Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 2, 2025, Jason McGrath, 45, of South Burlington, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. McGrath previously pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to produce child sexual abuse materials (CSAM, also known as child pornography). McGrath has been detained since his guilty plea.

According to court records, McGrath corresponded with two people via an internet messaging application, offering to pay money for the production of original CSAM. McGrath sent money to the users in an effort to obtain CSAM and received CSAM from at least one user that depicted a child as young as 8 years old. McGrath also exchanged over 1,800 messages with a third person, coaching that person as to how to sexually abuse an 11-year-old girl, providing explicit instructions, and requesting photographs of the abuse.

First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigation of Homeland Security Investigations and the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. McGrath was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Carmen Brooks.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Seattle – An Indian national convicted of health care fraud was sentenced today in in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Mohammed Asif, 35, was arrested on April 10, 2025, at Chicago O’Hare International Airport while attempting to board an international flight. On September 4, 2025, Asif pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with the operation of American Labworks LLC, a diagnostic testing laboratory in Everett, Washington. Asif conspired with others to bill Medicare for COVID-19 tests and other respiratory illness tests that had not been ordered or performed.

At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said the fraud amount, $1,174,813, “was a significant amount of money. It was money that was siphoned out of the Medicare system that is designed to treat the elderly and the poor… (The defendant) lacks moral character as a knowing participant in the fraud… He is someone the public needs to be protected from.”

“Mr. Asif participated in a scheme to steal more than a million dollars from Medicare — funds that are meant to be used for important medical care,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Regrettably, schemes like this one are not unique. Medicare is a constant target of fraud, and the harm to the United States and taxpayers is substantial. We will continue to investigate and prosecute such fraud schemes.”

According to records filed in the case, the Washington Secretary of State has American Labworks being formed in October 2021 and dissolved in March 2025. Washington Department of Health records indicate that its license as a Medical Test Site expired in December 2023. Asif is listed in filings with the state and with Medicare as the owner and director of American Labworks.

Claims data from April 2024 to December 2024 show that American Labworks billed Medicare more than $8.7 million for laboratory testing services, including for COVID-19 testing. Medicare paid out over $1.1 million to the lab.

Between June 2024 and March 2025, Medicare received more than 200 complaints from enrollees and others about American Labworks. Many of these complainants reported that Medicare was billed for testing that was never received. For example, one Medicare enrollee noted that Medicare paid American Labworks $545 for COVID-19 tests in August 2023 and March 2024. But the beneficiary had never had any COVID-19 tests on those dates. Multiple Medicare beneficiaries said they too had seen bills for tests that never occurred. Physicians who had allegedly ordered the tests said they had not sent patients to American Labworks, and many patients said they had never heard of the referring physician listed in the records.

In some instances, the billing records indicated a beneficiary’s testing date of service occurred after other records indicated the beneficiary was dead. And in other instances, the physician who allegedly referred the patient for testing was dead at the time of the date of service.

Financial records indicate Mohammed Asif received multiple checks and made withdrawals from the American Labworks bank account, which he controlled. In May 2024, he withdrew $260,000 from the American Labworks checking account. Soon after that Asif, who had been in the U.S. on a student visa, returned to India. He came back to the U.S. in March 2025 as investigators were unraveling the fraud. Prosecutors and special agents with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) moved quickly to draft the criminal complaint and take Asif into custody. A grand jury then returned the indictment of Asif on April 23.

Asif conspired with other people to accomplish the fraud. The government’s investigation is ongoing.

“Billing Medicare for millions of dollars’ worth of laboratory testing that was never furnished is a serious offense that undermines the integrity of our healthcare system and diverts critical resources from those who truly need them,” said Robb R. Breeden, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).“This sentencing reflects HHS-OIG’s continued commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and bring to justice those who seek to exploit federal healthcare programs for their own personal gain.”

