McALLEN, Texas – The final man involved in a fatal smuggling conspiracy has been ordered to federal prison for two separate smuggling events that occurred just weeks apart, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Orlando Andres Garcia, 24, Mission, pleaded guilty to human smuggling resulting in death and conspiracy to harbor undocumented aliens within the United States Feb. 3, and Nov. 29, 2022, respectively.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Garcia to serve 120 months for the conspiracy to harbor in addition to 151 months for the smuggling event resulting in death. The sentences will be served in part consecutively for a total of 251 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard how Garcia had been communicating with the other driver in the fatal smuggling event and encouraged him to reach dangerous speeds. Judge Alvarez also considered the life-altering and permanent injuries the survivors sustained in the accident and that Garcia was involved in stealing people and holding them for ransom a mere 18 days after the fatal accident.

In handing down the sentences, Judge Alvarez considered how the smugglers utilized multiple weapons, including firearms and a machete, further noting Garcia’s disregard for the well-being of the migrants and emphasizing the repetitiveness of his smuggling and the effects and harm his conduct has had on the victims and their families.  

“Garcia trafficked in humans, not caring about the multiple lives he destroyed,” said Hamdani. “His actions led to the death of three migrants and to the kidnapping of nearly 50 at gunpoint. He saw migrants not as human beings but as property to buy and sell. Now, the only property he can buy or sell for years to come is what he can find in the prison’s commissary.”

“The fact that this unscrupulous smuggler put lives in danger to support his criminal activity is reprehensible. Today, justice was served,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “These deaths could have been prevented were it not for this individual’s concern more for his own greed rather than the safety of others. HSI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners and utilizing our unique investigative authorities to bring to justice those responsible for horrible tragedies like this.”

On Oct. 22, 2021, Brandon Cibriano-Gonzalez acted as a brush guide to smuggle a group of 10 non-U.S. citizens from Mexico into the United States. Francisco Javier Quintanilla-Alcocer and Garcia then picked them up and began to drive them in a Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Malibu, respectively. Law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but both vehicles failed to yield and a high-speed chase ensued. Evidence showed that Garcia had been communicating with Quintanilla-Alcocer and telling him to go faster. They reached speeds of 130 miles per hour.

Quintanilla-Alcocer eventually turned onto a dirt road in Mission where the Impala rolled and crashed into a homeowner’s fence. Authorities located a total of seven individuals on scene. Three had been ejected, two of whom died at the scene. Three months following the crash, a third migrant succumbed to his injuries.

Just a couple weeks after this event, Garcia was involved in another smuggling scheme and holding people for ransom. On Nov. 9, 2021, several conspirators had arrived at a stash house, screamed “immigration” and directed 47 fleeing individuals to multiple vehicles staged outside the residence. They then transported them in the backseats and trunks of vehicles to multiple residences before being transported once again.

While held at the stash houses, conspirators possessed and brandished firearms and contacted the families for additional funds to facilitate transportation north. Garcia also used the aliens as payment to co-conspirators for their assistance in the stealing the aliens. But when they were unable to secure monies for some of the aliens, several conspirators sold them to members of a third alien smuggling organization.

12 others have been convicted in relation to this scheme and received sentences of up to 80 months. 

Mexican nationals Quintanilla-Alcocer, 39, and Cibriano-Gonzalez, 22, also pleaded guilty in the case resulting in death and have also been sentenced.

HSI led the investigations of both cases. Border Patrol, Palmview Police Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the case resulting in death. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lee Fry and Devin Walker prosecuted the cases. 

HOUSTON – A federal grand jury in Houston has returned a criminal indictment against eight individuals, while a related civil complaint has charged 14 individuals and one company relating to international trade fraud violations stemming from a decade-long scheme involving tires from China.  

Law enforcement arrested Zheng “Miranda” Zhou, 53, of Missouri City, and Kun “Bruce” Liu, 40, of Sugar Land, yesterday. They made their initial appearances in Houston federal court today, at which time the criminal indictment was unsealed. Zhou will appear again tomorrow at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy for a counsel determination hearing, and both are set for arraignment Friday at 10 a.m.

Also charged in the indictment are Qinghua “Shirley” Song, 44, of Jurupa Valley, California; and Chinese residents Yue “Joanna” Peng, 42, Li “Cathy” Chen, 38, Xin “Devin” Zhang, age unknown, Shaohui “Jasper” Jia, 40, and Deng “David” Yongqiang, 36. They are all considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests.

The Department of Justice’s Civil Division also filed a civil complaint Dec. 11 alleging trade fraud in the U.S. Court of International Trade. The complaint names the eight criminal defendants and six other individuals - Xiaozhen “Jenny” Zhang, 34, Di “Terry” Wang, 34, Liang “Leon” Yu, 49, Lin “Leo” Zhang, 37, Jinbing “David” Wang, 36, and Minglian “Bill” Li, 28 - as well as Houston area company Winland International Inc., dba Super Tire Inc. David Wang is a resident of New Jersey, while the remaining civil defendants reside in China.

“China and its industries want to rob, replicate and replace American made good and technology,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. “Illegally importing and dumping these goods is one way to systemically weaken American competitors. Whether direct espionage by the Chinese government or trade fraud like in this case, we will continue to investigate and prosecute every case we can.”

“The Civil Division, through the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force (TFTF), will continue to partner with U.S. law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to aggressively investigate and pursue individuals and companies who attempt to evade U.S. customs laws and target the U.S. manufacturing base with unfair trade practices,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Bossert Clark. “We recognize the importance of ensuring that U.S. manufacturers are competing on a level playing field.” 

The indictment and complaint allege the defendants conspired to avoid anti-dumping duties associated with off-the-road (OTR) and light vehicle and truck (LVT) tires from China. Working through and with Winland, individuals allegedly imported OTR and LVT tires from companies that were subject to anti-dumping duties associated with Chinese tire manufacturers who had engaged in unfair trade practices in the United States. 

The complaint further alleges U.S.-based defendants conspired with defendants in China to obtain falsified invoices and entry records of Chinese tire companies that were subject to a lower duty rate than the actual manufacturers of these tires. Defendants submitted these falsified records to U.S. Customs officials when importing tires into the United States, so that Winland could avoid paying the higher duty rates, according to the allegations. The indictment and complaint also allege they used these falsified records to understate the value of these tires, further lowering the amount Winland owed in duties.

The value of these tires allegedly exceeded $20.9 million and resulted in the deprivation to the United States of more than $6.5 million in import duties.

“For more than a decade, Zhou and her co-conspirators are alleged to have sought to gain an unfair competitive advantage at the expense of U.S. companies and consumers through a series of schemes in violation of fair trade practices and U.S. import regulations,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark B. Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Houston. “Working closely with our U.S. and foreign law enforcement partners, and in coordination with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, we were able to uncover these alleged deceptive practices leading to the criminal indictment and imposition of almost $21 million in civil penalties.”

“Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes its trade mission of protecting the U.S. economy very seriously as we strive to maintain fair trade and preserve American jobs from predatory practices,” said Director of Detroit Field Operations Christopher Perry. “These civil penalties and criminal indictments should serve as a warning to those who attempt to defraud our government and do harm to our economy and American businesses.”

The Houston Trade/Revenue Interdiction and Enforcement Team conducted the collaborative investigation along with CBP’s Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Emilady and Craig Feazel of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the criminal case, while William Kanellis of TFTF is handling the civil matter. TFTF is an inter-agency law enforcement task force with the primary mission of identifying, interdicting and prosecuting international trade fraud. 

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

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Oscar Efrain Zavala Urrea, age 23, an El Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, today to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including a murder, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region.  MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.  Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, from at least January 2020, Zavala Urrea was a member or associate of the MS-13 Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique and agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and drug distribution. 

In the Spring of 2020, a MS-13 member, who was a former roommate of Victim 20, was assaulted by Victim 20 and others because they believed that MS-13 member had stolen property from Victim 20.  After being told of the assault, MS-13 members indicated that the gang would have to retaliate against Victim 20 to maintain its standing.  MS-13 gang members also believed that Victim 20 was associated with the rival 18th Street gang, which was another sufficient reason to kill him.  

According to the plea agreement, over the course of several weeks Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 members met to plan the murder of Victim 20, including discussing what role each participant would play, conducted surveillance to determine when Victim 20 left the apartment, and obtained guns to be used in the murder.  The night of May 25, 2020, Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 gang members gathered in a park in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Zavala Urrea met with each gang member to discuss the plan to murder Victim 20, which was to happen the next morning.

As detailed in court documents, on May 26, 2020, at approximately 7:05 a.m., two FLS MS-13 gang members approached Victim 20 as he left his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland and fired handguns at him repeatedly, hitting him eight times.  Victim 20 died as a result of being shot. 

Following the murder, Zavala Urrea and a co-conspirator traveled to Annapolis where they met a third MS-13 gang member.  Zavala Urrea and the co-conspirator changed their clothes and disposed of the old clothing.  They gave the third gang member a backpack containing two firearms for safe keeping.  A few days later, Maryland State Police stopped the third gang member who had the backpack containing the two firearms.    

Zavala Urrea admitted that, to assist the gang to raise money, he also participated in the sale of marijuana and the collection of extortion money from brothels and other businesses, providing the proceeds to gang leadership. 

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.    

United States Attorney Barron commended the FBI, HSI, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

# # #

McALLEN, Texas – The 41-year-old female leader of an alien smuggling organization has been ordered to prison in a conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens and for illegally re-entering the country, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Brenda Yadira Gamez-Castaneda aka Guera La Trailera, of Mexico, pleaded guilty Oct. 8, 2019.

Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed Gamez-Castaneda a 120- month term of imprisonment for the conspiracy. She also received 24 months  for illegal re-entry to run concurrently for a total of 10 years. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her incarceration.

The court enhanced her sentence, finding she obstructed or impeded the administration of justice. Gamez-Castaneda had destroyed evidence, demanded others to do the same and instructed a co-defendant on what to say to authorities. She also attempted to flee from the country after realizing she was a target of the investigation.

While imposing the sentence, Judge Alvarez noted Gamez-Castaneda was the leader or organizer of a criminal activity that involved five or more participants or that was otherwise extensive and at least two alien smuggling cells.

Beginning on approximately May 17, 2019, Roberto Flores-Brewster utilized his property in Donna known as “the Brewster Compound” to harbor and transport undocumented aliens with Adolfo Medina-Cervantez. Flores-Brewster then transported the aliens to Gamez-Castaneda. From there, she and Silber Vazquez-Mireles would transport the undocumented aliens to additional stash houses and hotel locations where other members of the criminal enterprise would harbor them. The aliens remained there while Gamez-Castaneda coordinated with tractor trailer drivers to smuggle them beyond the South Texas Border Patrol (BP) checkpoints. 

Gamez-Castaneda was found responsible for smuggling at least 25 undocumented aliens. At least one of them was an accompanied minor, while another had been involuntarily detained. Another alien was held by coercion, threat or in connection with a demand for payment. The court also noted that she had utilized a 10-year old child to assist in the alien smuggling conspiracy at a hotel where undocumented aliens, including an unaccompanied juvenile, were being harbored. 

On Oct. 9, 2019, Vazquez-Mireles, 32, of Mexico, was ordered to serve 40 months in federal prison for his role in the smuggling ring. At the time of his sentencing, Vazquez-Mireles also received an enhancement for obstruction of justice. The court found he had placed jail calls during which he informed Gamez-Castaneda, then unindicted, to destroy evidence related to the conspiracy.

Flores-Brewster, 60, and Medina-Cervantez, 29, are set for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Alvarez March 25.  

Gamez-Castaneda has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid prosecuted the case.

