Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment today against Joseph “Charles” Henrichsen, 49, and his son, Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, after a 15‑hour hostage crisis in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest that drew an extensive and coordinated response from local, state, and federal law enforcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. DOJ efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a comprehensive effort led by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. United States Attorneys in Louisiana are proud to stand unified in this critical effort on behalf of Louisiana citizens and made this joint statement:
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department today announced that Holmes Motors Inc., a “lease here, pay here” dealership with locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, has agreed to pay over $137,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing vehicles owned by servicemembers and failing to refund security deposits and prepaid lease amounts to servicemembers who terminated their vehicle leases due to military orders.
“The Servicemember Civil Relief Act provides certain rights and protections to the members of our Armed Forces. These protections are designed to lessen the legal and economic burdens of military service and enable our warfighters to focus on the defense of our Nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not waver in its commitment to enforcing these rights.”
“As someone with 30 years of military service, enforcing the law to protect servicemembers’ rights is of the highest priority to me and to my office,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. for the Northern District of Alabama. “The law is clear that when servicemembers are on active duty, they should not have to worry their car will be repossessed while they serve their county. I am very proud of this settlement, which ensures that companies understand that this law is not optional and servicemembers’ rights will be protected in this district.”
The Department alleges that Holmes Motors illegally repossessed three vehicles leased by SCRA-protected servicemembers without obtaining court orders. In at least one case, Holmes Motors repossessed a vehicle even after the servicemember gave the company a copy of her military orders requiring her to deploy in support of operations at the southern border.
The Department also alleges that Holmes Motors violated the SCRA when it failed to refund security deposits and prepaid lease amounts when servicemembers terminated five vehicle leases early after receiving qualifying military orders.
Under the settlement, Holmes Motors will pay $77,348 in compensation to the affected servicemembers. The company will also pay a $60,000 civil penalty and will be required to make policy and training changes to avoid committing future violations.
Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $489 million in monetary relief for over 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department today announced that Holmes Motors Inc., a “lease here, pay here” dealership with locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, has agreed to pay over $137,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing vehicles owned by servicemembers and failing to refund security deposits and prepaid lease amounts to servicemembers who terminated their vehicle leases due to military orders.
“The Servicemember Civil Relief Act provides certain rights and protections to the members of our Armed Forces. These protections are designed to lessen the legal and economic burdens of military service and enable our warfighters to focus on the defense of our Nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will not waver in its commitment to enforcing these rights.”
“As someone with 30 years of military service, enforcing the law to protect servicemembers’ rights is of the highest priority to me and to my office,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. for the Northern District of Alabama. “The law is clear that when servicemembers are on active duty, they should not have to worry their car will be repossessed while they serve their county. I am very proud of this settlement, which ensures that companies understand that this law is not optional and servicemembers’ rights will be protected in this district.”
The Department alleges that Holmes Motors illegally repossessed three vehicles leased by SCRA-protected servicemembers without obtaining court orders. In at least one case, Holmes Motors repossessed a vehicle even after the servicemember gave the company a copy of her military orders requiring her to deploy in support of operations at the southern border.
The Department also alleges that Holmes Motors violated the SCRA when it failed to refund security deposits and prepaid lease amounts when servicemembers terminated five vehicle leases early after receiving qualifying military orders.
Under the settlement, Holmes Motors will pay $77,348 in compensation to the affected servicemembers. The company will also pay a $60,000 civil penalty and will be required to make policy and training changes to avoid committing future violations.
Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $489 million in monetary relief for over 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the arrests of CATORA NOEL, DARREN STEPHENSON, and IMANI-KAI BROWN, who are charged with stealing the personal identifying and financial information of dozens of victims as part of a conspiracy to fraudulently take over those victims’ bank accounts and initiate over a million dollars in unauthorized wire transfers and ATM withdrawals.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Antoine Gatling, 33, a previously convicted violent felon, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Samuel Fapohunda, 27, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with his illegal possession of a Glock 19 pistol with a 17-round magazine, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice
A grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment charging four men for their alleged roles in a years-long scheme to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by exchanging food assistance benefits for cash and fraudulently obtaining more than $19 million in federal funds.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced that Clayton Lloyd Iley, a 41-year-old Stephenville, Texas businessman, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft offenses on June 17. These offenses arose from a scheme wherein he illegally obtained credit cards and offered a scam loan program to victims.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Memphis, TN – Amanda Kate Walker Bass, 36, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for executing a scheme to defraud, whereby she claimed to be a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today. According to information provided in court, Bass claimed to be a multiple-time deployed U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was the lone survivor of an enemy ambush in Afghanistan in 2010 that left her seriously wounded. She used this fictitious narrative for financial gain by having a GoFundMe page set up for her benefit and sharing the story online and…