Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, S.C. — An illegal alien residing in the United States has been charged with assaulting a federal officer during a lawful removal enforcement operation. Alexander Garcia Vargas, 24, is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer. He was illegally residing in North Charleston.

On Dec. 6, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers were supporting an immigration enforcement operation being led by ICE – ERO in North Charleston.

During the operation, officers encountered Garcia Vargas driving a vehicle registered in Garcia Vargas’ name. According to ICE records, Garcia Vargas is residing in the United States illegally and has a court order for his removal.

During a traffic stop, Garcia Vargas refused to roll down his window but produced an ID confirming his identity as Garcia Vargas. When an officer attempted to remove Garcia Vargas from the vehicle, he began intentionally driving his vehicle, hitting two police vehicles and injuring the officer.

After Garcia Vargas fled the scene of the vehicle stop, Garcia Vargas lost control of his vehicle and struck a third vehicle, which was occupied by two CBP Officers. ERO and CBP officers were then able to remove Garcia Vargas from his wrecked vehicle and place him under arrest.

Garcia Vargas made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker on Dec. 8 and will have a detention hearing and preliminary hearing on Dec. 10.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cole Shannon is prosecuting the case. 

All charges in the complaint are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to unlawfully possessing firearms and filing a false tax return.

Marco Lorimer Denis, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm, and one count of filing a false tax return.

At the time of the offenses, Denis was the owner of Springfield Property LLC, a company providing retail and commercial rental space, including at Plaza Towers in Springfield.

As part of his plea, Denis admitted to knowingly possessing firearms when he had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Denis pleaded guilty in 2003 to misdemeanor domestic assault in the Greene County, Mo., Circuit Court. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to be in possession of a firearm.

In December 2012, Denis attempted to purchase a firearm from a federal firearm licensee. His purchase was immediately denied after a background check, resulting in the federal firearm licensee refusing to transfer the firearm to Denis.

On July 15 and 16, 2024, as part of a domestic violence investigation, officers with the Springfield Police Department executed search warrants at Denis’s residence and located 8 firearms in his residence and in the driver’s side door panel of his vehicle.

Denis also admitted to filing a false tax return for the calendar year 2023. Denis’s 2023 tax return, which was filed in March 2025, did not include $57,391.06 of income he received in the course of operating Springfield Property, LLC. The IRS tax loss associated with Denis’s unreported income is $24,749.

Under federal statutes, Denis is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole and a fine of up to $250,000 for unlawfully possessing firearms; and a sentence of up to 3 years in federal prison without parole and a fine of up to $250,000, and an order of restitution, for filing a false tax return. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and Casey Clark. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles Delroy Singletary, 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that sold substantial amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

The indictment, returned in January 2024 charged 82 defendants, including Gary Brown, Jr., for their roles in the operation. According to statements made in court, Singletary was one of the workers for the operation, ensuring drug customers were receiving their controlled substances. Singletary was a fugitive for 18 months following the initial indictment and used using multiple aliases during his fugitive status.

All 82 defendants have been convicted and 81 defendants, including Singletary, have been sentenced. Brown, Jr. was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison in May 2025.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh Field Division and Baltimore Field Division); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service;  the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office; Ranson Police Department; Martinsburg Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Maryland); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Winchester Police Department; and the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia).

This investigation 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).

Find the original case press release here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/investigators-dismantle-fentanyl-drug-trafficking-network-eastern-panhandle

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ATLANTA – Mitchell Parsons Hughes has pleaded guilty to committing a federal crime by flying a drone over Truist Park during the Major League Baseball All-Star game in July 2025 and was sentenced to six months’ probation. 

“Anyone attempting to fly a drone in a prohibited manner can expect to be prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Flight restrictions are implemented for the safety of everyone, whether at the event or nearby.  My office and its partners will enforce the law to protect the community whenever a major event, such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup, is hosted in our district.”

“Flying a small drone means you are flying an aircraft, and unsafe behavior will cost you,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “These actions can be dangerous to the public and interfere with security operations.”

