Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On March 5, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Edwin Navarro-Artavia and Kyria Navarro-Santiago for conspiracy to commit money laundering. This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On March 12, 2026, JOSE WALTER NIETO-CASTELLANOS (“NIETO-CASTELLANOS”), age 31, was sentenced on March 12, 2026, after previously pleading guilty, for Assault Against Law Enforcement, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
3,000 Pounds of Methamphetamine and 12 Firearms Seized from Houses in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto, California, as Part of Homeland Security Task Force Investigation
A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment today against five illegal aliens from Mexico, charging them with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, as well as various other drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
“These illegal aliens allegedly operated a secret lab on American soil producing thousands of pounds of deadly drugs to poison our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This clandestine and illegal operation has now been dismantled — we will continue protecting Americans from the dangerous results of the prior administration’s open-border policies.”
According to Department of Homeland Security records, Carrillo and Camacho arrived in the United States in March 2021 and were given a notice to appear. Diaz was previously removed from the United States in 2018. Rosales was removed in August 2024.
According to court documents, in October 2025, law enforcement authorities began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine in a remote area of Calaveras County. During the investigation, Carrillo and his associates were identified as part of that conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine.
On Feb. 27, 2026, multiple law enforcement agencies engaged in a coordinated operation and executed search warrants at three locations connected to Carrillo and his associates in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto, California.
While executing the search warrants, law enforcement located a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Calaveras County. They seized approximately 1,430 pounds of methamphetamine and 1,270 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in a partially processed state.
Law enforcement agencies searched two additional residences in Stanislaus County that were associated with Carrillo and his associates. In Turlock, law enforcement located and seized an additional 300 pounds of methamphetamine packaged for distribution, nine firearms, and multiple magazines and rounds of ammunition. In Modesto, they seized 2 pounds of methamphetamine, 107 pounds of processed marijuana, 1,900 marijuana plants, and three firearms. As aliens, Carrillo and Diaz are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, and Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit in coordination with Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, the Sacramento Area Intelligence Narcotics Team (SAINT), the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caily Nelson is prosecuting the case.
If convicted on the drug-trafficking charges, Carrillo, Camacho, Diaz, Rosales, and Perez each face a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Carrillo, Diaz, and Perez face additional penalties if convicted of the firearm- or ammunition-related offenses. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: United States Army
PIRMASENS, Germany– In a display of camaraderie and tactical skill, American service members from across the Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart Military Community joined their German Bundeswehr counterparts today for the Schützenschnur, a prestigious German armed forces badge for weapons proficiency.
The not only tested the participants’ marksmanship but also strengthened the spirit of cooperation recently forged during the German-American Friendship Days in Ramstein.
The diverse American contingent included soldiers from Public Health Command Europe, Veterinary Readiness Activity, Rheinland Pfalz, security forces from the 596th United States Forces Police Squadron, a member of the 86th Medical Squadron from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and several of their Navy counterparts. This broad participation underscores the deep level of cooperation between the allied nations.
The Schützenschnur, a tradition with deep roots in German military history, is a highly respected decoration and a testament to a soldier’s shooting prowess.
Participants fired the German G36 rifle and the P8 pistol. The G36 is a 5.56x45mm assault rifle that has been the standard issue for the Bundeswehr since 1997 and the P8 is the German military’s standard service pistol.
For many of the American participants, the experience was a unique opportunity to step outside their own military’s standard procedures and equipment.
Sergeant Jhonas Lopez, Brigade S1 noncommissioned officer in charge at PHCE, shared his enthusiasm for the cross-cultural exchange.
“I enjoyed the most was getting to work with our International partners and get a feel of their weapon systems and comparing it to what we use on the U.S. side,” said Lopez.
The event was not without its trials. The demanding course of fire pushed the service members to their limits.
“The most challenging part was having to move to the next fighting position and engage the target,” Lopez explained. “My heart rate was running and it made it more interesting.”
Despite the difficulty, Lopez said his goal was to earn the highest-level badge. “Gold is the standard!” he declared.
The sentiment of partnership and mutual respect was echoed by the German hosts.
“My goal is for everyone to have fun, stay safe and earn a Schützenschnur they can wear with pride,” stated Bundeswehr Senior Master Sgt. Brian Wagner. “Above all, this was a chance to build partnerships with our allies, connect and exchange expertise.”
Notably, all participating soldiers from Public Health Command Europe achieved the gold standard. Earning the gold Schützenschnur, the highest of three levels, requires a soldier to achieve the top score on all weapon systems in the competition, demonstrating exceptional marksmanship.
