Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Demetrius Howard, 34, Menomonie, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 ½ years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Howard pleaded guilty to this charge on June 24, 2025.

On December 20, 2024, a deputy with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office stopped Howard’s vehicle for speeding. After further investigation, the deputy searched the vehicle and found a bag in the backseat that contained a loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun. Howard told the deputy that he would have fled if his child was not in the car and further commented that there could have been a “shootout.” Howard claimed that he found the gun by a dumpster the day before and was going to throw it into the water.

Howard has a prior state conviction for party to the crime of armed robbery. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson found it unlikely that Howard found the gun by a dumpster. Howard then admitted that was not true and that he actively sought out the gun due to threats he was receiving. Judge Peterson reminded Howard that he was prohibited from possessing firearms and said that the crime was aggravated because Howard was on supervision at the time.

The charge against Howard was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and task force officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.

Federal criminal cases involving firearms are 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).              

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MINNEAPOLIS – Nicholas Richard Lugo, 25, was sentenced today to 180 months imprisonment followed by 15 years’ supervised release for the Distribution of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

“A 15-year sentence cannot undo the harm Lugo repeatedly inflicted on children, but it delivers justice and protection,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “We are prosecuting several cases like this in federal court today, and every one of them is heartbreaking.  Minnesota’s children deserve protection, and those who prey on them will face federal consequences.”

In 2021, Lugo was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Hennepin County, Minnesota.  He received a stayed sentence of 144 months’ imprisonment, 180 days in the workhouse, and five years of predatory offender supervision.  In October 2024, while Lugo was on supervision, he obtained a cell phone prohibited by the terms of his release.  He used that unauthorized cell phone to download a social media application and receive and distribute images and videos of child pornography, also known as child sexual abuse material, depicting the sexual abuse of young children.  The identified images and videos are of real children—real children experienced this abuse, which the defendant downloaded, consumed, and shared for his gratification.

Lugo was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan. When handing down the sentence Judge Bryan noted that this crime is “one of the more egregious crimes we have in our society.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes the suffering of the victims in this case and in Lugo’s prior sexual abuse case.  No child should experience sexual violence and offenders must be held accountable.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Chaska Police Department and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – James Wiley Kelley, Jr., 50, of Altha, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon, possession of a machinegun, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.

Kelley, Jr. appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick on September 24, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for November 27, 2025, before District Court Judge Mark E. Walker.

If convicted, Kelley, Jr. faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of an unregistered NFA weapon, an identical penalty for possession of a machinegun, and up to fifteen years’ imprisonment for possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, with the assistance of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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).

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 available 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

AUGUSTA, GA: On September 25, 2025, a Richmond County man who operated a “ghost” tax preparation business in Augusta, Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding the IRS.

Allen Brown, 41, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, said Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Brown to pay $1,003,631 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

As described in court documents and at sentencing, in 2022 and 2023, Brown and several individuals operated a “ghost” tax preparation business at 1850 Gordon Highway, Suite C, Augusta, Georgia, and at two other Augusta locations including a church and Brown’s residence.  Brown operated as a “ghost” preparer because, contrary to IRS requirements he failed to identify himself as a paid preparer on the federal income tax returns that he prepared and filed for his clients. As a “ghost” preparer, Brown fabricated income to qualify his clients for tax credits, claimed fake deductions to boost the size of the refund, and charged clients a fee based on a percentage of the tax refund. Brown did not provide his clients with a copy of the tax returns he prepared, nor did he review the returns with clients before electronically filing them with the IRS.  Brown and other “ghost” preparers who worked with him falsified 63 federal income tax returns for clients, causing the U.S. Department of Treasury to issue $1,003,631 in false tax refunds.  The tax fraud scheme Brown executed entailed offering clients two filing options, the “Standard” option or the “I’m Not Scared” option.  The “Standard” option generally resulted in a fraudulent tax refund of $2,000 – $9,000.  The “I’m Not Scared” option resulted in a fraudulent tax refund of $14,000 – $30,000.  For the “I’m Not Scared” option, Brown instructed his “ghost” preparers to falsely claim Fuel Tax Credits and falsely report gross income and other expenses on Schedule C and medical and dental expenses on Schedule A with the tax returns.  For the “Standard” option, Brown instructed “ghost” preparers to falsely claim Sick and Family Leave Credits and other false items.  Brown required his clients to pay him a ten-percent fee of each refund obtained.

“Tax preparers have a responsibility to accurately prepare tax returns on behalf of their clients.  Brown undermined the American tax system and the trust of taxpayers relying on his expertise,” said U.S. Attorney Heap.  “The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the serious nature of Brown’s conduct.  The criminal tax laws are designed to protect the integrity of the nation’s tax system and to obtain and preserve funds needed for public services. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia works closely with our partners at IRS Criminal Investigation to protect the law-abiding American public and the treasury by stopping this fraud.”  

