Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against three Puerto Rico Police Bureau officers: Luis A. Nieves-Colón, Ángel R. Giusti-Rosa, and Alberto Betancourt-Aponte.  The charges include a violation of civil rights, conspiracy to falsify records, falsification of records, and making materially false statements to federal agents.

According to court documents, the charges arise from an arrest on March 7, 2023, at the Sabana Abajo Public Housing Project in Carolina, Puerto Rico, involving an individual identified as J.C.F.G.  The indictment alleges that Nieves-Colón used unreasonable force resulting in bodily injury during an arrest, in violation of federal civil rights law.

Violation of Civil Rights

Count One charges Nieves-Colón with depriving J.C.F.G. of the right to be free from unreasonable force while acting under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242.

Conspiracy and Falsification of Records

Counts Two through Six allege that Nieves-Colón, Giusti-Rosa, and/or Betancourt-Aponte falsified and conspired to falsify Puerto Rico Police Bureau Use-of-Force Reports and other documents to obstruct and impede a matter within the jurisdiction of the FBI. The indictment alleges that the defendants knowingly omitted the fact that a police officer had struck J.C.F.G. and created false narratives regarding the events of the arrest.

False Statements to the FBI

Count Seven charges Betancourt-Aponte with making a materially false statement to the FBI during an interview on November 14, 2025. According to the indictment, he falsely stated that he had no knowledge on March 7, 2023, that a police officer had struck J.C.F.G.

“The vast majority of police officers serve our communities with honor. But when they misuse their authority, they deprive victims of their civil rights and diminish the public’s trust in our criminal justice system,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The Department of Justice remain steadfast in safeguarding the constitutional rights of all residents of Puerto Rico.”

“We are committed to pursuing those who undermine the integrity of law enforcement,” said Joe Rodriguez, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “These arrests are an example of how no one is above the law – even those who enforce it cannot falsify records or evade justice. The FBI will remain vigilant, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to tackle corruption and uphold justice for the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you have information on this or any other federal crime leave a tip online through tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can be handled confidentially.”

If convicted, the defendants face the following maximum penalties:

   •   Civil rights violation (18 U.S.C. § 242): up to 10 years in prison

   •   Conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371): up to 5 years in prison

   •   Falsification of records (18 U.S.C. § 1519): up to 20 years in prison per count

   •   False statements (18 U.S.C. § 1001): up to 5 years in prison

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI encourages anyone with information related to the arrest on March 7, 2023 in the Sabana Abajo Public Housing Project described in the indictment to contact the FBI San Juan Field Office at (787) 987-6500 or submit a tip online at www.tips.fbi.gov.

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

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct

 

CONCORD – A Bradford, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty yesterday to travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Arthur Picanco, 43, of Bradford, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. U.S. District Judge Samantha Elliott scheduled sentencing for March 9, 2026.   

On November 14, 2024, in a proactive law enforcement operation, agents posted and monitored an advertisement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex. The advertisement contained images of what appeared to be two minor females, and a contact phone number. Law enforcement agents monitored the phone line and used it to communicate with potential sex buyers, including Picanco. Picanco arranged to pay $100 to have sex with who Picanco believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The undercover agent then provided Picanco with the address of a hotel in Manchester and Picanco traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to the hotel. Once at the hotel, Picanco confirmed he had the cash and wanted to go up to the hotel room to meet the 14-year-old girl. When police arrested Picanco, they found that he had a condom and over $100 in cash in his pocket.

Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, and the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Krasinski, Matthew Vicinanzo, and Alex Chen are prosecuting the case.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Noe Alexander Flores Vasquez, 35, of Honduras, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This violent illegal alien has repeatedly violated our federal laws and threatened public safety while unlawfully present in our country, and now he’ll spend his days in federal prison. Our state and federal law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting our communities against these kinds of criminal aliens, and my office will continue to deliver successful prosecutions of these offenders to fulfill the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the violent criminal aliens who refuse to follow our laws.”

Court documents reflect that the defendant was found to be unlawfully in the United States when he was arrested for battery offenses in Alachua County on November 26, 2024. The defendant was previously removed and deported from the United States on three separate occasions. Prior to one of his removals, the defendant was separately convicted of a felony involving a battery on an officer, firefighter, or medical provider.

“This sentencing reaffirms or commitment to enforcing federal immigration laws and protecting those who serve our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas G. Ingegno.  “The defendant’s unlawful entry into the United States – after a prior deportation and conviction of battery against an officer, firefighter, or medical provider – posed a clear threat to public safety.  This individual has now been held accountable, and the investigations outcome reflects HSI’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the public and uphold” the rule of law.”

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

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

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Anthony C. Brewer, 47, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the excellent work of our federal law enforcement partner to identify and investigate this theft of government funds that were intended to support one of our brave military veterans. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to steal U.S. government monies intended to benefit our veterans.”

Court documents reflect that the defendant agreed to serve as a fiduciary under the Department of Veteran Affairs’ fiduciary program and manage the monetary benefits of an individual who was unable to manage their own benefits. As part of the agreement, the defendant agreed to use the funds for the care, support, health, welfare, comfort, and desires of the beneficiary. The defendant subsequently misused and stole funds provided by the VA for the beneficiary between October 7, 2020, and January 9, 2023.

Sentencing is currently set for February 2, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

The plea was the result of an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a Nigerian national to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining a student visa and admission to the University of Missouri as well as a Social Security card, a driver license, a bank account and an apartment.