The following soldiers from Public Health Command Europe were recognized for their participation:
Source: United States Army
USAG BAVARIA – HOHENFELS, Germany – Community members from across U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria – Hohenfels, lent their time, an arm and a vein to supply needed blood to the Armed Services Blood Program March 2 and 3, 2026 at the Community Activity Center.
The blood drive managed to meet and exceed the goal of 60 bags per day by two on the first day and 12 on the second for a total of 134 donations.
Members of the local chapters of the American Red Cross and Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers helped arrange the effort, volunteered at the event and donated blood. Camille Solak, a volunteer with the American Red Cross, was there both as a volunteer and as a donor.
“I volunteer with the Red Cross to help support the community,” she said. “We do a bunch of different type of outreach events and there’s many different avenues and places around post that we help.”
Solak provided a personal example of why it is important to donate blood.
“My mom was a transfusion recipient a few years back,” she said. “She has a rare blood type, so I know how hard it is to find blood for people like that. If I can help somebody, I try to do it.”
According to personnel at the Armed Services Blood Program – Europe, one pint of blood may be broken into three parts – red blood cells, plasma and platelets – which may each go on to save lives.
Solak said sparing blood is a small but vital sacrifice on the part of donors.
“We don’t need all of our blood,” she said. “So if you can spare it and you can handle it, it’s definitely going to impact somebody in a very positive way. It will be back flowing in your body in the next two days.”
To learn more about the Armed Services Blood Program, including further donation opportunities, visit their site at https://dha.mil/ASBP.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Terrance Cole, announced that MAXIMILIANO DAVILA PEREZ was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for participating in a cocaine-importation conspiracy and a related weapons offense.
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Department of Justice announced today a resolution of a foreign bribery investigation into Balt SAS (Balt), a medical device company headquartered in France, relating to an alleged scheme to pay bribes to a physician who served in a senior role at a state-owned public hospital in France (the Official), in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Pursuant to the resolution, under Part I of the Justice Department’s Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (CEP), because Balt voluntarily self-disclosed the misconduct, fully cooperated with the Department’s investigation, and timely and appropriately remediated the wrongdoing, the Department declined to prosecute Balt, which agreed to pay approximately $1.2 million in disgorgement. In addition to the Department’s enforcement action, the Parquet National Financier (PNF) in France entered into a coordinated resolution with Balt following a court hearing earlier today.
Separately, a federal grand jury in the Central District of California returned an indictment on March 4, 2026, charging two businessmen for their roles in the alleged years-long criminal scheme. David Ferrera, 58, of Coto de Caza, California, worked as an executive at Balt’s U.S. subsidiary. Marc Tilman, 68, of Belgium, was hired by Balt’s U.S. subsidiary as a consultant. According to court documents, between approximately 2017 and continuing into 2023, Ferrera, Tilman, and others allegedly paid bribes to the Official in order for the Official to cause the hospital to purchase medical devices — specifically, endovascular embolization coils and ancillary products — from Balt. As alleged, Ferrera caused Balt to make corrupt payments — disguised as purported consulting fees and bonuses — to Tilman, knowing that Tilman would pay a portion of those funds to the Official as bribes. To conceal the scheme, the co-conspirators allegedly used sham consulting agreements, fake invoices, and personal email accounts.
“Today’s resolution – the first ever under the Department-wide Corporate Enforcement Policy – demonstrates the value of voluntarily self-reporting wrongdoing to the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This corporate resolution, which is coordinated with our foreign partners at the PNF in France, credits Balt’s self-report to the Department as well as its full cooperation and timely remediation. Our related indictment of two individuals associated with Balt demonstrates the Criminal Division’s unwavering pursuit of culpable individuals that engage in corrupt conduct.”
“Ferrera and Tilman allegedly conspired to pay bribes to a French physician, who in turn caused a hospital in France to purchase medical devices from their company,” said Assistant Director in Charge Darren Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Let their indictment serve as a testament to the FBI’s long reach. When corruption extends beyond our borders, the FBI works with our international partners to bring individuals to justice.”
The Department declined prosecution of Balt based on an assessment of the factors set forth in the Department-wide CEP and the Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations (Justice Manual 9-28.300), including, but not limited to: (1) Balt’s timely and voluntary self-disclosure of the misconduct, which was identified during an internal investigation that was ongoing at the time of the disclosure; (2) Balt’s full and proactive cooperation in this matter (including its provision of all known relevant facts of the misconduct and information regarding the individuals involved) and its agreement to continue to cooperate with any ongoing Department investigations and any prosecutions that have resulted or might result in the future; (3) the nature and seriousness of the offense; (4) Balt’s timely and appropriate remediation, including disciplinary action against relevant personnel, termination of the business relationships that gave rise to the misconduct, tailored compliance training for Balt senior management, and improvements to its compliance program and internal controls; (5) the absence of aggravating circumstances that, when weighed against Balt’s voluntary self-disclosure, cooperation, and remediation, would warrant a disposition other than a resolution under Part I of the CEP; (6) Balt’s acceptance of responsibility for the criminal conduct and entry into a parallel resolution with authorities in France, which will also include corporate compliance requirements imposed under the French system; and (7) that Balt agrees to disgorge the amount of its ill-gotten gains.
