Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice

A federal jury in Miami today convicted four defendants for their roles in the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages were convicted of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; providing material support and resources to carry out a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 956, resulting in death; conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the United States; conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; and expedition against a friendly nation. Intriago was also convicted of a third count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S.; smuggling goods from the U.S.; and submitting false or misleading export information.

“These defendants conspired to replace and ultimately to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moïse,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.  “Using U.S. soil as a staging ground for a violent plot overseas is a grave violation of our laws and, more fundamentally, our sovereignty.  We commend the investigative and prosecution team for their exceptional work.”

“This verdict delivers justice for the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and holds accountable those who helped turn South Florida into a staging ground for a deadly foreign plot,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants pursued power, influence, and profit through violence. They supported a conspiracy that crossed borders, destabilized a friendly nation, and ended with the murder of a sitting president. The jury has spoken, and the rule of law has answered.”

“The FBI is going to leverage everything at its disposal to go after conspirators of assassinations,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Those convicted today played key roles in furthering the capacity for political violence with the aim of reaping the financial benefits of the disorder that followed. We would like to thank our partners who helped ensure that those involved faced justice for their disregard for the rule of law and the life of another human being.”

“Today’s verdict sends an unequivocal message: the United States will not serve as a staging ground for those seeking to destabilize foreign nations through violence. While the assassination of President Moïse was carried out on Haitian soil, the conspiracy was fueled by greed and orchestrated within our own borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “By holding these four men accountable for their roles in this cold-blooded attack, we are honoring the rule of law and ensuring that those who profit from political chaos find no refuge.”

“This case exposed a far-reaching criminal conspiracy driven by power, profit, and political ambition that extended well beyond Haiti’s borders,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “HSI and our partners followed the evidence across jurisdictions and international boundaries to help hold accountable those responsible for this heinous plot to assassinate a sitting president and destabilize a partner nation.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Pretel Ortiz, Intriago, Veintemilla, and Solages embarked on a scheme in early 2021 to violently overthrow President Moïse and install their handpicked successor so that the defendants could obtain lucrative government contracts in Haiti. To carry out the plot, the defendants recruited allies in the U.S., Colombia, and Haiti, including 22 former Colombian Army soldiers and Haitian gang leaders. Eight of the co-conspirators, including two of the Colombian mercenaries and several of the group’s Haitian and American allies, pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy, and six of them testified at trial.

Between April and July 2021, the defendants developed and refined multiple plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse. From late May to early June 2021, the group discussed a plan to kidnap President Moïse at his sister’s house, drug him, and force him to resign. When that failed, the defendants switched tactics and developed a new strategy for kidnapping President Moïse when he returned from an international trip on June 19, 2021. Many of these schemes relied on the defendants’ putative Haitian gang allies. Ultimately, the defendants decided to order their Colombian mercenaries to attack President Moïse’s home and kill him. In preparation, co-conspirators in Haiti obtained black-market weapons and ammunition for the Colombian mercenaries.

On July 7, 2021, Solages and a team of Colombian mercenaries carried out the attack on President Moïse’s residence with the help of several Haitian allies. During the assault, a squad of former Colombian special forces soldiers, called the Delta Team, along with other mercenaries stormed the residence, fatally shot President Moïse in his bedroom, and seriously wounded the First Lady of Haiti, Martine Moïse. Trial evidence established that bullets recovered from President Moïse during the autopsy, and another recovered from First Lady Moïse during surgery, matched a rifle carried and used by the Colombian Delta Team. Extensive digital communications introduced at trial further showed that the defendants spent months discussing and coordinating plans to kidnap or kill President Moïse.

Veintemilla played a central role in financing the conspiracy. Starting in April 2021, Veintemilla agreed to finance the scheme through a $175,000 loan agreement financed with proceeds derived from others’ Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) funds that were funneled through an account controlled by a co-conspirator. Trial evidence also showed that Veintemilla was involved in the operational details. After learning of the assassination in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, Veintemilla immediately called a co-conspirator and proclaimed: “the rat (President Moïse) is in the box.”

