc. used Pablo Escobar’s likeness and persona to market and sell purported consumer products to the public.

    From July 2019 to November 2023, Gustafsson identified existing products in the marketplace that were being manufactured and sold to the public. He then used the Escobar persona to market and advertise similar and competing products purportedly being sold by Escobar Inc., advertising them at a price substantially lower than existing counterparts being sold by other companies.

    Gustafsson then purportedly sold the products – including an Escobar Flamethrower, an Escobar Fold Phone, an Escobar Gold 11 Pro Phone, and Escobar Cash (marketed as a “physical cryptocurrency”) – to customers, receiving payments via PayPal, Stripe, Coinbase, among other payment processors.

    Despite receiving customer payments, Gustafsson did not deliver the Escobar Inc. products to paying customers because the products did not exist.

    In furtherance of the scheme, Gustafsson sent crudely made samples of the purported Escobar Inc. products to online technology reviewers and social media influencers to attempt to increase the public’s demand for them. For example, Gustafsson allegedly sent Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones wrapped in gold foil and disguised as Escobar Inc. phones to online technology reviewers to attempt to induce victims who watched the online reviews into buying the products that never would be delivered.

    Also, rather than sending paying customers the actual products, Gustafsson mailed them a “Certificate of Ownership,” a book or other Escobar Inc. promotional materials so there was a record of mailing from the company to the customer. When a paying customer attempted to obtain a refund when the product was never delivered, Gustafsson fraudulently referred the payment processor to the proof of mailing for the Certificate of Ownership or other material as proof that the product itself was shipped and that the customer had received it so the refund requests would be denied.

    Some of the victims include residents of Los Angeles, Gardena, and Commerce.

    Gustafsson allegedly also caused bank accounts to be opened under his name and entities he controlled to be used as funnel accounts – bank accounts into which he deposited and withdrew proceeds derived from his criminal activities. The purpose was to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds. The bank accounts were located in the United States, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

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

    IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service, and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation.

    Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fitchburg Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Role in Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that David Junius, 47, of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 7 years in federal prison for possessing 500 or more grams of cocaine intended for distribution. Junius pleaded guilty to this charge on December 19, 2024.

    In late 2022, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating a large cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking organization operating in Portage, Madison, and La Crosse. Intercepted phone communications in April 2023 led to the surveillance of a delivery of 4 kilograms of cocaine from Junius to other individuals. Further investigation led agents to a storage unit in Madison rented and regularly accessed by Junius in which police found almost 1½ kilograms of cocaine and $20,000 in U.S. currency.   

    In sentencing Junius, Judge Peterson expressed concern that despite Junius’s extensive criminal history, which included nine prior convictions for drug-related offenses, Junius again became involved in drug trafficking. Judge Peterson found that Junius played a significant role in the drug organization by storing drugs and cash, as well as by making deliveries. Judge Peterson further found that such large-scale trafficking encouraged criminal enterprises and violence in the community.

    Junius’s co-defendant, Angel Flores, also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2025.

    The charge against Junius was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case.

    The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Two, Continues Search for Last Remaining Norteño Gang Member in Connection to Moses Lake Homicide

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Spokane, WA – The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) has arrested two fugitives and continues its search for Jose Beltran-Rodriguez, 20, the last remaining suspect in the March 21 drive-by shooting in Moses Lake, Washington, that killed a 14-year-old and injured four others.

    Two Suspects in Custody

    • On March 24, at the request of the U.S. Marshals, the Richland Police Department arrested a juvenile suspect at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. The suspect, who had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg, is charged with first-degree murder.
    • On March 28 at 2:30 AM, the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force – Oregon, arrested Matthew Valdez in coordination with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Community Violence Reduction Team (COVRT) and Washington County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Negotiations Team (TNT) in Beaverton, Oregon, without incident.

    Last Fugitive Still at Large

    Jose Beltran-Rodriguez remains a fugitive. He is wanted on an arrest warrant issued on March 25, charging him with: Murder in the First Degree, Five Counts of Assault in the First Degree, Drive-By Shooting, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Beltran-Rodriguez is a suspected member of the transnational criminal gang Norteños, involved in drug trafficking, violent assaults, robbery, homicide, money laundering, and unlawful firearm possession.

    U. S. Marshal Craig Thayer stated that “This horrific murder with four additional assault victims has been, and will continue to be, a top priority for all law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.  With two arrests already made, efforts are now concentrated on the outstanding arrest warrant for Jose Beltran-Rodriguez.”