Ferrera and Tilman are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, two counts of violating the FCPA, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of money laundering. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of the bribery conspiracy and bribery charges and 20 years in prison for each of the money laundering conspiracy and money laundering charges.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.
Fraud Section Trial Attorney Patrick Brown and Senior Counsel Peter Cooch of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA and FEPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
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
MARQUIS WILLIAMS, 49, last residing in Colchester, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release that followed a prior federal conviction related to his operating a mail theft, identity theft, and bank fraud scheme.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Seattle – A 34-year-old Seattle resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 20 years in prison for three counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, two counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Sentences conclude case against group that trafficked seven individuals, including two minors
Five defendants were sentenced today for a total of nearly 120 years in prison for their participation in a violent sex trafficking ring led by Kimani Jones, 32, also known as Statik. Jones was sentenced to 54 years in prison, and his father Tremayne Lambert, 50, also known as Bayrock, both of Montgomery, Alabama, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Jones and Lambert were previously convicted of multiple charges of sex trafficking following a 5-day trial in October 2025. The court also ordered the defendants to pay $1,010,926.50 and $510,850 in restitution respectively to the victims.
Three additional co-defendants, who previously pleaded guilty in connection with this case, were also sentenced for their respective roles in the sex trafficking ring. Joseph Keon Bowe, 39, of Notasulga, Alabama, was sentenced to 235 months in prison and ordered to pay $3,200 in restitution. Daryle Gardner, 32, of Marbury, Alabama, was sentenced to 195 months in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution. Aleecia Scott, 30, of Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to 36 months of probation and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution.
“Today’s lengthy sentences reflect the heinous and depraved conduct of the defendants, who abused numerous women and girls for years,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to rooting out sex trafficking in the United States, seeking lengthy sentences for perpetrators and obtaining restitution for survivors so they can rebuild their lives. I thank the prosecutors and law enforcement who tirelessly pursued what was right and brought this case to a just conclusion.”
“These defendants preyed on vulnerable individuals and subjected them to exploitation for their own profit,” said Acting US. Attorney Kevin Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama. “We hope these sentences provide a measure of justice for the victims and send a clear message that this office, along with our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue those who engage in human trafficking.”
Evidence presented during the trial showed that for five years, Jones organized and led an extensive commercial sex operation and forced women and girls to participate through violence and abuse. Jones rented hotel rooms where commercial sex acts occurred; provided food, clothing and drugs to the victims; constructed advertisements for commercial sex that he then posted online to solicit customers; communicated with potential customers regarding the sex acts and prices involved for them; dictated in which cities the victims would live and engage in commercial sex acts; and set rules that he required the victims to follow, which included, for example, the minimal amount of money that they needed to earn each day. Jones did not have a lawful job during the years he ran his sex trafficking operation, but instead, lived off the earnings of the sex trafficking and frequently flaunted the money that he made on social media.
To execute the operation, Jones used extensive violence against the victims and others in the victims’ presence. For instance, the jury heard evidence that on one occasion Jones grabbed a victim, who was a minor at the time, by the throat and dragged her across the floor for moving too slowly. Jones routinely struck women in the face, knocking out one individual’s teeth, breaking another’s jaw and striking one so hard she urinated on herself. Jones also sexually assaulted the victims to assert his dominance and control over them, threatened to hurt them, and in some instances, their family members, telling one victim that her son would not be able to play sports if his legs were broken. Jones, who has a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, also intimidated the victims by possessing, brandishing and shooting firearms within the victims’ presence. He also facilitated addiction to drugs, such as heroin and methamphetamine, to compel their continued commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.
Co-defendant Lambert, the biological father of Jones who also has a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, facilitated his son’s sex trafficking scheme by serving as a monitor of the victims and rule enforcer. Bowe, Gardner and Scott played various roles for Jones as enforcers, monitors, and drivers.
Jones was convicted at trial of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud and coercion; five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; one count of interstate transportation of a minor for purposes of prostitution; and one count of interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution. Lambert was convicted at trial of three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Bowe and Gardner pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and Scott pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Montgomery Police Department investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Kate Alexander of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Ratz for the Middle District of Alabama prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.