Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that DANIEL CHIMA INWEREGBU(“INWEREGBU”), age 40, a citizen of Lagos, Nigeria, was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and use of an assumed name to commit a mail fraud scheme, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1342, 1343 and 1349, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), 1957, and 1956(h). The charges stemmed from INWEREGBU’s role in a lengthy scheme targeting American citizens. INWEREGBU was arrested when he travelled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom and was extradited to the United States to face the charges pending against him in July 2025. Judge Brown also sentenced INWEREGBU to 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment, payment of a $100 special assessment fee and payment of restitution of $166,400.

According to court documents, a “romance scam” was a confidence trick involving feigning romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining their affection, and then using that goodwill to commit fraud. Fraudulent acts may involve obtaining access to a victim’s money, bank accounts, credit cards, passports, e-mail accounts, or national identification numbers; convincing the victims to transmit things of value to the perpetrator or his witting or unwitting co-conspirators; or inducing victims unintentionally to commit or participate in the commission of financial fraud against third parties on behalf of the perpetrator. Between at least July 1, 2017, and December 16, 2018, INWEREGBU and his co-conspirators devised and operated a “romance scam” whereby they sought to obtain money and property from multiple American women, including Victim 1, a female born in 1965, Victim 2, a female born in March 1974, Victim 3, a female born in 1970, and Victim 4, a female born in 1976, by means of false and fraudulent representations and promises. Specifically, INWEREGBU and his co-conspirators created profiles on social media and online dating sites using the alias “Larry Pham,” purportedly a middle-aged Canadian-born Vietnamese male, to attract female victims.

The co-conspirators, including INWEREGBU, used online messaging platforms and email, to contact victims, introduce themselves, and appeal to victims’ longing for companionship. If the target responded favorably, INWEREGBU and his co-conspirators began to cultivate a romantic relationship that emotionally attached the victims to “Larry Pham.” Once the relationship was established, the defendant and his co-conspirators, posing as Larry Pham, requested victims send them money under various scams and ruses to domestic bank accounts they opened and managed.

As explained in the Factual Basis, INWEREGBU’s scheme resulted in actual and intended losses to the four identified victims of over $405,000. Thereafter, INWEREGBU and his co-conspirators laundered the funds by conducting financial transactions using the proceeds of their wire and mail fraud scheme, designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds, by directing the funds through intermediaries.

U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the great support provided by United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the United States Department of State. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – James Adam Vipperman, age 38, of Cameron, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 79 months in federal prison methamphetamine trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Vipperman worked with others to sell methamphetamine in Marshall County, WV.

Vipperman will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BILLINGS – A Mexican man illegally living in Billings was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Javier Vidal Rico, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on December 25, 2024, at approximately midnight, deputies from the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office received a report that an unknown subject had brandished a firearm at a Christmas party on Lewis Avenue in Billings. The caller advised that the subject had been disarmed by another partygoer, but was threatening to return. The responding deputies interviewed John and Jane Doe, who said an unknown male had come to the Christmas party earlier that night and started an argument with John Doe. Jane Doe observed the subject withdraw a teal pistol from his waistband during the argument and point it at John Doe’s stomach. Jane Doe said John wrestled the pistol away from the subject, who fled the scene. John Doe gave the gun, a teal SCCY 9mm pistol, to the deputies.

John Doe further advised the subject left in a black Cadillac Escalade and that he had thrown a rock through one of the vehicle’s windows. The deputies found a black Escalade parked outside Rico’s residence with a shattered driver’s window and a “Rico Construction” decal on the back window. Deputies confirmed Rico lived at the address but were unable to contact him that night.

Deputies returned to the residence the next day to speak with Rico. He admitted he had been at the Christmas party the night before and left around midnight.  He acknowledged the Escalade belonged to him and that someone had broken the window while he was driving it.  He consented to a search of his residence, which revealed 23 live 9 mm rounds and 3 live .25 rounds on a shelf in Rico’s closet. Deputies also seized a SCCY pistol magazine loaded with 9 mm ammunition and a nylon gun holster.

The deputies arrested Rico and during the booking process he said he was a citizen of Mexico.  He admitted he paid a coyote to transport him to the United States illegally in 2021 and advised he lived in Missouri before coming to Montana. Investigators later confirmed Ric was a citizen of Mexico who had been removed from the United States in 2014 and had been given a lifetime ban on reentry. Rico did not obtain consent from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before entering the United States in 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the ATF conducted the investigation.

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 (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).

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Deontre Christian Johnson, age 25, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for fentanyl distribution, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. 

According to court documents, Johnson, also known as “Trap,” was selling fentanyl on Wheeling Island.

Johnson will serve six years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Carl Erik Rinsch Claimed to Be Making a Science Fiction Television Show but Used Funds for the Show to Fund his Own Stock and Cryptocurrency Bets

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. PAUL – Matthew Thomas Onofrio, 34, of Plymouth, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Over the course of two years, Onofrio devised and carried out a $420 million bank fraud scheme.

Between 2020 and 2022, Matthew Onofrio—a young nurse anesthetist and real estate investor—devised and carried out a massive bank fraud scheme. To carry out his fraud scheme, Onofrio created a real estate investment program whereby Onofrio would enter into purchase agreements for commercial properties and assign them to novice “investors” at highly inflated prices. Onofrio then coached his investors to lie to banks to obtain loans they could not afford based on false information.