“Drone regulations protect the public and ensure the safety of our national airspace,” said Joseph Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region. “Flying drones illegally—especially above large sporting events filled with families, friends, and fans—poses serious risks. This guilty plea highlights our continued dedication to working with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and avert dangerous incidents.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in place for Truist Park during the July 15, 2025, Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star game, designating it a No Drone Zone.  A TFR restricts certain aircraft, including an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), commonly known as a “drone,” from operating within a one nautical mile radius of the stadium.

Introducing a TFR for stadiums or sports venues hosting regular or post-season contests is standard practice for the NFL, MLB, NCAA Division I, Major League Soccer, and NASCAR.  The TFR goes into effect one hour before the scheduled start time and lasts until one hour after the end of a qualifying event.

There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding drone use anywhere within the FAA’s No Drone Zone.  Anyone who attempts to fly a drone in any prohibited manner is subject to arrest, prosecution, fines, and/or imprisonment.

During the MLB All-Star game, Mitchell Parson Hughes flew a drone directly over Truist Park despite being warned about the flight restrictions on his UAS’s control panel. Hughes also admitted that his drone was not registered and that he lacked the required training and licensing, including a remote pilot certificate, to operate a UAS.

On December 5, 2025, Mitchell Parsons Hughes, 47, of Decatur, Ga., pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with knowingly violating national defense airspace.  Hughes was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell Vineyard to six months’ probation and a $500 fine. 

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Transportation – Office of the Inspector General.  U.S. Attorney Hertzberg also commended the FAA and the Cobb County Police Department for their work in the investigation.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Wisconsin man, Clyde Lewis Springfield (41) with the crime of international parental kidnapping.

According to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case, on or about October 29, 2021, Springfield left the United States with his four children and failed to return two of them on November 3, 2021, in accordance with their child custody agreement. Travel records showed that the defendant took his children to South Africa and did not return them to the United States on their scheduled return flight. Authorities obtained a federal criminal complaint against Springfield on November 24, 2021.

On March 16, 2022, through combined efforts of the Department of Justice and law enforcement, the children were located, rescued, and returned safely to the United States. Through an international extradition process, Springfield was returned to the United States on November 20, 2025, and arrested.

If convicted of international parental kidnapping, he faces up to three years of prison, up to a $250k fine, and up to one year of supervised release. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Allis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the United States Marshall’s Service (USMS) are investigating this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in South Africa to secure the arrest and November 20 extradition to the United States of Lewis-Springfield. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan J. Thomas is prosecuting the case. 

This investigation is a 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.

# # #

For further information contact:

Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero                                                                                    

(414) 297-1700

Follow us on X

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Wilsonville, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today after a federal jury in Portland found him guilty of transporting and possessing photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

Joshan Rohani, 41, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents and testimony at trial, between July and December 2021, Rohani participated in at least 34 chatrooms, some of which were focused on sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and the sexual exploitation of children, on the New Zealand-based cloud storage and file hosting service Mega. Additionally, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents discovered that Rohani had multiple accounts that had been suspended by Mega due to suspected CSAM.

On May 24, 2022, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Rohani’s residence. Investigators found CSAM on several of the devices seized from Rohani’s residence.

On October 16, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Rohani with distributing, transporting, accessing with intent to view, and possessing child pornography.

Following a five-day jury trial from December 2 to December 6, 2024, Rohani was convicted of transporting, accessing with intent to view, and possessing child pornography.

“Protecting our children remains our highest priority in the District of Oregon,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford. “Today’s sentence marks an important step to hold this defendant accountable and seek a measure of justice for the victims. Our efforts to combat child exploitation within our community will continue.”

“Securing this lengthy sentence for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material is a direct result of the incredible partnership between HSI and the District of Oregon to seek justice for the innocent,” said HSI Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “The outstanding outcome of HSI’s investigation reaffirms our commitment to protecting children and holding offenders accountable.”

This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Newberg-Dundee Police Department and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman and Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought in collaboration with 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MOBILE, AL – Two Grand Bay men were sentenced to 20 years and 12 years in prison, respectively, for engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of drug crimes.

