Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tamara Le Ann Wallace, 56, of South Lake Tahoe, and the former mayor of South Lake Tahoe, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud arising from a years‑long scheme in which she embezzled about $390,000 from a South Lake Tahoe church where she was employed as a part‑time bookkeeper.
Source: United States Department of Justice
James E. Lee Sr., a former procurement official for the U.S. Postal Service, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud.
According to court documents, Lee was a product management specialist overseeing expedited packaging supplies for the U.S. Postal Service. Lee, among other responsibilities, served as a contracting officer representative on several contracts to manufacture and provide expedited packaging supplies. Between approximately mid-2018 and late 2023, Lee and others agreed to engage in corrupt scheme in which Lee steered the procurement process for lucrative U.S. Postal Service contracts, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in certain instances, so they would be awarded to, or retained by, four different companies. Lee provided preferential treatment and competitive advantages to the companies, including reviewing draft technical proposals and disclosing to them confidential internal information regarding pricing and other issues.
Lee also performed official acts and influenced other officials during the procurement process. Lee used a relative and the relative’s consulting company as an intermediary to provide information to the companies and conceal Lee’s efforts to steer the procurement process. In exchange, the companies hired Lee’s relative as an employee or consultant, resulting in payments totaling nearly $183,000.
Lee’s relative and a former executive for one of the manufacturing companies have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Lee is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 25, 2027.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Executive Special Agent in Charge Kevin Cloninger of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec made the announcement.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office are investigating this and related cases. Chief Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section is prosecuting this and related cases. Criminal Division Attorney Celia R. Choy provided substantial assistance with the investigation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
James E. Lee Sr., a former procurement official for the U.S. Postal Service, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud.
According to court documents, Lee was a product management specialist overseeing expedited packaging supplies for the U.S. Postal Service. Lee, among other responsibilities, served as a contracting officer representative on several contracts to manufacture and provide expedited packaging supplies. Between approximately mid-2018 and late 2023, Lee and others agreed to engage in corrupt scheme in which Lee steered the procurement process for lucrative U.S. Postal Service contracts, worth hundreds of millions of dollars in certain instances, so they would be awarded to, or retained by, four different companies. Lee provided preferential treatment and competitive advantages to the companies, including reviewing draft technical proposals and disclosing to them confidential internal information regarding pricing and other issues.
Lee also performed official acts and influenced other officials during the procurement process. Lee used a relative and the relative’s consulting company as an intermediary to provide information to the companies and conceal Lee’s efforts to steer the procurement process. In exchange, the companies hired Lee’s relative as an employee or consultant, resulting in payments totaling nearly $183,000.
Lee’s relative and a former executive for one of the manufacturing companies have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Lee is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 25, 2027.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Executive Special Agent in Charge Kevin Cloninger of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec made the announcement.
The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office are investigating this and related cases. Chief Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section is prosecuting this and related cases. Criminal Division Attorney Celia R. Choy provided substantial assistance with the investigation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division), along with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia, Nebraska, and New Jersey announced indictments resulting from Operation Ghostbusters. Operation Ghostbusters is a nationwide investigation into a large‑scale student‑loan fraud scheme in which criminal actors created fraudulent Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) accounts using stolen U.S. citizen identities to enroll “ghost students” in educational institutions. After loan and grant disbursements, the refunds were diverted to bank accounts controlled by foreign actors and facilitated by U.S.-based money mules, including Kenyan nationals.
“Today, we are announcing the first results of Operation Ghostbusters — a nationwide effort to stop a major fraud scheme targeting federal student aid, low-income Americans, and the American taxpayer,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Department is charging five defendants and announcing the seizure of more than $750,000 in cryptocurrency tied to this scheme through a network associated with Kenyan nationals. This is the first international seizure of its kind in Kenya. If you steal American identities, if you steal taxpayer dollars, if you exploit programs meant to help students build a future — we will find you. Whether you are in Nebraska, New Jersey, Virginia, or Nairobi, we will pursue you.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary McMahon’s leadership, the Department of Education has saved taxpayers more than $2 billion in attempted student aid theft — ensuring students receive the critical funding they need, not fraudsters,” said Under Secretary Nicholas Kent for the Department of Education. “Every dollar that falls into the hands of a fraudster is a dollar that will not go to a student in need. Today’s action sends a strong message to fraudsters both at home and abroad: the Trump Administration is watching and will hold you accountable and protect American taxpayers.”
