Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Jersey City man was sentenced on June 1, 2026 to 48 months’ imprisonment for engaging in a conspiracy to burglarize logistics warehouses and transport the goods stolen from those warehouses and an additional 8 months’ imprisonment for violating his supervised release.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Model Cities Initiative will demonstrate the effectiveness of the Make America Safe Again Mission by taking a whole-of-city approach to reduce crime and restore law and order.
The Justice Department today announced the Model Cities Initiative (MCI), a whole-of-city approach directing nearly $300 million in federal funding to transform public safety in America’s cities. Through this initiative, two to four cities will be selected to receive awards supporting the implementation of comprehensive and innovative strategies to reduce crime, restore law and order, and enhance public safety. Proposals from qualifying cities are due September 1.
“This administration is leveraging every authority to ensure the safety of all Americans,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Model Cities Initiative will supercharge our law enforcement partners and restore the rule of law to America’s neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Our message is clear: We will help those who help us Make America Safe Again.”
Investments will be made in a variety of areas addressing public safety, behavioral health, and related staffing, equipment, and services with the goal of leveraging federal resources to build capacity, strengthen accountability, and deliver measurable reductions in crime that can serve as a model of innovation for replication nationwide. Eligible applicants include local government entities serving a population of at least 100,000.
The MCI initiative will support a range of allowable activities, including:
Cities will apply through a whole-of-city approach. That means that city leaders, including the mayor, sheriff, county prosecutor, and others will work together to submit one application that proposes a persuasive vision of how this money can be awarded strategically throughout their city to improve law enforcement engagement, victim services, detention and reentry services, and preventive programs.
Additional information about the award is available at www.justice.gov/grants. The planned competition is a multi-phase process. DOJ anticipates making initial award decisions in late 2026. To apply for this award, please submit application materials to MCIapplications@usdoj.gov.
For any questions related to the MCI Call for Applications, you can send your inquiry to MCIquestions@usdoj.gov.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Torrance Bailey, 44, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, was sentenced to serve 138 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Quentin L. Yancey a/k/a Q, 39, and Johnny B. Mays a/k/a Blaze, 41, both of Rochester, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. In addition, Yancey is charged with using and maintaining a drug-involved premises, and six counts of money laundering.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Baker City, Oregon, man pleaded guilty today after stealing his clients’ shares of stocks, selling them, and transferring the proceeds into his personal bank account for almost 17 years, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Source: United States Army
POZNAN, Poland — U.S. Army soldiers partnered with Polish elementary students for a day of athletic competition here June 1, reinforcing community ties in the NATO-allied nation during a local Children’s Sports Day celebration.
This visit is part of a growing relationship between U.S. Army Garrison Poland and local schools. Last holiday season, students and staff performed a Christmas carol concert during the garrison’s tree lighting ceremony, a gesture deeply appreciated by military personnel and their families.
This year’s sports day, organized by the school, brought together 200 students ranging from ages 7 to 14, alongside teachers and parents. All were eager to experience a day in the life of a U.S. Soldier.
“Today was a very special day to bond with the Polish school children,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Javonte Smith, a religious affairs non-commissioned officer with the 510th Regional Support Group. “They were all so welcoming, and it is a blessing to share this experience with them.”
The day’s events included a military-themed fitness circuit adapted for children, culminating in a highly anticipated, friendly volleyball match.
To warm up, Soldiers led the children through a set of pushups. The students then completed jumping jacks and cardio drills, with some even trying on military tactical gear to experience the added weight.
The main event took place in the school gymnasium, where students lined the court to watch their peers face off against the Soldiers in a best-of-three volleyball match. While the students ultimately defeated the Soldiers, the scoreboard took a backseat to the camaraderie in the gym.
“Being able to have this experience really gave me a taste of home that I miss by being away from my own kids,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Callaway, a signal support sergeant with the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion, 308th Civil Affairs Brigade, 353rd Civil Affairs Command. “Seeing the smiles on their faces and how much fun they were having made it all worth it. I look forward to more community engagements in the future.”
As the day wrapped up, proud parents watched their children interact with the service members, with many students lining up to take photos with their new American friends.
The 510th Regional Support Group, 7th Mission Support Command, is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and co-located in Poznan, Poland, where it provides base operation support to seven installation sites across the Baltics. As a rotational unit, the 510th RSG sustains the readiness of V Corps and NATO forces defending the eastern flank
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A former employee of a shelving and storage distributor pleaded guilty today to two felonies for conspiring to rig bids and defraud the U.S. Department of War. As the defendant admitted in open court, his crimes related to the sale of shelving and storage products to the U.S. Air Force to service multiple healthcare and operations facilities.