    Beltran-Rodriguez is considered armed and dangerous, and the public is urged not to approach him and to call 911. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should immediately contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or send tips via the USMS Tips app.

    This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Further details will be released as they become available.

    The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-led partnership comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The task force’s primary mission is to locate, arrest and return to the justice system the most violent and egregious federal and state fugitives. Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives, including the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON TRUMP’S HISTORIC ATTACK ON FEDERAL UNIONS

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    March 28, 2025

    MEDIA CONTACT: 

    e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

    c: 202.913.0126

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s attack on federal unions:

    “There is no room for debate – our president is a proud and unrepentant union buster. Through Donald Trump’s recent executive order, his administration has committed one of the most significant and severe attacks on the labor movement in America’s history. Tragically, it stands as only the latest assault against our civil servants who have been ceaselessly insulted, threatened, and harmed by the Trump Administration since the day it came to power. And let’s be clear: the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, State and Veterans Affairs, USAID, and the EPA will each be immeasurably weakened by this order, significantly impacting the agency services millions of Americans rely on.

    “Honest people recognize that collective bargaining is the best, most effective way for workers and employers to reach a fair and mutually beneficial labor agreement. That is why America’s federal workers deserve the right to collectively bargain their conditions of employment, and why, at his core, Donald Trump fears the strength and resilience of unions – because unions will always stand as one of the last lines of defense against his illegal war on the federal workforce. 

    “I have no doubt he and his administration will not rest, yield, or back down an inch until they have broken every law and every institution necessary to steal this necessary tool from federal workers and ensure their control over every element of our government is absolute. All of Congress should condemn Donald Trump’s overreach and defend the labor movement from his disgusting attempt to dismantle their power. I stand with our federal unions when I say: we’ll see this scab president in court.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Kentucky Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by May Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Kentucky of the April 23, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and mudslides occurring on May 21-27, 2024. 

    The disaster declaration covers the counties of Allen, Barren, Bell, Boyd, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carter, Christian, Clay, Crittenden, Edmonson, Graves, Grayson, Greenup, Hopkins, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Leslie, Lewis, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCreary, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Owsley, Perry, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Warren, Webster and Whitley in Kentucky, as well as Lawrence and Scioto counties in Ohio, and Campbell, Claiborne, Henry, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner counties in Tennessee. 

    Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises. 

    EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster. 

    “SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.” 

    The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition. 

    To apply online visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. 

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 23, 2025. 

    ### 

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration 

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Road Closed, SH1, Glen Oroua

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    State Highway One, Glen Oroua, is closed following an earlier crash overnight.

    At around 9pm, Police were alerted to a single vehicle crash on SH1 near Taikorea Road.

    There are no reported injuries in relation to the crash.

    The road is closed, and diversions are in place.

    Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

    ENDS

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Department of Justice Announces Affirmative Litigation Against the American Federation of Government Employees to Protect National Security

    Source: US State of California

    (WASHINGTON) – Last night, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Texas on behalf of eight agencies against affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees.

    Yesterday, the President issued an Executive Order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs. This order reflected the President’s determination that several federal agencies and subdivisions perform investigative and national security work and that those agencies may not be required to collectively bargain consistent with our national security.

    The plaintiff agencies have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with the defendants, which are locals, councils, and Division 10 of the American Federation of Government Employees; those CBAs prevent the plaintiffs from implementing workforce policies that would help them further their national security missions.  The plaintiff agencies therefore wish to terminate their CBAs.  But to avoid unnecessary labor strife and to ensure legal certainty, they filed this declaratory judgment action to confirm that they are legally entitled to do so.

    “We are taking this fight directly to the public-sector unions,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By affirmatively suing in Texas, we are aggressively protecting President Trump’s efforts to ensure unions no longer interfere in the national security functions of the government”

    Underscoring this threat to national security, this lawsuit argues that “the President and his senior Executive Branch officials cannot afford to be obstructed by CBAs that micromanage oversight of the federal workforce and impede performance accountability.” This lawsuit also argues that the President “cannot effectively execute the laws or promote national security if his supervision of agents engaged in national security, intelligence, counterintelligence, or investigative missions is stymied by intrusive bargaining agreements and continuous bargaining obligations.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hobbs Man Who Sold Illegal Firearm Devices to Undercover Agents Pleads Guilty

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Hobbs man admitted to selling illegal devices that convert semi-automatic pistols into machine guns to undercover agents investigating a series of shootings in Carlsbad.

