Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tampa, Florida – Alen Zheng (20, Land O’Lakes) has been charged by indictment with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, Zheng faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Darnell Jones, also known as “EJ,” was sentenced today by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry in federal court in Brooklyn to 145 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. During the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic, from March 2020 through August 2021, Jones used stolen personal identifying information to fraudulently obtain more than $800,000 from federally funded unemployment insurance programs established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Three family members were sentenced today to prison following a jury trial that resulted in convictions for their roles in a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme. David Hunt was sentenced to 92 months in prison, his son Baylon Hunt was sentenced to 38 months in prison, and Baylon’s half-brother Corey Burt was sentenced to 94 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to file tax returns in the names of purported trusts they controlled. A fourth family member who was also convicted at trial is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
According to statements made in court and evidence presented at trial, the Hunts, of Arlington, Texas, Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi, and another family member orchestrated a scheme to file tax returns in the names of purported trusts they controlled. In total, they sought more than $8.5 million in tax refunds that the trusts were not entitled to receive. As part of their scheme, Baylon Hunt and the other family member submitted additional fake documents to the IRS including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. Even after receiving warning letters to discontinue their fraudulent submissions, they continued filing false returns and other documents with the IRS.
As a result of the scheme, the co-conspirators received over $1.7 million in fraudulent proceeds from the IRS, which they shared and used to purchase luxury goods, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade and a house in Mississippi.
All four defendants were convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States. David Hunt, Burt, and the other family member were also convicted of multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Baylon Hunt was acquitted of two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
In addition to the terms of imprisonment, the defendants were jointly ordered to pay $1,774,864 in restitution to the United States.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley has named two federal prosecutors to lead the newly formed Benefit and Voter Fraud Team in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered in Massachusetts. The Team’s mission will be to actively and aggressively root out benefit fraud in Massachusetts, including SNAP fraud, MassHealth fraud, childcare subsidy fraud and voter fraud, just to name a few. In support of this effort, a new hotline has been established for members of the public to report suspicion of benefit fraud: 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland gynecologist agreed to a settlement in connection with federal False Claims Act violation allegations. Valinda R. Nwadike, MD, agreed to pay the United States $507,500 to resolve allegations for her role in a telemarketing scheme designed to defraud Medicare and TRICARE.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, FL — Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (collectively, the “Department”) filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts Inc. and its subsidiaries (UPR), alleging UPR’s policy banning guests with disabilities from using wheeled walkers with seats, including rollators, violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). UPR is a global theme park and entertainment company that owns, leases, or operates twelve parks and experiences in the United States, including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Discovery Cove Orlando, and Aquatica Orlando.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Lawsuit Seeks to Reduce Healthcare Costs in New York by Eliminating Contractual Restrictions That Impede Competition Between Hospitals and Prevent Development of Budget-Conscious Health Plans
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today challenging The New York and Presbyterian Hospital’s (New York-Presbyterian) anticompetitive contract restrictions that deny New Yorkers the choice of lower cost healthcare options.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges New York-Presbyterian with violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act. New York-Presbyterian is the largest and most powerful hospital system in New York City. It owns and operates eight hospitals and many outpatient facilities in the New York City area. The suit seeks to enjoin New York-Presbyterian from imposing contractual restrictions that preclude insurers and employers from offering New Yorkers budget-conscious health insurance plans. This is the second case the Division has brought this year to ensure that Americans can access healthcare markets with robust competition and receive high quality, affordable care.
“Millions of New Yorkers pay more for healthcare because of these anticompetitive practices,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “At the direction of President Trump, this Justice Department will fight relentlessly to ensure that Americans get the healthcare they need without facing exorbitant costs.”
“Healthcare is a vital sector of our nation’s economy that touches the life of every single American,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “New York-Presbyterian has known for years that the American consumer wants budget-conscious health plans that reduce healthcare costs. But rather than offer consumers choice, New York-Presbyterian uses its market power to protect its margins, impede competition from rival hospitals, and prevent employers and unions from creating these plans. The Antitrust Division will continue to hold hospitals violating the antitrust laws accountable. I am grateful for the dedicated work of our staff and the Southern District of New York in this matter.”
“The high cost of healthcare is frustrating to every New Yorker,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Our Office will continue to work with our partners in the Antitrust Division to investigate and confront anticompetitive practices that contribute to higher healthcare costs.”
As alleged in the complaint, New York-Presbyterian imposes plan restrictions in its contracts with payors that prevent payors from offering plans that, for example, do not include New York-Presbyterian or do not feature New York-Presbyterian in the most favored tier of the plan. New York-Presbyterian even forbids payors from offering lower copays when patients chose to receive care at New York-Presbyterian’s — often lower priced — rivals. These unlawful restrictions insulate New York-Presbyterian from price competition, limiting its rival hospitals from competing for patients based on lower prices or better value, and prevent the development of budget-conscious plans for New Yorkers that are available in other parts of the United States.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tampa, Florida – A federal jury has found Elizabeth Danielle Rowe (25, Tampa), a/k/a Simon Roe, guilty of transmitting interstate a threat to injure. Rowe faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 24, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today that Marcos Gallegos, 43, of Pueblo, Colorado, and Morgan Galloway, 25, of Pocatello, Idaho, were sentenced to federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Gallegos to 188 months in federal prison and Galloway to 60 months in federal prison.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – Nine individuals have been charged in a coordinated federal crackdown on benefit fraud schemes that exploited stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs – including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), MassHealth and Social Security benefits. Nearly $9 million in benefit fraud has been uncovered since December 2025.