Source: United States Navy
NAVAL STATION GREAT LAKES, Ill – The final training group of Sailors who arrived at U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command (RTC) during the Navy’s record-breaking year for recruiting, training and retaining Sailors, graduated from basic military training, commonly known as “boot camp,” during a ceremony at Naval Station Great Lakes, Dec. 4, 2025.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 468 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Nov. 21 to Dec. 4. Charges were brought against illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, manslaughter and attempted murder, as well as alleged human smugglers and aliens with prior removals.
On Nov. 22, two non-U.S. citizens were arrested and charged with alien smuggling in El Paso. U.S. Border Patrol agents observed the two individuals assisting three people out of a canal and into a pickup truck. USBP agents conducted a traffic stop on the truck, when the vehicle doors opened, and the five occupants ran away. The agents initially located and apprehended four of the subjects. A criminal complaint alleges that Denis Ruben Ampie-Ayerdis was identified as the front passenger who assisted the three illegal aliens out of the canal. Ampie-Ayerdis allegedly stated that he was in the U.S. legally under asylum. The driver of the vehicle, Jose Gregorio Rivera-Angarita, was detained by a Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Officer shortly after the other four. Rivera-Angarita stated he was in the U.S. illegally and that he knew the three individuals he picked up were illegal aliens. Rivera-Angarita also allegedly stated that he and his brother, Ampie-Ayerdis, were being paid a total of $800 to pick up and transport the aliens to a house in El Paso. The coordination of the scheme allegedly developed with someone Ampie-Ayerdis met on the social media app, TikTok.
On Nov. 27, a USBP agent stopped a vehicle that had allegedly been observed picking up multiple individuals half a mile north of the Rio Grande River on Texas Highway 20. A criminal complaint alleges the agent noticed four individuals tightly crammed in the back seat, unrestrained and attempting to conceal themselves. The complaint further alleges that fifth occupant was hiding on the floorboard of the front passenger seat, attempting to conceal herself with a jacket. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Nahum Alejandro Carrillo-Gallardo, who allegedly stated he was instructed to pick up and transport the five illegal aliens—foreign nationals from Guatemala and Mexico—to a location near Fort Bliss, where another person would take custody. Carrillo-Gallardo is charged with one count of alien smuggling.
A convicted felon from Mexico was arrested on Nov. 30. Jose Alejandro Urueta-Cabral allegedly approached the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, telling the Customs and Border Protection officer (CBPO) that he was born in East Los Angeles, California, and had attended Garfield High School. Allegedly, he further stated that he had been in Chihuahua with a sick relative for months and his passport had been stolen. The criminal complaint alleges that the CBPO observed Urueta-Cabral as jumpy and avoiding eye contact, and referred him for further inspection, where Urueta-Cabral admitted he was born in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. Further investigation revealed Urueta-Cabral had been previously removed from the U.S. eight times, the last being on March 19 through Nogales, Arizona. Additionally, Urueta-Cabral, has a criminal record that includes multiple narcotics-related convictions, second-degree burglary, and second-degree robbery. He is now charged with illegal re-entry.
On Nov. 25, Cuban national Yusmany Santiesteban-Acosta allegedly presented a State of Texas Commercial Drivers License bearing his name, photograph and date of birth at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. A system alerted the CBPO of a previous manslaughter conviction, which had resulted in a 10-year prison sentence in December 2022. Santiesteban-Acosta served two days of the decade-long sentence. The criminal complaint further alleges that Santiesteban-Acosta stated he was a legal permanent resident. Immigration records indicate he was removed from the U.S. to Mexico on July 28.
Orlando Cuba-Trencilio, also a Cuban national, was arrested approximately seven miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry near Clint. Cuba-Trencilio was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico on Oct. 1 and has multiple prior convictions including attempted murder in the second degree and aggravated battery.
Mexican national Primitivo Castro-Lopez was found in the Bastrop County Jail, where he had been detained following a DWI arrest. Castro-Lopez has been removed from the U.S. three times and has been previously convicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Mexican national Blas Bautista-Vences was found in the Travis County Jail, where he had also been booked on a DWI charge. Bautista-Vences has four prior DWI convictions and four prior removals, as well as past convictions for possession of a controlled substance, assault causing bodily injury, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Marcos Vasquez Matute, also a Mexican national, was found in the Williamson County Jail. Matute has been twice removed from the U.S. and has been convicted of five DWIs.