According to the information and plea agreement filed in the Middle District of Georgia, Scott G. Srodes, 65, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and his co-conspirators submitted collusive bids for multiple projects at healthcare facilities at Air Force Base Moody in Valdosta, Georgia, and for aircraft maintenance facilities at Air Force Base Nellis in Las Vegas, Nevada. Srodes and his co-conspirators exchanged pricing information prior to submitting them, at times instructing each other exactly what price to quote for certain projects. The projects, which had a total value of more than $1.8 million, were funded through the Defense Logistics Agency’s Facilities Maintenance, Repair, and Operations Program. The guilty plea is the second in an ongoing investigation into bid rigging and fraud impacting U.S. military facilities in the United States.
“America’s warfighters deserve the best healthcare, and bid rigging that distorts healthcare procurement deprives them of free and fair competition,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force and its partners will continue to hold accountable those whose schemes increase healthcare-related costs in the United States.”
“We will pursue and bring to justice those who cheat the federal procurement system, while we work to protect taxpayers and honest contractors from the harm caused by bid rigging,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes for the Middle District of Georgia. “Our partnership with the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division demonstrates our resolve to root out fraud and uphold the law.”
“The Air Force Office of Special Investigations remains steadfast in our mission to protect the integrity of Department of Defense procurement processes and safeguard resources critical to the readiness and welfare of our Airmen,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrell Freeman of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Southeast Field Office. “Bid rigging schemes like this undermine fair competition, inflate costs for essential healthcare infrastructure, and ultimately harm the brave men and women serving in our military. Working alongside our partners at the Antitrust Division, DCIS, and DLA OIG, we will continue to vigorously investigate and hold accountable those who seek to defraud the United States.”
“Bid rigging on military healthcare contracts undermines the competitive process that protects taxpayer dollars and the service members these facilities exist to serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office. “This additional guilty plea reflects the scope of this investigation and the consequences awaiting those who conspire to defraud defense contracting programs. DCIS and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue every individual and company responsible for defrauding the programs that support our nation’s military.”
The Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Defense Logistics Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Daniel P. Chung and Christian Neumeister of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
The maximum penalty for a conspiracy to rig bids in violation of the Sherman Act for an individual is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to defraud the United States is five years in prison and a $250,000 criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, including a link to submit reports, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
Source: United States Department of Justice
An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 234 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues and money laundering.
According to court documents, Thomas Padovano, 52, of Newark, New Jersey, admitted that from approximately January 2014 through September 2020, he and other members of the drug trafficking organization agreed to import and distribute various controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl-related substances, methylone, and ketamine. Members of the conspiracy placed orders with a source in China and agreed to distribute, and did distribute, the controlled substances and analogues in New Jersey, both in bulk and in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that contained fentanyl analogues. Padovano additionally admitted to having engaged in financial transactions aimed at concealing the origin and true ownership of more than $300,000 in drug proceeds.
“Mr. Padovano led a drug trafficking organization that imported and distributed massive amounts of dangerous opioids in New Jersey, and then he laundered the profits,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These illegal narcotics destroy families and wreak havoc in the community. The Criminal Division will actively pursue offenders who distribute such poison in our neighborhoods.”
“Today’s sentence sends an important reminder: those who profit from trafficking deadly drugs and laundering the proceeds of their crimes will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “For years, Padovano helped lead an organization responsible for distributing massive quantities of fentanyl analogues and other dangerous controlled substances in New Jersey. This sentence — nearly twenty years in prison — reflects the devastating harm caused by that conduct and our office’s unwavering commitment to dismantling the organizations that fuel the illegal drug trade.”
“Padovano is behind bars for his direct role in unleashing the deadly scourge of fentanyl across America,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark Field Division. “This decisive outcome underscores HSI Newark’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and our relentless pursuit of justice alongside our law enforcement partners.”
The Newark Field Division of HSI led the investigation, with assistance from HSI in Philadelphia, the FBI Newark Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New Jersey, New York and Kentucky, the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Chief Stephen Sola of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hasapidis-Sferra for the District of New Jersey.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An Ohio-based smoke bomb designer and importer, and two other companies have agreed to pay more than $4 million to the United States for costs and damages from the El Dorado Fire of 2020, which was ignited as part of a gender reveal photo shoot, burned nearly 23,000 acres, and caused a firefighter’s death.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas brought eight new Homeland Security Task Force cases in May while securing five convictions and achieving five substantial sentences totaling 944 months in federal prison as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.