Mercy Ojedeji, 26, also participated in the money mule activities of Shirley Waller. Waller is serving a 93-month prison sentence after admitting aiding online scammers and committing pandemic and mortgage fraud. The government alleged that Ojedeji and Waller used a fraudulently opened bank account to funnel the proceeds of Waller’s criminal activities to Nigeria. A total of 193 packages were sent to the home Waller and Ojedeji shared, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office argued that the total intended loss of the pair’s activities was more than $1 million, based on the $94,150 contained in the 17 packages seized by law enforcement.

In a letter to Judge Autrey, one victim who lost $47,000 to the scam described being duped by a tale of a lonely, widowed orthopedic surgeon working in in a refugee hospital in Jordan. “It is a terrible shame there are such people existing to steal money from innocent victims such as myself,” she wrote. Another had their water cut off for a month due to non-payment after sending money to scammers.

Ojedeji pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of unlawful use of fraudulent immigration documents and one count of wire fraud. He admitted using counterfeit academic transcripts, recommendations, a resume and a report about his English language proficiency to obtain a student visa from the University of Missouri and admission to the chemistry PhD program in the fall of 2023. Ojedeji also obtained a stipend and a tuition waiver worth more than $49,000. Ojedeji presented his student visa and other documents to the Social Security Administration to obtain a Social Security card and used the fraudulently issued Social Security number and other documents to open a bank account. He also used the Social Security number and documents produced by his paramour, Waller, to rent an apartment. After Ojedeji failed to attend classes, his assistantship or join a research group, the university terminated him from the graduate program in January 2024. This also resulted in the termination of his student visa. On Feb. 26, 2024, Ojedeji used his fraudulently obtained and now invalid visa and other documents to obtain a Missouri driver license. The driver’s license was subsequently used to open the bank account through which he and Waller forwarded the proceeds of Waller’s money mule activities.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use.  With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves.  Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI and the Town and Country Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced a former Lincoln County, Missouri jail contract employee, Kevin Childers Jr., to 51 months in prison for his role in smuggling fentanyl and methamphetamine into the jail.

Childers, 38, was one of three people to have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Steven Williamson Jr., 37, and Brittany Spangler, 35, were sentenced earlier this year.

At the time of the offense, Williamson was an inmate and trustee and worked in the kitchen. Spangler was his girlfriend. Childers ran the jail kitchen as a contract employee. All three admitted conspiring to smuggle fentanyl and meth into the jail between the dates of June 27, 2022, and Oct. 6, 2022.

Judge Autrey previously sentenced Williamson to 51 months in prison and Spangler to 37 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN DIEGO – Darell Davis of Sacramento was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $9,950 in restitution for conspiring to sex traffic an 18-year-old woman by coercion and physical violence.

On September 11, 2025, Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion. His guilty plea stemmed from conduct spanning from December 15, 2022, to January 11, 2023, when Davis transported the victim from Sacramento to San Diego to sell her body for his financial gain.

Davis created commercial sex advertisements featuring the victim on an adult website and kept a ledger of all the victim’s prostitution earnings, as well as a ledger on earnings of at least two other women under his control. Davis also kept notes of all the “blades,” the geographical locations for street-based prostitution, in various cities.

On January 10, 2025, the victim contacted the San Deigo Police Department for help and identified her trafficker by his moniker, “Benzo.” The victim told investigators that she first met Davis when she was 17 years old and was introduced to the pimping and prostitution subculture. The victim also stated that Davis explained the prostitution rules, set a daily quota that she was required to earn, and made her work six days a week and up to 10 to 14 hours a day. The victim’s location was even electronically tracked by Davis through a tracking application and all her earnings went to Davis. The victim reported physical abuse and fear based on Davis possessing a handgun.

On January 11, 2023, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force arrested Davis outside a hotel in Chula Vista. Upon the execution of a search warrant of the room Davis was staying in, investigators recovered a loaded non-serialized handgun and ammunition.

“The smiles in online ads are a mask,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Behind the misleading photos are coerced victims being controlled, threatened and abused while traffickers cash in. This is exploitation at its ugliest; victims treated as a disposable product, not human beings.”

“Sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion is a terrible crime that has no place in California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The California Department of Justice-led San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to putting a stop to human trafficking, and to holding accountable those who prey on Californians for their own financial gain. I’m grateful to our law enforcement partners for their collaboration, and to the U.S. Attorney’s office for their work to prosecute this case. When we work together, we get results.”

If you are living or working under threat of violence or extortion, or you suspect someone else may be, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center toll free, 24/7 Hotline: CALL: (888) 373-7888 or TEXT BeFree or 233733.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Ko and Lyndzie M. Carter.

DEFENDANT                                                Case Number 23-cr-00549-LL

Darrell Davis                                      Age: 22                                   Sacramento, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud or Coercion – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594(c)

Maximum penalty: Up to life in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

San Diego Police Department

San Diego County District Attorney Office

Department of Homeland Security Investigations

Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is a cooperative effort involving the California Department of Justice, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Special Victims Unit.  Formed in April 2025, the SVU is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving sex trafficking and child exploitation, civil rights, and labor trafficking. The SVU oversees the Southern District of California liaisons to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and Project Safe Childhood. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Weinhagen Stole Reward Money for Unsolved Murders, Used Embezzled Funds for a Hawaiian Vacation

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Robinson Used Non-Profit to Defraud the U.S. Department of Justice, Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Education, and Others