Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Darryl James, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Friday, May 1, 2026, to 15 years in prison for his participation in a spree of armed robberies of luxury watches and other goods in the Summer of 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that BRADLEY HEPPNER, the former chairman of GWG Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded company, was found guilty by a jury following a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
Source: United States Airforce
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer once parked in the Arizona desert is back in the air after an intensive regeneration and depot maintenance effort led by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base.
Source: United States Army
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ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal — When U.S. Army Maj. Erin Graham, a physical therapist with the Vermont National Guard, tried helping a Senegalese woman with a broken femur out of bed, she immediately noticed something was wrong.
The hospital bed would not lower. Its wheels would not lock into place.
As Graham and her team worked to safely move the patient, the bed shifted beneath them, creating another challenge in an already difficult situation. It was a reminder that, in austere environments, many of the tools and systems Graham relies on back home simply may not be available.
Part of African Lion 2026, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) planned and executed this medical readiness exercise to prepare U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside of traditional clinical settings. By working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refine their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by SETAF-AF from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL“It’s the little things you don’t think about at home,” Graham said. “Things like adjustable beds, wedges or even hooks for catheter bags. Here, you realize how much you rely on them.”
Currently, Graham and her colleagues are participating in a medical readiness exercise in Senegal, as part of African Lion 26. Running from April 25 to May 8, the exercise brings together U.S. Army medical professionals and Senegalese Armed Forces healthcare providers to strengthen medical readiness and interoperability, while operating in expeditionary environments.
The training spans multiple facilities across the region, including Ziguinchor Regional Hospital, Hospital De La Paix and a local military hospital. U.S., Austrian, Italian and Senegalese medical professionals work side by side in these locations, treating patients while exchanging knowledge and techniques shaped by their respective environments.
Executed by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the exercise prepares military health professionals to deliver care outside traditional clinical settings while strengthening partnerships with African allies.
For Graham, who previously supported Hurricane Helene response and COVID-19 missions with the Vermont National Guard, the experience has pushed her outside her comfort zone and forced her to think differently as a physical therapist.
Part of African Lion 2026, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) planned and executed this medical readiness exercise to prepare U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside of traditional clinical settings. By working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refine their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by SETAF-AF from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL“You have to figure it out when you don’t have the equipment you’re used to having,” Graham said.
Throughout the exercise, Graham has had to rethink even simple tasks, from moving patients without adjustable beds to securing catheter bags without the hooks commonly found in U.S. hospitals.
“At home, if I need a wheelchair or walker, there’s one available,” Graham said. “Here, you learn to work with what you have.”
Part of African Lion 2026, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) planned and executed this medical readiness exercise to prepare U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside of traditional clinical settings. By working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refine their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by SETAF-AF from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINALExperiences like these help train military medical professionals to operate in austere environments where medical infrastructure and equipment may be limited during future combat or disaster‑response missions.
Alongside Senegalese providers, U.S. and multinational medical professionals strengthen interoperability and build readiness while working in resource‑constrained settings.
The MEDREX also reflects the longstanding relationship between Senegal and the Vermont National Guard through the National Guard‘s State Partnership Program, which has connected the two partners for decades through military cooperation and training exchanges.
Senegal gave Graham more than clinical practice. It gave her new ways to think, adapt and solve problems when the unexpected becomes the norm.
At home, a hospital bed lowers with a tap of a pedal, but here she learned how to move patients and complete the mission even when the equipment she relies upon simply doesn’t exist.
About African Lion
African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Source: United States Army
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BIZERTE, Tunisia — When most people think of forensics, they picture crime scenes, fingerprints, bloodstain patterns and investigators working to solve crimes after they happen. They don’t usually consider how forensic analysis can help stop threats before they ever reach the United States.
During Exercise African Lion 2026, forensic experts assigned to the Joint Theater Forensics Analysis Center worked alongside Tunisian Armed Forces to identify patterns, share intelligence and prevent threats from reaching U.S. borders.
The JTFAC is a collection of eight different laboratories combined into one forensic analysis capability based at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, in the U.S. Africa Command area of operations. The JTFAC supports all U.S. military services, foreign and allied partners, as well as the U.S. State Department and other U.S. entities. Staffed by civilian and military subject matter experts, the JTFAC assists global military operations by tracking down adversaries, rooting out their supply chains, and providing evidence for prosecutions.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Katherine Sibilla)
VIEW ORIGINAL“We protect our home front by making sure the bad guys don’t come to the U.S.,” said Greg Sanson, JTFAC liaison officer for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).
Throughout the exercise, JTFAC and the Forensics Exploitation Directorate, part of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, collaborated with Tunisian partners, sharing forensic techniques and building lasting relationships. The exchange of knowledge ensures both forces operate with a shared understanding while strengthening long-term cooperation.