One Iranian and two Canadian nationals have been charged with conspiracy to use interstate commerce in the commission of a murder-for-hire plot.

According to court documents, from December 2020 through March 2021, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, 49, Damion Patrick John Ryan, 43, and Adam Richard Pearson, 29, conspired with each other in a plot to murder two residents of the state of Maryland. The defendants, one of whom is based in Iran, used an encrypted messaging service called “SkyECC” to recruit individuals who would travel into the United States to carry out the killings, to discuss the identities and locations of the would-be victims, to plan logistics and mechanics of how to carry out the murders, and to negotiate payment for completion of this “job” in Maryland. The intended victims of this plot, who at the time resided in Maryland, had previously fled to the United States after one of them defected from Iran.

Concurrent with today’s indictment, the Treasury Department took action against Zindashti’s criminal network that targets Iranian dissidents and opposition activists for kidnapping and assassination at the direction of the Iranian regime. Pursuant to today’s designations, Zindashti and several of his key associates are prohibited from engaging in any transaction or dealing that involves a U.S. person or occurs in the United States.

“To those in Iran who plot murders on U.S. soil and the criminal actors who work with them, let today’s charges send a clear message: the Department of Justice will pursue you as long as it takes – and wherever you are – and deliver justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

“As alleged, Mr. Zindashti and his team of gunmen, including a Minnesota resident, used an encrypted messaging service to orchestrate an assassination plot against two individuals,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger for the District of Minnesota. “Thanks to the skilled work of federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents, this murder-for-hire conspiracy was disrupted and the defendants will face justice.”

“Today’s charges show a pattern of Iranian groups trying to murder U.S. residents on U.S. soil,” said Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Mr. Zindashti and his accomplices’ alleged plot is reprehensible, and the FBI will not tolerate such acts against U.S. residents, and we will continue to pursue these individuals until they are brought to the U.S. to face justice.” 

As alleged in the indictment, between December 2020 and January 2021, Zindashti and Ryan communicated about “jobs,” “equipment,” “tools” and plans to “make some money.” In January 2021, they discussed a job in the United States, with Ryan noting that doing a job in the United States was challenging, but that he “might have someone to do it.” That same day he messaged Pearson about a “job” in Maryland. Pearson stated, “shooting is probably easiest thing for them,” and that he was “on it.” Ryan recommended “2 guys go with proper equipment.” Pearson said he would encourage the recruits for the job to “shoot [the victim] in the head a lot [to] make example” and that he would tell them “we gotta erase his head from his torso.”

On or about Jan. 30, 2021, Zindashti messaged Ryan on SkyECC seeking an update on the job. Ryan responded that he was getting “things in order” and that he would need money. A few days later, Zindashti told Ryan that Zindashti’s organization was ready to move forward. Zindashti and Ryan then agreed on a $350,000 payment for the “job,” in addition to $20,000 to cover expenses.  After Zindashti introduced Ryan to Co-Conspirator 1, Ryan responded: “We have a 4 man team ready.”

Over the days that followed, Ryan and Co-Conspirator 1 continued to correspond on SkyECC about the plot. Specifically, Co-Conspirator 1 sent Ryan information about the would-be victims, including their photographs and images of a map that highlighted the victims’ known address. In or around March 8, 2021, Co-Conspirator 1 facilitated a $20,000 payment to Ryan for purposes of covering travel expenses associated with the plot.    

All three of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Pearson is also charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a fugitive from justice and one count of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States.

Zindashti currently resides in Iran. Ryan and Pearson are currently incarcerated in Canada on unrelated offenses.

The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter for the District of Minnesota, Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

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





Zindashti et al. indictment

            WASHINGTON – Jann Jousten Aponte-Rivera, 27, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 50 years in prison for the drug-related murder of Shantay Myisha Butler, 42, of Frederick, MD, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Criminal and Cyber Division, and Acting Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg.

            Aponte-Rivera was convicted after a jury trial on November 8, 2023 of all three counts charged, including: conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; continuing criminal enterprise – causing the intentional death of Shantay Butler; and causing the death of Shantay Butler through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense. Aponte-Rivera was part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization based in San Juan that was sending kilogram quantities of cocaine to the mainland United States, including the Washington D.C. region, via the U.S. Postal Service. Law enforcement identified more than 50 parcels of cocaine shipped by the organization from Puerto Rico to the area with a wholesale street value of at least $2 million. Once the drugs arrived in the metropolitan area, a local drug trafficking organization distributed the cocaine to mainland dealers.

            The drug trafficking organization’s members, including Aponte-Rivera, traveled from San Juan to the Washington, D.C. area to collect drug proceeds, and then surreptitiously traveled on commercial airliners with the proceeds. Aponte-Rivera was indicted with co-defendants Rey Rivera Ruiz, Nomar Medina Diaz, and Michael Gabriel Rivera Hernandez.

            According to the facts introduced at trial, the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization owed several thousand dollars to the Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization and had been ordered to pay for several kilograms of cocaine which did not arrive in the Washington, D.C.-area. On October 14, 2020, Aponte-Rivera lured the leader of the Washington, D.C. area drug trafficking organization and Shantay Butler to a desolate part of Toa Baja in Puerto Rico. When the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization arrived with Ms. Butler in a car, Aponte-Rivera ambushed them, but pulling out a firearm and firing on the vehicle. The leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization was shot five times, remained in a coma for several weeks, but survived. His girlfriend, Ms. Butler, died of her wounds.

            The FBI arrested Aponte-Rivera on April 15, 2021, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

            Rivera Ruiz pleaded guilty on May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and is set to be sentenced before Chief Judge Boasberg on February 22, 2024. In total, 10 individuals have been convicted for their roles in this drug trafficking conspiracy.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Montgomery Co. Police Department (MCPD), and the Frederick City Police Department (FCPD).

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Fletcher and Dineen Baker assisted in the investigation and charging of this case.

            WASHINGTON — A Maine man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.            Andre Maurice Bonneau, 64, of Lewiston, Maine, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Bonneau is charged with misdemeanor offenses of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.            The FBI arrested Bonneau today in Maine, and he will make his initial appearance in the District of Maine.            According to court documents, Bonneau was seen in open-source and police body-worn camera footage on Jan. 6, 2021, approaching a bike rack barricade separating officers from rioters on the West Front of Capitol grounds. Officers had previously assembled a police line at this location to prevent rioters from encroaching further on the grounds as the riot developed.            At this location, video footage showed Bonneau allegedly disregarding police orders to "get back." Instead, Bonneau turned his back to officers along the line, grabbed the bike rack, and used his body weight to push the bike rack into officers in an apparent attempt to breach the police line.            For approximately the next 20 seconds, video footage showed Bonneau struggling with officers over the bike rack as he attempted to lift and remove the barricade from the police line. In response to his actions, officers defended themselves by using their riot batons against and deploying a chemical irritant in Bonneau's direction. Court documents say that the officers successfully repelled Bonneau's advance, and he retreated.           This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.            This case is being investigated by the FBI's Boston and Washington Field Offices. Bonneau was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #529 on the FBI’s seeking information photographs. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.            In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.



bonneau_sof.pdf





 

HOUSTON – A 45-year-old Nigerian national has been ordered to federal prison for his participation in two separate schemes to defraud victim homeowners and a corporation and launder the proceeds of those frauds.  

Joseph Modile pleaded guilty Feb. 27, 2023, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft filed in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and charges of money laundering and wire fraud filed in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and subsequently transferred to the EDNY.

U.S. District Judge Diane Gujarati has now ordered Modile to serve 145 months in prison. As part of the sentence, Modile was also ordered to pay more than $1.5 million each in restitution and forfeiture.



“Although Modile took part in a complicated scheme, involving a cadre of runners and a series of fake documents and bank accounts, his goal was simple - steal from unsuspecting victims,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the SDTX. “While his crimes stretched to all parts, from Brooklyn to Houston, thanks to the work of two U.S. Attorney’s Offices, Modile will spend several years in one place, a prison cell, no longer able to help fellow criminals prey on the innocent.”



“Modile checked all the boxes for a sophisticated fraud–stealing, deception, money laundering and identity theft. Today’s sentence checks the box for an appropriate penalty for his crimes of greed from Brooklyn to Texas,” stated U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the EDNY.  “I commend the prosecutors from my Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDTX and the special agents for their outstanding work unraveling Modile’s scheme.”

“Today’s sentencing is a positive step toward justice for Joseph Modile’s victims – homeowners, business owners and the everyday email users alike who were defrauded of over $15 million as a result of his sophisticated schemes. The defendant spearheaded at least three fraud schemes across the country and over the course of several years. His tactics, while sophisticated, were no match for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York’s El Dorado Task Force Cyber investigators,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. “I commend HSI New York, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the EDNY and SDTX, as well as FBI Houston, for a job well done.”

“FBI Houston, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, led an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation on numerous prolific organized crime figures. Modile, for years, was an orchestrator of multi-million-dollar fraud schemes who stole from countless victims around the world,” stated FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas Williams. “Dismantling large-scale criminal enterprises is what the FBI does, and Modile’s sentence should send a message to greedy criminals like him still out there, it’s just a matter of time before we get you too.”

In the SDTX case, from November 2017 until May 2018, Modile knowingly devised a scheme to defraud victims. Modile used his cellular phone to communicate with others about financial transactions for the purpose of executing his scheme. Modile directed an individual already convicted in Houston to withdraw cash from their bank account and provide it to others. Modile also directed the individual in Houston to lie to their financial institution regarding the reason for withdrawing money from their account. In February 2018, Modile orchestrated and directed a substantial amount of money into an account of the individual in Houston. The money derived from wire fraud, and Modile was aware the money came from unlawful activity.

In the case filed in the EDNY, from January 2014 and September 2018, Modile and others defrauded victims, businesses and financial institutions in the United States through a sophisticated home equity line of credit (HELOC) scheme involving a series of bank account takeovers. During this time, Modile and others also laundered proceeds from the bank account takeovers. In furtherance of the HELOC fraud scheme, Modile and others acquired personal identifying information (PII) of the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts at the financial institutions. The co-conspirators then used the PII to impersonate the actual holders of the targeted bank accounts, thereby gaining control of the accounts. In some cases, members of the conspiracy recruited “runners,” who impersonated the actual account holders inside bank branches using forged and fraudulent identification documents created at Modile’s direction. In most instances, the stolen funds were first deposited into fraudulent bank accounts co-conspirators set up and controlledin the names of the actual victims from whom the money had been stolen. In other cases, the bank accounts into which the stolen funds were first deposited were in the names of sham corporations, which were opened using false and fraudulent identification. In total, Modile and others stole at least $5 million as part of the HELOC fraud scheme.

In May 2018, Modile and others engaged in a separate business email compromise scheme using fraudulent emails and telephone calls to steal approximately $10.2 million from a victim company. The co-conspirators used a fraudulent email address to impersonate a contractor of an entity located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and directed representatives of that entity to deposit the funds in an account members of the conspiracy controlled. Modile and others then laundered those stolen funds through bank accounts that co-conspirators controlled. 

FBI and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Rodolfo Ramirez prosecuted the case along with EDNY AUSA David Pitluck. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 44-year-old resident of Corpus Christi has been ordered to prison after admitting her role in a federal drug scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Katrina Kelly pleaded guilty Nov. 19, 2020.

Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered her to serve a 96-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional information describing Kelly's drug trafficking after previously earning a master's degree in social work and serving as a rehabilitation program specialist for a methadone clinic with Texas Health and Human Services. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted Kelly's continued criminal conduct even while on bond in two federal cases.

