Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH – A Beaver County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 50 months’ imprisonment and seven years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal child exploitation and firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on William Johnson, age 34, of Monaca, PA 15061.

According to information presented to the court, Johnson, on April 3, 2019, possessed more than 100 digital photographs and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, some of whom were under the age of 12 years and depicted in sadistic and violent imagery, as well as possessed 12 unregistered firearms, including a Glock pistol with an installed auto switch, a Smith and Wesson rifle with a bump stock, and eight silencers. Each of the 12 firearms required registration under the National Firearms Act.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hardy acknowledged the serious and violent nature of Johnson’s crimes and the damage and long-term effect on child victims who are subjected to sexual exploitation.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Chung commended the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and 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

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Braheem Lewis, 24, of Philadelphia and Ethan Bailey, 23, of Williamsport were sentenced on February 23, 2022, by Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy. 

Lewis was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and Bailey was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  Both will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release after serving their imprisonment sentences. 

According to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lewis and Bailey conspired to distribute fentanyl in Lycoming County from August 2019 to August 2020.  At the hearing, Chief Judge Brann highlighted the way that the distribution of fentanyl has ravaged this community and the country.

Three other co-defendants were previously sentenced and received the following:

• Basil Arties, 27, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment;
• Damion Bethea, 26, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment; and
• Kenyon Bonaparte, 21, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.

Co-defendants Kevin Bryant and Ira Sims have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Co-defendants Angellitto Lawton and Jordan Watkins are awaiting trial.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Williamsport Bureau of Police, the Lycoming County Narcotics Enforcement Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BETTY ARRINGTON a/k/a “Betty Callie Arrington,” a/k/a “Betty Francis C Miller,” a/k/a “Betty Miller” (“ARRINGTON”), age 72, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 23, 2022 in federal court before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.

According to court records, ARRINGTON engaged in a 35-year multifaceted scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). From 1984 through 2019, ARRINGTON intentionally used a Social Security number (“SSN”) not assigned to her by the Commissioner of the SSA to conceal her earnings from employment in the New Orleans area. ARRINGTON’s fraudulent use of a SSN, in addition to the concealment of program eligibility factors and the intentional submission of false statements to SSA, aided ARRINGTON in fraudulently gaining and maintaining Supplemental Security Income Disability benefits totaling approximately $164,270.90.

The Court set sentencing in this matter for June 1, 2022. ARRINGTON faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General for its work in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Long.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on February 24, 2022, Scott Eric Snyder, age 50, of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, was indicted on charges of production of child pornography.

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on July 7, 2012 and July 13, 2013, in Northumberland County, Snyder produced child pornography.

The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit  www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 30 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted scheming with at least one U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee and others to steal credit cards from the mail and use the stolen cards for hundreds of thousands of dollars of retail and online purchases, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

Hakir Brown, 27, Newark, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Hakir Brown, Jahad Salter, 25, and Dashaun Brown, 31, engaged USPS employees, including Khadijah Banks Oneal, 31, to steal credit cards from the mail in exchange for compensation. Once they obtained the stolen cards, Hakir Brown and his conspirators fraudulently posed as the accountholders of the stolen credit cards when calling the banks that issued the cards and used personal identifying information belonging to the accountholders to obtain or change information about the stolen credit cards. They then used the stolen credit cards to make purchases at retail stores in New Jersey and elsewhere, including New York and online, resulting in attempted losses of over $300,000.

Several of the USPS employees and individuals who participated in the scheme have been charged by complaint for their roles in the scheme, including, Banks Oneal, who worked at a mail processing plant facility in Kearny, New Jersey; another USPS employee, Ashley Taylor, who worked at a post office in New York; Salter; Adeeb Salih, 29, of East Orange, and Yaseen Salih, 24, of Iselin, New Jersey. Dashaun Brown was indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 9, 2022, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 3, 2022, before Judge McNulty. The charges and allegations against these other individuals are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2022.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Khanna credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service under the direction of Acting Inspector of Charge Raimundo Marrero, Newark Division; and special agents of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, District of New Jersey, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Freaney; the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Mid-Atlantic Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew S. McKay; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; the Livingston, New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gary Marshuetz; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Department of Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara; the Essex County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the New Providence, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Theresa A. Gazaway; and the Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Jason Massimino, for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that on February 24, 2022, John Palfreyman, age 39, of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of illegally possessing firearms. 

