Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford announced today that Robert Andrew Arias, 38, of Salem, was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
Source: United States Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford announced today that Robert Andrew Arias, 38, of Salem, was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Seung Y. Lee, also known as “Kevin Lee,” was sentenced by United States District Judge Hector Gonzalez to 33 months’ imprisonment following his previous guilty plea to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Over the course of seven years, Lee, through his business, Pinnacle Capital (Pinnacle), submitted or caused the submission of hundreds of fraudulent home equity line of credit (HELOC) applications to financial institutions on behalf of loan applicants in exchange for fees. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Lee was also ordered to forfeit $841,549.50 to the government.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Ahmad Umar Agha (also known as Th3Pr0) had spent more than a decade as a fugitive for targeting of Western media entities, businesses, NGOs, and U.S. and allied government entities
Today a federal district court in the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Ahmad Umar Agha to 42 months in prison for his central role in an expansive hacking conspiracy organized and led by members of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s inner circle, including the commander of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate, from as early as Aug. 24, 2011, to Jan. 31, 2024.
To spread the former Syrian government’s propaganda, Agha hacked approximately 47 Western media entities, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and U.S. and allied government entities. The hacking conspiracy penalized the free press for reporting on the former Syrian government’s atrocities during the Arab Spring and subsequent Syrian Civil War; used information warfare tactics to cause fear and confusion among Syrian government opponents; collected intelligence for the former Syrian government; and attempted to cause mutiny or refusal of duty by members of the military of the United States. In one instance, Agha’s actions caused a flash crash in the U.S. stock market, resulting in a temporary $136 billion loss in the value of stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
“Agha deployed his hacking skills in the service of Assad’s regime to silence reporting on the regime’s atrocities, intimidate its opponents, and incite U.S. servicemembers to refuse their orders,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His attacks on our networks and institutions, including one that temporarily erased $136 billion from U.S. investors, constitute an assault on the free press and our national and economic security. Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder of the National Security Division’s long memory in pursuit of state-sponsored hackers such as Agha.”
“This case emphasizes the grave threat posed by cyber criminals and especially those serving regimes hostile to the United States,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The protection of our electronic infrastructure, financial markets, and the companies that serve the American people is of paramount importance. We will pursue and prosecute anyone who endangers the systems that reinforce our national security or undermines the institutions on which our people rely.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that those who target American institutions, journalists, and government entities with malicious cyber activity will be held accountable, no matter how long they attempt to evade justice,” said Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office. “For years, Agha conducted intrusions designed to spread disinformation, steal data, and intimidate victims on behalf of the former Syrian regime, and then spent a decade as a fugitive. The FBI Washington Field Office, together with our partners across the Department of Justice and the FBI, remained steadfast in pursuing this case and ensuring that those who threaten U.S. institutions are brought to justice.”
According to court filings, Agha’s criminal scheme forced many of his victims to spend significant sums of money remediating these intrusions or restructuring their security. Notable examples of Agha’s successful hacks include:
Image encouraging Marines to refuse their orders and fight alongside the Syrian Army
Agha and his coconspirator, Firas Dardar, were indicted on May 17, 2018, after initially being charged by complaint on June 12, 2014. Dardar remains a fugitive. Dardar was also charged in a separate conspiracy in the Eastern District of Virginia on Sept. 29, 2015, relating to unauthorized access to, and damage of, computers and related extortionate activities; receiving the proceeds of extortion; money laundering; wire fraud; violations of the Syrian Sanctions Regulations; and unlawful interstate communications, alongside Peter Romar, a Syrian national then residing in Germany. Romar was extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia from Germany and pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2016.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case, in coordination with the FBI’s Cyber Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery for the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JAMES PERDIGAO (“PERDIGAO”), age 64, of New Orleans, was charged on October 26, 2026, in a two-count bill of information for filing false tax returns in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. If convicted, PERDIGAO faces a maximum sentence of three (3) years, and/or a fine of up to $100,000.00, a term of supervised release of up to one (1) year after his release from prison, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
TUCSON, Ariz. – Ahmed Maqbul Syed, 60, a citizen of India, and former resident of Illinois, was sentenced on Oct. 27, to 96 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker. Syed previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
DAYTON, Ohio – A Franklin County man who shot at law enforcement officials from inside a Springfield hotel room was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for attempted murder of federal officers. At the time of this latest crime, the defendant was a fugitive and had an active arrest warrant for aggravated murder out of Franklin County.
Source: United States Department of Justice
DAYTON, Ohio – A Franklin County man who shot at law enforcement officials from inside a Springfield hotel room was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for attempted murder of federal officers. At the time of this latest crime, the defendant was a fugitive and had an active arrest warrant for aggravated murder out of Franklin County.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Five Cuban nationals and one U.S. citizen were sentenced today for their roles in a vast conspiracy involving alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering. As part of the conspiracy, aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for their smuggling services, and co-conspirators sometimes chartered private planes to move groups of aliens.
“These defendants turned illegal immigration into a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise, smuggling aliens into the United States to line their pockets and laundering millions in illicit proceeds to conceal their operations,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Under President Trump, human smugglers and money launderers will never get a free pass. Operation Take Back America is empowering the Justice Department to put more criminals like these behind bars and enforce the rule of law.”
“The conspirators in this case used sophisticated methods to violate our nation’s immigration laws while personally seeking to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our task force partners to thwart these illegal activities and ensure that our borders are protected.”
“This investigation exposed a transnational criminal organization that treated our immigration system as a profit center, exploiting vulnerable people, manufacturing fraudulent immigration claims, and laundering millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa. “These criminals undermined the integrity of lawful immigration processes and created significant public-safety and national-security concerns. HSI and our law-enforcement partners will continue to identify, investigate, and dismantle transnational criminal networks that exploit our borders and our communities for financial gain.”