“The perpetrators masterminded a deliberate plot to defraud the U.S. government of millions of dollars through the exploitation of financial aid programs designed to help hardworking American students. These criminals used stolen personal data belonging to U.S. citizens to fuel their criminal enterprise,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke, of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “To date, the FBI has identified more than $32 million in losses, with millions more suspected, in similar ghost student schemes. This stops now. The FBI, working hand-in-hand with our partners at the Department of Education and Department of Justice will follow all evidence, track every dollar, and pursue each criminal who seeks to exploit our nation’s systems.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is proud to be a leading part of law enforcement’s use of innovative techniques to fight fraud: using data to expose crime hiding in plain sight, starting with criminals who stole federal student aid using the stolen identities of ‘ghost students,’” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Together with the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI Richmond cyber squad has already uncovered hundreds of participants and hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen funds, sending approximately 50 referrals to 26 FBI field offices across the country, and we are just getting started. Working with partners around the world, we are sending a clear message: student aid belongs to real students, the data always leaves a trail, and we will follow it wherever it leads.”
Notable cases
Beginning in or about March 2021 and continuing through at least January 2026, Mabed Patricia Utate-Alberto, also known as, “Mabed Alberto Utate,” Patricia Arisleydi Perez, and George Arturo Alfau Mendez, also known as, “George Alfau” conspired with persons located in Kenya to defraud the Department of Education to obtain more than $1 million in FSA funds. Utate, Perez, and Mendez were witting money mules located in the U.S. that used U.S. bank accounts to receive FSA program funds obtained through false and fraudulent FAFSA applications using stolen American identities. After Utate, Perez, and Mendez received the money, they transferred — after taking their cut — the funds overseas to co-conspirators in Kenya associated with a purported Kenyan safari company.
All three defendants have been arrested pursuant to a criminal complaint. Two co-conspirators are located in Kenya and are associated with a safari company. The government will seek to charge these co-conspirators as this case continues.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori for the District of New Jersey.
On Oct. 21, a federal Grand Jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned a multi-count indictment charging a Kenyan national with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and student aid fraud. According to the indictment, the defendant conspired with fraudsters in Kenya to obtain and use the stolen identities of U.S. citizens to submit false and fraudulent FAFSA applications to steal over $1.4 million in student aid. The defendant acted as a U.S. based money mule for the transnational fraud conspiracy. The defendant used multiple bank accounts across several financial institutions to receive over 700 fraudulently obtained federal student aid refund deposits, totaling approximately $1,439,548. The defendant then engaged in thousands of wire transfer and money service business transactions that resulted in at least $1.3 million being transferred to accounts in the United States and Kenya.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney/Distinguished Senior Counsel Brian Hood for the Eastern District of Virginia.
On Oct. 19, a federal Grand Jury in Nebraska returned a ten-count indictment against Francis Mogambi, a Kenyan citizen, charging him with five counts of Theft of Government Money and five counts of Aggravated Identity Theft. Mogambi faces 10 years in mandatory minimums based on his use of stolen U.S. citizen identities during and relation to his crimes. Mogambi was promptly arrested, and thereafter detained pending trial by the court based on his risk of non-appearance and the threat he posed to the public.