According to court documents, Demetrius Dwayne Powell, 33, and Diricka Tyrese McCants, 41, were arrested by narcotics agents on July 30, 2024. That day, agents went to a property in Grand Bay to arrest Powell, who had a pending arrest warrant for a robbery charge. When agents arrived, they encountered Powell and McCants coming out of a shed on the property. McCants, who was on federal supervised release for a prior felony drug-trafficking conviction, told the agents, “Once y’all go in there, I’m gone.”

Inside the shed, agents located and seized, among other things, nearly two pounds of 100% pure methamphetamine, smaller amounts of crack and powder cocaine, opened vacuum-sealed bags containing small amounts of marijuana, digital scales, drug packaging materials, and three loaded firearms. After their arrest, Powell and McCants exchanged recorded jail calls in which Powell encouraged McCants to take the rap for the drugs due to Powell’s violent criminal history, which includes convictions for a stabbing assault and felony domestic violence by strangulation. Powell also scolded McCants for not listening to him when he previously suggested that law enforcement had been surveilling the shed in Grand Bay.

Agents searched the contents of cell phones seized from Powell and McCants. The cell phones contained numerous text messages, photos, and videos about the defendants’ drug transactions and illegal possession of firearms between January and July 2024.

United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Powell and McCants to serve 240 months and 144 months in prison, respectively. Upon their release from prison, Powell and McCants will each serve 10-year terms of supervised release, during which time they will be subject to drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered the defendants to pay a total of $300 in special assessments and forfeited their firearms to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration substantially assisted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MOBILE, AL – Logan Smith, 38, was sentenced on December 1, 2025, to 30 years in prison for convictions related to the sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography. Smith entered his guilty pleas on June 24, 2025.   

According to court documents, Smith first came to law enforcement attention following a report that he had been distributing child pornography via the internet. Further investigation revealed that he had been communicating with a minor victim living out of state over a period of months. Smith exploited the minor on social media platforms where he repeatedly directed her to record sexually explicit conduct and send those videos and images to him. Smith communicated with the minor about his plans to travel to meet her in person and to engage in sexual contact with her. Additionally, two mobile devices belonging to Smith contained hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

At sentencing, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock imposed a 360-month term of incarceration and a 15-year term of supervised release upon Smith’s future release. Smith will be subject to sex offender treatment and mental health treatment while imprisoned. Smith will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. Smith was ordered to pay $7,220 in restitution to the victim of his offenses and $400 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Stepan and Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OAKLAND – Daniel Damato pleaded guilty in federal court this afternoon to wire fraud in connection with his sales of fraudulent sports memorabilia.  Damato also admitted that he attempted to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into his criminal conduct.

Damato, 42, of Concord, California, was charged by information on October 20, 2025, with one count of wire fraud.  The information alleged that between 2022 and 2024, Damato, a sports memorabilia dealer, doctored and gave false provenance to valuable items to make them appear as authentic sports collectibles, and then attempted to sell the items to unsuspecting buyers at inflated prices.

In pleading guilty, Damato admitted that in 2023, he sold for $100,000 a baseball bat that he falsely represented as having been used by Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series.  Despite his assertions to the contrary, the bat Damato sold for $100,000 had not been used in the 1954 World Series and was in fact a “factory error” bat that was an inch shorter than what Mays used during his career.  After the victim buyer sent Damato $100,000 for the supposedly game-used bat, Damato did not send him anything.

Damato also sold other fraudulent items, including a jersey he falsely marketed as having been worn in a game by Mays that Damato sold for $50,000.  

After the FBI executed a search warrant on his residence in October 2024, Damato contacted at least one potential witness in an attempt to obstruct the government’s investigation into his conduct.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Agustin Lopez made the announcement.  

Damato’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 23, 2026, before District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín.  Damato faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  Any sentence will be imposed by the Court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Abraham Fine is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A California man pleaded guilty today to attempted enticement and coercion of a minor and to distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Donald Ramirez, 40, of Salinas, California, used Snapchat to send a 12-year-old girl a photo of his genitals and repeatedly demanded the child create and send him photos of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct he directed. Ramirez also used other social media platforms, including Telegram and Wickr, to distribute child sexual abuse material including images of another female minor whom he had communicated with on Snapchat.

Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2026 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal Hong for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case.

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.