By building those partnerships, U.S. forces gain trusted allies who help identify and track threats early. When experts collect forensic data — whether that is fingerprints, DNA or digital information — they enter it into databases and share it across networks. This process helps identify individuals overseas and flag them before they can enter the United States.
“When we put somebody on a watch list, it goes to the Department of Homeland Security,” Sanson said.
Forensic teams also play a critical role in understanding transnational threat networks. Trafficking people, weapons and drugs often spans multiple regions, making pattern recognition essential. By identifying how individuals and networks operate across borders, analysts can disrupt threats before they spread to Europe or the United States.
In addition to fingerprints and ballistics, modern forensic teams analyze emerging technologies such as unmanned aerial systems. A device’s construction can often reveal unique identifiers tied to specific individuals or groups. This understanding also helps analysts and investigators determine the origins of “exploitable material,” which refers to any physical, chemical or biological traces left at a scene that experts can study to identify perpetrators, link crimes or reconstruct events.
“Just by how something is built, you can often tell who made it,” said Amanda Atkins, an FXD forensic scientist.
Sharing that information allows partner nations to identify threats earlier and take collective action. This collaboration also helps Tunisia strengthen its own forensic capabilities, contributing to long-term, partner-led regional security.
African Lion also provides an opportunity for U.S. personnel to test their readiness. Teams train to rapidly deploy, integrate into partner-nation laboratories and operate in unfamiliar environments, ensuring they are prepared to respond wherever needed.
For some JTFAC members, their assignment in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, is the latest in a long line of deployments to overseas-based forensic labs. Although allies and partners exchange exploitable material throughout the year, African Lion provides the opportunity to work side by side in a lab to compare and refine best practices.
As threats continue to evolve, forensic analysis remains a critical tool, not only for solving crimes but also for preventing them and maintaining national security.
About African Lion
African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.
African Lion content can be found on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
About SETAF-AF
SETAF-AF prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An illegal alien from Mexico pleaded guilty today for his role in an international human smuggling conspiracy that illegally brought aliens from Mexico and Central and South America across the northern border with Canada into the United States for profit.
According to court documents, Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 24, was a leader in an alien smuggling organization (ASO) while he was living illegally in Kansas City, Missouri. The ASO smuggled hundreds of aliens into the United States. Once the aliens were inside the U.S., the ASO employed drivers to pick them up and drive them further into the country. The defendant personally participated in and coordinated smuggling events with other leaders of the ASO. During one smuggling event in May 2023, a van carrying aliens became involved in a high-speed chase with U.S. Border Patrol. Border Patrol had to stop their pursuit due to the risk to the public. Ultimately the local sheriff’s department used a tire deflation device to stop the vehicle after it failed to yield.
Sanchez-Solis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and five counts of alien smuggling for commercial advantage and private financial gain. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 10. He faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York, and Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office made today’s announcement.
HSI Rouses Point and U.S. Border Patrol (BP) Burke Station investigated the case, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carling Dunham for the Northern District of New York is prosecuting the case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
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 other 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 Project Safe Neighborhood.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man received a prison term in federal court today, in connection with a counterfeit money scheme he orchestrated while on federal supervised release. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Jason Christian Evans, 51, of Dundalk, to 32 months in prison for the purchase of counterfeit obligations or securities.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, a Bronx man was sentenced in New York for the June 2021 murder of a U.S. national in Bangladesh.
Ganet Rozario, 54, a U.S. citizen from New York, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Rozario previously pleaded guilty to one count of foreign murder of a U.S. national.
According to court documents and statements read in court, Rozario used a shotgun to kill his uncle, Michael Rozario, in Bangladesh. Both men are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Bangladesh. The men had been involved in a years-long property dispute over the family home located in Munshiganji, Bangladesh. During a visit to Bangladesh in 2021, both men were staying at the property.
On the evening of June 11, 2021, Ganet went outside the family home to smoke a cigarette near his uncle’s bedroom window. While outside, he overheard his uncle, who was inside the house, insulting him. Ganet became angry, went back into the house, retrieved a shotgun, and went back outside. After shouting words to the effect of “you will not see the sun tomorrow,” Ganet fired a single shot through an opaque window shutter striking Michael Rozario on his right stomach and abdomen area, killing him. Ganet returned to the United States in July 2023 and was indicted for the murder of his uncle in April 2024.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York made the announcement.
The FBI Los Angeles and New York Field Offices investigated this case.
Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case. The FBI’s Legal Attaché in Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance to the case. The Justice Department thanks the Government of Bangladesh for their cooperation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jacksonville, FL – James Herbert Asberry, III (39, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine. As part of his sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of $18,938, the proceeds of Asberry’s drug trafficking, which were seized at the time of his arrest. Asberry pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Javae McClain, 19, of Aurora, and Javaris McClain, 19, of Aurora, each pled guilty to robbery affecting commerce and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.