In April 2020, Kelly was involved in a conspiracy with others to possess with intent to distribute kilograms of meth. She negotiated terms of the sale or distributed the meth from a residence in Corpus Christi. Laboratory analysis later positively confirmed the substance linked to her was meth.

Previously released on bond, Kelly was later taken into custody after violating the terms of her bond conditions. She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments in Kingsville and Corpus Christi. Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Manning prosecuted the case.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 69-year-old Corpus Christi man has been ordered to prison after admitting he possessed child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Henry Franklin Reddick pleaded guilty April 28, 2017.

 

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos handed Reddick a 36-month sentence. At the hearing, a Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) computer forensic expert testified that Reddick was saving numerous images of child pornography on a digital storage device a month before his arrest. Reddick was further ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet.  He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

 

The investigation into Reddick began after authorities received a CyberTipline report from The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The CyberTipline provides the public and electronic service providers with the ability to report online instances of child pornography. The CyberTipline report indicated that an individual using the email address of hankreddick@aol.com had uploaded 79 images of suspected child pornography onto a cloud storage service. 

 

Law enforcement was able to determine Reddick was associated with that email address and executed a search warrant at his residence. At that time, agents seized various electronic devices on which forensic analysis later revealed more than 450 images and 13 videos of child pornography.

 

Reddick was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department—Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

 

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez and Elsa Salinas, 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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

HOUSTON - Two men have been charged in a four-count indictment with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to do so, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

A federal grand jury returned the indictment under seal against Jamine Lake, aka Pimpin or PI, 27, and Ronnie Presley, aka Fresh or Bubba or Tony, 35, both of Houston, on July 13, 2017. It was unsealed as Lake and Presley were arrested July 19 and 26, respectively. Today, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo found both to be a danger to the community and ordered they remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings.

 

The indictment charges both men with conspiracy to traffic women and children for the purposes of commercialized sex and sex trafficking of children and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Lake is also charged with violating his supervised release from a 2013 conviction for similar federal offenses.

 

According to information presented in court, Presley and Lake were allegedly working together to traffic three minor females ranging in age from 13 to 17 in an area near Bissonett in Houston. During part of the conspiracy, Presley was allegedly giving orders from jail. The court also heard today that one of the minors allegedly went to the jail to put money in Presley’s account using cash earned from commercial sex acts. According to the allegations, Lake and Presley communicated with each other and one of the minors via cell phone.

 

If convicted, the men face up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

 

The Houston FBI Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old Houston resident and felon has been ordered to federal prison for illegal purchase and trafficking of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

A federal jury convicted Jose Abraham Nicanor May 11 on all 13 counts as charged following a three-day trial. He was also convicted for possessing a firearm after a previous felony for armed robbery.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt has now ordered Nicanor to serve 60 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard evidence that showed Nicanor aggregated the firearms shipment to Mexico. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Nicanor’s conduct amounted to more than mistakes, but to a pattern of choices to violate the law.



“Stemming the illegal river of firearms into Mexico, a river stained blood red, deprives Mexican cartels of their tools of violence,” said Hamdani. “Cartels and other transnational criminal organizations are a national security threat, and my office, with its fearless prosecutors, will always be committed to aggressively pursuing those who exploit American gun laws so that weapons of war don’t reach violent criminals in Mexico and beyond.”



“Firearms trafficking and straw purchasing are not victimless crimes,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Noel Rangel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “These acts are illegal and puts firearms in the hands of violent criminals. By focusing on firearms trafficking and straw purchasing, ATF keeps guns out of the hands of criminal trigger pullers, thereby reducing violent crime.”

At trial, the jury heard that Nicanor recruited two straw purchasers to buy high-caliber rifles that drug trafficking organizations regularly seek.

Testimony and evidence showed that a total of 94 firearms were attributable to Nicanor’s straw purchasing group. Mexican authorities later recovered some of the firearms in the possession of drug trafficking organizations.

The jury also heard that Nicanor rented a machine gun at a local gun range and posted a video of himself with the firearm to his social media. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.

Nicanor was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The straw purchasers – James Paxton Jefferson, 34, Alejandro Garcia, 33, both of Houston – previously pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.

ATF conducted the investigation. Mexican authorities also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Collins and Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – A federal jury convicted a Texas man today for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and launder millions of dollars in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans the Small Business Administration (SBA) guarantees under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Abdul Fatani, 57, Richmond, conspired with others to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications by falsifying the number of employees and the average monthly payroll expenses of the applicant businesses. In total, the co-conspirators sought over $35 million through more than 80 fraudulent PPP loans. Fatani distributed over $500,000 in fraudulent loan proceeds to his co-conspirators and himself using bogus payroll checks and laundered a portion of the proceeds by transferring the funds from one of his bank accounts to another bank account he controlled.

“Fatani’s pilfering of the PPP fund defrauded the government of funds that were supposed to help people with real businesses, suffering real losses and facing real struggles,” said Hamdani. “This man, instead, had no business and no employees. Just a scheme to defraud. Today’s jury’s verdict shows that his fraudulent actions are not acceptable and will not be tolerated in this district.”  

Fatani was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering). He is scheduled to be sentenced May 8 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy and wire fraud and 10 years in prison for money laundering.

In addition, 15 other individuals have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the loan fraud scheme.

Hamdani made the announcement along with Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG); Special Agent in Charge Catherine Huber of the Federal Housing Finance Agency OIG (FHFA-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Mark B. Dawson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston Field Office; Acting Inspector General Tyler Smith of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – OIG (FDIC-OIG); and Inspector General J. Russell George of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Rodolfo Ramirez for the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorneys Kate McCarthy, Spencer Ryan, Della Sentilles and Louis Manzo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. AUSA Kristine Rollinson for the Southern District of Texas handled asset forfeiture.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 200 defendants in more than 130 criminal cases and has seized over $78 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

LAREDO, Texas – Two soldiers stationed in Texas have been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to transport undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery

Isaiah Gore, 21, and Denerio Williams, 22, pleaded guilty Dec. 2, 2021, another co-conspirator Ivory Palmer, 21, pleaded guilty Jan. 10. All are active duty soldiers with the U.S. Army.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo imposed a 30-month-term of imprisonment for Gore, while Williams received 24 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Marmolejo noted that Gore and Williams, as soldiers in the Army, were “not the average citizen,” which justified a tougher sentence. Judge Marmolejo also emphasized that everyone involved in the scheme knew that wearing a uniform would assist in evading detection or arrest.

The investigation began June 13, 2021. On that day, authorities caught Emmanuel Oppongagyare and Ralph Gregory Saint-Joie smuggling undocumented aliens in the trunk of a vehicle at the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located in Hebbronville. At the time of arrest, both men were wearing their U.S. Army uniforms.

Oppongagyare later admitted Gore recruited them to pick the aliens up from McAllen and drive them to San Antonio. Oppongagyare and Saint-Joie were indicted and pleaded guilty Aug. 11 and 12, respectively, in 2021. Both are currently awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña.

A joint investigation later confirmed Oppongagyare, Saint-Joie, Williams and Palmer each served a role in the conspiracy as drivers who would travel to locations in Texas to transport the aliens in exchange for money. Authorities further confirmed that Gore actively recruited people to pick up undocumented aliens.

Both Gore and Williams were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Gore has since been discharged from the Army.

Palmer is currently pending sentencing.

Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Bajew and Mark Hicks prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – UOP LLC, dba as Honeywell UOP, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., has agreed to pay more than $160 million to resolve parallel bribery investigations by criminal and civil authorities in the United States and Brazil stemming from bribe payments offered to a high-ranking official at Brazil’s state-owned oil company. 

The U.S. Department of Justice’s resolution is coordinated with prosecutorial authorities in Brazil as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to court documents, Honeywell UOP entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the department in connection with a criminal information filed in the Southern District of Texas charging the company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

According to the company’s admissions and court documents, between 2010 and 2014, Honeywell UOP conspired to offer an approximately $4 million bribe to a then-high-ranking executive of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A (Petrobras) in Brazil. Specifically, Honeywell UOP offered the bribe to secure improper advantages in order to obtain and retain business from Petrobras in connection with Honeywell UOP’s efforts to win an approximately $425 million contract from Petrobras to design and build an oil refinery called Premium.

“This case exemplifies corporate misconduct on a global level,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Prosecuting and investigating this type of crime is an important role our office takes seriously in order to ensure fair and equal playing fields for U.S. companies and consumers. We will continue our efforts to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who violate the FCPA and combat corrupt practices in order to preserve the integrity of our nation’s business dealings here and abroad.”

According to court documents, in order to effectuate the bribery scheme, Honeywell UOP entered into an agency agreement with a sales agent for the purpose of funding and paying the $4 million bribe to the high-ranking Petrobras executive. In exchange for the bribe, and after obtaining business advantages including inside information and secret assistance from the Petrobras executive, Honeywell UOP won the contract. Honeywell UOP earned approximately $105.5 million in profits from the corruptly obtained business.   

“Honeywell UOP offered to pay millions of dollars in bribes to a high-ranking executive at Brazil’s state-owned oil company to win a lucrative contract,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution once again demonstrates that in our relentless fight against corruption, the Department of Justice will work together with our partners, both domestic and foreign, to hold companies accountable for their criminal conduct.”

Pursuant to the DPA, Honeywell UOP will pay a criminal penalty of approximately $79 million. The department has agreed to credit up to approximately $39.6 million of that criminal penalty against amounts the company has agreed to pay to authorities in Brazil in connection with related proceedings to resolve an investigation by the Controladoria-Geral da União (CGU), the Ministério Público Federal (MPF) and the Advocacia-Geral de União (Attorney General’s Office). In addition, Honeywell UOP will pay approximately $81 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest as part of the resolution of a parallel investigation by the SEC. 

“Honeywell UOP conspired to bribe a high-ranking official at Petrobras to win a contract from the company, effectively stifling competition,” said Acting Assistant Director in Charge Michael H. Glasheen of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Bribery schemes like this one transcend borders, and collaboration with our foreign partners is crucial to the fight against international corruption. The resolution announced today demonstrates the FBI's commitment to leveling the playing field across the global marketplace."

“Money is the center of the criminal world and this company became a part of that world when it failed to adhere to national and international laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Ramsey E. Covington of the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Houston Field Office. “It did not live up to the trust placed on it by both the public and its shareholders. In situations like this, IRS-CI will pursue criminal enterprises, regardless of where they operate. Our investigation in this case remains open and we are working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to ensure that crime doesn’t pay.”

As part of the DPA, Honeywell UOP has agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing or future criminal investigations relating to this conduct. In addition, under the agreement, Honeywell UOP and its parent company, Honeywell International Inc., agreed to continue to enhance its compliance program and provide reports to the department regarding the implementation of compliance measures for the term of the DPA.

The department reached this resolution with Honeywell UOP based on a number of factors, including, among others, the nature and seriousness of the offense. Honeywell UOP received full credit for its cooperation with the department’s investigation, which included, among other things, (i) proactively disclosing certain evidence of which the department was previously unaware; (ii) providing information obtained through its internal investigation, which allowed the department to preserve and obtain evidence as part of its own independent investigation; (iii) making detailed presentations to the department; (iv) voluntarily facilitating interviews of employees; and (v) collecting and producing voluminous relevant documents and translations to the department, including documents located outside the United States. The company promptly engaged in extensive remedial measures including, among other things, terminating and disciplining certain employees involved in the misconduct and strengthening its compliance program. In light of these considerations, the criminal penalty calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines reflects a 25% reduction off the bottom of the applicable guidelines fine range. 