“Every year around tax season, ghost tax preparers like Allen Brown and other unscrupulous preparers open up shop to take advantage of unsuspecting taxpayers by convincing them into taking credits and benefits for which they don’t qualify,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are working to protect taxpayers from these unethical tax preparers by investigating and holding them accountable.”

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs, III.

For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – Two Houston men have been sentenced to significant federal prison terms following their convictions for using a firearm during the commission of two convenience store robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Derian Joel Caesar and Centel Devon Willis Jr. pleaded guilty in April.

Today, U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett ordered Willis to serve 14 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Bennett noted that if Willis continued to make these decisions following his imprisonment, he will either return to prison or could even end up dead.

Caesar was previously ordered to serve 14 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Caesar and Willis admitted that on March 15, 2023, both acted together and used firearms to rob two different 7-Eleven convenience stores in Harris and Fort Bend Counties. In both crimes, Caesar carried a black firearm and took money from the cash drawer, while Willis pointed a black semiautomatic handgun towards the employee on duty.  

Both have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin R. Martin prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

$1.6 Million in Stolen Funds Were Used for a Failed Restaurant, Wedding Expenses and Luxury International Travel

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Johntay L. Johnson has five prior convictions for cocaine trafficking

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MINNEAPOLIS – Raymond Christian Garcia, 23, and Isiah Angelo Garcia, 24, were charged federally by complaint with Kidnapping for engaging in a kidnapping and cryptocurrency heist where they held a family at gunpoint for nine hours and stole $8 million in crypto currency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  The crime forced Mahtomedi Public Schools to cancel its homecoming football game for the safety of its community.

“A violent kidnapping that stole $8 million and silenced a homecoming game is not just a crime.  It is a blow to the sense of safety of everyone in Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “This is not normal.  Minnesotans should not accept wild violence and thievery as normal.  Every Minnesotan deserves to live in peace and a life unaffected by rampant crime.”

On September 19, 2025, at 4:45 pm, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center received a 911 call from an adult male who reported that he and his family had been victims of an armed robbery and kidnapping by two adult male suspects and had been held hostage at gunpoint within their residence in Grant, Minnesota.  The two kidnappers were the Garcia brothers.  The 911 caller reported that he, his father (Victim 1), and his mother had been held hostage.

At 7:45 am that morning, Victim 1 was taking out a garbage can to the street when the Garcia brothers suddenly appeared and pointed an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun at Victim 1.  The Garcia brothers took Victim 1 into the garage where they bound his hands with zip ties.  They then brought Victim 1 into the house.  The Garcia brothers woke up Victim 1’s wife and adult son at gunpoint. They also zip tied their hands and forced them to lie on the floor.

Defendant Raymond Garcia held the wife and son in their home for nine hours. Raymond Garcia was armed with the AR-15-style rifle for the duration of the kidnapping.  About 15 minutes before the son called 911, Raymond Garcia left the home out the back door with the AR-15-style rifle, heading towards the tree line.  Raymond Garcia returned to the home shortly thereafter, without the rifle.

Meanwhile, while Raymond Garcia held the wife and son hostage, defendant Isiah Garcia forced Victim 1 at gunpoint to log into his cryptocurrency accounts.  Isiah Garcia demanded that Victim 1 transfer large amounts of cryptocurrency into a cryptocurrency wallet that Isiah Garcia provided.  During the robbery, Victim 1 saw both Garcia brothers frequently making phone calls to an unknown third party, who appeared to be providing the information related to the cryptocurrency accounts and transfers.

Through this third party, the Garcia brothers became aware that Victim 1 had additional cryptocurrency funds.  They demanded the money.  Victim 1 explained that the remaining funds were on a hard drive-style cryptocurrency wallet that was stored at a family cabin approximately three hours away.

Isiah Garcia, armed with the shotgun, then forced Victim 1 into Victim 1’s truck.  Isiah Garcia drove the truck and Victim 1 to the family’s cabin to retrieve the hard drive. All the while, Raymond Garcia held Victim 1’s wife and son hostage with the AR-15-style rifle.  At the cabin, Victim 1 transferred the remaining funds to the cryptocurrency wallet provided by Isiah Garcia.  Isiah Garcia then drove Victim 1 back towards Victim 1’s home.

In total, the Garcia brothers forced Victim 1 to transfer $8 million worth of cryptocurrency to their wallets.

As Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 were returning to the home, Victim 1’s son used the moments that Raymond Garcia left the home to call 911.  Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene following the 911 call and found the wife and son zip tied in the house. As they arrived, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies saw a man, later identified as Raymond Garcia, running out the back door.  When law enforcement searched the area around the home, they located a suitcase in the tree line.  In the suitcase, they found a disassembled AR-15-style rifle, AR-15 ammunition, as well as clothing items and beverages.

Multiple squads responded to the 911 call, some of whom unknowingly passed Isiah Garcia and Victim 1 as they pulled over to allow the emergency vehicles to pass.  Isiah Garcia turned the truck around, parked it nearby, and walked towards a nearby middle school parking lot.  Isiah Garcia ditched the shotgun in a nearby field.  To protect the safety of the community, Mahtomedi Public Schools was forced to cancel its homecoming football game in response to the ongoing law enforcement activity near the campus.

Using a Wendy’s receipt located in the suitcase recovered behind Victim 1’s house, law enforcement was able to determine that Isiah Garcia had rented a white Chevrolet three days prior to the kidnapping, near Houston, Texas.  Law enforcement also located video surveillance showing that Raymond Garcia rented a Motel 6 room in Roseville, Minnesota, shortly before the kidnapping.  Law enforcement saw that, shortly after law enforcement responded to the scene of the kidnapping, the white Malibu returned to the Motel 6.  The next day, law enforcement spotted the car on cameras in Oklahoma.  On September 21, 2024, law enforcement tracked the car back to the home of the Garcia brothers in Waller, Texas.  After returning to Texas, Raymond Garcia reported that his AR-15-style firearm that he used in the kidnapping and robbery had been stolen.

On September 22, 2025, law enforcement arrested the Garcia brothers in Texas.  Once in custody, Isiah Garcia confessed.  He admitted that he and his brother Raymond Garcia had driven to Minnesota, held Victim 1 and his family at gunpoint, tied them up using zip ties, and driven Victim 1 to the family cabin.  On September 23, 2025, the Garcia brothers were charged by complaint in Washington County, Minnesota with three counts of kidnapping with a firearm, one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, and three counts of first-degree burglary.

On September 24, 2025, the Garcia brothers were both charged in a federal complaint with kidnapping.  Both defendants will make their initial appearances in federal court today and the government will request their detention pending trial.

“As alleged in the complaint, the Garcia brothers terrorized a Minnesota family in their own home, kidnapping one family member while holding the rest of the family hostage in order to conduct a brazen cryptocurrency theft,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr.  “This office, together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Minnesota and in Texas, will work tirelessly to hold accountable those responsible for this horrific crime.”

These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its profound sympathies to the victims and lauds them for their bravery and quick action in calling 911.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful for its partnership with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County Attorney’s Office.  The quick and excellent federal-state cooperation in this case was essential to the filing of federal charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca E. Kline is prosecuting the case.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal jury for his role in drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms.

Brandon R. Haywood, 47, was found guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, of one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and felon in possession of a firearm.

On Feb. 4, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a store in Independence, Mo., regarding a sexual assault.  The suspect was identified as Brandon Haywood.  On Feb. 15, 2023, Haywood returned to the same store and was arrested by officers.  His vehicle was towed from the scene in anticipation of a search warrant.  When the state search warrant was executed on his vehicle, investigators located a Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber firearm; the defendant’s wallet; and approximately 30 grams of cocaine in the center console. Prior to this incident, Haywood was convicted of the felony offense of Voluntary Manslaughter in the Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court.           

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., returned guilty verdicts on all charged counts to U.S. District Judge D. Greg Kays, ending a two-day trial.

Under federal statutes, Haywood is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh Ragner and Jessica Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CLEVELAND – A former Ohio deputy employed at a detention facility has been sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a female inmate in his custody.

Damon K. Perry, 53, of Youngstown, was sentenced to 112 months (approximately 9.3 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after he pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sexual abuse of a detainee and two counts of sexual abuse.

“Mr. Perry’s abusive and appalling actions against a detainee in his care were a violation of her basic human rights. Using his power of authority to deliberately take advantage of a woman, who he was charged with supervising, is dishonorable and despicable,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We thank the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General for investigating this matter.”

According to the plea agreement, Perry admitted to engaging in a sexual act with a female inmate under federal detention at the Mahoning County Jail on two dates in November 2023. The correctional facility, located in Youngstown, Ohio, serves under contract with a federal law enforcement agency to house detainees at their direction as needed.

The first sexual act committed without the victim’s consent occurred Nov. 9, 2023, when the inmate was under Perry’s charge and supervision while she was being held in custody. A second incident occurred Nov. 30, 2023, when Perry again engaged in a non-consensual sexual act with the same federal detainee placed under his authority.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yasmine Makridis for the Northern District of Ohio.

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