Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a five-count indictment, presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, charging Kevin Dion Hollinshead, 64, of North Charleston, for accepting a bribe in exchange for his influence and official action as a Charleston County School District Trustee and for wire fraud and bank fraud related to COVID relief loans.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two Guatemalans and a Honduran have been sentenced to federal prison for illegally entering the United States after being previously deported from the country. Upon completion of their sentences, they will be subject to a detainer from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will be taken into administrative immigration custody for removal from the U.S.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury has convicted Brittany Hudson of all 30 counts in an indictment that charged her with stealing nearly $10 million from Amazon based on fraud, laundering the fraudulent proceeds from that scheme, lying to a franchising company while on pretrial release, and forging the signature of former Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. on fake court documents.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LAS VEGAS – A Henderson, Nev., resident made his initial appearance in court on Friday in connection to a 17-count superseding indictment charging him for allegedly smuggling misbranded prescription drugs under the brand names “Ride,” “Kinky Kong,” “Stif,” “TBone,” and “Kinky Pink.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department today announced that W International LLC, W International SC LLC, Precision Metal Equipment Handling LLC, and Edward Walker (collectively, “Defendants”) have agreed to pay $10.5 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that they knowingly overcharged the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy for weld tables.
W International LLC, a Michigan company, and W International SC LLC, a South Carolina company, were both engaged in the business of industrial welding and metal fabrication. Edward Walker was the Chief Executive Officer of both companies. Precision Metal Equipment Handling LLC is a Michigan company that manufactured weld tables for W International SC LLC.
“Contractors and subcontractors are expected to charge no more than authorized under their contracts with the military,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to ensure the government gets the prices it bargained for on defense contracts.”
“Exploiting the procurement process for our military’s necessary materials unduly increases the burden on taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan P. Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to work with our partners to support our service members and protect our taxpayers.”
“To meet global demands, the Navy must accelerate shipbuilding. However, contractors who overcharge betray the public’s trust and undermine this critical mission,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS and our partners are committed to protecting taxpayer funds and ensuring every dollar is spent in accordance with the contract.”
“As the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is steadfastly committed to protecting the integrity of DoD’s procurement process and holding contractors accountable,” said Christopher Dillard, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “Fraud on DoD contracts diverts critical taxpayer resources away from our warfighters. DCIS will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate those who seek to exploit the system for personal gain.”
The allegations resolved by the settlement concern federal funds provided to W International SC to refurbish and equip a large-scale welding facility. As part of that effort, the United States alleges, the Defendants submitted or caused to be submitted claims for payment that overcharged for weld tables supplied for the facility. Funding for the project was provided through the Defense Production Act pursuant to a U.S. Air Force Technology Investment Agreement, and as Supplier Development Funds pursuant to a Navy prime contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat.
The allegations resolved by this settlement arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act under which private citizens can sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. The settlement in this case provides for the whistleblower, John Klausmeier, a former employee of W International SC LLC, to receive $1,863,750 as his share of the settlement.
This case was handled by the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.
The matter was handled by Senior Trial Attorney Greg Pearson of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Leventis for the District of South Carolina.
The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Klausmeier v. W International, LLC, Civil Action number 22-cv-1774 in U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tampa, FL – Marlon Alexis Aguilar Reyes (age 44), a criminal alien from Guatemala who was living in Miami under an alias before his 2024 arrest, has been sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiring to import more than 5 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Mario Swanston of Port St. Joe, 45, Shannon Jarbar Clayton of Panama City, 45, Santana Wyvonne Harris of Ellenwood, Georgia, 41, Shontel Reshard Fedd of Port St. Joe, 48, and Elizabeth Gray of Panama City, 36, pleaded guilty as charged in federal court to charges in connection with the unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tampa, FL – Sebastien Rollin (49, Quebec, Canada), a/k/a “Sticks” or “Stix,” has been charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to import protonitazene, distribution of protonitazene for importation into the United States, and international promotional money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Rollin faces a maximum penalty of 120 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Rollin that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Army
VICENZA, Italy — When Maj. Brian Bailey pulled into an Austrian rest stop, plumes of black smoke billowed from a tractor-trailer cab engulfed by flames.
Nearby were two people on the ground, dangerously close to the fire. Adrenaline raced through Bailey’s body as he ran toward the blaze. A woman screamed “Help my husband!”
Bailey, a chaplain at U.S. Army Garrison Italy, was returning to Vicenza from a course in Grafenwöhr, Germany, on March 8 when he pulled into to rest area in Angath, about 40 miles northeast of Innsbruck.
One victim, the truck’s driver, was severely burned and unresponsive. The second man, a Lithuanian passerby, had pulled the driver out but fell five feet during the rescue, shattering his leg. His wife had been calling for help.
Bailey, a Tennessee native and Iraq veteran, had been in tense situations before. Soldier training, to include the Combat Lifesaver Course and Combat Medical Ministry training kicked in.
“Those courses prepared me to be a first responder for physical and spiritual injuries and when faced with the reality of the situation,” Bailey said. “The skills I had been taught allowed me to act.”
The trucker, a man from Uzbekistan, was severely burned and bloodied. Bailey and another bystander – a Polish man named Bongo – carefully moved the trucker away from the flames. They gently placed him beside the Lithuanian – Bailey called him Otto – who was on a trip with his wife and nephew.
Bailey helped cut away the trucker’s burned clothes and assessed his injuries. He had shallow breathing and a fast, weak pulse. He and Bongo prepared to conduct CPR, clearing his airway, tilting his head back and elevating his feet. Worried that his heart may stop, Bailey ran into the rest stop and, using his high school-level German, convinced staff to get an automated external defibrillator.
