Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Seattle –A 35-year-old Mexican national who was illegally residing in California was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 years in prison for her leadership role of a massive drug distribution ring, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – Two Baltimore men received federal-prison terms for their roles in multiple carjackings, including one that resulted in a murder. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Jerritt Barron, 24, to 40 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and Jeremy Matheny, 27, to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an attempted carjacking that resulted in death.
Source: United States Department of Justice
In Gabon last month, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the Gabon Ministry of Water and Forests, the Sea and the Environment, led a five-day multilateral workshop that included Cameroon and Vietnam to combat illegal timber trade and strengthen legal timber commerce. With over 100 total attendees, the workshop was the first-ever to assemble:
This means that a complete supply chain was represented at the workshop — from harvesting through processing and distribution, including customs, as the represented countries trade timber with each other. In addition to government officials from the United States, Gabon, Cameroon, and Vietnam, representatives from the United Kingdom, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and industry representatives from Cameroon, Gabon, Vietnam, and the United States attended the event.
The workshop also supported ongoing bilateral counter-timber trafficking efforts between the United States, Cameroon, Gabon, and Vietnam.
“The United States has a strong commercial interest in addressing illegal timber in global supply chains and preventing illegal wood products from entering the U.S. market in violation of the Lacey Act. Illegally imported wood undercuts our domestic producers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of ENRD. “Cooperation with our foreign trading partners enhances our collective ability to interdict the trade of illegal timber while supporting legitimate commerce.”
Workshop Objectives
The focus of the workshop included:
Participants also visited sites in Gabon related to the country’s timber supply chain, including the Gabon Special Economic Zone.
In addition to ENRD and the Forest Service, this workshop was supported by other U.S. government components including DOJ’s Trade Fraud Task Force, Customs and Border Protection, Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Securities Investigations, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, State Department, and the U.S. Embassies in Libreville (Gabon), Hanoi (Vietnam), and Yaoundé (Cameroon).
Supporting Legal Trade
Illegal logging is the third most lucrative form of transnational organized crime, after counterfeiting and drug trafficking. Illegal logging robs lawful timber producers and forest owners of billions of dollars each year in lost revenue. The workshop underscored the United States’ commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral economic relationships through enhanced enforcement cooperation.
Gabon and Cameroon each maintain active timber trade with both the United States and Vietnam, and Vietnam is currently negotiating memoranda of understanding with Gabon and Cameroon to formalize timber trade data exchange and joint investigations.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
John Elijah Matthews faces a federal charge of committing an act of violence causing death on a mass transportation system, after he allegedly murdered a 66-year-old woman aboard a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) train last weekend.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Timothy Spence pleaded guilty to assault in-aid-of racketeering and a firearms crime related to his involvement in the August 17, 2025 shooting at Taste of the City Lounge in Brooklyn, New York, during which thirteen individuals were shot and three died. Spence, a member of the 5-9 Brims gang, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an information charging him with assault in-aid-of racketeering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(3), and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant. When sentenced, Spence faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and up to life imprisonment.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Fort Myers, Florida – Clarence Black, Jr. (50, Tampa) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 20 years and 6 months years in federal prison for drug trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl while being on federal supervised release. Judge Chappell also sentenced Jarrek Fabrion Myrick (40, Fort Myers) to 15 years and 6 months in federal prison for drug trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho denied a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Stibnite Gold Project. Among other things, the project will establish a domestic source of the mineral antimony, which has an essential use in a range of defense applications, including munitions and military-grade antimony trisulfide, lead-acid batteries, advanced sensor and radar materials, and flame retardants. Historically, the United States has been dependent on foreign sources of antimony. China is the largest historical supplier and has restricted exports to the United States. This has left the National Defense Stockpile depleted.
“Antimony is among the minerals most vital to our national defense, and for too long the United States has relied on foreign adversaries to supply it,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This decision allows construction to move forward on the most significant domestic source of antimony, and it reflects the Department’s commitment to defending projects critical to America’s national security.”
After years of environmental reviews, the U.S. Forest Service in January 2025 approved the Stibnite project, which is located in the Boise and Payette National Forests in central Idaho. A coalition of environmental groups challenged the approval and asked the court, before scheduled construction began, to halt work on the project’s access route and related facilities. The court denied that motion because plaintiffs had not made the required clear showing of imminent, irreparable harm. The ruling allows the authorized construction to proceed while the litigation continues.
Defense officials have identified the Stibnite project as the only domestic mine source capable of producing antimony in sufficient quantities to meet U.S. defense requirements in the near term. Over its life, the project is projected to produce roughly 115 million pounds of antimony, along with 4.2 million ounces of gold and 1.7 million ounces of silver. It will also reclaim a site disturbed by more than a century of historical mining, removing legacy mine tailings and restoring fish passage on the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River.
Attorneys with ENRD’s Natural Resources Section and Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, are handling this matter.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 28, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an 8-count indictment charging Jackeline Correa-Vázquez, 45 years old, with tampering with fentanyl, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A fourth family member was sentenced to 90 months in prison on May 28 following a jury trial that resulted in convictions of four men for a multimillion-dollar tax refund fraud scheme. Brandon Hunt was sentenced to 90 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to file false tax returns in the names of purported trusts. Brandon Hunt’s father David Hunt, his twin brother Baylon Hunt, and his half-brother Corey Burt were previously sentenced to 92 months, 38 months, and 94 months in prison, respectively.
According to statements made in court and evidence presented at trial, the Hunts, of Arlington, Texas, and Burt, formerly of Long Beach, Mississippi, executed a scheme to file false claims for tax refunds in the names of trusts they controlled. In total, they sought more than $8.5 million in tax refunds that the trusts were not entitled to receive. Brandon Hunt also filed multiple false returns in his own name that sought tax refunds he was not entitled to receive. As part of their scheme, the family members also submitted additional fake documents to the IRS including falsified financial instruments and altered money orders. Even after receiving warning letters to discontinue their fraudulent submissions, they continued filing false returns and other documents with the IRS.
As a result of the scheme, the co-conspirators received over $1.7 million in fraudulent proceeds from the IRS, which they shared and used to purchase luxury goods, furniture, cryptocurrency, a Cadillac Escalade and a house in Mississippi.
All four defendants were convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Brandon Hunt, David Hunt, and Corey Burt were also convicted of multiple counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Baylon Hunt was acquitted of two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.
In addition to the terms of imprisonment, Brandon Hunt was ordered to pay $1,774,864 in restitution to the United States.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. The U.S. Marshals Service rendered valuable assistance in apprehending Brandon, Baylon and David Hunt after they failed to appear for the second day of trial.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind and Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McDonald of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“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.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Officium Global LLC and Loyal Source Government Services LLC have agreed to pay a total of over $3.6 million resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and Contract Disputes Act, respectively.