The FBI Washington Field Office and the IRS-CI Houston Field Office are investigating the case. Brazil’s MPF, CGU and AGU as well as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in this matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Elmilady for the Southern District of Texas and Assistant Chief Gerald M. Moody Jr. and Trial Attorney Gwendolyn Stamper of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters.

Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 39-year-old Corpus Christi man who initiated a sexual relationship with a child after Hurricane Harvey displaced her family has been sentenced for producing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Stephen Scott Meals pleaded guilty Feb. 20.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Meals to serve a 600-month sentence. At the hearing, the court heard how Meals groomed his victim over many years, gaining her trust and the trust of her family. He then initiated a sexual relationship with her while her family was displaced during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. 

In November 2018, law enforcement learned of the sexual relationship he had with the 15-year-old female. He admitted he had hoped to marry her - 22 years his junior at the time. When authorities identified her, she was wearing a promise ring Meals had given her.

Today, she stood before the court and bravely read her impact statement. She explained she would not live as a victim, but as a survivor.

During the investigation, authorities ultimately seized Meals’ electronic devices. Forensic evaluation revealed several pornographic images of the child victim in a secure folder on his cellular phone. Some of the images included the minor female in various stages of nudity that Meals has taken in order to memorialize the sexual assaults he had committed against her.  

The investigation had also led to the discovery of an additional child victim Meals had been sexually abusing. At the hearing today, the court heard testimony from a medical expert regarding the evidence of that abuse as well as the victim’s guardian about the impact Meals’ actions have had on her family.

Meals was further ordered to serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. 

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Corpus Christi Police Department – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany L. Jensen prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.

HOUSTON –  The final Houston area man charged with the assault and robbery of undercover agents during a drug operation in early 2019 has been ordered to federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Morgan Kanu-Bradley, 20, Spring, pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2019, as did Avery James, 22, and DeAnthony Doucet, 23, both of Baytown. They were each convicted on two counts of assaulting federal agents, three counts of robbery - including a conspiracy count - and one count of possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence. All are identified members of a gang in Baytown known as the “Gas Gang.”

Today, Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ordered Kanu-Bradley to serve a total of 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Doucet and James were previously sentenced to respective terms of 130 and 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

The court heard that Kanu-Bradley was the most violent of the group and had a lack of remorse for his actions. The defense disagreed and asked for a lower sentence. Judge Rosenthal said she could not do that because of the extremely violent nature of the offense, noting that Kanu-Bradley had punched and beat the victim.

“The blatant disregard for human life that was shown when Kanu-Bradley beat and held an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent at gunpoint while robbing him deserves nothing less than the maximum allowable sentence,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski. “While our agent suffered severe injuries, the community is safer with this criminal off the street.”

On Feb. 17, 2019, undercover federal agents had arranged to purchase narcotics from Doucet at a hotel in Houston. There, Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet held the agents at gunpoint and stole the money they had for the transaction as well as and one of their firearms and phone. The men also beat and stomped on one of agents while he was held at gunpoint.

Afterwards, Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet all fled the scene. Other authorities on the scene pursued and arrested them.

One of the undercover officers received bruises and a laceration to his face which required stitches. 

Kanu-Bradley, James and Doucet have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

ATF conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments in Baytown and Houston.  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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Bennett and Jimmy Leo prosecuted the case.

GALVESTON, Texas – A 40-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for production and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Sean Michael Kriss pleaded guilty June 1, 2022, to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown has now sentenced Kriss to 360 and 120 months for the production and possession convictions, respectively. They will run consecutively for a total 480-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard additional information including a letter from the victim’s mother detailing how Kriss’ actions destroyed their family and has caused them a lot of stress and anxiety. She further detailed how his betrayal took away their sense of security. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted that Kriss committed these acts against the victim who was at a vulnerable age. Kriss was further ordered to serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Kriss will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

“Individuals, like Kriss, who produce child pornography and share it with perverted like-minded individuals need to be stopped,” said Hamdani. This sentence will help to do that. The exploitation of children has no place in our community and my office will vigorously pursue prosecution of anyone involved in the production and distribution of child pornography to the fullest extent of the law.”

The investigation revealed Kriss had shared a video via Snapchat he created of a minor female from his cellphone.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his residence and seized his electronic devices. Forensic examination on those items resulted in the discovery of child pornography videos and images depicting the minor victim. 

In total, law enforcement found 408 images and two videos of child pornography Kriss had in his collection. 

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Pearland Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherin Daniel and Kimberly Leo prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.

HOUSTON – A total of three Colombian nationals associated with the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional aka ELN), a paramilitary group designated as a foreign terrorist organization, have been taken into Colombian custody at the request of the United States on charges alleging a 20-year international drug conspiracy.

“When my predecessor visited Colombia last year, he said to approximately 100 Colombian National police officers that he was directing all U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) components stationed at the U.S. Embassy, to include FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and our DOJ Attaches, to make cases against ELN a top priority,” said Attorney General William Barr. “These enforcement efforts against six ELN members including federal criminal charges against ELN leader Wilver Villegas-Palomino reaffirms our commitment in dismantling and disrupting this narco-terrorist group. The United States and Colombia have a shared mission of combatting narco-trafficking and narco-terrorism and the long-standing cooperation and teamwork between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement is stronger in addressing transnational crime and weakening foreign terrorist organizations.”

“Colombia is an excellent law enforcement partner,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. “They made a commitment to work with the United States combatting ELN’s narco-terrorism. With major cities acting as drug trafficking hubs, the Southern District of Texas is uniquely situated in continuing our prosecution of these cases and working with our Colombian colleagues.”

Colombian authorities arrested Yamit Picon-Rodriguez aka Choncha, 36, Jose Gabriel Alvarez-Ortiz aka Alex, 26, and Henry Trigos-Celon aka Moncho Picada, 43, based on a provisional arrest request of the United States.

Suspected ELN leader Villegas-Palomino aka Carlos El Puerco, 38, is also charged and considered a fugitive as are Jaime Miguel Picon-Rodriguez aka Chencho and Jairo, 38, and Diomedes Barbosa-Montaño aka El Burro, 38. A warrant remains outstanding for their arrests. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

A federal grand jury in Houston returned the three-count indictment Feb. 12. All six defendants are charged with distribution of a controlled substance, knowing or intending to provide anything of pecuniary value to a person or organization that engages in terrorism or terrorist activity (narco-terrorism), participating in an international cocaine distribution conspiracy and international cocaine distribution.

According to the indictment, Villegas-Palomino and his co-defendants were involved in an ongoing 20-year conspiracy to distribute cocaine from Colombia to the United States knowing or intending to provide pecuniary support to the ELN.

In early 2019, Villegas-Palomino, Picon-Rodriguez, Trigos-Celon, Barbosa-Montaño and Alvarez-Ortiz also allegedly participated in distributing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine in Colombia having reasonable cause to believe it would be imported into the United States.

“The success of Operation Catatumbo Lightning was a direct result of the outstanding collaboration between the FBI and many of our law enforcement and military partners both here in the United States and in Colombia,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “These arrests should serve as a warning that the FBI will relentlessly target and disrupt any narco-terrorist activity that threatens the health and safety of the American people and our international community.”

“As alleged, for decades, ELN produced and exported tons of cocaine to the U.S., using communities in America to fund their terrorist activities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea. “These enforcement actions have dealt a major blow to the ELN and are a true testament to the power of partnerships. DEA remains dedicated to our partners around the globe in the shared mission of bringing narco-terrorists to justice.”

On Oct. 8, 1997, the State Department officially designated ELN as a foreign terrorist organization. It continues to operate as one of the largest narco-terrorism organizations in the world. The U.S. Department of State through its Narcotics Rewards Program, is offering up to a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Villegas-Palomino.

The Houston Divisions of the FBI and DEA conducted the investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). FBI and DEA agents in Bogota provided substantial support as did DOJ’s multi-agency Special Operations Division, including assigned attorneys from the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and National Security Division as well as the Office of International Affairs with the cooperation of Colombian authorities. Houston Police Department, U.S. Southern Command and international partners including the Colombian Army, National Police, National Prosecutor's Office and Technical Body of Investigation also provided assistance.

OCDETF brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Its principal mission is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal Alaniz of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.



































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HOUSTON – A 51-year-old Houston man has been convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

The investigation into Jason Dion Johnson began Dec. 6, 2015, as the FBI sought to identify persons using peer-to-peer software to traffic in child pornography. Agents soon discovered a specific computer as offering to participate in the distribution of child pornography movies. Johnson was identified as the person linked to that computer.

 

Law enforcement executed a search warrant May 6, 2016, at Johnson’s Houston residence, at which time investigators found a number of videos and images of prepubescent girls being sexually exploited. Additionally, agents allegedly found several unmarked VHS tapes which revealed the presence of what appeared to be a hidden camera video from a changing area within a school. On these tapes, there are young female students who are observed to be entering the camera’s field of view and removing their clothing while in the process of changing into a uniform.

 

At the time of the investigation, Johnson was employed as a 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Beechnut Academy in Houston. However, authorities do not believe the footage was taken at that school.

 

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and has set sentencing for July 6, 2017. At that time, Johnson faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years imprisonment for the receipt of child pornography as well as up to 10 years for possession of child pornography.

 

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo, 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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

HOUSTON – Local critical infrastructure partners and area business owners have participated in a training session to increase cybersecurity posture and awareness on how to tackle such cyberattacks, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.   

The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), hosted the roundtable training today in order to educate private industry partners on what to do in the event of a cyberattack upon their businesses. 

“We are excited to partner with HSI and other federal agencies to help protect Houston’s often vulnerable critical infrastructure assets,” said Lowery. “From our international airports, unique power grid and robust oil and gas sector, Houston is home to some of the country’s most valuable assets.”

“As criminal organizations and other bad actors become more sophisticated in their ability to launch cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure and private business, it is crucial for HSI to work closely with our federal partners and the private sector to develop resilient and adaptive defenses against malicious cyberspace activity and network intrusions,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson. “Hosting today’s roundtable with the USAO was an important step, and we will continue to seek opportunities to enhance collaboration with our law enforcement partners and other stakeholders to prevent potential network intrusions and ensure greater unity of effort in response to cyber incidents.”

On a weekly basis, numerous cyberattacks occur on businesses all across the Southern District of Texas. There must be a quick response team in place to immediately address the intrusion in order to circumvent major damage and losses. The USAO routinely works with other prosecutors and law enforcement in the district to stay ahead of potential cyber threats. 

As the global economy enters day 35 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, businesses must be reminded to be diligent about their networks and to know their response plans, have a paper copy available and review their cyber-related insurance policies.

The USAO has established contact lines for assistance 24 hours a day. If you have fallen victim to an intrusion, inadvertently diverted funds to an unknown third-party or suffered a ransomware attack, please email (usatxs-cybersecurity@usdoj.gov) directly or call the hotline at 713-542-5213.  

McALLEN, Texas – Two men face up to life in prison following their convictions of drug crimes, carjacking, robbery and firearms offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. The McAllen jury deliberated for five hours before convicting Mexican citizen Marin Macrin Cerda aka Filtro, 33, and Jose Miguel Montemayor aka aEl Mickey, 29, of Mission, late Friday. Sept. 6, 2019, following a seven-day trial. 

Both were convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and a crime of violence, two counts of carjacking, four counts of Hobbs Act robberies, two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and/or a drug trafficking offense and three counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and/or a drug trafficking offense. Cerda was also convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, an additional count of carjacking, an additional count of Hobbs Act robbery, two additional counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense and one additional count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or crime of violence in relation to events he participated in without Montemayor.