According to the indictment, between Nov. 2025 and May 2026, Mogambi fraudulently obtained federal student financial aid using stolen identities. Mogambi worked with associates in Kenya to steal identities of United States citizens, use those identities to fraudulently enroll American victims in educational institutions, and redirect federal financial aid checks to himself, keeping 30% of the fraud proceeds and sending the rest to his conspirators in Kenya. Court documents also reflect that Mogambi attempted to recruit an individual into his scheme and openly shared the details of this brazen conspiracy to steal money from the American people, sharing that he received $2,000 a week and that he needed a business so that he could cash larger checks and not pay taxes.
Mogambi arrived in the United States on May 15, 2024. He won the “Diversity Visa” lottery and was issued a DV1 visa. He was issued a Permanent Resident Card shortly after.
This case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney/District Fraud Counsel Daniel Packard for the District of Nebraska.
In September, representatives from the Fraud Division and its agency partners visited Kenya to promote extradition, prosecution, and the return of assets stolen from United States taxpayers. Through critical assistance and intelligence from Kenyan law enforcement partners, investigators were able to seize over $750,000 from a cryptocurrency account belonging to a Kenyan national connected to this fraud scheme. This is the first international seizure of its kind in the Fraud Division’s history. In Sept./Oct. of 2026, investigators identified 830,840 potentially fraudulent FSAIDs relating to nearly $130 million and recommended that the Department of Education disable those IDs.
Operation Ghostbusters is an unprecedented effort by the Fraud Division at the Department of Justice in connection with U.S. Attorney and agency partners across the country to respond to this urgent and ongoing fraud committed against the American people.
Beginning in or about 2021, community colleges and universities across the United States identified fraudulent FAFSA applications that resulted in the disbursement of Federal Student Aid (FSA) program refunds to bank and other financial accounts opened in the names of individuals other than the students who had actually applied for the FSA program funds in the first instance.
Conspirators use stolen identity information from Americans to submit fraudulent FAFSA applications for “ghost students” in order to fraudulently obtain federal program funds. The “ghost students” never actually attend the college classes for which those funds were awarded. Instead, using super intelligence, fraudsters place “ghost” or fake students in classrooms to keep federal student loan funds flowing. Fraudsters even use super intelligence to complete required coursework at schools to maintain the “ghost student” scam.
These fraudsters are exploiting Americans who have never been to college before, preventing the Department of Education from cross-checking applicants. Many known victims have reported attaining only high school diplomas — and are shocked by their faked attendance at an institution hundreds of miles away.
Investigators believe that this fraud has been ongoing since at least 2021. Estimates put the scale of the fraud well over $200 million. The investigation was opened by the FBI Richmond Field Office following a USDOE‑OIG referral. There are now more than 40 open cases across 26 FBI field offices and more than 20 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. Through its District Fraud Counsel network of Assistant United States Attorneys, the Division was uniquely positioned to scale this investigation, resulting in targets sent to U.S. Attorney’s Offices coast-to-coast.
Operation Ghostbusters continues to partner with Kenyan law enforcement counterparts to recover American tax dollars pilfered by overseas actors and bring fraudsters hiding abroad to justice.
Law Enforcement Partners Participation:
Operation Ghostbusters is assisted by the Department of Justice, the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Education-OIG, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Civil Division’s Office of Foreign Litigation, the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training, the DOJ Civil Division, the State Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Education, the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Asset Recovery Agency, and Office of Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Justice Department is providing cybercrime and intellectual property technical assistance to foreign law enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial partners in other countries through the ICHIP program, including in this matter the ICHIP attorney advisor in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the global ICHIP for Dark Web and Cryptocurrency. The Criminal Division’s ICHIP program is jointly administered by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, through partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State / INL). Significant assistance is also being provided through the U.S. Department of Justice Resident Legal Advisor in Nairobi, Kenya, a position that is also funded by State / INL.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alert: If you believe you are a victim of this fraud, please report your matter to the Department of Education Hotline Complaint Form: oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline/complaint-form. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has sent letters to many identified victims. If you have received this letter, please follow the instructions in the letter. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your local FBI Field Office.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Florencio Magana-Sarabia, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison for his role in manufacturing and trafficking more than 770 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in an Ellenwood, Georgia house. Three co-conspirators, who are also illegal aliens, were previously sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the scheme.