Pretel Ortiz, who referred to himself as “Colonel Gabriel” and routinely wore fake U.S. military-style uniforms, rank, and insignia, directed the plot’s tactical planning and operation, including coordinating with the Colombian mercenaries. Hours before the assassination, Pretel Ortiz told his co-defendants: “I put my men on the ground and we are still fighting to reach the objective.”

Intriago, Pretel Ortiz’s business partner, handled the day-to-day logistical aspects of the plot, including payroll, equipment, and provisions for the co-conspirators.  On June 10, 2021, Intriago helped smuggle bulletproof vests and other tactical equipment—including radios, flashlights, and goggles—from Miami to Haiti for use by the Colombian mercenaries during the assassination. In late June 2021, Intriago traveled to Haiti and photographed himself with the group’s Haitian allies. On the eve of the assassination, Intriago messaged his co-conspirators: “We finally got the tools to do the work.”

Solages served as the defendants’ primary liaison in Haiti and repeatedly traveled between South Florida and Haiti to coordinate with Haitian gang leaders, obtain weapons and ammunition in Haiti, and conduct surveillance of President Moïse’s residence. Solages also accompanied the Colombian mercenaries during the attack and instructed them to kill everyone inside the house, including “the dog, the cat, and parrot.”

All four defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra for the Southern District of Florida will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

FBI Miami and HSI Miami investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Department of State; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement; and the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean McLaughlin, Jason Wu, and Altanese Phenelus for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Andrew Briggs of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Five illegal aliens were arrested last week for running an alien smuggling operation in Phoenix following an investigation led by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol Intelligence Unit and Homeland Security Investigations.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Three affiliated skilled nursing facilities in Illinois have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of false claims to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for medically unnecessary rehabilitation services. Under the agreement, Symphony Jackson Square LLC doing business as Symphony of Chicago West, Symphony Park South LLC doing business as Symphony of Morgan Park, and Symphony Midway LLC will pay the United States a total of $300,000. The settlement is based on their ability to pay.

Prior to October 2019, Medicare reimbursed skilled nursing facilities for therapy services to patients based on a patient’s resource utilization group (RUG). The RUG was to be determined by the amount of therapy and other services provided to the patient. The more therapy a patient received each week, the higher the RUG category, and the higher reimbursement a facility received. The United States alleged that, between Jan. 1, 2014, and Sept. 30, 2019, the skilled nursing facilities billed Medicare for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech pathology services provided to patients for longer than medically necessary and without regard for patients’ individual medical needs. These actions resulted in the submission of false claims based on inflated RUG levels.

“We expect nursing facilities to provide their patients, which include some of our most vulnerable citizens, reasonable and appropriate amounts of skilled rehabilitation therapy services,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department is committed to holding accountable skilled nursing facilities that provide services based on their financial interests rather than the clinical needs of their patients.”

“Providing unnecessary medical services endangers the health of patients and raises the cost of treatment and insurance premiums for hard-working taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will remain vigilant in our efforts to deter those who seek to exploit critically important federal health care programs that are intended to help people in need — not cheats who seek to abuse and misuse our nation’s generosity.”

“Skilled nursing facilities that place profits above patient care betray the trust placed in them by vulnerable beneficiaries and the Medicare program,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “HHS‑OIG will not tolerate the provision or billing of medically unnecessary services. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect vulnerable beneficiaries and ensure taxpayer‑funded health care dollars are used appropriately.”

“The FBI is committed to ensuring that the nation’s nursing facilities are poised to provide top-notch, medically necessary care, not putting vulnerable patients at-risk or increasing the costs for vital health care,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “While greed and fraud are often uncovered in law enforcement investigations, the FBI is uniquely poised with the personnel and resources to ensure that critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid are protected. Today’s announcement underscores the importance of the work that the FBI and our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners engage in to ensure offenders face accountability.”