The investigation began after discovering a local rip crew was responsible for multiple carjackings and home invasions in Hidalgo County in order to steal controlled substances or drug proceeds.

Testimony revealed Cerda and other  crew members utilized law enforcement officials to further their drug trafficking activities. Two of those included former Donna Independent School District police Officer Juan F. Mata, 40, of Donna, and former Hidalgo County Court at Law No. 6 bailiff Oscar De La Cruz, 53, of Pharr. Jurors heard Mata conducted fraudulent traffic stops in order to allow members of the organization to steal cocaine hidden in load vehicles. De La Cruz produced fictitious court paperwork or queried sensitive law enforcement and judicial databases the organization would provide to sources of supply in order to retain and steal controlled substances in their possession.

During trial, the jury heard about multiple crimes involving Cerda, Montemayor or both between 2016-2017.

Three of those crimes were carjackings in McAllen and Pharr involving both men in an attempt to steal cocaine. In the second and third instances, rip crew members discharged firearms at the vehicles in order to obtain the controlled substances.

Testimony further revealed Cerda and Montemayor were involved in an attempted robbery which resulted in a shoot-out in a McAllen neighborhood. Another crime involved a home invasion, during which the criminals entered the wrong residence seeking drugs and terrorizing a family, including a female who was eight months pregnant.

Cerda and Montemayor also served as scouts for a drug transaction involving more than 20 kilograms of cocaine Feb. 1, 2017, in McAllen.

Jurors heard that rip crew continued their activities when they also attempted to rob multiple kilograms of cocaine from a vehicle traveling through Mission and McAllen Feb. 27, 2017. Cerda and Montemayor discharged firearms at the targeted load vehicle in an attempt to steal the cocaine. Testimony revealed a bullet struck an occupant of the vehicle and required significant medical attention. 

Cerda was further involved in the carjacking of a tractor trailer in rural Mission July 7, 2016, and a car chase and shootout Jan. 6, 2017. In the first instance, the rip crew threatened a family, including several juveniles, in order to steal a tractor trailer believed to conceal drug proceeds. During the car chase incident, the crew discharged firearms and rammed their vehicles into a vehicle before it ultimately crashed. 

Jurors also heard testimony relating to a home invasion conducted in Mission April 3, 2017, when rip crew members, including Cerda, entered the residence of a suspected drug trafficker armed with firearms to steal more than $100,000 in drug proceeds. 

The jury also heard that casings recovered from three of the crimes were fired from firearms recovered from Cerda’s vehicle.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that althought the crimes had been committed, co-conspirators fabricated Cerda’s and Montemayor’s involvement. They did not believe those claims and convicted both men as charged.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez presided over the trial and sent sentencing for Dec. 19, 2019. At that time, both men face up to 10 years for conspiracy to possess a firearm, a maximum of 15 years for each of the carjackings and 20 years on each of the robbery counts, a minimum of five and up to 40 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana as well a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison for the cocaine conspiracy. 

In addition, they face a minimum of seven years and up to life for each of the brandishing firearms convictions and a 10-year minimum up to life for each of the discharging a firearms counts. The firearms sentences must be served consecutively to each other and to the other sentences imposed.

All in all, Montemayor faces a minimum of  54 years, while Cerda faces a minimum of 78 years to life in prison. Both face a maximum lifetime term of imprisonment.

They have been and will remain in custody pending their sentencing hearing.

To date, more than 25 co-conspirators have been convicted in connection with the investigation. Mata and De La Cruz also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to 130 and 60 months, respectively.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety’s Highway Patrol and Regional Crime Laboratories, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office and Police Departments in McAllen, Mission, Pharr and San Juan. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr. and K. Alejandra Andrade are prosecuting the case. 

LAREDO, Texas – The head of a large scale marijuana trafficking and money laundering conspiracy and 10 others have been sent to federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

Erasmo Trejo-Nava, 45, a Mexican National who resided in Laredo, was the head of a drug trafficking organization that received marijuana loads from Mexico and arranged to transport the marijuana to the Dallas area for himself and others. The organization used various stash houses and business fronts in the Laredo area to receive and prepare the marijuana for transportation via personal vehicles to a local warehouse where it was unloaded and reloaded onto tractor trailers for transportation to the Dallas area. Following delivery of marijuana loads in the Dallas area, the Trejo Nava Organization collected drug proceeds and arranged to have the drug proceeds transported by couriers via personal vehicle or tractor trailers to Laredo and on to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

 

Over the course of the conspiracy which spanned from June 10, 2011 through June 4, 2013, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents made multiple seizures of marijuana that totaled in excess of 10,000 kilograms.

 

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced Trejo-Nava himself to a total term of 187 months in prison. The court also issued a money judgement against him in the amount of $5 million. His wife - Raquel Margarita Ramos Jimenez, 46, facilitated money laundering and was sentenced to time served which amounted to 31 months. Additionally the court issued a final order of forfeiture as to both of them for three residential properties and a commercial property as well as separate drug proceeds seizures in amounts totaling $173,240.

 

His brother and Mexican national Victor Hugo Trejo-Nava, 43, coordinated the shipment of marijuana loads as did Jose Angel Trejo, 45, of Laredo. They received 130 and 121 months in prison, respectively.

 

Mexican national Jaime Enrique Montalvo Ruiz, 47, and Laredoan Ovidio Rodriguez, 44, used Erasmo Trejo-Nava’s service to have their marijuana loads transported from Laredo to the Dallas area received respective sentences of 144 and 120 months in prison. 

 

Arturo Lozano, 48, of Kaufman, and Leocadio Ruiz, 49, a Mexican national who resided in Cedar Hill, worked for Montalvo Ruiz in the Dallas area. Lozano received and distributed marijuana was ordered to serve a term of 144 months in prison, while Ruiz received drug shipments and collected drug proceeds and received a sentence of 70 months.

 

Laredoan Francisco Colin, 44, provided tractor trailers and drivers to Erasmo Trejo-Nava; Mario Alberto Rodriguez, 30, of Laredo, was Erasmo Trejo-Nava’s worker and wrapped and loaded marijuana; and Mexican national Gerardo Moreno Recio, 50, was a stash house operator. Colin received a 50-month prison term, while Rodriguez and Recio were ordered to serve total sentences of 120 and 151 months of imprisonment.

 

Ovido Rodriguez, Mario Rodriguez, Trejo, Colin and Lozano received varying terms of supervised release to serve following completion of their prison terms. Not U.S. citizens, the others are expected to face deportation proceedings following their release.

 

Today’s sentencings brings to a total 26 defendants convicted and sentenced in the investigation which included four indictments.

 

The remaining defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 120 months in prison for their varying roles in the conspiracy.

 

The charges were the result of a long term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation dubbed Operation Trena Sin Trono spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS - Criminal Investigation, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, Laredo Police Department, Zavala County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Lou Castillo is prosecuting the case. 

HOUSTON - The 17th individual involved in a firearms trafficking cell has entered a guilty plea to eight charges related to the scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Gustavo Gomez-Valenzuela, 49, a Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Houston, admitted to aiding and abetting a false statement on a firearms purchasing form, alien in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, aiding and abetting smuggling goods from the United States, international money laundering conspiracy and illegal reentry after removal.  

Gomez-Valenzuela was the leader of a Houston-based gun trafficking cell that was sending firearms to Mexico. As part of his plea, he admitted to providing funds to purchase hundreds of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, smuggling both firearms and ammunition to Mexico, possessing firearms and selling kilogram quantities of meth.

He received the firearms from other individuals in the organization who purchased the firearms from Khalid Abdulaziz, the owner and manager of Zeroed In Armory. While acting in the capacity of a federal firearms licensee in Houston, Abdulaziz sold the majority of the firearms to others charged in this case. Those people have admitted to working with Abdulaziz and making false statements in the purchase of firearms, thereby illegally purchasing them.

Abdulaziz previously pleaded guilty to six counts of aiding and abetting a false statement on ATF Form 4473. 

As a result of the scheme, approximately 500 firearms were purchased and ultimately trafficked to transnational criminal organizations in Mexico.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Stabe and Lisa M. Collins prosecuted the case.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, IRS – Criminal Investigation, Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

LAREDO, Texas - A 44-year-old Bryan resident has been charged with one count of wire fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Keith Anton Johnson is set to make his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon at 2 p.m.  

The indictment, returned March 10, alleges Johnson fraudulently received $123,500 in Payroll Protection Program (PPP) funds from the Small Business Administration as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  

According to the indictment, Johnson owned and operated KJR Entertainment Holdings LLC in conjunction with others from January 2020 through July 2020. The primary concern of KJR Entertainment was the operation of a bar and live music venue in Bryan known as Southerns, according to the charges.

Johnson allegedly submitted required payroll information purporting to be that of current employees to justify the basis for a PPP loan. On these forms, he allegedly attested to an employee’s current status when, in fact, the one-time employee had quit in January 2020, according to the charges.

The indictment alleges Johnson was ineligible for the funds due to a pending indictment in a separate case.

PPP application forms required the applicant to acknowledge program rules and to certify and attest to various qualifiers. One such question referred to an applicant’s criminal charges. Johnson answered no, even though he knew he was currently facing charges in Harris County, according to the indictment.  

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted March 27, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief the CARES Act provides is the authorization of up to $349 billion in United States Small Business Administration (SBA)-guaranteed and forgivable loans to small businesses through the PPP.

Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for certain permissible expenses, such as payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. Interest and principal on PPP loans can be entirely forgiven if the business spent the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time.

If convicted, Johnson faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.  

The FBI and Harris County Precinct One Constables Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Carter is prosecuting the case.

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

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A North Carolina man pled guilty today to defrauding his business partner of approximately $1.2 million.In September 2015, James Marshall Cesena, 39, and his business partner, identified in court records as E.P., formed a company identified as Company A. E.P. was the majority owner, and Cesena had a minority stake. From September 2015 to August 2023, Cesena served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In this role, Cesena managed Company A’s financial matters and controlled Company A’s bank accounts.Cesena took advantage of his position as CFO to embezzle over a million dollars. Between 2016 and 2023, Cesena directed hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to his personal accounts, while informing E.P. that Company A had cash flow issues and was in financial difficulty. Because of these deceptions, E.P. periodically had to delay or forego receiving her salary.Cesena used Company A’s credit cards and corporate accounts to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal purchases that had not been authorized by the Company A. This included expenditures on vacations, travel and airfare, amusement parks, school, home improvements, and living expenses. From 2020 to 2023, Cesena took out a credit card in E.P.’s name without her knowledge and consent and charged approximately $75,000.To conceal his fraud, Cesena generated false financial statements, which he provided to E.P. and their business consultant. Cesena also masked his personal expenditures in Company A’s accounting software by labeling them as legitimate corporate expenditures. For example, sizeable payments for alcohol and cruise packages were reported as “Office Expenses.” He then provided these fraudulent records to Company A’s tax preparer. The financial data misreported Company A’s total gross receipts and expenses, and the information was then packaged into corporate tax returns.To cover Company A’s chronic cash-flow issues caused by his sizeable distributions from corporate accounts, Cesena took out high-interest loans in the name of Company A and E.P., without E.P.’s knowledge or consent. To convince loan officers that he was authorized to take out the loans, Cesena misrepresented that he owned as much as 75% or 80% of Company A. Cesena received at least five loans or lines of credit, on at least one of which Company A ultimately defaulted.In 2019, Cesena created an email account with Company A’s domain in the name of E.P., which he used to apply for business loans and monitor E.P.’s credit. Cesena used E.P.’s name, date of birth, social security number, and other personal information to fraudulently open accounts or obtain money.In total, Cesena fraudulently took $1,195,878 through direct transfers, charging personal expenses to Company A’s accounts, and charges to the credit card in E.P.’s name.Cesena is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the plea.Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Morgan is prosecuting the case. Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Likhitha Butchireddygari assisted in the prosecution of this 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. 1:24-cr-223.