Source: United States Department of Justice
Today, the Justice Department announced that 18 aliens, including an illegal alien, in North Carolina have been indicted for illegally voting. Nine were charged in the Eastern District of North Carolina, five were charged in the Middle District of North Carolina, and four were charged in the Western District of North Carolina. These indictments are in addition to 12 individuals who were previously indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting, bringing the statewide total to 30 indicted this year.
“Illegal voting is just that: illegal,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. “If you’re not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections. We want to prevent illegal voting from occurring, which is why we’ve now charged 30 people just in North Carolina who have violated our laws by illegally registering to vote and illegally voting. We need to preserve the integrity of the ballot box by ensuring only those eligible are casting ballots.”
“Protecting the integrity of our elections is fundamental to preserving our constitutional republic,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “Indeed, the right to vote is the primary seed from which all other rights and liberties sprout. When noncitizens steal your vote, they can create an unamerican government that strips all liberty and freedom from citizens. Every unlawful ballot silences the voice of a lawful voter, striking at the core of our great nation. This is not a victimless crime; every citizen who casts a lawful vote is a victim. You do not know which citizen’s lawful vote that illegal vote cancelled out, so it cancels out every lawful vote. With these nine indictments, added to the 10 we announced earlier this month and two from earlier in the year, we make it crystal clear: we will not tolerate illegal voting in North Carolina. Let these 21 indictments serve as an unmistakable message ahead of the 2026 election: if you vote illegally, we are looking, we will find out, and we will prosecute you.”
“The right to vote is fundamental to American citizenship and a cornerstone of our republic,” said U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop for the Middle District of North Carolina. “This office is committed to protecting the integrity of our elections and ensuring that laws enacted to ensure fairness and secure our rights are upheld. These charges serve notice that those who violate our election laws, including non-citizens who register and vote, will be investigated and prosecuted.”
“In our most recent elections in North Carolina — the 2025 municipal elections — there were 14 races decided by 2 votes; 15 races decided by 1 vote; and 7 races that were tied,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina. “Every vote matters. And the public must have confidence that our elections are conducted fairly and that every ballot cast is a lawful one.”
“The integrity of federal elections is essential to the health of our democracy,” said Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “Every FBI field office assigns dedicated election‑crimes coordinators because protecting the election process is core to our mission. When questions about voter eligibility arise, we work closely with our state and federal partners to review records, confirm the facts, and ensure election laws are honored. Any violation erodes public trust and dilutes valid votes. When any aspect of our democratic process is threatened, the FBI will act decisively to defend it.”
“The integrity of our electoral system depends on rules that are applied consistently and enforced without fear or favor,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark M. Zito of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Carolinas. “HSI’s role is clear: We investigate complex threats to the homeland, including fraud that undermines public trust in vital national systems. We will continue to work with our partners to protect the public’s confidence in America’s electoral system.”
Eastern District of North Carolina
A federal grand jury has indicted nine more noncitizens, including an illegal alien, for illegally voting in the 2024 election. These indictments build on the 12 indictments U.S. Attorney Boyle unveiled on Oct. 15, including another illegal alien, for illegally voting in the 2024 North Carolina elections, bringing the total to 21 individuals indicted in the Eastern District of North Carolina for illegally voting.
The most recent indictments allege that all nine defendants falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens to register and vote in the 2024 general election. These charges reflect the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting the integrity of federal elections and ensuring that only eligible U.S. citizens participate in them.
The grand jury returned indictments against the following aliens:
Middle District of North Carolina
Five individuals have been charged with illegal voting and, in some instances, unlawfully claiming U.S. citizenship, in connection with the 2024 election in the Middle District of North Carolina.
Western District of North Carolina
Four aliens have been indicted for illegally voting in federal elections in the Western District of North Carolina.