In Eagle Pass, USBP agents arrested Salvadoran national Jaime Bladmir Hernandez-Garcia, who has been removed from the U.S. twice, the most recent being on April 11. Hernandez-Garcia was convicted in January for his fifth DUI. In 2021, he was convicted for driving while his license was revoked. He is charged with illegal re-entry.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are 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).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
JULIAN SCOTT, also known as “Ju Sav,” 26, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to life in prison, and a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of 30 years, for offenses related to his involvement in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang. On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Scott, Gabriel Pulliam, and 14 other 960 gang members with various offenses, including racketeering, murder, attempted murder and assault, firearm possession, narcotics trafficking, and obstruction of justice offenses.
According to the evidence presented during Scott and Pulliam’s trial:
To promote 960, Scott and other 960 members made rap videos that glorified gang violence, firearm possession, and drug dealing. Many of the rap lyrics were tied to criminal conduct committed by 960 members.
Scott has been detained since arrest on state charges on May 23, 2019. On May 10, 2024, a federal jury found Scott and Pulliam guilty of conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, murder in violation of the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (“VCAR”) statute, causing death through the use of a firearm and in relation to a crime of violence, attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Pulliam was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, and to distribute, controlled substances.
On November 5, 2025, Pulliam was sentenced to life in prison and a mandatory 10-year consecutive term of imprisonment.
This investigation identified at least 10 violent acts committed by 960 members in 2017 and 2018. All 16 individuals charged have been convicted and sentenced. In addition to Scott and Pulliam, Zaekwon McDaniel, Tahjay Love, and Malik Bayon also received life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, who were cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ASHLEY HYMEL (“HYMEL”) age 42, a resident of Ama, Louisiana, pled guilty on November 19, 2025 to wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
According to court documents, HYMEL used a company credit card to embezzle funds from her employer, Company 1, where she was an executive assistant. In total, HYMEL embezzled at least $130,663.92. Under the terms of a plea agreement, HYMEL agreed to pay the entire amount back to Company 1.
Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for February 25, 2025. At sentencing, HYMEL faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, followed by up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Moses, Healthcare Fraud Coordinator and member of the Financial Crimes Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced the unsealing of a federal indictment Dec. 3 charging 11 people allegedly involved in connection with a drug trafficking organization operating in Cuyahoga County.
According to the indictment, from about August 2023 to April 2024, members of the conspiracy are accused of supplying and/or distributing controlled substances that included fentanyl, oxycodone, and alprazolam pills, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine.
Conspiracy members operated throughout Greater Cleveland, with a significant amount of illegal activity taking place at an apartment complex in Euclid. Money and illegal drugs were collected from various individuals and then transported to and from Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon of the DEA Detroit Field Division.
All defendants are from Cleveland unless otherwise noted:
If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigations leading to the indictments were conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with the Euclid Police Department, the Independence Police Department, the Mayfield Heights Department, and SPAN Narcotics.
Assistant United States Attorney Margaret A. Sweeney is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
The assistance of the U.S. Marshals is also acknowledged for providing related support for this crime reduction initiative.
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
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christina Nolte, 52, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, has admitted to the theft of public money, United States Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
According to filed documents and statements made in court, Nolte falsified medical records to receive disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Nolte fraudulently used her disability to have her federal student loans in the amount of $242,528 discharged.
As a part of the plea agreement, Nolte has agreed to the forfeiture and a money judgement in amount of $360,466.38.
Nolte faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer T. Conklin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, and the matter was investigated by the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the Department of Education.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury in Houston convicted a local businessman today for his role in a scheme to bribe Mexican government officials at Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the state-owned oil company of Mexico, and PEMEX Exploración y Producción (PEP), PEMEX’s wholly owned exploration and production subsidiary.
“Alexandro Rovirosa orchestrated a scheme to bribe Mexican officials to benefit himself and his companies,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Bribery of government officials to win business undermines fair competition and unjustly enriches bad actors. In prosecuting this case, the Department has sent a clear message that we will not tolerate bribery and corruption schemes run out of the United States, whether the bribes are paid here or abroad.”
“Most individuals applying for American citizenship treat our laws and customs with respect,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston Field Office. “Alexandro Rovirosa instead violated U.S. laws through a network of corruption and deceit. Rovirosa believed his residence in Houston protected him from the consequences of bribing foreign officials. However, as today’s verdict demonstrates, his scheme not only cost him a luxurious Texas lifestyle, but also his freedom.”
“The conviction in this case holds the defendant accountable for participating in a scheme to bribe Mexican government officials for the benefit of the defendant and the companies associated with him,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey D. Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Mid-Atlantic Region. “The FDIC OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate financial crimes, including those involving bribery and corruption.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez (Rovirosa), a Mexican citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, 46, of The Woodlands, Texas, paid more than $150,000 in bribes to officials at PEP to retain contracts and payments from PEMEX and PEP and obtain other improper advantages in business with PEMEX and PEP, for the benefit of companies associated with Rovirosa. The trial evidence showed that between approximately 2019 and 2021, Rovirosa and his co-conspirators, including Mario Alberto Avila Lizarraga, 61, of Spring, Texas, a Mexican citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, offered to pay and paid bribes in the form of cash payments, luxury goods and other valuable items to at least three PEMEX and PEP officials in exchange for those officials taking certain actions to help companies associated with Rovirosa obtain and retain business with PEMEX and PEP. Those improper advantages assisted companies associated with Rovirosa in obtaining contracts with PEMEX and PEP worth at least $2.5 million.
