Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PORTLAND, Maine: A South Berwick woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to theft of government money. 

According to court records, Cori Godin, 46, falsely claimed to be unemployed in order to receive unemployment insurance benefits, including federally funded benefits intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Unemployment insurance is a joint state and federal program that provides monetary benefits to eligible beneficiaries. Payments are intended to provide temporary financial assistance to lawful workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Beginning in about March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several federal programs expanded unemployment insurance eligibility and benefits. For a period of approximately 13 months in 2020 and 2021, Godin falsely claimed to be unemployed in order to receive benefits. She received approximately $37,105 in benefits.

Godin faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum term of supervised release of three years. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ATLANTA – Rodericus San Juan Warner has been charged on a criminal complaint with allegedly distributing hundreds of carfentanil and fentanyl pills, as well as methamphetamine. Carfentanil, a fentanyl analogue, is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl, and is used by veterinarians to sedate large animals like elephants.  Warner was denied bond and will remain in custody.

“Synthetic opioid abuse continues to claim lives, and now fentanyl has become a gateway to an even more dangerous drug, carfentanil,” said U.S Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “A convicted felon, Warner allegedly showed no fear of the law and absolutely no concern for the deadly risk drugs and guns posed to the small children at the residence he occupied.”

“Carfentanil is a deadly synthetic narcotic — used to tranquilize elephants, not meant for human consumption. Yet this offender chose to sell it alongside fentanyl and methamphetamine, showing total disregard for human life,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. Our agents are relentless in targeting those who bring this level of danger into our communities.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: During an investigation in October 2025, DEA agents identified Rodericus San Juan Warner as a drug trafficker in Atlanta. Agents allege Warner sold hundreds of pills containing carfentanil and fentanyl and over 100 grams of methamphetamine. While continuing to investigate, agents obtained federal search warrants to search four residences and multiple vehicles that Warner used to further his drug trafficking enterprise.

On November 6, 2025, DEA agents executed the search warrants, and Warner was arrested in the home he shared with his girlfriend and her three school-aged children. From that home, law enforcement recovered two loaded firearms, $20,000 in U.S. currency, and assorted high-end jewelry. Warner, a five-time convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing a firearm. Additionally, in one of Warner’s vehicles outside the residence, law enforcement recovered suspected fentanyl pills and suspected oxycodone pills.

At another residence Warner allegedly used to sell drugs, DEA agents searched another vehicle registered to him and found four loaded firearms, approximately 6,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 258 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 201 grams of suspected cocaine, 60 suspected oxycodone pills, and one kilogram of suspected marijuana.

Rodericus San Juan Warner, 45, of Atlanta, Ga., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon, on a federal criminal complaint. Warner was remanded to custody and ordered detained pending the outcome of his case.

Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl is prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CINCINNATI – A Romanian national was sentenced in federal court in Cincinnati today to 12 months and one day in prison a federal crime related to ATM skimming.

According to court documents, Danut Valentin Urseiu, 32, conspired with others to commit bank fraud in the Southern District of Ohio in January and February 2023.

Urseiu conspired with others to place skimming devices onto a financial institution’s ATMs in the greater Cincinnati area, including in Cincinnati, Green Township and Liberty Township.

Co-conspirators used the fraudulent access devices to steal information from cardholders and defraud financial institutions.

The financial institution reported that multiple ATM locations were victimized during the timeframe Urseiu and his co-conspirators were operating in the Southern District of Ohio.

Fingerprints on cameras placed with the skimming devices in Ohio matched Urseiu’s prints from arrests in New York and Michigan.

Urseiu’s cell phones contained photos of ATM skimming devices, recording devices and large amounts of cash.

Urseiu pleaded guilty in May 2025.

Dominick S. Gerace II, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Adam Lawson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe is representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALYSON CRANICK, 44, of Columbia, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Cranick, first using text messaging and Snapchat, and then using the internet chat service Discord, coerced an 11-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct with her.  Several times during the summer and into the fall of 2022, Cranick induced the minor victim to leave his house after midnight to meet up with her.  Cranick sexually assaulted the minor victim during these meetings.

Between July and October 2022, Cranick exchanged more than 4,700 messages with the minor victim on Discord.

Cranick was arrested on related state charges on November 14, 2023, and has been detained since November 28, 2023.  She was federally charged in July 2024.

Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for February 12, at which time Cranick faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

This matter has been investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force and the Connecticut State Police’s Eastern District Major Crime Unit.  The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel E. Cummings and Katherine E. Boyles through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Tolland for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.

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

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – A 52-year-old Spring resident has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

From Aug. 26 – Oct. 5, 2023, John Alberth exchanged messages with a 16-year-old minor victim, offering money in exchange for sex acts and explicit photos.

As part of his plea, Alberth admitted paying the minor victim through CashApp and asking her to send him photos of herself that constituted child sexual abuse material.

Law enforcement discovered text messages confirming Alberth knew the victim was a minor.