The allegations resolved by the settlement arose from a qui tam or whistleblower lawsuit filed by Integra Med Analytics LLC. Under the False Claims Act, private parties can sue on behalf of the government and receive a portion of any recovery. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Integra Med Analytics LLC v. Symphony Healthcare LLC et al., No. 20-CV-0348 (N.D. Ill.).  The whistleblower will receive $45,000 of the recovered funds.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, the United States Attorneys’ Office for the Northern District of Illinois, HHS-OIG, and the FBI.

The matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorney Rachel Karpoff and Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Wawzenski for the Northern District of Illinois.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Three defendants, all with criminal histories, were sentenced to prison in separate Operation Take Back America investigations in the Columbus region. Travis Dwayne Broadnax, 40, was sentenced to serve 137 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Feb. 4, 2026.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The United States has filed a complaint and motion for preliminary injunction against the State of New Mexico, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, the City of Albuquerque, and Albuquerque Mayor Timothy Keller, alleging that the implementation of House Bill 9 (HB9), entitled the “Immigrant Safety Act,” and Albuquerque City Ordinance O-26-15, entitled the “Safer Community Places Ordinance (SCPO),” infringes on federal immigration enforcement authority.

Through HB9, the State of New Mexico is trying to abolish decades of long-standing, voluntary partnerships between local governments and federal authorities that are essential for enforcing immigration laws and keeping the federal immigration system running as Congress intended. Both HB9 and the SCPO seek to block federal agents from using any local government property to carry out their work. Additionally, by unlawfully requiring private businesses to tip off illegal aliens about immigration enforcement activities, the SCPO attempts to harbor and shield illegal aliens from detection by federal immigration authorities and poses an obstacle to the enforcement of federal immigration law.

“New Mexico is attempting to regulate immigration policy, something the federal government is clearly and uniquely empowered by the Constitution to do,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Our filings seek to halt the state’s unconstitutional actions by preserving cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement and allowing federal immigration officials to enforce the law.”

“The State of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque seek to intentionally obstruct federal law enforcement by preventing cooperation between local governments and the federal government,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “HB9 and the SCPO unlawfully interfere with federal immigration enforcement, illegally discriminate against federal operations, and violate constitutional protections regarding contracts and federal supremacy. Additionally, by barring public entities from participating in federal immigration detention in New Mexico, HB9 jeopardizes nearly 300 jobs and the economy of Otero County. Our lawsuit asks the court to declare these laws invalid and issue an immediate injunction to stop them from being enforced.”

Upon taking office, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border to address a security and public safety crisis caused by previous Open Border policies. On February 5, 2025, the Attorney General instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations. On August 5, 2025, the Attorney General published a list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which included Albuquerque, and vowed to bring litigation to end these policies nationwide. Today’s lawsuit in New Mexico is the latest in a series of lawsuits targeting illegal sanctuary jurisdiction policies across the country.

Under President Trump’s mandate, the federal government is exercising its proper constitutional authority to remove criminal aliens from the United States. Central to this mission are long-standing, voluntary agreements between federal and local agencies that allow state and local officials to assist with the investigation, transportation, and detention of illegal aliens. The federal government relies heavily on these partnerships, which have operated successfully in New Mexico for decades, to fulfill its immigration enforcement duties and keep New Mexicans safe.

The case is United States v. State of New Mexico et al., No. 1:26-cv-01471 in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico.

The claims asserted by the United States are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 30, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging a San Juan woman with providing false statements to the FBI.  According to court documents, Joely Rodríguez-Villega, 28, willfully and knowingly made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, all in violation of Title 18, USC, Section 1001.  Rodríguez-Villega is charged with lying to FBI Agents regarding her whereabouts during the evening hours of March 29, 2024. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Poul Thorsen, a Danish researcher who was one of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s top ten most wanted fugitives, was arraigned today on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges after his extradition from Germany.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division continued to advance its mission to fight fraud and protect taxpayers.  Just on Monday, two men were sentenced to 151 months and 36 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in submitting over $522 million in fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary genetic tests in a scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance companies.

