Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
EDWARD J. SODLOSKY, 72, of Middlebury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to three months of imprisonment and one year of supervised release for tax evasion. Judge Bolden also ordered Sodlosky to pay a $50,000 fine.
Source: United States Navy
Beginning April 23, 2026, active duty and reserve Sailors who have a MILITARY STAR® Card will automatically receive a $1,000 military uniform line of credit on their account. This line of credit is determined by eligibility in Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), not a credit score.
Source: United States Navy
The Marine Corps recently conducted shipboard testing with the TRV-150C Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) aboard a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (LPD), marking a significant milestone in advancing ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship resupply solutions for Combat Logistics Battalions (CLBs).
Source: United States Navy
On Jan. 14, 2025, a commercial SpaceX rocket successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying an NPS small satellite, also known as a CubeSat, called Otter. Two hours later, a small team of NPS researchers huddled inside the school’s Satellite Operations Center (SOC), the hub for interacting with NPS assets in space as well as the central node of its globe-spanning Mobile CubeSat Command and Control (MC3) ground network.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury in the District of Minnesota convicted a Minnesota man today of possessing a machine gun created by attaching an illegal machine gun conversion device to a semi-automatic firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Amiir Mawlid Ali, 19, of Minneapolis, was arrested after officers found a machine gun in his possession during a routine traffic stop as he was on the way to a high school graduation. Mr. Ali tried to flee the scene during the traffic stop but officers apprehended him before he could get away. The firearm was equipped with a machine gun conversion device and an extended magazine, which was loaded with over 30 rounds of ammunition. A firearm expert testified at trial that the machine gun possessed by Ali test fired 15 bullets in 2 seconds.
“This defendant possessed an extremely dangerous weapon – a machine gun created by the application of a device known as a switch that converts a legal firearm to an illegal one,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Illegal weapons like this are unduly dangerous and offer nothing legitimate in a law abiding society. The Criminal Division will continue to prosecute illegal firearms offenses like this one to keep communities safe.”
“The verdict announced today makes clear that possession of a firearm modified to function as a machine gun will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “The FBI is proud of our work on this case, and we thank our Local, State and Federal law enforcement partners for their assistance. Together we will work to stop those who put innocent lives in our community at risk.”
The jury convicted Ali on one count of possession of a machine gun. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Alexandra Swain of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Albania Concepción for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Phillips Currault signed a complaint and issued an arrest warrant for EMUOBOSAN EMANUELLA HALL, age 45, of Atlanta, Georgia, for failure to report to the Bureau of Prisons to serve a sentence. HALL, a citizen of Nigeria and a U.S. permanent resident, had been sentenced to eight years in prison by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo for her role in a romance scam. HALL is currently at large.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Los Angeles, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on April 6, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, FL – Aaron Starbird (44, Orlando) has been charged by indictment with two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, one count of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), four counts of receipt of CSAM, and one count of possession of CSAM. If convicted, Starbird faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Amanda Leigh Fourez, of Catlin, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to charges of distributing and conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos through online chat groups.
According to court documents and statements made in court during the change of plea hearing, Fourez paid thousands of dollars to commission bespoke sexual torture videos of monkeys, and later she distributed the obscene crush videos over the Internet. Fourez archived and controlled the distribution of animal crush videos. She was a member of several online chat groups and private payment groups dedicated to the creation, distribution, and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being tortured, including baby and adult monkeys being burned and their genitals mutilated.
Fourez is the second individual to be charged in this animal crush conspiracy ring. Another member of these groups, Joseph Garrett Buckland, of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos earlier this month.
Fourez faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for the distribution charge and a fine of up to $500,000. A judge will determine the sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans, and Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office made the announcement.
HSI New Orleans’ Cyber and Human Exploitation Investigations and the FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly M. Locher for the Western District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, Florida – Dexter Ray King (36, Orlando) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. to six years and three months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. The Court also ordered King to forfeit $549,375.50 in proceeds from his bank fraud scheme. A restitution hearing is scheduled for June 29, 2026.