The jury convicted Rovirosa of one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and two counts of violating the FCPA. It found him not guilty of a fourth count of violating the FCPA. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Rovirosa’s co-conspirator, Mario Avila, is a fugitive.
HSI Houston, FBI Houston and FDIC-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Lindsey Carson, Samad Pardesi and Paul Ream of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Three people have been sentenced this week for drug trafficking in North Central West Virginia, United States Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
Jacob Wilson, 29, of Beverly, West Virginia, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine. Wilson was selling methamphetamine from his home.
Lawrence Lower, 36, of Petersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 14 months for methamphetamine distribution. Lower was selling methamphetamine in Grant County, West Virginia.
Michael Wayne Miller, 55, of Wardensville, West Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for selling methamphetamine in Hardy County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
MIAMI – Two men were each sentenced on Oct. 30 to 57 months in federal prison for their roles in two separate but related schemes involving the sale of diverted and misbranded pharmaceutical drugs, including medications used to treat HIV and cancer.
According to court documents, Boris Arencibia, 52, and Jose Armando Rivera Garcia, 45, both of Miami, purchased high-priced prescriptions medications from illicit street sources—including patients who sold their prescriptions instead of taking the drugs and individuals who obtained prescriptions through fraud. These medicines require carefully controlled storage conditions to remain effective, but the diverted drugs were stored without any safeguards.
“Diverted drugs put patients’ lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants pushed tainted and repackaged medications into pharmacies across the country, knowing full well the danger. Our Office will continue to work with FDA, HHS-OIG, and the FBI to protect patients and hold accountable anyone who turns the healthcare system into a criminal marketplace.”
After purchasing the drugs, members of the conspiracy repackaged them and falsified paperwork to make it appear as though the medicines were supplied directly by manufacturers or legitimate wholesalers. The conspirators marketed the drugs through fake pharmaceutical distribution companies and shipped them to pharmacies across the U.S., where unsuspecting patients purchased them. In some cases, bottles contained incorrect medications, vitamins, or even pebbles—endangering patients’ health.
The first case, indicted in 2019, involved a conspiracy of 20 defendants. All but one fugitive have now been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 30 months to 14 years. Arencibia was among those who procured large quantities of diverted drugs from street sources and sold them to other conspirators. Rivera Garcia established a corporation, LDD Distributors, which received the drugs from Arencibia and sold them to a wholesale distributor operated by another defendant. Arencibia and Rivera Garcia each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, for using financial transactions to conceal the source and ownership of proceeds from the misbranded drugs.
The second case, filed in 2025, charged Arencibia and Rivera Garcia with operating a pharmaceutical wholesale company that marketed diverted drugs to pharmacies nationwide using falsified documentation to conceal the medicines’ true origins and conditions. Arencibia and Rivera Garcia pleaded guilty to trafficking in medical products with falsified documentation.
In total, Arencibia and Rivera Garcia sold approximately $28 million worth of diverted pharmaceuticals between the two schemes.
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles sentenced Arencibia and Rivera Garcia to 57 months in prison in the 2019 case, to be served concurrently with the 43-month prison terms imposed in the 2025 case.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly McCoy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Miami Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
The 2019 case was investigated by FDA-OCI and FBI Miami, and the 2025 case was investigated by HHS-OIG.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Tamen prosecuted the 2019 case, and Trial Attorney Jacqueline Zee DerOvanesian of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section prosecuted the 2025 case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 19-cr-20674 and 25-cr-20154.
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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Manassas man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on Jan. 30, 2024, law enforcement searched the residence of Jeffrey Martinez, 21, and recovered 29,490 dark-blue fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 4.13 kilograms, and 20,114 light-blue fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 2.22 kilograms. The pills were marked “M-30” to mimic Oxycodone. Also from the residence, investigators also recovered approximately $4,980, 2.18 kilograms of marijuana, 107 grams of cocaine, a scale, and four firearms.
The same day, law enforcement conducted a stop of a vehicle Martinez was traveling in and arrested him. From Martinez and the vehicle, investigators recovered approximately $1,600, a handgun and approximately 1,200 fentanyl pills marked “M-30.”
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Amzallag and Ryan Bredemeier prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-248.