    According to court records, the investigation began after several shootings involving juvenile suspects took place in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in 2024. During a review of a phone belonging to one of the juvenile shooting suspects, officers from the Carlsbad Police Department discovered conversations indicating the sale of machine gun conversion devices. These devices convert semi-automatic pistols into machine guns capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute with a single trigger pull.

    The investigation led to Tevon Wayne Davis Cobbs, 24, who used the online aliases “Tee Swoo” and “TMURDA.” Subsequently, undercover agents with the Lea County Drug Task Force (LCDTF) contacted Cobbs through Facebook, posing as potential buyers, and arranged to purchase machine gun conversion devices. Over the course of two controlled buys, Cobbs sold the undercover agents multiple machine gun conversion devices and a silencer. He admitted to dealing in illegal firearm modifications for three to four years and showed the undercover agents videos of himself firing weapons converted to fully automatic capability. During these deals, Cobbs not only offered to sell the agents more machine gun conversion devices but also boasted that he had a machine gun on his person at that moment and offered to retrieve it from his car to show them.

    Cobbs pled guilty to four charges, including possession and transfer of a machinegun, possession of an unregistered NFA firearm, possession of NFA firearm without serial number and illegal transfer of NFA firearm.

    At sentencing, Cobbs faces up to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Cobbs faces up to $280,000 in fines.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is investigating this case with assistance from the Lea County Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Ry Ellison is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Postal Worker Indicted for Accepting Bribes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – KEITH TONEY (“TONEY ”), age 43, of New Orleans, was indicted on March 7, 2025, for accepting a bribe as a public official, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

    Specifically, TONEY, a mail carrier employed by the United States Postal Service, was indicted for being a public official who directly, and indirectly, accepted to receive a thing of value in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act in violation of his official duties, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2).

    TONEY faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to the indictment, beginning at a time unknown but prior to November 21, 2022, and continuing to on or about June 22, 2023, TONEY received monetary payments to facilitate the shipment of drug-filled parcels by coordinating with a drug-distributor to arrange for the delivery of drug-filled parcels, and personally delivering and turning over the drug-filled parcels to a drug-distributor.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely an allegation and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti Convicted of Visa Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant ordered and carried out extrajudicial and political killings against the Haitian people

    BOSTON – The former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti was convicted today by a federal jury in Boston of illegally obtaining a Permanent Resident Card (commonly referred to as a Green Card) by means of a false statement, specifically, that he ordered and carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings, and other acts of violence, against the Haitian people.

    Jean Morose Viliena, 52, was convicted of three counts of visa fraud. Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 20, 2025. Viliena was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023.

    “The political corruption and violence that the people of Haiti endured at the direction of Jean Morose Viliena, is appalling,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The United States is not where you come to hide from your crimes.  Today’s conviction is proof that running away from your crimes and lying to federal officials will catch up to you. I applaud the courage of the witnesses who spoke up about the abuse they suffered as a result of Viliena.”

    “Today a jury found that Jean Morose Viliena lied his way into gaining entrance into the United States after committing unspeakable acts of violence in Haiti,” said Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Matthew R. Galeotti. “The Justice Department will not stand for human rights violators illegally entering and roaming the streets of our communities. Thank you to the brave victims and witnesses who helped our law enforcement partners and prosecutors begin to hold Viliena accountable for his crimes.”

    “Viliena knowingly lied to conceal his violent past, deceiving immigration authorities to come to the United States. The brave witnesses who came forward to testify in this case relayed their experiences of extreme violence and oppression committed by Viliena and his associates. Thanks to their testimony, his fraud has been uncovered and he will now face consequences for his violence and deception,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations New England.

    “The men and women of CBP work diligently alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of the people in our communities. Emigrating to the United States is a privilege and if you conceal your criminal conduct to deceive your way into this country, you will ultimately be detected, held accountable and brought to justice,” said Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office.

    According to court documents, Viliena was the Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti from December 2006 until at least February 2010. As a candidate and as Mayor, Viliena was backed by a political machine called Korega, which exerts power throughout the southwestern region of Haiti through armed violence. Viliena personally supervised his mayoral staff and security detail and led an armed group in Les Irois aligned with Korega. Under Viliena’s direct supervision, the Korega militia enforced Viliena’s policies by various means, including by targeting political opponents in Les Irois through armed violence.

