Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
OMAHA – A federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska has returned an additional indictment last week charging 31 individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Nader Pourhassan, 62, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison for misleading investors about his company’s development of a new drug, then selling his personal stock in the company at artificially inflated prices.
“The defendant lied to investors about a drug to treat HIV and COVID-19 so he could engage in insider trading,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This type of fraud exploits vulnerable Americans, undermines the integrity of our financial markets, and erodes the trust that investors place in public companies. The Criminal Division remains committed to prosecuting corporate executives who deceive investors.”
“Pourhassan exploited a deadly public health crisis to intentionally deceive investors and the public out of millions – all so that he could enrich himself,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “As this sentence makes clear, executives who mislead investors and manipulate the truth for personal gain will be held accountable. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who put greed ahead of honesty and the rule of law.”
“Nader Pourhassan lied and schemed to selfishly line his own pockets. He betrayed the trust placed in him as a corporate executive by deceiving and misleading investors,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Not only are his actions illegal, but they also serve to undermine public confidence in our financial institutions. This sentencing shows the FBI’s commitment to rooting out fraudsters seeking to manipulate the market.”
“Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that fraud related to medical products will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Iwanicki of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Los Angeles Field Office. “The FDA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who place profits above public health.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Pourhassan was the Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, a publicly traded company based in Vancouver, Washington, that was developing an investigational drug to treat HIV and COVID-19. Between 2018 and 2021, Pourhassan intentionally misled investors about the drug’s prospects for FDA approval to artificially inflate the price of CytoDyn’s stock and attract new investors. He then sold his 4.8 million shares of CytoDyn stock after making false announcements to investors and pocketed $4.4 million.
In December 2024, Pourhassan was convicted at trial of four counts of securities fraud, two counts of wire fraud and three counts of insider trading. At sentencing, he was ordered to pay more than $5.3 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $4.4 million.
FBI, FDA-OCI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Vasanth Sridharan, Acting Assistant Chief Matthew Reilly and Senior Counsel Lauren Archer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adeyemi Adenrele for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. Law Clerk Kerstin Abolnik and Paralegal Specialists Selam Wehabe and John Lee of the Fraud Section provided substantial assistance.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JESSICA PORTWAY, age 42, of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY, age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO (“SALADINO”), age 25, of Jefferson Parish, pled guilty before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to an indictment charging them with drug conspiracy, drug distribution and possession with intent to distribute drugs, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. JESSICA PORTWAY pled guilty on January 7, 2026; and RACHEL PORTWAY and SALADINO pled guilty on January 21, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CARLOS ALBERTO ESCOBAR-LOZA (“ESCOBAR-LOZA”), age 47, a native of Honduras, was charged on January 21, 2026, by bill of information with re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ernest Brown, a/k/a Wayne Perry, a/k/a Wayne Brown, 43, Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr to narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MIGUEL ANGEL LOPEZ-MEJIA (“LOPEZ-MEJIA”), age 34, pled guilty on January 15, 2026, to illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Elazar Wigdorowitz, 33, a citizen of Israel, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to improper entry by an alien. He was then sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JESSICA PORTWAY, age 42, of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY, age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO (“SALADINO”), age 25, of Jefferson Parish, pled guilty before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to an indictment charging them with drug conspiracy, drug distribution and possession with intent to distribute drugs, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. JESSICA PORTWAY pled guilty on January 7, 2026; and RACHEL PORTWAY and SALADINO pled guilty on January 21, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CARLOS ALBERTO ESCOBAR-LOZA (“ESCOBAR-LOZA”), age 47, a native of Honduras, was charged on January 21, 2026, by bill of information with re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Ernest Brown, a/k/a Wayne Perry, a/k/a Wayne Brown, 43, Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr to narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.