LAREDO, Texas – A 55-year-old Mexican national residing in Houston has been sentenced following her conviction of conspiracy to import and possession with intent to deliver meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.A federal jury in Laredo deliberated for less than two hours before returning the guilty verdict Feb. 8, 2023, against Ana Maria Pena-Gutierrez following a two-day trial.U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now ordered Pena-Gutierrez to serve 210 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.“Pena-Gutierrez and others like her who poison our communities with drugs and jeopardize the lives of countless persons of all ages deserve to be found and prosecuted without hesitation,” Hamdani said. “That continues to be my commitment to our communities, our people and our youth.”Between Dec. 13, 2020, and June 14, 2022, Pena-Gutierrez and others conspired to import almost 60 kilograms of meth. She organized transportation, provided vehicles to load drivers and paid the drivers for each successful criminal venture.At the time of the trial, co-conspirator Mike Mendoza testified Pena-Gutierrez hired and paid him to drive two vehicles to smuggle drugs from Mexico into the United States several times from Jan. 10, 2021, through Feb. 25, 2021.Law enforcement arrested Mendoza Feb. 25, 2021, as he drove a pickup truck into Laredo with 24 bundles of meth, weighing 56.232 net kilograms and hidden within the tires. According to testimony given at trial, the approximate street value of the drugs was $451,244.Mendoza admitted he successfully made two prior trips from Mexico at Pena-Gutierrez’s direction; however, an investigation revealed Mendoza had four prior entries from Mexico in a sedan.Mendoza testified Pena-Gutierrez paid him $5,000 for each of the two prior smugglings and promised to pay him $9,000 at the time of his arrest. Pena-Gutierrez also fronted Mendoza $500 for travel expenses.Authorities arrested another co-conspirator, Erik Alonso Martinez, April 23, 2021, as he entered Laredo with 52.28 kilograms of meth in the sedan’s fuel tank with a net weight of 25.04 kilograms and an approximate street value of $200,938.During an interview, Martinez told law enforcement he picked up the car in Houston from someone whom he declined to identify. An investigation later revealed Pena-Gutierrez provided Martinez with the sedan.After her arrest Aug. 10, 2021, Pena-Gutierrez told authorities others paid her to recruit Mendoza and Martinez. She also told law enforcement she received about $4,000 for each successful drug importation and paid each driver between $7,000 and $8,000 per trip.During the trial, authorities presented evidence including charts of 350 phone calls and text messages between Pena-Gutierrez and Mendoza regarding the price of meth and how it increases as one travels further north from the border.At the trial, the jury also heard from an expert in financial records describing the irregularities of Pena-Gutierrez’s bank activities. Authorities also testified, detailing her confession and the entire conspiracy.Mendoza and Martinez received 84 months and 174 days in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in the smuggling organization.Pena-Gutierrez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Customs and Border Protection.Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case. Former AUSAs Matthew Isaac and José Angel Moreno tried the case to a jury.

HOUSTON – La Espiga De Oro (Espiga) forfeited $1 million as a result of a felony conviction of conspiracy to induce and encourage unlawful immigration through a pattern and practice of hiring and employing illegal aliens at the tortilla factory, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Owners Alfredo Sosa Lira, 72, his wife Lydia Botello-Lira, 68, their daughter Lydia Lira, 25, and night manager Roberto Guerra, 45, all of Houston, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violations associated with their continued employment of undocumented aliens between October 2011 and August 2015.

 

“Employers who knowingly hire immigrants with fraudulent or suspect documents face serious consequences under the law,” said Martinez. “This company violated the law by allowing more than half of its employees to work as undocumented immigrants. The $1 million forfeiture will help pay for the investigation and assist immigration authorities in their continued pursuit of employers who engage in similar conduct. Enforcement of our immigration laws is serious business and employers must only hire those with legitimate documentation to demonstrate they are legally in the United States.”

 

Espiga has been in operation since 1977 and is located on the 1200 block of 15th Street in the Heights in Houston. The company manufactures tortillas for distribution to restaurants and businesses throughout Texas, Louisiana and Colorado.

 

A series of complaints about the company’s hiring practices between 2008 and 2010 led to the HSI investigation. An undercover operation later led to evidence that the company knowingly hired aliens not authorized to work in the United States. In some instances, the company knew that aliens used fraudulent documents to secure employment. The illegal immigrants were from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.

 

“Those who think that they can build their businesses by taking advantage of vulnerable individuals will ultimately see their day in court,” said Dawson. “Today’s plea shows that companies will be held accountable for violating our nation’s laws.”

 

HSI executed a search warrant at the company on Aug. 4, 2015, which led to the discovery of 10 illegal aliens working there as well as evidence demonstrating that 55% of their employees were not authorized by law to work at the factory. One long-term employee that the company knew to be employed illegally was injured on the job and received a settlement under her true name after using an alias for more than six years. The company owners and managers continued to employ this alien knowing that she was illegally in the United States.

 

Following the search warrant, the company was charged by criminal complaint and began cooperating with HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to revise their hiring practices and implement new procedures to prevent future violations of federal law.

 

The company paid $1 million, representing an amount that at least equals the value of property used to facilitate the crime, the value of wages paid to the unauthorized work force and the value of products manufactured and services provided by the illegal workforce during the conspiracy. This money will go directly to immigration authorities to assist them with their future enforcement efforts.

 

U.S. District Judge Gray Miller accepted the company’s plea as well as that of the owners/managers. Alfredo Lira, Botello-Lira, Lydia Lira and Guerra were sentenced to time served – the 18 months they were forced to serve on court-imposed supervised release during the course of this prosecution. The company itself will be on probation for a term of 12 months.

 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also had actions against Espiga for labor-related violations. OSHA settled with Espiga on Aug. 23, 2016, with Espiga paying $85,360 and Espiga must correct the hazards that OSHA had identified. There are also provisions in that agreement requiring Espiga to protect the employees while the hazards are being addressed.

 

HSI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Searle and Edward Gallagher prosecuted this case.

VICTORIA, Texas – A 41-year-old illegal alien from Cambodia has been charged with unlawfully possessing a weapon following the shooting death of a woman in Victoria, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.  Savin Seng aka “Two-Face” had illegally resided in Victoria and is now in federal custody pending a detention hearing set for Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. At his initial appearance, the court heard that he is an admitted gang member.According to the criminal complaint, a shooting incident occurred at a residence in the Telferner community outside Victoria Oct. 3. Authorities had allegedly found a female victim deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. The charges allege the shooter had left his cell phone and fled the scene. An image on the phone showed a man holding a Glock pistol with an extended magazine, according to the charges. The criminal complaint alleges the man was Seng, whom a witness had identified as the murder suspect.Court documents allege Seng also had an active arrest warrant from 2022 for another homicide in Los Angeles, California. Law enforcement allegedly located Seng less than a mile from the scene of the shooting and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, he had a loaded Glock 17, 9mm pistol in his shorts along with a loaded 31-round extended magazine, according to the allegations. The charges allege Seng had illegally entered the United States as a child and never held lawful immigration status in the country. Court documents allege he had been ordered removed as an aggravated felon in April 2016 but had not been physically removed. He has been in custody in California, Georgia and Louisiana, according to court records.  The criminal complaint further alleges Seng has had possession of many guns while remaining in the United States illegally. “The presence of armed, illegal-alien gang members in our midst is a threat to public safety,” Ganjei said. “The Southern District of Texas is determined to remove each and every one of them from our streets.”If convicted, Seng faces up to 10 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Victoria County Sheriff’s Office and Los Angeles, California, Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth is prosecuting the case. 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 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. 

McALLEN, Texas – A 43-year-old sergeant with the Progresso Police Department has been taken into custody on charges of aiding and abetting the attempt to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

Authorities arrested Giovani Hernandez upon the filing of a sealed criminal complaint on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos this morning and is set for a probable cause and detention hearing on Aug. 18, 2017.

 

Hernandez, of Weslaco, is a sergeant with the Progreso Police Department, according to the charges. From March through July 2017, a confidential source allegedly met with Hernandez seeking assistance for a drug trafficking organization. The criminal complaint alleges the meetings culminated in Hernandez agreeing to provide protection for a vehicle he believed contained a controlled substance through the Progreso area. In return for his assistance, Hernandez allegedly received approximately $5,000.

 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS - Criminal Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation which was dubbed Operation Blue Shame. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz and Kristen Rees are prosecuting the case.

 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.

LAREDO, Texas – A Rio Bravo man has been ordered to federal prison after he led police on a high-speed chase in a vehicle loaded with several illegal aliens before crashing into another vehicle and causing serious injuries to several Laredo residents, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez and Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio Field Office. Jovanni Rodarte, 20, pleaded guilty Dec. 8, 2016, admitting to conspiring to transport unlawful aliens and causing serious bodily injury.

 

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced Rodarte to 97 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that Rodarte has been involved in gang violence while incarcerated and has had multiple encounters with law enforcement as a result of smuggling aliens. The government also described the incredible injuries that Rodarte inflicted on multiple innocent people. The court also heard from a victim’s wife who described the tremendous pain her husband has endured since the crash and the toll the crash has taken on her entire family. In handing down the sentence, Judge Marmolejo noted that she would be “entirely justified” in imposing the maximum under law. She added that despite given multiple opportunities, Rodarte had done nothing good with his life, but had instead immeasurably impacted multiple innocent peoples’ lives, including a mother and her son. Rodarte was also ordered to pay $192,997.20 in restitution to the victims.

 

"HSI is dedicated to working closely with all of our law enforcement partners to effectively in identify, arrest and prosecute individuals involved in exploiting people,” said Folden. "Criminals who illegally smuggle people into and throughout the country place personal profit ahead of public safety. For this reason, HSI will continue to utilize its broad authorities to dismantle human smuggling organizations."

 

On Oct. 5, 2016, Rodarte was transporting two illegal aliens when a Webb County Sheriff’s Officer attempted to affect a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, Rodarte led several officers on a chase through the El Cenizo neighborhood of Laredo. During the chase, Rodarte drove more than 100 miles-per-hour in the residential area.

 

He crashed into a school fence and into a vehicle containing three Laredo residents, including a mother and son who were returning from a medical appointment. Law enforcement performed first-aid at the scene, but several of the vehicles’ occupants needed to be air-lifted to hospitals in Laredo and San Antonio. The three occupants in the vehicle Rodarte struck all sustained serious injuries that will require years of ongoing treatment.

 

One of the aliens was thrown from the vehicle Rodarte was driving and also sustained injuries. Rodarte, however, avoided any serious injuries from the crash.

 

He has been and remains in federal custody.

 

HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Howard is prosecuting the case.

HOUSTON – A federal grand jury has returned a seven-count indictment against two men allegedly responsible for the killing of a man as he sat in his car outside a Houston parole office, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez and Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

 

Ronald Donell Brown aka Dorsey Robinson or Nook or Nookie, 44, and Clyde Williams aka Pete, 50, both of Houston, are charged with conspiracy to commit murder for hire, intentional killing related to drug trafficking and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a murder. David Roberts aka Cuz, 42, of Houston, is also named in the indictment and charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Brown is also charged in that count in addition to kidnapping and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

 

The indictment alleges that on July 1, 2014, Marcus Celestine had a pre-arranged meeting with his parole officer in Houston. Shortly thereafter, he was shot numerous times as he sat in the driver’s seat of his vehicle in the parking lot, according to the charges.