A federal grand jury in Charlotte returned criminal indictments charging the following individuals:
A fourth individual has been charged by a criminal bill of information.Edread Ray Stanley, 63, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis and a lawful permanent resident of the United States residing in Charlotte, is charged with voting by an alien. It is alleged that Stanley, knowing that he was not a U.S. citizen, knowingly voted on Nov. 5, 2024, in a federal election.
Additional Details
The charges of falsely stating or claiming U.S. citizenship to vote carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Voting by an alien carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Upon conviction, a federal district court judge will determine any imposed sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
FBI and HSI are investigating the above cases.
The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina are prosecuting the cases in their respective districts.
An indictment or information merely contain accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Department of Justice provided the following update on the Antitrust Division’s collaboration with state Attorneys General regarding investigations of mergers with predominantly intrastate effects.
“Principles of federalism guide that the Justice Department use its resources to investigate mergers with regional or national implications. However, the Department will sometimes exercise its discretion to investigate local transactions, including when there is an antitrust issue of national significance,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr. “When it comes to mergers of national importance, the Department will generally form its own views of the appropriate resolution of an investigation, although it may partner with state enforcers who offer to contribute distinctively to the investigation.”
“In our federal system, federal and state law enforcers have different constituencies and distinct competencies. A constructive relationship between antitrust enforcers at both levels includes deferring to the agency of relative competence in matters that impact distinctly federal or local interests,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General G. Charles Beller of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division welcomes leadership from state enforcers in transactions that implicate uniquely local interests, such as when the state is a purchaser that could suffer direct injury or when potential effects on competition are limited to a single state.”
Since January 2026, the Antitrust Division’s merger review program has:
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division provided the following statement on the closing of its investigations into two transactions that presented competition issues in local asphalt markets: (1) the acquisition of Suit-Kote Corporation by Colas Inc., a subsidiary of Bouygues S.A.; and (2) the acquisition of Arcosa Inc. by CRH plc.
Colas/Suit-Kote. In August 2025, Bouygues (Colas) announced its intention to acquire Suit-Kote. Both companies offer asphalt pavement products and services to commercial and government customers in New York and Pennsylvania. The Antitrust Division opened an investigation into the acquisition and issued Second Requests to the parties in October 2025.
The Division investigated the transaction extensively, identified only discrete geographic areas in New York and Pennsylvania where the merger would reduce the number of asphalt suppliers, and referred the matter to those states. The parties offered the Division a divestiture of certain facilities serving those areas. To permit the states to engage with the parties regarding potential remedies, the Division fully referred the matter to the states.
The parties and states subsequently agreed to a settlement that includes divestiture of four facilities in New York and Pennsylvania. See Investigation of Colas Inc. & Suit-Kote Corp., Assurance No. 26-065 (N.Y. Att’y Gen. Oct. 13, 2026); Pennsylvania v. Colas Inc., No. 3:26-cv-1979 (W.D. Pa. filed Oct. 13, 2026).
CRH/Arcosa. In June 2026, CRH, an Irish building materials provider, announced its intention to acquire Arcosa, a U.S.-based infrastructure-related materials provider, for approximately $8.5 billion. The Antitrust Division opened an investigation into the acquisition.
The Division’s preliminary investigation identified and narrowed potential competition concerns to those in a local market for the sale of hot-mix asphalt in a region within New Jersey. Accordingly, as in Colas/Suit-Kote, the Division referred the matter to the New Jersey Attorney General. The Division kept open its investigation without issuing a Second Request to monitor progress with New Jersey and to facilitate expeditious resolution of any local competitive concerns.
Following that referral, the parties agreed with the New Jersey Attorney General to divest certain facilities in New Jersey. See Davenport v. CRH plc, No. 3:26-cv-13625 (D.N.J. filed Oct. 20, 2026).
In both matters, the Division commends the states and parties for reaching agreement to resolve the states’ concerns about competition in their local markets.[1] The Division continues to prioritize efficient use of federal enforcement resources and the complementary support of State Attorney General enforcement partners in local matters.