“Today’s sentencing is a clear warning to anyone seeking to profit by exploiting, abusing, or undermining America’s legal immigration system,” said Director Joseph B. Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). “USCIS will bring to bear all law enforcement resources at its disposal to dismantle criminal operations threatening the American people.”
According to court documents, Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 27, Miguel Martinez Vasconcelos, 31, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, 32, Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 32, and Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO), which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the U.S. The ASO smuggled the Cuban aliens illegally across the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa waivers to help people enter through ports of entry. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus immigration services across multiple social media platforms targeted toward Cuban nationals living in Cuba. The ASO advertised services included assisting Cubans with European citizenship to enter the U.S. on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA and filed hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), using fake addresses and false information. Cuban residents are not eligible for the ESTA program, and to obtain ESTAs, the ASO made false representations that the applicants had not been present in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were residing in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted. The defendants also operated a fraudulent immigration benefits business. Once in the U.S., the ASO assisted many aliens with filing fraudulent asylum paperwork to remain in the country.
Passports and boarding passes obtained as part of the scheme
Social media account advertising ASO services
Social media account using photo from human smuggling event to advertise ASO services
Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez furthered the conspiracy by assisting in the logistics of moving aliens from their country of origin, including Cuba, into the United States, such as purchasing international and domestic flights for aliens to transport them towards, into, and throughout the United States. Vega-Perez was also the primary manager of the immigration benefits business and personally filed hundreds of fraudulent asylum applications. In addition, she and other defendants prepared, drafted, and submitted fraudulent asylum applications, immigrant visa applications, lawful permanent residence applications, and other applications for immigration benefits, in exchange for a fee.
Miguel Martinez Vasconcelos furthered the conspiracy by purchasing airline tickets to move individuals being smuggled from their country of origin towards the United States. He also provided funding to purchase charter flights to transport aliens to unlawfully enter the U.S., with the purpose of growing and advancing the ASO’s operations. Vasconcelos personally transmitted at least $150,000 to companies operating outside the U.S. in furtherance of these unlawful activities.
Layra Libertad Treto Santos furthered the conspiracy by personally filing fraudulent asylum claims on behalf of the immigration fraud benefits business while she was an employee and manager. Treto Santos used the ASO’s smuggling services for herself and her family members and referred multiple Cuban nationals to the ASO for smuggling services.
Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero furthered the conspiracy by working with a co-conspirator in Mexico to ship Cuban passports to the United States. The purpose was to avoid the passports being confiscated by U.S. Border Patrol so that aliens could use the passports to apply for asylum once they entered the United States. He also formed a shell company that, along with other companies, was used to move illegal proceeds of smuggling through to conceal the funds’ source and nature before distributing the funds back to himself and his co-conspirators.
Walbis Pozo-Dutel furthered the conspiracy by assisting with the logistics of transporting foreign nationals from their countries of origin, including Cuba, into the United States. For example, Pozo-Dutel provided foreign hotel and flight information to facilitate the aliens’ travel along the route into the United States. Pozo-Dutel also instructed the individuals on what to say if questioned by CBP officers.
Emmanuel Martinez Gonzalez furthered the conspiracy by helping coordinate the logistics of transporting aliens. Martinez-Gonzalez worked with his paramour and codefendant, Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres, to arrange the travel of aliens upon their arrival in the United States and accepted payments from those aliens as a part of the smuggling operation.
Vega-Perez, Martinez Vasconcelos, and others, conspired to regularly move funds to companies operating outside of the United States and to other places outside the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the U.S. Between July 2022 and November 2024, the ASO spent more than $600,000 with a single airline for commercial flights.
Vega-Perez, Escalona-Marrero, and Treto Santos and others conspired to conduct financial transactions that were designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of proceeds of alien smuggling. The defendants set up multiple shell companies, through which illegal proceeds were moved before distributing the proceeds to the defendants. Between 2021 and 2025, more than $22 million was laundered by the defendants.
Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez was sentenced to four years in prison. Vega-Perez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain, conspiracy to commit asylum fraud, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Miguel Martinez Vasconcelos was sentenced to two years in prison. Martinez Vasconcelos previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Layra Libertad Treto Santos was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Treto Santos previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain, conspiracy to commit asylum fraud, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero was sentenced to two years in prison. Escalona-Marrero previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. Walbis Pozo-Dutel was sentenced to two years in prison. Pozo-Dutel previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain. Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez was sentenced to two years in prison. Martinez Gonzalez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for financial gain. Escalona-Marrero was ordered to forfeit $2.9M, Vasconcelos was ordered to forfeit $150,000, and Treto Santos was ordered to forfeit $95,000.
Twelve individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in the conspiracy. Yuniel Lima-Santos, 32, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra, 41, pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Erik Ventura-Castro, 25, was sentenced on July 29 to 30 months in prison. Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, 29, was found guilty after trial in September and is awaiting sentencing. Marianny Lucia Lopez-Torres and Frandy Aragon-Diaz are at large.
This case was supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the U.S. Department of Justice’s lead effort in combating human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations throughout the Americas. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking networks that impact public safety and border security. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by other Criminal Division components, JTFA has dedicated prosecutors from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the Southwest border, Southern Florida, Northern New York, and Vermont. JTFA partners with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS components, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Office of Field Operations. JTFA also partners with FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 486 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and trafficking; more than 447 U.S. convictions; and more than 377 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.
HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
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 other transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Laquinton Harris, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for Hobbs Act Robbery, Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.