“Like so many other fraudsters who take advantage of such situations, Mr. Asif used the COVID-19 pandemic to steal from taxpayers for his own gain,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “In just a couple of years, his company billed Medicare millions of dollars for laboratory testing that never happened. To those would-be criminals who believe their schemes will never be uncovered: as this case shows, the FBI and our partners will carefully follow the money and financial records to ensure justice is served.”

Asif was ordered to pay $1,174,813 in restitution. He will likely be deported following his prison term.

The case is being investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip Kopczynski.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CLEVELAND – A Holmes County man who traveled internationally to sexually abuse children abroad now faces federal charges.

On Dec. 2, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, Ohio, with attempted and actual engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.

The indictment alleges that on at least four separate occasions—2004, 2007, and twice in 2011— Mast embarked on trips to the Caribbean and sexually abused minors.

As outlined in the original federal criminal complaint filed Nov. 4, 2025, Mast repeatedly travelled to Haiti, during which time he both attempted and engaged in illicit sexual conduct with minors. Foreign travel records obtained by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) show that Mast took more than 30 flights from the United States to Haiti.

Mast faces a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and $250,000 in fines per count if convicted. He also faces up to a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment. His sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, his role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.

“As alleged, this defendant traveled abroad to commit heinous, unspeakable crimes against vulnerable children living in an impoverished nation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “Despite the fact that the defendant’s alleged crimes occurred abroad, our law enforcement partners and prosecutors will continue to relentlessly seek justice on behalf of the minor victims.  Wherever the Criminal Division has jurisdiction, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in the intolerable crime of abusing and exploiting children.”

“Crimes against children, like those mentioned in these allegations, are reprehensible. Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio.  “We commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, whose thorough work led to these federal charges being filed today.”

“This case highlights the vital role HSI plays in identifying and investigating individuals—especially those in positions of trust—who exploit children, regardless of where these heinous crimes occur,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “HSI Cleveland, in collaboration with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice, worked diligently to ensure that those who prey on children abroad are held accountable here in the United States. We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice for victims and ensuring that predators face the full weight of the law wherever our investigations lead.”

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by HSI and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret Kane and Jennifer King are leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from trial attorney Jessica Urban of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Anyone with knowledge and information about this case may call the HSI tip line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP or visit report.cybertip.org.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Georgia man was sentenced today to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay over $7.2 million in restitution for his role in a scheme to pay and receive illegal kickbacks in exchange for inducing Medicare beneficiaries to accept medically unnecessary genetic tests.

According to court documents, Patrick C. Moore Jr., 48, of Peachtree City, engaged in a kickback scheme in which he instructed a network of recruiters to target and induce Medicare beneficiaries to accept genetic tests that were not medically necessary, not provided as represented or not eligible for reimbursement. Moore received approximately $4.3 million in kickbacks and bribes from his co-conspirators in exchange for the referral of beneficiary insurance information, DNA specimens and accompanying doctors’ orders for genetic testing. Moore, in turn, paid illegal health care kickbacks and bribes to his network of beneficiary recruiters. To conceal the scheme, Moore created sham invoices documenting fabricated numbers of hours worked instead of the per-referral payments he received in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Laboratories associated with Moore and his co-conspirators billed Medicare approximately $24 million and were paid approximately $7.2 million on the kickback-induced claims for the unnecessary genetic tests.

In May 2025, Moore pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Margaret Heap for the Southern District of Georgia; Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office; Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the HHS-OIG Atlanta Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

The HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Ethan Womble and Benjamin Smith of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Thompson for the Southern District of Georgia prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio returned an indictment today charging an Ohio man with four counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Haiti.

According to court documents, Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, Ohio, traveled from the United States to Haiti on multiple occasions between 2002 and 2019, including with the organization Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), and sexually abused minors in that country. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement obtained flight records showing that Mast had taken over 30 flights from the United States to Haiti between November 2002 and August 2018. Each count of the indictment is premised on his sexual abuse of a different minor in Haiti.

