Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
JUNEAU, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment this week charging a former Ketchikan youth minister with sexually exploiting a child outside the U.S. and with possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). This case is one of three cases charged in Alaska through Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Anthony Burris, 35, of Ellicottville, NY, who was convicted of two counts of enticing travel to engage in sexual activity, was sentenced to serve 90 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that Dennis Loyd Sizemore, age 54, and Gregory Brazell, age 41, both of Lafayette, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle; altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number; possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices; and conspiracy to sell or dispose of a firearm and the transfer of a firearm to a prior convicted felon.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Alkeyvin Ennis, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 153 months in federal prison following his conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging two Kansas men for allegedly defrauding the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting false information on applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN JUAN, P.R. – On December 17, 2025, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging eight women with engaging in fraud scheme to obtain unemployment compensation from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor (PRDOL) totaling $619,923 and to make kickback payments to a public official, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are in charge of the investigation with the assistance of the Puerto Rico Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG), and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda). The Puerto Rico Department of Labor initiated the referral to federal authorities.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On Dec. 13, Micah James Legnon, 28, of New Iberia, Louisiana, was arrested on a criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Louisiana charging him with threatening Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
According to court documents, Legnon also known as Dark Witch and Kateri the Witch, is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group. Legnon’s association with TILF included participating in a chat called “Order of the Black Lotus,” in which Legnon discussed teaching other TILF members urban warfare while writing threatening messages about ICE officers there and on social media.
“This arrest reflects the Justice Department’s priority of disrupting and dismantling terrorist networks across the Nation,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will continue to aggressively target violent extremist groups like the Turtle Island Liberation Front, hold their proxies accountable, and ensure the American people—and the officers who protect them—can live without fear. Thank you to the US Attorney, Zachary Keller, in the Western District of Louisiana for his incredible work.”
“The FBI will not tolerate anyone who threatens law enforcement officers and will work with our partners to bring them to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This defendant allegedly threatened ICE officers and had an assault rifle, body armor, and other items in his vehicle when he was arrested by local law enforcement. He is associated with the Turtle Island Liberation Front which espouses anti-government views. The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to protect the American people and those who wear the badge to protect our communities.”
“Groups like TILF are a menace to society and a threat to the values that make America the greatest nation on Earth,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of the New Orleans New Year’s Day terror attack, the Louisiana U.S. Attorney’s Offices stand vigilant alongside the FBI and our other federal, state, and local partners to uncover and stop potential terrorist plots dead in their tracks. The swift and decisive action taken by the FBI’s California and Louisiana components and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office here exemplifies that commitment we all have to keeping Louisiana and our country safe.”
Legnon, who has a military background, was under surveillance by the FBI on December 12, 2025, due to his affiliation with TILF members plotting to bomb Los Angeles who were arrested that day. On Dec. 12, FBI saw Legnon leaving his New Iberia residence with what appeared to be an assault rifle and body armor in his vehicle in an apparent effort to execute an attack. Legnon was stopped and arrested by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and one assault rifle, one pistol, one gas canister, and body armor were recovered from his vehicle. A federal search warrant executed on Legnon’s residence revealed sniper training manuals, SWAT training manuals, assault rifles, and multiple rounds of ammunition. This investigation is ongoing.
The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel for the Western District of Louisiana is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Kevin Noel Ochoa Venegas (a/k/a Kevin Noel Ochoa-Venegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Banegas, a/k/a Kevin Noel Banega), 32, of Honduras, was sentenced to federal prison after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two Colombian nationals made their initial appearance in court in El Paso, Texas yesterday after being extradited from Colombia to face charges relating to their roles in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.
In October 2024, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment against Hernando Manuel De La Cruz Rivera Orjuela, also known as Hernan, also known as Manuel, also known as El Patron, 53, and Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, aka El Calvo, 41, of Colombia for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States placing lives in jeopardy and in violation of immigration laws of the United States.
“These defendants are alleged to have operated a sophisticated human smuggling operation that resulted in the disappearance of 42 people at sea,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human smuggling is a dangerous, predatory enterprise that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively dismantle these criminal networks that profit from human suffering and threaten the security of our border.”
“There is no limit as to the lengths we will go to bring to justice those who would smuggle humans into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Taking down human smuggling operations, like this one, deals a direct blow to the transnational criminal organizations that receive millions of dollars from these operations. Therefore, prosecuting these kinds of cases is key to accomplishing of our mission to eradicate Mexican drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations that use this country as a direct and indirect means to enrich themselves. Thank you to all of our law enforcement partners and members of Joint Task Force Alpha who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this worthwhile effort.”
Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto were arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the United States. Their extraditions followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities.
According to the indictment, the defendants participated in a conspiracy where they were directly and personally responsible for unlawfully smuggling aliens, transporting them from other locations to San Andres Island, Colombia, and from there to Nicaragua via boats, north through Central America and Mexico, before reaching their final destination in the United States. Allegedly, Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto advised the migrants how to get to San Andres Island, personally received them once they arrived on the island, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to the boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could enter the United States illegally. Linero Pinto is alleged to have bribed uniformed service members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats carrying migrants to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. The defendants were allegedly responsible for smuggling the aliens on that boat who were en route to the United States.
HSI led the investigation, with assistance from their McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena Field Offices. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT); Office of International Affairs; and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department thanks Colombian law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere.
Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. The extraditions of Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto are the first extraditions from Colombia resulting from JTFA’s work since the taskforce’s mission expanded to target human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Colombia.
Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs Acting Associate Director Jesse Ormsby and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Kristopher Jarvis, provided significant assistance with the extradition.
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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
205 Child Victims Located and 293 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in Nationwide Crackdown
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.
“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes.”
“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”
Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.
As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM. The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.
This effort follows two other successful operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders.
The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD’s mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.
These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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, visit justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.