    According to the indictment, as Mayor, Viliena was involved in several instances of violence. The first occurred in or around July 27, 2007 when a witness spoke at a judicial proceeding in Les Irois on behalf of a neighbor who had been assaulted by Viliena. In reprisal for that testimony, that evening, Viliena led an armed group to that witness’ home, where Viliena and his associates shot and killed the witness’ younger brother, and then smashed his skull with a large rock before a crowd of bystanders.

    The second incident occurred in or around April 2008, when a group of local journalists and activists founded a community radio station. According to court documents, Viliena opposed establishment of the radio station and, on April 8, 2008, mobilized members of his staff and the Korega militia to forcibly shut down the radio station and seize its broadcasting equipment. At that time, Viliena distributed firearms to the Korega militia members, some of whom also carried machetes and picks.

    On the day of the attack on the radio station, Viliena pistol-whipped an individual with his gun and struck him with his fists. When the individual tried to flee, Viliena ordered one of his associates to shoot and kill him. Shots were fired which hit the individual in the leg. The individual spent several months in various hospitals and his leg was later amputated above his knee. Another individual, also a citizen of Haiti, became a target of Viliena because of his association with the radio station. On the day of the attack of the radio station, that individual was present and when he tried to flee, he was hit by a bullet in the face. He required months of intensive medical treatment, including two surgeries to extract shotgun pellets from his face, which left him permanently blind in one eye. According to court documents, pieces of shotgun pellets remain in the individual’s scalp and arms.  

    On June 3, 2008, Viliena presented himself at the United States Embassy Consular Office in Port au Prince, Haiti where he submitted an Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, Form DS-230, Part II in order to gain entry to the United States. The form specifically requires that each applicant state whether or not they are a member of any class of individuals that are excluded from admission into the United States, including those who have “ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people.” Viliena falsely responded that he was not. Viliena thereafter swore to, or affirmed, before a U.S. Consular Officer that the contents of the application were true and signed the application. According to court documents, thereafter, on or about June 4, 2008 and based upon Viliena’s false representations in the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Form DS-230, the U.S. Department of State approved Viliena’s DS-230 application.  

    On or about July 14, 2008 – as the result of the approval of his DS-230 application – Viliena gained entry into the United States and was thereafter granted lawful permanent residence status in the United States. As a further result, Viliena received a Permanent Resident Card. Viliena has continued to possess a Permanent Resident Card and has used such card on numerous occasions to enter the United States.  

    The charge of visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    U.S. Attorney Foley; Acting DOJ Head Galeotti; HSI SAC Krol; CBP’s Director of Field Operations De La O; Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director of the Fraud Detection and National Security Division of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center and the United States Citizen and Immigration Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Malden Police Department and HRSP historian Christopher Hayden. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of the National Security Unit and Alexandra Skinnion of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Unit Section (HRSP) are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern District charges 265 individuals in border security-related cases this week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – A total of 257 cases have been filed in relation to immigration and border security from March 21-27, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

    Of those, 98 face allegations of illegally re-entering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent and/or sexual crimes and prior immigration offenses, among others. A total of 132 face charges of illegally entering the country, 23 cases involve various instances of human smuggling, and the remainder relate to firearms and other immigration matters.

    Among those charged as part of these new cases include two illegal alien human smugglers who engaged in a dangerous pursuit and crash (pictures attached). Jose Manuel Zamarripa-Torres picked up brush guide Daniel Flores-Hernandez and four illegal aliens who had crossed the Rio Grande in a raft, according to the allegations. Authorities attempted to stop the SUV he was driving, but the charges allege he fled which resulted in a 6.1-mile pursuit with Zamarripa-Torres ultimately crashing into an occupied civilian vehicle, a power pole and fence. If convicted, they both face up to 10 years in federal prison.

    Other relevant cases announced this week include a 20-year-old Mexican national affiliated with Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) was sentenced in Laredo for illegally possessing thousands of rounds of ammunition. Charbel Garza Macias admitted it was to be smuggled into Mexico and that it was for the CDN. In handing down the 63-month sentence, the court noted Macias was providing tools of war to a brutal criminal organization.

    In Corpus Christi, a jury convicted Cuban citizen Jorge Grimon Maturell for transporting seven illegal aliens in a tractor-trailer. They had been hiding in the corner of the sleeper area and underneath a mattress. Maturell had directed the illegal aliens where to hide when entering his vehicle and to not make any noise when they arrived at the checkpoint. As a result of the verdict, he is now in custody.