“As alleged, this defendant traveled abroad to commit heinous, unspeakable crimes against vulnerable children living in an impoverished nation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Despite the fact that the defendant’s alleged crimes occurred abroad, our law enforcement partners and prosecutors will continue to relentlessly seek justice on behalf of the minor victims.  Wherever the Criminal Division has jurisdiction, we are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in the intolerable crime of abusing and exploiting children.”

“Crimes against children, like those mentioned in these allegations, are reprehensible. Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, whose thorough work led to these federal charges being filed today.”

“This case highlights the vital role HSI plays in identifying and investigating individuals —  especially those in positions of trust — who exploit children, regardless of where these heinous crimes occur,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz. “HSI Cleveland, in collaboration with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice, worked diligently to ensure that those who prey on children abroad are held accountable here in the United States. We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice for victims and ensuring that predators face the full weight of the law wherever our investigations lead.”

HSI Cleveland is investigating the case and received substantial assistance from the Holmes County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office.

Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Kane and Jennifer King for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

This case was 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

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

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who succeeded his father, Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” as one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal drug charges.

“The Sinaloa Cartel is a terrorist organization that has spent decades destroying American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Yesterday’s guilty plea from El Chapo’s son is a major victory against the Sinaloa Cartel and underscores the Trump Administration’s historic, aggressive campaign to dismantle terrorist organizations that target the American people.”

“Under the Chapitos’ leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has fueled the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history, manufacturing poison and profiting from the destruction of American lives,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “DEA stands committed to dismantle Sinaloa Cartel’s command and control, expose their criminal networks, and deliver justice for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to their greed. Joaquin Guzmán Lopez’s guilty plea marks another blow to the cartel’s ruthless operations. We will not stop until these narco-terrorists are held accountable and the American people are protected.”

“After the United States successfully prosecuted El Chapo, his son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, took up his father’s mantle and jointly led the ‘Los Chapitos’ faction of the Sinaloa Cartel — one of the world’s most notorious drug trafficking organizations — in its efforts to flood the United States with deadly fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Under the leadership of Guzman Lopez and his associates, the Sinaloa Cartel spread violence and bribed public officials to protect its illicit business. The Criminal Division and our partners will not rest until we have fully dismantled the criminal cartels whose ruthless violence and lethal narcotics distribution threaten the safety and health of the American people.”

“For decades, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office has been at the forefront of the U.S. government’s relentless pursuit of drug cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as their top leaders,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “Yesterday, because of this Administration’s leadership, the U.S. State Department has designated many of these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations — a fact that has only further stiffened our resolve to track down and hold accountable transnational criminal organizations and their highest-ranking members and associates. Joaquin Guzman Lopez’s guilty plea is the latest step in our efforts to bring to justice drug lords and other dangerous criminals who poison the American public with illegal and harmful drugs and who otherwise engage in violence and corruption to carry out their and their enterprises’ wide-reaching criminal activities.”

“Two down, two to go,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California.

“The Guzman’s have made a family business out of trafficking fentanyl and other dangerous drugs,” said Acting Assistant Director Gregory Heeb of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “Protecting Americans from the Sinaloa and other criminal cartels terrorizing and poisoning our communities is one of the FBI’s highest priorities and we will continue to work relentlessly to dismantle and disrupt these dangerous international criminal networks.”

“Yesterday’s guilty plea by Joaquin Guzman Lopez is another example of how HSI is taking on the cartels and their transnational criminal networks and sending a clear message that we are going to hold them accountable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona. “Dismantling the Sinaloa cartel one arrest at time has taken countless hours but together HSI and our federal partners in the Homeland Security Task Force relentlessly focused efforts to stop this transnational criminal organization scourge by removing leaders from the helm. Yesterday’s announcement exemplifies a whole-of-government approach to protecting our homeland that is yielding results.”

Guzman Lopez, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. The convictions carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Guzman Lopez has been detained in U.S. custody since his arrest in July 2024.