 

The murder for hire conspiracy allegedly began after the victim and another individual were believed to have stolen cocaine from a member of Brown’s drug organization. Roberts and others regularly  transported large quantities of cocaine for Brown, driving from Houston to Atlanta on a weekly basis, according to the indictment. In April 2014, Roberts received two duffle bags filled with cocaine. Soon after, he was allegedly robbed.

 

Brown believed Celestine and another individual were responsible for the robbery and he assembled a plan to kill them, according to the indictment. On April 23, 2014, Brown and others allegedly kidnapped the other individual, zip-tied his arms and legs and put him in the trunk of a car. While being transported, the victim was able to break free, open the trunk and jump out of the vehicle. According to the indictment, a good Samaritan saw him, picked him up and attempted to drive him to safety. However, Brown allegedly pursued them and eventually shot at them repeatedly, ultimately striking the good Samaritan in the upper body and the victim in the head. Both men survived the attack. 

 

The indictment further alleges that following this failed attempt, Brown turned his attention to Celestine. Brown allegedly hired Williams to kill Celestine and provided him a firearm. Brown was able discover that Celestine was to meet with his parole officer on July 1, 2014, and informed Williams, according to the charges. Following that meeting, Celestine returned to his vehicle in the parking lot, at which time Williams allegedly fired multiple shots, some at close range. Celestine died at the scene.

 

Brown and Williams could potentially face the death penalty. For his role in the drug conspiracy, Roberts faces up to life in prison, if convicted.

 

This case is an example of coordination between law enforcement who are part of the Houston Law Enforcement Violent Crime Initiative announced in June 2017 which combines personnel and resources from numerous federal, state and local agencies. The goal of the initiative is to proactively fight and reduce violent crime across the Greater Houston area by targeting the region’s most violent offenders, augmenting investigative and prosecutorial efforts, and enhancing training, public awareness and education.

 

The FBI, Houston Police Department’s Homicide and Major Offenders Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steve Mellin and Sebastian Edwards are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Teresa Polinske of the Department of Justice’s Capital Case Section.

 

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old man residing in Hidalgo is set to appear in federal court on charges of coercion of a minor and production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Rogelio Pruneda III is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis at 2 p.m.

Originally charged by criminal complaint, a federal grand jury returned the two-count indictment Nov. 15.  

According to the charges, Pruneda began communicating via social media with a minor female, offering money and THC vape cartridges in exchange for sexual acts. Pruneda allegedly convinced the minor female to meet locally, at which time Pruneda created two videos of the minor female performing oral sex on him.

The charges allege Pruneda exchanged messages recognizing the minor female’s age and discussed sexual activity with the minor female. Pruneda allegedly met up with the female on two more occasions at a family-owned auto shop and a residence where he engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor. In one instance Pruneda brought THC cartridges in exchange for sex, according to the charges.

Shortly thereafter, law enforcement took Pruneda into custody.

At the time of his detention hearing, the court found him to be a danger to community and ordered held in custody pending future criminal proceedings.

The FBI conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Brostowin is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.

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

HOUSTON – Four Houston-area residents have been charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to do so, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Maria Botello, 54, her son - Edgar Botello, 28, her nephew - Arian Botello, 23 and her daughter - Yudy Lucatero, 31, are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

The criminal complaint, filed March 30, alleges that from 2007 to 2020, the family members coerced waitresses working at the Houston bar Puerto Alegre to engage in commercial sex acts. The victims allegedly included adults and at least one minor.

The charges allege Maria Botello coordinated “dates” with clients who paid $70 for every 15 minutes with the girls. Edgar and Arian Botello were the enforcers who used weapons, threats and intimidation to keep the victims compliant, according to the complaint. The investigation also revealed Lucatero and Maria Botello discussed the rules and procedures in relation to the sex trafficking.

Authorities ultimately identified another victim who was brought to the United States specifically to work at Puerto Alegre, according to the allegations. While there, she was allegedly forced to engage in commercial sex. The charges allege she was only 17 at the time.

If convicted, the family members each face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) initiated the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  

Public cooperation is critical in the successful investigation of suspected human trafficking. Anyone victimized by suspected traffickers, or who has information about potential victims, may contact TABC’s Victims Services office at 1-713-494-5869 to make a report. Spanish speakers may contact HSI at 1-866-347-2423.

TABC, HPD and HSI are part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) along with the FBI, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.

Established in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack is prosecuting the case. 

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

HOUSTON – A local tax return preparer has entered a guilty plea to willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return for one of his clients, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

In the plea agreement filed in the record of the case, Ryan Damont Akers admitted he prepared income tax returns for clients and that he opened his own tax preparation business in Houston named Capital Income Tax. Akers willfully placed several false items on the tax return, including false losses from a sole proprietorship, a false net long term capital loss, false amounts of gifts to charity and false unreimbursed employee expenses. Akers further admitted he claimed a false income tax refund on the tax return that resulted in an intended tax harm to the IRS of approximately $16,695.

 

According to the plea agreement, Akers prepared a total of 32 false income tax returns for clients with a total intended tax loss of more than $134,000. Akers also prepared a false 2014 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return for an undercover IRS agent posing as a taxpayer, claiming a false income tax refund of more than $4,000 when the tax return should have reflected an amount due of $530.

 

U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore accepted the plea and has set sentencing for Nov. 20, 2017. At that time, Akers faces up to three years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

 

IRS - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Escher is prosecuting the case.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 24-year-old Corpus Christi man has admitting to sending videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

In August 2020, authorities had linked Krystian Dari Ayala to a Discord account found to be sending child pornography. Discord is an application where users can chat, send pictures and videos to others and allows them to join chat rooms for specific topics.

The investigation resulted in a search of Ayala’s Discord account. It confirmed he had sent videos of child pornography to other Discord users. The investigation led authorities to Corpus Christi residence where they conducted a search and seized numerous electronic devices, some of which contained child pornography.

Ayala admitted he had utilized his cellphone to access the Discord application to distribute child pornography, some of which depicted the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.

Sentencing has been set for June 16 before U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos. At that time, Ayala faces a mandatory minimum of five and up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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

The Washington State Police, Corpus Christi Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Popejoy is prosecuting the case which 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 PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.

HOUSTON – Crane Company has agreed to pay to the United States to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with Military Specification (Mil Spec) Mil-V 24624 for certain high performance butterfly valves and requirements for inclusion on the Qualified Products List (QPL) where the valves appeared. The valves were supplied for use in U.S. Navy ships.

“We are committed to ensuring that the military gets what it pays for,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery for the Southern District of Texas “We will vigorously enforce the rules and regulations governing military purchasing contracts.”

“Requirements like the Mil Spec and QPL play an important role in protecting the quality of the equipment received by the government, as well as the safety of military personnel,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that knowingly fail to comply with these requirements will be held accountable.”

“This settlement highlights the commitment of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the DoD acquisition process,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “DCIS will continue to thoroughly investigate allegations of fraud and product non-conformance and pursue all available remedies.” 

The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from May 2011 through September 2017, Crane supplied high performance butterfly valves to military ship builders that included Reinforced Teflon (RTFE) seats. From May 2011 to September 2015, Crane also supplied high performance butterfly valves that contained Monel bolting. The government contended that Crane sold the military Mil Spec valves with RFTE seats and Monel bolting that had not been approved for use by the Navy and failed to disclose these modifications to the valves in violation of the QPL Program, which governs the approval of products such as valves for use in military contracts. 

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Corla Jacobson, a former Crane employee. The FCA permits private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. Jacobson will receive $855,728 of the FCA settlement.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas with investigative support from DCIS and U.S. Navy Criminal Investigation Division.

Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bobb of the Southern District of Texas handle the matter.

Related court documents and information from the civil lawsuit can be accessed on PACER.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

McALLEN, Texas – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 57-year-old resident of Mission for engaging in a sophisticated scheme to defraud her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Elizabeth Batten has turned herself into authorities and is expected to make her initial appearance at 9 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.

According to the indictment returned Sept. 4, Batten was the director of financing at McCreery Aviation in the Rio Grande Valley from 2019 to 2023. While serving in that role, she allegedly diverted company funds to pay for her personal expenses. She used signed blank company checks, intended for legitimate business purposes, to settle her personal credit card accounts, according to the charges. She allegedly concealed her actions by sending the fraudulent payments through the U.S. Postal Service.

In late 2023, a McCreery Aviation employee noticed irregularities in the handling of company checks. A subsequent investigation allegedly uncovered the full extent of the financial damage Batten’s actions caused.

The indictment charges Batten with 10 counts of mail fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric D. Flores is prosecuting the case.

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

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A former teen mentor and founder of a nonprofit youth organization has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of sexual exploitation of a child, otherwise known as production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Kevin Ray McMillan, 38, of Corpus Christi, was a former teen mentor with the Boys and Girls Club of Corpus Christi and founder of Texas Youth Entrepreneurs - a nonprofit youth organization that mentors aspiring young future business owners. He pleaded guilty Oct. 16, 2017.

Today, U.S. District Judge Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey handed McMillan a 240-month sentence. Additional information was also presented today, including testimony from the victim and her parents who described the impact the crime had to the victim and her family. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that this type of crime destroys families. McMillan was further ordered to pay $18,066 in restitution to the victim and will serve 10 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the Internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

In May 2017, authorities learned McMillan had been sending sexually-explicit text messages via cellular telephone to a juvenile female. The investigation led to the discovery that McMillan had engaged in sexual activity with the young girl, which was photographed via cellular telephone. He was taken into custody as he was traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

McMillan was arrested on federal charges in May 2017 and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department - Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez is prosecuting the case, which 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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

McALLEN, Texas – A 38-year-old McAllen resident has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with bribery and bankruptcy fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Omar X. Romero admitted that in 2018 he utilized a cellular phone to communicate with other public officials individuals regarding a scheme to sell a water tank to Agua Special Utility District (SUD) and compensation to be paid in consideration for board votes.

Romero also admitted he was appointed to serve as the chief restructuring officer of Hidalgo County Emergency Services Foundation on Nov. 4, 2019, in connection with their bankruptcy proceedings. While serving in that role, he obtained at least $50,000 from the debtor’s estate that the bankruptcy court had not authorized or earned as compensation for his services.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa will impose sentencing Jan. 20, 2022. At that time, Romero faces up to five years in federal prison on each count of conviction. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Insurance and McAllen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Roberto Lopez is prosecuting the criminal case. AUSA Richard Kincheloe represents the government in the related bankruptcy proceedings.

GALVESTON, Texas - A 51-year-old resident of Angleton has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions of receipt, possession and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Joe Dean Spradlin pleaded guilty March 11, 2020.

Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown ordered him to serve a total of 155 months in federal prison. Following his prison term, Spradlin will serve 10 years on supervised release, during which time he will have to comply with numerous conditions that restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

In 2017, law enforcement learned of a Dropbox account that contained what was suspected to be child exploitation material. The investigation revealed some of the material in that account depicted nude, minor children exposing their genitals and engaged in sexual activity.

Authorities traced the account to an IP address registered to a residential address in Angleton. Spradlin was living there.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant and seized Spradlin’s HP laptop, which was found to contain thousands of images and thousands of videos of child pornography. Spradlin admitted to acquiring child exploitative material over Tumblr and Kik as well as storing that material on Dropbox. He even paid extra to increase the storage capacity of his account. 

Spradlin’s collection included videos of unusual length. One video was over two hours long.