Back outside, they continued to monitor the victims’ vital signs. Bailey told other people to call for help and spoke to the emergency dispatcher through a bystander’s phone, sharing information while continuing to provide care.
Otto, the Lithuanian, was in extreme pain. They didn’t want to move him any further so they did their best to shield him from the heat of the flames, growing higher as the fire consumed the whole front of the truck nearby.
Several loud explosions erupted from the burning cab. Other truckers, using handheld extinguishers, attempted to put the fire out, but their efforts were in vain.
The first Austrian paramedics to arrive didn’t have gear to move the injured. Then Austrian police and ambulances arrived. Bailey helped them move the injured to a safer spot for further care.
“We first placed the burn victim on a litter and moved him to a grassy area away from the fire,” Bailey said. “We then returned for the second man with the broken leg, and I assisted a paramedic in stabilizing his leg with an air splint.”
As the medics worked, Bailey spoke to Otto, offering encouragement. Bailey helped lift Otto into an ambulance, that transported him to the nearby Kufstein District Hospital, according to Austrian news outlets. The driver was airlifted by helicopter to the Murnau am Staffelsee Hospital in Bavaria with severe burns.
During the Initial investigations, police said a technical defect in the driver’s cab caused the fire, according to Austrian news reports.
Reflecting afterward, Bailey thought of his training as an Army chaplain and passages from the Bible – things that helped him process the stressful event. Bailey’s religious beliefs have been at the forefront of his mind since the incident. He believes that his involvement was not by chance. He speaks humbly of the steps he took that afternoon, from the first aid to the comforting words of encouragement that he offered.
“My deepest wish was for my actions to point not to myself, but to the profound hope and compassion that Jesus speaks of,” Bailey said. “I am humbled to have been a small part of the care for the wounded, and I pray that my service brought a glimmer of that divine hope to a very dark situation.”
Source: United States Department of Justice
A federal jury convicted Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 73, today on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture for his involvement in the torture of prisoners at Adra Prison in Damascus, Syria. The jury also convicted Alsheikh of lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his commission of these crimes, fraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.
“Samir Ousman Alsheikh tortured prisoners and committed human atrocities to punish and silence political dissent in Syria,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Then, after committing these heinous offenses for years, he lied to U.S. immigration authorities to live in the United States of America and pursue citizenship. Thanks to the courage of the victims, and the diligence and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, Alsheikh can no longer escape his past and will be held to account for his brutal crimes.”
“Our country is not a refuge for criminals — especially criminals who engage in brutality of the kind this defendant inflicted on his victims,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “I commend the victims, our agents, and our prosecutors for finally bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Homeland Security Investigations and our partners are dedicated to bringing accountability to criminals like Samir Ousman Alsheikh, who tortured prisoners and then relocated to the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles. “Our Homeland will never serve as a sanctuary for human rights abusers.”
“Today’s convictions serve as a reminder that the FBI will not tolerate acts of violence and torture or attempts to obfuscate those crimes,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Along with our partners in the United States and throughout the world, we remain committed to defending victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Alsheikh was a Brigadier General in charge of Damascus Central Prison, commonly known as Adra Prison, from about 2005 through 2008, under the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. According to the evidence, Alsheikh inflicted and ordered subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on prisoners. In particular, Alsheikh ordered certain prisoners to be sent to a section of the prison known as Wing 13, where they were held in tiny isolation cells and tortured.
Victims who refused to harm or kill political dissidents imprisoned with them or who otherwise showed support for the prisoners testified at trial that they witnessed and suffered various forms of torture. For example, guards used manacles to suspend prisoners by their wrists from pipes on the ceiling and then beat them with fists or cables while suspended for extended periods of time. One victim testified that he felt like his limbs would be torn from his body when they suspended him for days.
Witnesses also testified that they were placed on a torture device known as the “Magic Carpet” or “Flying Carpet,” which consisted of two large wooden panels with hinges in the middle. Guards strapped the witnesses to the device on their backs, positioning the prisoners’ waists at the hinges, and then forcing the lower panel together with the upper, folding the upper and lower halves of the prisoners’ bodies together and causing excruciating pain and serious injury. One victim recalled that Alsheikh himself stomped on the Magic Carpet with his foot. One victim testified that as part of his punishment for writing a letter of support to a political prisoner, he was subjected to the Magic Carpet and then forced to wear a red jumpsuit solely assigned to those designated for execution. He testified that he thought he was going to die. Witnesses also testified to being folded into a car tire, restrained, and beaten by guards.
The evidence at trial showed that Alsheikh personally ordered these and other horrific acts of torture and brutality against the three named victims in the indictment. Following his time at Adra Prison, Alsheikh was appointed Governor of the Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zour in 2011. In 2018, he applied for a visa and later applied to become a U.S. Citizen.
Photograph depicting Alsheikh and Bashar al-Assad on or about July 25, 2011, when Assad appointed Alsheikh
The evidence at trial also showed that Alsheikh came to the United States in 2020, after lying about and concealing the torture and violence he ordered and committed at the prison, among other misrepresentations, on his visa application to enter the United States and to become a legal permanent resident. The evidence further proved that Alsheikh continued to lie about and conceal his past conduct in his later application to become a United States citizen.
Alsheikh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture; he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the immigration and attempted naturalization fraud charges. He will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by the Court. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FBI Chicago and HSI Los Angeles investigated the case with support from HSI and FBI Legal Attachés in Germany. HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) also significantly supported the case, along with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Federal Criminal Police Office in Germany.
Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Philip Hoffman and HRSP Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion, and support from HRSP Trial Attorney Detailee Spencer M. Perry. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.