Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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

Source: United States Department of Justice

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Fall River has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Evaldo Ferreira Pinto, 51, was indicted on one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Pinto, who was arrested on Aug. 7, 2025, is currently in custody and will be arraigned in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, Pinto was allegedly found in the United States on Aug. 7, 2025, after previously having been removed from the United States on or about May 31, 2019.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

Source: United States Department of Justice

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Augusto Mateo Francisco, 34, of Dunkirk, NY, who was convicted of two counts of forced labor, and one count of transportation of a minor, was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. Francisco was also ordered to pay restitution and register as a sex offender.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, and Department of Justice Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit Trial Attorney Meghan Tokash, who handled the case, stated that Francisco, a native of Guatemala and a Legal Permanent Resident, facilitated the illegal entry of Guatemalan migrants into the United States and helped transport them to the Dunkirk area, where he would provide them with housing and work at area farms. Francisco would charge the migrants for their housing, rides to work, and for other items. He would also take a cut of the wages they earned working at the farms. Francisco threatened two of the victims by telling them that if they stopped working for him or if they did not pay back the money they purportedly owed to him, he would harm their families or would call immigration authorities and have them deported.

Francisco also pursued a sexual relationship with a minor victim, who was a 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who had come to the U.S. with her mother. Francisco repeatedly raped the minor and threatened to harm her family in Guatemala, if she told anyone about what had happened. Francisco also kidnapped the minor victim and took her to a trailer in Ripley, NY, where she was held for nearly two weeks, until being rescued by police. After being rescued, the minor victim and her mother fled to Georgia to escape Francisco. However, he followed them and kidnapped the minor victim again and brought her back to the Western District of New York, where he unlawfully held her for several more days.

“This defendant’s conduct of facilitating the illegal entry of migrants into the United States and then extorting them for his own personal and sexual gratification underscores the evils that can be associated with illegal trafficking,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “My office will continue to pursue and prosecute those individuals who engage in such conduct.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan stated, “This case lays bare the sheer depravity of Francisco’s crimes — perpetrated by a foreign national who not only exploited the vulnerabilities of migrants for profit, but also  subjected a minor to unimaginable abuse. Francisco weaponized his victims’ immigration status through threats, coercion, and violence, including repeated rapes and multiple kidnappings. This significant sentence underscores the seriousness of his heinous actions and demonstrates HSI’s unyielding commitment, together with our law enforcement partners, to holding such predators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

The sentencing is the result of by Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the Chautauqua County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.

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Source: United States Department of Justice

Savannah man sentenced to 37 months imprisonment for the illegal possession of a machinegun

SAVANNAH, GA:  Javon Edwards (31) of Savannah, Georgia, pled guilty to the Illegal Possession of a Machinegun in April 2025.

On September 11, 2025, Edwards was brought before Chief Judge R. Stan Baker for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia for sentencing. Edwards was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.

“Sadly, we have seen an unfortunate uptick in criminals possessing illegal conversion devices that transform semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons of war.  We will continue to work with our state and federal partners to apprehend these criminals and ensure they are brought to justice,” stated Margaret Heap, United States Attorney.

“The illegal possession of machineguns is not just a violation of the law; it endangers our communities, and we will continue to pursue those who threaten public safety,” said ATF Acting Assistant Special Agent Robert Davis.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

The case was being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Savannah Police Department. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Special Assistant United States Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.