Guzman Lopez and his three brothers, collectively known as “the Chapitos,” assumed  leadership roles of the Sinaloa Cartel following El Chapo’s arrest in 2016 and subsequent conviction in the Eastern District of New York. Guzman Lopez coordinated the transportation of drugs and precursor chemicals for the manufacture of drugs into Mexico, and the transportation of those drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, to the United States border, at times in shipments of hundreds or thousands of kilograms. He used a network of couriers affiliated with the cartel to smuggle the drugs into the United States using vehicles, rail cars, tunnels, aircraft, submersible vessels, and other means.

After the drugs were distributed throughout the United States, individuals working for Guzman Lopez and others laundered and transferred the illicit proceeds from the United States to Mexico and elsewhere. To protect the Sinaloa Cartel’s operation, Guzman Lopez and his associates bribed corrupt public officials and perpetrated violence against law enforcement officials, rival drug traffickers, and members of their own drug trafficking organization.

In addition to the drug offenses, Guzman Lopez also stipulated to committing an international kidnapping offense. Guzman Lopez admitted to coordinating and committing the kidnapping in the hopes of receiving cooperation credit from the United States. As stated in the plea agreement, the United States did not induce or condone the kidnapping, and Guzman Lopez will not receive any cooperation credit for it.

As part of his plea agreement, Guzman Lopez agreed to the entry of a personal money judgment in the amount of $80 million, which represents proceeds traceable to his offenses. Guzman Lopez also acknowledged that the crimes to which he is pleading guilty involved more than 36 kilograms of fentanyl, 90 kilograms of heroin, 450 kilograms of cocaine, 45 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 90,000 kilograms of marijuana.

Guzman Lopez’s three brothers — Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez — are also charged with drug trafficking in U.S. indictments. On July 11, Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in the Northern District of Illinois. He is awaiting sentencing. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are charged in both the Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of New York. They are fugitives. The U.S. State Department has issued rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to their arrests and convictions. See the reward information here and here.

Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF), Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine, Michelle Parthum, and Michael Maione for the Northern District of Illinois, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Sutton and Robert Miller for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case.

HSI and the FBI investigated the case.

The guilty plea was announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve various law enforcement goals — including 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).

The charges against Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are merely allegations. 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

According to court documents, on or about June 22, 2023, Louisiana State Police (LSP) Troopers, FBI New Orleans Gang Task Force (NOGTF) members, and other law enforcement personnel were conducting proactive patrols in the Algiers area of New Orleans to combat violent crime. While attempting to stop and investigate a suspicious Dodge Durango vehicle, it sped off, chased by law enforcement, before striking a utility pole. The Durango’s occupants, including WATKINS, fled the vehicle on foot, but were later caught. After WATKINS’s apprehension, officers recovered his backpack that contained a Century Arms Micro Draco 7.62×39 milli-meter pistol, multiple rounds of ammunition, $1,053 in U.S. currency, drug paraphernalia, and quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation New Orleans Gang Task Force, and the Louisiana State Police. Special Assistant United States Attorney James Ollinger and Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Stoneham man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 20, 2025 for allegedly using an explosive to damage an ATM in Woburn, Mass.

Christopher Silva, 43, was indicted on one count of maliciously damaging by means of an explosive real property used in and affecting interstate commerce. Silva was arrested and charged by complaint in October 2025 and remains in custody pending trial. He will be arraigned in federal court in Boston on Dec. 9, 2025.

According to the charging documents, shortly after 4:00 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2025, Silva, wearing a blue balaclava over his face and a black jumpsuit, allegedly approached an ATM at Eastern Bank in Woburn. It is alleged that Silva then placed an explosive device on the ATM and ran away. Several seconds later, the device exploded, causing significant damage to the frame and lower right section of the ATM. Silva was allegedly identified through DNA evidence and surveillance footage.

The charge of maliciously damaging by explosive property used in and affecting interstate commerce provides for a sentence of at least five years in prison, up to three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Woburn and Stoneham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit 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.