Onofrio promoted his own financial success and real estate investment strategies in online professional networking groups and on a popular podcast geared towards aspiring real estate investors, called “Bigger Pockets.” Onofrio leveraged those platforms to create a reputation as something of a real estate savant, which attracted more investors.

Onofrio’s investors did not have the kind of money (typically, 30% of the purchase price) that was necessary to purchase the multi-million-dollar properties that Onofrio offered. To solve this problem, Onofrio counseled his investors defraud the banks.

Onofrio helped investors prepare fraudulent personal finance statements falsely indicating they had enough cash to cover the requisite down payment. When the lending banks inevitably requested proof of funds, Onofrio temporarily wired the money into his investors’ bank accounts, making it appear they actually had the money.  If the banks asked about the source of the funds, Onofrio instructed his investors to tell the banks it came from other investments, or they had family money. Onofrio would also loan his investors money to cover the down payment but would not include the loans on the investors’ personal financial statements or record the promissory notes as a second mortgage on the property to keep it hidden from the banks.

Over the course of approximately two years, Onofrio completed 68 deals involving $420,564,795 in fraudulently obtained bank loans.  Although many of Onofrio’s investors stopped paying on their promissory notes following Onofrio’s indictment in this case, Onofrio netted at least $35,745,252 from his fraudulent scheme before being caught.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced Onofrio to 36 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered him to play $5,398,641 in restitution.  In handing down her sentence, Judge Nelson identified Onofrio as the “ringleader and architect of a vast bank fraud.” Judge Nelson explained that she wanted to send a message to other would-be fraudsters that there is no such thing as a get-rich-quick-scheme—at least not a legal one.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the IRS, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 9, 2025, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against a man allegedly involved in the armed robbery of a bank in Bear Creek in northwestern Outagamie County. The indictment named Martin M. Muniz-Lara (age: 43) of Greenville, Wisconsin.

Count One of the indictment charges Muniz-Lara with Armed Bank Robbery in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a) and 2113(d). If convicted, Muniz-Lara faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. Count Two charges Muniz-Lara with Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). If convicted, Muniz-Lara faces up to life in prison, with a 7-year mandatory minimum sentence that must be consecutive to any other sentence. Muniz-Lara would also face fines, a special assessment, and terms of supervised release at the end of any sentence imposed.

According to the indictment, on or about October 17, 2025, the defendant forcefully took money from a federally insured bank in Bear Creek and brandished a firearm while committing the robbery.

The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the FBI, Oshkosh Police Department, and Outagamie County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case in United States District Court in Green Bay.

An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero                                                                                    

(414) 297-1700

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal grand jury Indictment has been unsealed, charging TASHELLA SHERI AMORE DICKERSON, 52, of Oklahoma City, with wire fraud and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to the Indictment, beginning in at least 2016, Dickerson served as the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter OKC (BLMOKC). As Executive Director, Dickerson had access to BLMOKC’s bank, PayPal, and Cash App accounts.

The Indictment alleges that, although BLMOKC was not a registered tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, it accepted charitable donations through its affiliation with the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), based in Arizona. AFGJ served as a fiscal sponsor to BLMOKC and required BLMOKC to use its funds only as permitted by Section 501(c)(3). AFGJ also required BLMOKC to fully account upon request for the disbursement of all funds received and prohibited BLMOKC from using its funds to purchase real estate without AFGJ’s consent.

Beginning in late spring 2020, BLMOKC raised funds to support its social justice mission from online donors, as well as from national bail funds. In total, BLMOKC raised more than $5.6 million, which included grants from national bail funds, including the Community Justice Exchange, Massachusetts Bail Fund, and Minnesota Freedom Fund. Most of those funds were routed through AFGJ, as fiscal sponsor, to BLMOKC.

According to the Indictment, BLMOKC was supposed to use these national bail fund grants to post pretrial bail for individuals arrested in connection with protests for racial justice after the death of George Floyd. When bail funds were returned to BLMOKC, the national bail funds sometimes allowed BLMOKC to keep all or a portion of the grant funding to establish a revolving bail fund, or for BLMOKC’s social justice mission, as permitted by Section 501(c)(3).

Despite the stated purpose of the money raised, and the terms and conditions of the grants, the Indictment alleges that beginning in June 2020 and continuing through at least October 2025, Dickerson embezzled funds from BLMOKC’s accounts for her personal benefit.  The Indictment alleges Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts, rather than into BLMOKC’s accounts. Among other things, Dickerson then used these funds to pay for:

• recreational travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for herself and her associates;
• tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping;
• at least $50,000 in food and grocery deliveries for herself and her children;
• a personal vehicle registered in her name; and
• six real properties in Oklahoma City deeded in her own name or in the name Equity International, LLC, an entity she exclusively controlled.

The Indictment further alleges that Dickerson used interstate wire communications to submit two false annual reports to AFGJ on behalf of BLMOKC. Dickerson reported that she had used BLMOKC funds only for tax-exempt purposes. She did not disclose that she used funds for her personal benefit.

On December 3, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a 25-count Indictment, charging Dickerson with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. For each count of wire fraud, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. For each count of money laundering, Dickerson faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction.

The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations, and that Dickerson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Dillon and Jessica L. Perry are prosecuting the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant charged with sex trafficking crimes related to three victims, including one minor child