Spradlin has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations -Galveston conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Pearland Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Zack and Stephanie Bauman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A former Coahuila, Mexico, governor has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a money laundering scheme that includes offenses against a foreign nation involving bribery of a public official, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Jorge Juan Torres-Lopez, 67, pleaded guilty June 16, 2020.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos handed Torres-Lopez a 36-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At a previous hearing, the court heard additional evidence from two witnesses who described their relationship with Torres-Lopez and detailed some of the financial transactions and illegal payments.

Torres-Lopez worked for the Mexican government from 1994 to 2011. His roles included general director of Promotion and Development while secretary of Finance for the state of Coahuila, municipal president of Saltillo as well as interim governor of Coahuila. In approximately December 2005, Hector Javier Villarreal-Hernandez was appointed as undersecretary of Program and Budget for the state of Coahuila. At the time, Torres-Lopez was his supervisor. In July 2008, Villarreal-Hernandez was appointed as secretary of Finance for Coahuila, where he remained until his resignation in August 2011.

Torres-Lopez admitted that during some of his time in office, he conducted financial transactions in the United States to conceal the bribes he received in return for road-building contracts for the State of Coahuila. As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit a piece of property in the United States associated with the payments.

Law enforcement took Torres-Lopez into custody in Mexico Feb. 5, 2019, where he remained until his extradition to the United States Oct. 29, 2019. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Villarreal-Hernandez, 50, of Saltillo, Coahuilla, Mexico, has also been convicted in the Southern and Western Districts of Texas for money laundering offenses and currently pending sentencing.

The multi-agency investigation dubbed Operation Politico Junction included Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS - Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI and U.S. Marshals Service. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

The Prosecutor General of the Republic of Mexico provided significant assistance. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division also assisted.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jon Muschenheim and Lance A. Watt prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – Executives and leaders of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) have learned about the dangers of cyberattacks by malicious actors like China, Russia and transnational criminals and how to tackle those attacks, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) along with FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Food and Drug Administration provided the training which included essential tools and protocols for TMC attendees to follow if their facilities are subject to cyber intrusions.   

Methodist Hospital hosted the training event with attendees from Memorial Herman Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, MD Anderson, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health System. 

Criminal organizations and nation state actors like China, Russia and Iran as well as other bad actors have become more sophisticated in their ability to launch cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure such as the health care facilities in the TMC. 

“It is essential to national security and crucial to the safety of patients for federal law enforcement to work closely with the health care sector to develop resilient and adaptive defenses against malicious cyberspace activity and network intrusions,” said Hamdani. “The USAO will continue to seek opportunities to enhance collaboration with our law enforcement partners and the health care industry to prevent potential network intrusions and ensure greater unity of effort in response to cyber incidents.”

On a weekly basis, hundreds of cyberattacks occur on businesses all across the Southern District of Texas. There must be a quick response team in place to immediately address the intrusion in order to circumvent major damage and losses. The USAO routinely works with other prosecutors and law enforcement in the district to stay ahead of potential cyber threats. 

As the global economy enters another year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China continues to seek to disrupt critical industries like the health care sector, the private industry must be reminded to be diligent about their networks and to know their response plans, have a paper copy available and review their cyber-related insurance policies.

The USAO has established contact lines for assistance 24 hours a day. If you have fallen victim to an intrusion, inadvertently diverted funds to an unknown third-party or suffered a ransomware attack, please email directly or call the hotline at 713-542-5213.  

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Three local men are in custody on separate, but similar cases of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.

 

The federal criminal complaints were filed yesterday against Spencer Salcedo, 41, and Jesse Hernandez, 52, both of Corpus Christi, and Darrell Freeze, 54, of Pettus. Salcedo was taken into custody today and is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington at 2:00 p.m. Hernandez and Freeze were taken into custody on related charges last week and made their appearances in federal court yesterday, at which time they were temporarily ordered into custody pending a detention hearing set for July 31.

 

All were arrested as part of Operation Hidden Predator, a joint operation conducted by the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Corpus Christi Police Department—Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office.

 

“Our children are our nation’s most valuable asset,” said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation will utilize and combine all of our resources with our federal, state and local partners to effectively and efficiently safeguard our children.”

 

The charges allege the men were communicating with a person they believed was the mother of two minor children — ages 14 and 11. Each man allegedly expected to meet and engage in sexual contact with the minors. They were arrested as they arrived at the designated meeting place.

 

If convicted, each man faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

 

This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, 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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

 

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law

HOUSTON – A 25-year-old Huntsville resident has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography as well as multiple counts of cyberstalking, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Kody Nicholas Bohac stalked an out-of-state woman over social media and threatened to post nude photographs of her on the internet if she did not contact him. She did not respond. Subsequently, Bohac posted the images on the internet.

At the hearing, Bohac admitted to the stalking through social media and sending her nude images of herself and threatening to make them public if she did not contact him. He also said he offered to pay multiple females online for nude photos. When they complied, he refused to pay, demanded additional nude photos and threatened to post them online if they did not contact him. 

He ultimately admitted to stalking approximately 20 females on social media, demanding they send additional nude photos, wanting to meet them in person and to call him “daddy.” When they refused, he posted the already obtained nude photos online, threatened to ruin their lives, sent photos to their school, families and friends and created fake online accounts using their names with sexually explicit references.    

The investigation revealed multiple social media messages on his phone in which Bohac stalked numerous victims. They also found images and videos of child pornography on his cell phone which depicted minor females engaged in sexual acts on adult males. 

“The individual behind this cyberstalking case was well-versed in social media. He not only stalked and terrorized his young victims through social media platforms, but he also victimized them even further by threatening to send compromising content of them to their family and friends,” said Special Agent in Charge James Smith of the FBI. “These sinister actions cannot be undone and will forever affect the victims. The FBI’s priority in protecting our teens and young adults from predators couldn't be clearer through this investigation. We want to thank our local law enforcement partners for their assistance in this case.”

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen accepted the plea and set sentencing for May 8, 2023. At that time, Bohac faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years for the receipt of child pornography as well up to five years for cyberstalking.

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

The FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and the FBI-Philadelphia Field Office conducted the investigation with assistance from the Sam Houston State University Police Department.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard W. Bennett is prosecuting this case, which 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. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

HOUSTON – A 47-year-old Mexican citizen has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Dimas DeLeon Rios pleaded guilty Nov. 9, 2017.

Today, U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison imposed a total 15-year sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court found DeLeon was the leader of the drug trafficking organization and tampered with three witnesses during the course of the investigation. Judge Ellison found that firearms were used during the commission of the offense and noted a kidnapping of a U.S. citizen at the hands of members of the Gulf Cartel was part of the case.

The investigation began in 2011 when authorities targeted a drug trafficking organization involved in the transportation and distribution of cocaine and marijuana. Authorities soon found the organization was also stealing loads of cocaine and marijuana from its sources of supply. As part of the scheme, the organization had created fake bundles of drugs and used law enforcement officers to seize them in order to cover up the theft.

DeLeon helped facilitate the distribution of more than 194 kilograms of cocaine during the course of the conspiracy. He and others were hired to transport the cocaine, but instead stole and sold it for profit. To cover up the theft, co-conspirators created fake drug bundles that were placed in an abandoned vehicle. DeLeon paid corrupt law enforcement officers for their participation in the scheme to seize the fake drugs.

This drug trafficking investigation has led to the arrest and prosecution of 20 individuals including six law enforcement officers, one of whom has already received a 10-year prison term. The court found another had played an integral role in the drug trafficking conspiracy, abused and exploited his position of trust and ordered him to serve 166 months in federal prison.

DeLeon will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation dubbed Operation Blue Shame. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.

HOUSTON – A local income tax return preparer has been ordered to prison following his conviction of preparing a false U.S. Individual Income Tax Return for a client, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Chester Swanson pleaded guilty July 17, 2017.

 

Today, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison handed Swanson an 18-month sentence to be followed by one year of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a $244,817 in restitution.

 

Swanson admitted in the plea agreement filed in the record of the case that he prepared at least 37 false income tax returns for clients with a resulting intended income tax harm to the United States of more than $244,000. He further admitted the false items he placed on the income tax return underlying his guilty plea included false amounts of unreimbursed medical and dental expenses, false amounts of gifts to charity, false amounts of unreimbursed employee expenses, and false amounts of alleged losses from a sole proprietorship. 

 

Swanson operated his income tax preparation business under the name of Chester’s Mobile Tax Service in which he met clients at various locations in Houston to prepare their income tax returns for them. Swanson admitted he also used the name Hollywood Business SVC Investments in his tax preparation business.

 

Swanson has agreed to never again prepare income tax returns for others.   

 

Swanson was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

 

IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Escher is prosecuting the case.  

HOUSTON – The leader of a transnational drug trafficking organization has been imprisoned for his involvement in an international heroin trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Malam Bacai Sanha Jr., 52, pleaded guilty Sept. 6, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for the purpose of unlawful importation.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Sanha to serve an 80-month-term of imprisonment. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard Sanha was the son of the former president of Guinea-Bissau and was intending to use drug proceeds to finance his future campaign for president in 2025 and a coup in that country. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Sanha was a leader and organizer in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and was directly involved in its importation from Europe to the United States. The court also found his drug trafficking activities to be extensive.



“The expansive reach of transnational criminal networks, like the one Sanha ran, presents a serious threat to the safety and health of all communities,” said Hamdani. “Sanha and his associates intended to distribute kilograms of heroin to the United States at a time when Americans lose their lives to drug overdose every day. This prosecution represents our office’s unwavering determination, together with our U.S. and international partners, to target and bring to justice violent criminals who lead transnational drug trafficking organizations that continue to flood our country with dangerous drugs.”



“The success of this investigation is the result of careful coordination between our federal, state, local and international partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division. “Our goal is to keep the citizens of the United States safe from the terrors of drug traffickers, whether they reside on our soil or foreign land.” 

“Malam Bacai Sanha Jr. wasn’t any ordinary international drug trafficker,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston Field Office. “He is the son of the former president of Guinea-Bissau and was trafficking drugs for a very specific reason - to fund a coup that would eventually lead him to the presidency of his native country where he planned to establish a drug regime. Fortunately, FBI Houston agents and our partners at the DEA thwarted his attempts, with the cooperation of our international partners. Crime has a global reach and impact, and so does the FBI.”

Sanha was the leader of a transnational criminal organization and worked with co-conspirators and international individuals to import heroin from various countries into Portugal.

With the assistance of co-conspirators, Sanha provided 4.7 kilograms of heroin to an undercover member of law enforcement in Lisbon, Portugal, in February and March 2022. He further agreed to deliver the heroin on at least three occasions, believing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States.

On July 23, 2022, Tanzanian law enforcement arrested Sanha pursuant to domestic criminal charges, along with a co-conspirator, upon their arrival in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The United States presented a formal request for Sanha’s extradition to the government of Tanzania, which the Tanzanian courts granted Aug. 5, 2022. The Tanzanian Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs signed the formal surrender order Aug. 16, 2022. Sanha and his co-conspirator arrived in the Southern District of Texas Aug. 26, 2022. 

Sanha will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

DEA Houston, FBI Houston and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative with the assistance of DEA Special Operations Division in Washington D.C., DEA Romania, DEA Portugal and DEA Tanzania as well as Portuguese Judicial Police. Thanks are also extended to the government of the United Republic of Tanzania. These OCDETF cooperative matters provide for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Houston Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that are designated as Consolidated Priority Organization or Regional Priority Organization Targets and that impact Houston and south Texas. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Tanzanian authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Sanha. The Justice Department thanks the government of the United Republic of Tanzania, including the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority, Tanzanian Police Force Airport Interdiction Unit, Director of Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, and the Portuguese Judicial Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.