Security News: FY26 Q3 Data Due

Source: United States Department of Justice

Event

Date:

Virtual Event

Please submit your agency’s FY26 Q3 data on FOIA.gov.   If your agency will not submit the data by July 31st, please email DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov


Updated September 30, 2025

Topic

FOIA

Shiprock Man Charged in Armed Assault on Minor

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man is facing federal charges after aiming his assault-style rifle at a minor and other witnesses during a fight that left the minor-victim hospitalized.

According to court documents, on September 21, 2025, Azariah Arnold Cleveland, 18, an enrolled member of Navajo Nation, drove himself and several accomplices to the minor’s home to confront the minor. Once Cleveland spotted the minor walking along the road, the occupants of Cleveland’s car got out and assaulted the minor. During this fight, Cleveland got out of his car and pointed his assault-style rifle at the minor, the minor’s parents, and other witnesses, firing seven to eight shots in the air. The minor was later treated at a local hospital for injuries.

Cleveland is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon against a minor, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Trial in this case has not yet been set. If convicted, Cleveland a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

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

Spanish Man Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the US After a Prior Removal

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BANGOR, Maine: A Spanish man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior removal. 

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Jose Angel Hidalgo-Torres, 20, to time served (72 days). He pleaded guilty on August 12, 2025.

According to court records, Hidalgo-Torres was found in Calais, Maine shortly after illegally entering the United States on July 18, 2025. He was previously removed from the country in May 2024.

Hidalgo-Torres was turned over to immigration authorities at the conclusion of the proceedings.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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Charles County Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Commercial Armed Robbery Spree

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Daniel Michael Harris, Sr., 44, of Waldorf, Maryland, to 14 years in federal prison for committing four armed robberies while using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD); Sheriff Troy D. Berry, Charles County Sheriff’s Office; and Chief Marc Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).

According to court documents, Harris and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of two businesses in Prince George’s County, one business in Charles County, and one business in Montgomery County.  On March 23, and March 28, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed two convenience stores in Prince George’s County, stealing cash from the registers and several packs of cigarettes.  Harris brandished a pistol-grip shotgun during both robberies.

Then on April 5, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Charles County, stealing cash from the registers and the wallet and phone of a store employee.  Harris also brandished a pistol-grip shotgun and held the store employee at gunpoint while pinning a customer into a wall corner with his forearm.

On April 6, 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators robbed a convenience store in Montgomery County, stealing cash from the register and a store employee’s purse and phone.  Harris also brandished the same pistol-grip shotgun used in the earlier robberies.

Then on April 12, 2023, a PGPD officer observed the getaway vehicle Harris and his co-conspirators used in two of the robberies, resulting in a traffic stop.  The occupants of the vehicle fled and escaped.  Law enforcement recovered several items from the vehicle and submitted the items for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) testing.  A subsequent DNA report revealed a high stringency match between Harris and a DNA sample from a bottle recovered from the vehicle.

On November 9, 2023, Charles County Sherriff’s Office detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Harris’s storage unit.  Detectives accessed the storage unit and identified the clothing items Harris wore and the same pistol-grip shotgun he used during the robberies.

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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI, PGPD, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, and MCPD for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who prosecuted the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the US After Prior Removals

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BANGOR, Maine: A Mexican national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

According to court records, on September 16, 2025, Javier Amateco-Navarrette, 38, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol in Oakland, Maine. During the traffic stop, Amateco-Navarrette admitted he was a citizen of Mexico and in the U.S. illegally. He was previously removed from the country on two separate occasions in 2018.

Amateco-Navarrette faces up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. He 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. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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Felon Sentenced to 36-Months in Daylight Shooting with an Illegal Pistol

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

            WASHINGTON – Dewayne Keith Miles, 29, a convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36-months in prison in connection with firing a gun in the air 13 times in a residential neighborhood, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Miles pleaded guilty June 30 to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition to the 36-month prison term, Judge John D. Bates ordered Miles to serve 3 years of supervised release.

            This prosecution comes under the auspices of Make D.C. Safe Again, a program that is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

            According to court documents, on March 15, 2025, about 3:30 p.m., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were investigating a robbery on the 4400 block of E Street, SE.

            Officers heard several gunshots and looked for their origin. On the 4600 block of Benning Road, SE, officers saw Miles holding a pistol above his head and firing the gun into the air.

            Miles fled into a nearby building. At the same time, officers found 13 cartridge casings on the street. A short distance from casings by a curb, officers recovered a Smith & Wesson, SD9 pistol. A records check determined the handgun had been reported stolen.

            Miles ultimately surrendered and police transported him to the Sixth District. In a search at the cell block, police discovered Miles had a live round of 9mm ammunition in his pocked, consistant with the ammo found at the scene of the shooting.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole. 

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