According to United States John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on December 1, 2021, in Bradford County, Palfreyman possessed with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.  The indictment also alleges that Palfreyman possessed two rifles while prohibited from possessing firearms due to a previous criminal conviction. 

The investigation was conducted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police and the Northumberland County Sherriff’s Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The maximum penalty for the offenses is up to 50 years of imprisonment, a life term of supervised release, and a fine of $5,250,000. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: United States Department of Justice

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from September 13, 2025, through September 19, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 274 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 108 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 150 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 12 cases against 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement is a key part of border vigilance, and prosecutors also charged 1 individual for assaulting a federal officer.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Recent matters of interest include:

United States v. Jessica Isabel Perez:  On September 12, 2025, Jessica Isabel Perez crossed into the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry with two children. One of the children was Perez’s 17-year-old daughter, who is a United States citizen, and the other was a six-year-old that Perez claimed to be her son. Perez presented a birth certificate for the six-year-old, which was inconsistent with the identity of the child she was presenting for entry. The child also appeared drowsy and could not keep his eyes open. At secondary inspection, agents observed that the child was struggling to walk and stumbling from side to side. Agents also located extra strength Tylenol PM inside the vehicle with two pills missing. Upon further investigation, agents learned that Perez had traveled to Mexico to pick up the child and bring him to the United States as a favor for someone. Perez was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01924]

United States v. Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo:  On September 15, 2025, Juan Raul Angulo-Angulo, a citizen of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to Bring an Alien into the United States Unlawfully and two counts of Bringing an Alien to the United States Unlawfully. On September 12, Border Patrol agents observed three subjects walking northbound in the remote desert approximately 20 miles south of Tacna, Arizona. Agents responded to the area and found Angulo-Angulo, who was wearing camouflage clothing and had carpet booties over his shoes. Agents also located two additional individuals who were wearing camouflage clothing and hiding in the nearby brush. All three subjects were determined to be citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States, and agents learned that Angulo-Angulo was serving as the foot guide for the group. [Case Number: 25-MJ-01919]

United States v. Edith Toledo, et al:  On September 13, 2025, Edith Toledo, a citizen of the United States, crossed into the country through the San Luis Port of Entry with five passengers in her vehicle that she claimed to be her children and citizens of the United States. In support of this claim, Toledo provided five birth certificates and four Arizona identification cards. Three of the passengers were confirmed to be Toledo’s children and citizens of the United States, including two minors. However, the purported birth certificates for the remaining two passengers, Alfredo De La Cruz Gonzales and Reyna Lorenzo Chavez, were inconsistent with the people she was presenting for entry. At secondary, agents determined that De La Cruz and Chavez were citizens of Mexico without lawful authority to be in the United States. Agents also learned that De La Cruz coordinated with Toledo to smuggle himself and his wife, Chavez, from Mexico into the United States. Toledo and De La Cruz were charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien, False Personation in Immigration Matters, and Aggravated Identity Theft. Chavez was charged with False Personation in Immigration Matters and Aggravated Identity Theft.  [Case Number: 25-MJ-01923]

These cases 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).

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-151_September 19 Immigration Enforcement

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Department of Justice

ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Tom Albus on Friday welcomed 29 new citizens from 19 different countries at a naturalization ceremony at the historic Old Courthouse in St. Louis.

At the ceremonies, which are held dozens of time a year in and around St. Louis, new citizens take their oath and receive their Certificate of Citizenship. The U.S. attorney or an assistant U.S. attorney acts as the naturalization examiner.

For more information about becoming a citizen, contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at www.uscis.gov. For information about the ceremonies, click here.

Source: United States Department of Justice

A former Chief Executive Officer of a telecommunications provider in the Northern District of Iowa, who stole over $600,000, was sentenced on September 18, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.

Anthony James Lang, age 42, a resident of Jesup, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 9, 2025 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

From January 2017 through January 2023, Lang devised and executed a scheme to defraud his employer, a telecommunication and internet service provider.  At the time of the scheme, Lang was the CEO of the company and had access to their books and accounts.  Over a six-year time period, Lang stole over $600,000 from the company. At sentencing, Chief Judge C.J. Williams described Lang’s conduct as the product of greed and waste. 

Lang was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Lang was sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $662,736.00 in restitution.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Lang was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 2025-CR-2017.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Inserted false deductions, expenses, and dependents to obtain more than $5 million in false refunds