Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A Texas woman learned her fate in federal court for her role in conspiring with another person to sexually abuse a child outside the United States. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Anika Bywater, 29, formerly of Gonzalez, Texas, to 25 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Texas woman was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for conspiring with another person to sexually abuse a child outside the United States.
Anika Bywater, 29, formerly of Gonzalez, Texas, pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2025, to conspiracy to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. According to court documents and information provided at the sentencing hearing, Bywater was living in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, when she and another person created two separate videos of themselves sexually abusing the victim. In the video, the victim attempts to crawl away, but is apprehended by Bywater. Law enforcement officers learned of the conduct when they discovered videos of the abuse circulating on the internet.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes of the District of Maryland; and Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s law enforcement attaché office in Mexico City and the Washington Field Office.
Acting Deputy Chief Kyle P. Reynolds of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood of the District of Maryland prosecuted 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Los Angeles, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on March 16, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on March 16, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Edward G. Winn, 47, an inmate of the Florida Department of Corrections who is formerly of Sarasota, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Garret Culpepper, 25, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, and unlawful possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that on Friday, March 20, 2026, VANESSA MOTTA (“MOTTA”), age 44, and JASON F. GILES (“GILES”), age 47, were found guilty of all charges pending against them, following a three-week jury trial presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. The jury also convicted law firms MOTTA LAW LLC and THE KING FIRM LLC and co-conspirator DIAMANIKE F. STALBERT (“STALBERT”), age 35.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ronnie Powell, 40, and Daniqua S. Dixon, 34, both of Buffalo, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Lamont Brown, 37, of Dunkirk, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to theft of government funds, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York recovered more than $68,000,000 in 2025 through settlement agreements and enforcement actions.