U.S. District Judge George P. Hanks will impose sentencing Jan. 30, 2026. At that time, Alberth faces up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department and Sherrif’s Offices in Harris and Galveston County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice 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. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – A 35-year-old Ohio man has pleaded guilty to computer fraud for hacking his former employer’s network after he was fired, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

On May 14, 2021, Maxwell Schultz, Columbus, Ohio, was terminated from his position as a contract employee in his company’s IT department. Shortly after, he accessed the company’s network by impersonating another contractor to obtain login credentials.

He ran a PowerShell script that reset approximately 2,500 passwords, locking thousands of employees and contractors out of their computers nationwide. Schultz also searched for ways to delete logs, PowerShell window events and cleared multiple system logs.

The attack to the company’s system caused more than $862,000 in losses, including employee downtime, customer-service disruptions and labor needed to restore the network.

As part of his plea, Schultz admitted to conducting the attack because he was upset about being fired.

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal will impose sentencing Jan. 30, 2026. At that time, Schultz faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

The FBI conducted the investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and Michael Chu are prosecuting the case.   

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland, Oregon, man made his initial appearance yesterday in federal court after trespassing on the grounds of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building, failing to obey a lawful order, and obstructing federal property.

Christopher Griffin, 37, has been charged by information with Failing to Obey a Lawful Order, Obstructing Federal Property, and Trespassing on Federal Property.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 16, 2025, Griffin entered the grounds of the ICE building in Portland. Griffin remained on the grounds, failing to comply with the lawful direction of federal officers and was arrested. Griffin was also charged with failing to comply with an officer’s orders to leave the premises on October 22, 2025, and for obstructing the use and access to federal property on November 14, 2025.

Griffin made his first appearance in federal court yesterday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered released pending further court proceedings. As part of his release conditions, Griffin was ordered to stay away from the ICE building.

The Federal Protective Service is investigating the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon is prosecuting the case.

An information is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a man who sold counterfeit Xanax on the dark web, both before and after he was indicted for doing so, to 54 months in prison.

“I hope you understand that you put people’s lives at risk,” Judge Fleissig told John Cruz.

Cruz, 31, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty on two occasions in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to misbrand, introduce misbranded drugs and sell counterfeit drugs: Nov. 29, 2023, and July 1, 2024. Cruz admitted purchasing counterfeit Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, on the darknet and then reselling it from at least October 2019 through May 2021. He also admitted that while he was out on bond after his 2023 guilty plea, he operated a darknet website where he offered four different types of counterfeit/misbranded pills.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware, in court Tuesday, said Cruz’ continued sale of the drugs demonstrated “arrogance,” a “lack of remorse” and “deliberate anti-social behavior.”

Investigators seized $145,502 from an account Cruz held in the cryptocurrency Monero, representing the proceeds of his illegal pill sales. Cruz has agreed to forfeit the Monero.

“Any medication purchased online should be considered suspicious,” DEA St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “More often than not, those selling these drugs, including repeat offender John Cruz, are fully aware that the product their pushing is counterfeit and often laced with fentanyl. Cruz is a threat not only to our St. Louis communities, but to anyone who has a computer and access to the dark web. Let today’s sentencing serve as a reminder that prescription medications should only be filled by a licensed pharmacist, not bought online from unknown and unreliable sources.”

“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 law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate those utilizing the U.S. Mail for illicit activities, including the distribution of narcotics.  Today’s sentencing reflects the diligent investigative work by Postal Inspectors, and our law enforcement partners,” said Inspector in Charge Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division, which includes the St. Louis Domicile Office.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Natrona, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of communicating interstate threats, as well as threatening to assault and murder a federal official, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

The 11-count indictment named Thomas Dorn, 39, as the defendant.

According to the Indictment, on or about October 17, 2025, Dorn called one of his victims and left voice messages that detailed threats to injure and kill that victim and others. The Indictment further alleges that, on or about October 27, 2025, Dorn threatened to shoot his postal carrier and then shoot up his post office.

On October 28, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) filed a federal criminal complaint against Dorn and arrested him at his residence. Following a hearing, a federal magistrate judge found that Dorn presented a danger to the community and ordered him detained pending trial.

The Indictment additionally contains forfeiture allegations, which notified Dorn that the United States would seek to forfeit certain property seized by the FBI on October 28, 2025, including 11 firearms, firearm suppressors, firearm scopes, firearm magazines, and ammunition of various calibers.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and Harrison Township Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the criminal complaint and Indictment against Dorn.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MIAMI – A boat owner and captain were arraigned in Miami on Sept. 26 to face charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, between Aug. 24 and 28, Jeffry Dominguez, 34, and Luis Antonio Garcia Rosario, 37, planned to transport hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Miami.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a 44-foot vessel entering U.S. waters. During a boarding of the vessel, law enforcement identified Dominguez, the registered boat owner, and Garcia Rosario. A search revealed 741 packages that contained approximately 742 kilograms of cocaine, concealed in a hidden compartment on board.

Dominguez and Garcia Rosario are charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. If convicted, Dominguez and Garcia Rosario face a maximum penalty of life in prison for each charge.

Garcia Rosario is a Dominican national and faces removal from the U.S. if convicted.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) made the announcement.

DEA Miami Field Division and the Broward Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin McCormack is 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.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20407.

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