“The Fraud Division continues to grow its footprint and aggressively prosecute fraud schemes, no matter the size,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Every day, prosecutors and law enforcement partners across the country are working to protect Americans from fraudsters who want to steal citizens’ hard-earned prosperity.”

Benefits Program Fraud

A defendant was sentenced to 144 months in prison in the Middle District of Pennsylvania for fraudulently obtaining $59 million in public benefits and laundering the proceeds to China.

A defendant in Florida pleaded guilty to one count of receiving approximately $250,000 in stolen U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) disability compensation and benefits. The defendant falsely represented to the VA that he was legally blind and that his vision conditions prevented him from driving, working, and performing various daily functions.

A defendant pleaded guilty in Michigan to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a decade-long, multi-million-dollar federal student loan fraud scheme.  The defendant fraudulently caused more than $16 million in benefits to be awarded, with more than $10 million disbursed.

In Tennessee, a defendant pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to misrepresentations he made on his application for a $159,900 CARES Act loan, which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Instead he used the proceeds for personal expenses.

Health Care Fraud

A former NFL player was sentenced to over 16 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs out of nearly $200 million.  The defendant was ordered to pay over $110 million in restitution and to forfeit approximately $17 million that was seized from bank accounts and other assets.

An optometric physician pleaded guilty in Tennessee for her role in defrauding Medicare out of $6.9 million.  Over three-and-a-half years, the defendant used her practice to submit false claims seeking reimbursements from Medicare for new wound care products she had not actually purchased or used.

A pharmacy technician in Michigan pleaded guilty to a $5.6 million health care scheme and illegal distribution of Oxycodone.  The defendant billed benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for prescription medications that he never dispensed and provided unlawful prescriptions of oxycodone to drug traffickers in exchange for cash.

A defendant in Oklahoma City was sentenced to 20 months in prison for a $1.1 million health care fraud scheme. The defendant submitted, and caused to be submitted, thousands of false and fraudulent claims to private insurance for behavioral health counseling sessions purportedly provided to family members.

Government Fraud

Four defendants, including two former U.S. Postal Service Employees, pleaded guilty for their involvement in a conspiracy to steal $84 million in U.S. Treasury checks.  During the scheme, conspirators stole thousands of envelopes containing U.S. Treasury checks from mail sorting machines and then sold them to buyers around the country.

Tax Fraud

In South Florida, a tax preparer pleaded guilty for submitting false tax forms to support more than 200 fraudulent loan applications under the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program.  The defendant and his co-conspirators used false records to seek more than $4.1 million in PPP loans.

Two defendants in Jacksonville, Florida, were sentenced to 57 months’ and 24 months’ imprisonment, respectively, for a $148 million construction payroll scheme that defrauded the IRS and workers’ compensation insurers.  All told, the U.S. Treasury lost over $37 million in unpaid payroll taxes.

A tax preparer pleaded guilty in California to filing false tax returns to get substantial refunds for his clients and fraudulently including false information on COVID-19 business-relief loan applications, causing more than $ 25 million in losses to the government.

A Florida defendant was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for filing a false tax return and was ordered to pay $103,646 in restitution.

Financial Fraud

A New York federal grand jury indicted six defendants in a financial fraud scheme impacting victims across the country.  According to the indictment, the defendants obtained stolen United States Treasury tax refund checks that were payable to other persons, and then used fraudulent identification documents to open bank accounts in the names of the persons the tax refund checks were payable.

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On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The former chief executive officer of a publicly traded healthcare services company was sentenced on May 5, 2026, for his role in a large-scale conspiracy to defraud investors in connection with the purchase or sale of the company’s securities.