[1] The Division takes no position on the terms of the settlements.
Source: United States Department of Justice
This extradition marks the first time the United States has handed over a U.S. national to face justice for crimes committed in El Salvador
A dual U.S.-Salvadoran citizen and Riverside County, California man has been extradited at the request of the Government of El Salvador so that he may face trial for allegedly murdering a woman in front of their toddler son in 2019, then abandoning the boy, whom farm workers found several days later, severely dehydrated, hungry and showing signs of child abuse.
Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga, 27, of Beaumont, was surrendered on Wednesday to Salvadoran authorities to face criminal charges of aggravated feminicide and imperfect homicide. Castillo Murga had been in U.S. custody since October 2024.
According to El Salvador’s extradition request, on Feb. 1, 2019, Salvadoran authorities discovered the body of a woman near a highway. Three days later, law enforcement learned of the discovery of a boy, under the age of two years, in the vicinity of where the victim’s body was found. Authorities treated the boy for dehydration and mental health and later identified him as the son of the victim and Castillo Murga.
According to Salvadoran authorities, Castillo Murga and the victim began a romantic relationship in 2014 and, two years later, the victim became pregnant, giving birth to their son in 2017.
Although Castillo Murga promised to support their son financially, he was inconsistent with his visits, occasionally leaving money under a rock outside of his house for the victim. Castillo Murga also promised to continue financially supporting their son and urged the victim to be patient.
On the evening of Jan. 31, 2019, Castillo Murga picked up the victim and their son from her mother’s house to take her to a house he rented, ostensibly for the purpose of living with him as a family. However, Salvadoran law enforcement believes that Castillo Murga then killed the victim and abandoned the child at the site of the victim’s murder. An autopsy revealed the victim died from a massive hemorrhage resulting from cuts to the veins in her neck, among other wounds caused by a plastic knife found at the crime scene.
Castillo Murga’s cellular telephone was determined to be in the area of the victim’s murder at the time of her death, and two witnesses who were passing Castillo Murga and the victim on the highway observed a tall, thin person attacking a woman in the back seat of a gray vehicle, while she was kicking and screaming. During this time, Castillo Murga ignored telephone calls and messages from his girlfriend, whom he later contacted by sending her a photograph of himself covered with blood stains on his face and neck.
Approximately four days after the victim’s murder, farm workers discovered the boy and contacted police, unsure if the abandoned child was dead or alive. Medical personnel determined the child was in a state of severe dehydration and starvation and showed signs of child abuse. He also had cuts on his face, dry lips and nose, and insect bites. Authorities concluded that the physical and environmental conditions of the rugged area where the boy was found put the child’s life at risk.
Salvadoran authorities also learned that Castillo Murga and others – including his girlfriend, his grandmother, and a lawyer – attempted to conceal the victim’s death and the abandonment of their son. The grandmother and lawyer instructed two individuals to wash Castillo Murga’s car because there was blood on both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The individuals used water, car shampoo, and vinegar but were unable to remove all the blood in the car.
On or about Feb. 2, 2019, allegedly with the help of his grandmother and lawyer, Castillo Murga left El Salvador for Guatemala. He subsequently entered the United States. In October 2024, the United States acted on a request for Castillo Murga’s extradition submitted by the Government of El Salvador, and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him. On July 28, 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym certified his extradition to El Salvador.
Castillo Murga then filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, which U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb denied on Nov. 5, 2025. The Secretary of State issued a warrant ordering Castillo Murga’s surrender to Salvadoran authorities. Judge Holcomb subsequently denied Castillo Murga’s request for a stay of extradition on Sept. 24, 2026.
Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Amanda Matey Pyles of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Lulejian for the Central District of California handled this extradition matter.
The U.S. Marshals Service for the Central District of California provided significant assistance in this case and transported and transferred Castillo Murga to the custody of Salvadoran authorities.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is proud to join the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women, and communities across the country in observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October.