    The last of five members of an alien smuggling group also learned his fate for leading the conspiracy. Jaquon Davis was a long-time alien smuggler who recruited several people. On March 19, 2024, Davis and four others travelled in three cars using an access road in an attempt to avoid law enforcement. Authorities ultimately pulled them over and discovered a total of 12 illegal aliens in the vehicles. One was concealed in a box located in a truck bed. Davis will now serve 44 months for leading and coordinating the event.

    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, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General 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 the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). 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 SDTX 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jamaican national sentenced to 14 years in prison for meth trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. – A Jamaican national was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for attempt to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    According to court documents, Kirkville Virgo, aka Mark Thomas, 47, and another person shipped meth from California to a hotel in Richmond, purportedly for “Christoper Jackson.” On March 23, 2024, law enforcement interdicted a package that contained 10 heat-sealed bundles of meth weighing approximately 9,080 grams. Agents replaced approximately 18 pounds of meth with “sham” rock salt, leaving approximately two pounds of meth in the parcel, and performed a controlled delivery to the hotel.

    Virgo later entered the hotel, using the name Delbert Dujon, and took custody of the package from the front desk. Law enforcement then took custody of Virgo.

    Virgo was previously permanently removed from the United States on Feb. 5, 2013, and was in the United States illegally at the time of the offense.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Col. Matt Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-127.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: 9-time illegal alien offender admits to unlawfully returning to U.S. again

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 33-year-old Mexican national has pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Francisco Raymundo Dominguez-Sanchez was previously convicted twice of the same crime.

    He was first removed in 2013 with eight subsequent removals between then and 2023.

    On Jan. 28, Dominguez-Sanchez was driving northbound and approached the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint near Falfurrias. During a routine immigration inspection, authorities discovered Dominguez-Sanchez to be an illegal alien who had been previously ordered removed from the country.

    U.S. District Judge David Morales will impose sentencing June 25. At that time, Dominguez-Sanchez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

    He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

    BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: South African Man Living in Jefferson County Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Marcell M. Meyer, age 43, and a citizen of South Africa residing in Sackets Harbor, New York was arraigned today in federal court on charges of distribution of child pornography announced United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

    According to the criminal complaint, Meyer used an internet-based social networking application installed on his cellular telephone to distribute child pornography to other users of the platform, including some who identified as children. In one such instance, Meyer distributed child pornography to an undercover HSI agent who Meyer believed to be a 13-year-old female child.

    The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    If convicted of the charge in the complaint, Meyer faces a term of imprisonment of between 5 and 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release between 5 years and life.  Meyer would also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and would likely face immigration consequences as a result of his conviction. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. 

    The case was investigated by HSI Syracuse and HSI Portland, Maine with the assistance from the New York State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

    Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds District Man Guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder for Revenge Killing

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Deonte Patterson, 29, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder while armed and other charges for the August 2021 shooting of 32-year-old Ali Jamil Al-Mahdi on 9th Street NW, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Patterson also was found guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and obstructing justice. The verdict was returned following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2025. Patterson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the crimes.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:24 a.m., on August 23, 2021, members of the Third District Metropolitan Police Department were in the area of 9th and T Street, N.W., when they heard the sounds of multiple gunshots. Officers canvassed the area and located Mr. Ali Al-Mahdi in front of 1822 9th Street, N.W., unconscious and unresponsive, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. DC Fire and EMS personnel responded to the scene and transported Mr. Al-Mahdi to Howard University Hospital where all lifesaving efforts failed, and he was pronounced dead at 3:39 a.m. Surveillance video and witness testimony placed Patterson in the area of the shooting. Mr. Al-Mahdi was shot as he was trying to get to his car. Minutes after the shooting, there was a car crash at 9th Street and Massachusetts Ave N.W., where a car flipped over multiple times. Patterson and a gun flew out from the vehicle during the crash. DNA tied the gun that flew out of the car to the defendant. That gun was consistent with having fired the 40 caliber casings at the shooting crime scene. Other casings at the shooting scene came from an unknown firearm suspected to be return gunfire that hit the defendant’s fleeing vehicle. The defendant’s firearm was in a fanny pack in the backseat of his car. The decedent had previously shot the defendant in 2019, pled guilty, and served time.

                An arrest warrant for Patterson was issued in January 2022 and he was on the run for a year until he was arrested on January 5, 2023. Since being held, the defendant communicated with his girlfriend in several jail calls instructing her not to say anything.

                This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

                It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Galloway and Tamara Rubb.

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