Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a man from St. Peters, Missouri, to 188 months in federal prison after he admitted to kidnapping his pregnant girlfriend at gun point and driving to Fairview Heights to force her into obtaining an abortion.

Kevin L. Smith, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping. In addition to imprisonment, he will serve three years of supervised release. He was sentenced on Oct. 1.

“It is not easy to shock law enforcement officials because we have pretty much seen it all—but then someone like Kevin Smith comes along. It is difficult to find words adequate to describe someone who would kidnap his pregnant girlfriend to force her to have an abortion at gunpoint and then continue to threaten her from jail,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “This vile crime terrorized the victim and threatened the life of her unborn child. Smith deserves every minute of that prison sentence.”

According to court documents, Smith kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend from her job in St. Charles, Missouri, and drove her to Planned Parenthood in Fairview Heights to force her to obtain an abortion on Dec. 7, 2022. During the car ride, he used a loaded firearm to intimidate and threaten to kill the victim by shooting her in the head.

“This case represents a disturbing act of violence and abuse,” said Steve Johnson, Chief of the Fairview Heights Police Department. “Kevin Smith kidnapped his girlfriend at gunpoint and drove her across state lines against her will in an attempt to make her obtain an abortion. His actions were those of a dangerous and manipulative individual. Our investigators worked tirelessly to bring the facts forward, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office ensured Smith was held accountable in federal court. This sentencing sends a clear message that acts of violence will not be tolerated in our community.”

Court documents explain Smith faced higher sentencing penalties, because he repeatedly harassed the victim and continued to threaten her from jail.

The Fairview Heights Police Department led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Trippi prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Yakima, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on October 7, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian, sentenced J’LOVFONTE JEROME JOE, 31, of Yakima, Washington, Washington, to 240 months incarceration for Attempted Production of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Chief Judge Bastian also ordered that, following his sentence of incarceration, Joe be required to complete 5 years of supervised release. In addition, Chief Judge Bastian required that Joe pay $3,000 in restitution to victims of the child pornography he possessed.

According to court documents, Joe posted images of a minor child who was in his care to a message board dedicated to child sexual abuse on the dark web on January 22, 2021. In addition to images of the child, including images where the child’s clothes were pulled down and Joe’s tongue was pictured extending between the sleeping child’s buttocks, Joe made statements to other persons on the message board that he was considering drugging the child in order to complete a sexual assault. On February 2, 2021, Homeland Security Investigations agents and task force officers executed a search warrant on Joe’s residence. Electronic devices seized from that residence and linked to Joe contained over fifty digital files of Child Sexual Abuse Material in addition to images taken of the child taken at his residence. Those other digital files of Child Sexual Abuse Material included images of pre-pubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults. Joe pleaded guilty without benefit of a plea agreement on December 3, 2024, after several violations of conditions of pre-trial release, including cutting off his ankle monitor. At sentencing, prosecutors requested a term of imprisonment of 320 months (26 years, 8 months) to be followed by ten years of supervised release. Defendant requested a sentence of the statutory mandatory minimum of 180 months (15 years) imprisonment to be followed by ten years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Pete Serrano emphasized the importance of these investigations and prosecutions, “predators who victimize our children must be removed for our communities. This Defendant is an example of the worst kind of sexual predator, someone who victimizes children he is entrusted to care for and then attempts to drug and further exploit them in a sick and twisted online community. I commend our law enforcement partners and the AUSAs in my office to facing this disturbing material and going after these offenders.”

“Predators like Joe who exploit the innocent will face the full justice of the law – we will find you and hold you fully accountable,” said Homeland Security Investigations acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Joe’s sentence reflects HSI’s relentless work to safeguard victims, dismantle networks of predators and prosecute offenders of this heinous crime.”

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and additional investigation regarding the physical sexual contact with the child was conducted by the Yakima Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Letitia Sikes and Michael Murphy.

1:22-CR-2095-SAB

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on October 1, 2025.

Bradley Makes Room For Them, age 40, was sentenced to three years and two months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Makes Room For Them was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 7, 2025.

Makes Room For Them was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in September 2003. Consequently, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment or student status. Makes Room For Them was convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2023. In November 2024, Makes Room For Them was released from prison and began a period of supervised release, but failed to update his sex offender registration. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued, and on December 13, 2024, Makes Room For Them was arrested in Rapid City.

This case was brought as a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Makes Room For Them was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action to recover $70,000, in United States currency and two Rolex watches alleged to be proceeds of wire fraud and involved in money laundering.

Law enforcement seized these items on Jan. 20, 2024, following a traffic stop of Michael McInerney and Crystel O’Reilly, neither of whom had a driver’s license. McInerney and O’Reilly are Irish nationals and were not legally present in the United States. While inventorying their vehicle, officers found a white trash bag that contained $30,000 in one white sock and $40,000 inside a second sock and the two Rolex watches.

At the time of the traffic stop, law enforcement recognized McInerney as a suspected member of a transnational organized crime group that conducted construction, paving and roofing fraud schemes in the United States. The fraud schemes generally involved foreign nationals who pose as licensed contractors to induce homeowners, who were often elderly, to allow them to work on their homes. The foreign nationals often failed to pull required permits; performed unnecessary work; overcharged the homeowners; and disappeared when the homeowners discovered the fraud, expressed displeasure with the work, or threatened to report them to law enforcement. The foreign nationals bought jewelry and watches with the fraud proceeds in order to evade currency reporting requirements.

Following the stop, investigators obtained financial records and interviewed elderly homeowners in Somerville and Cambridge, Mass. who had written checks to McInerney, who is not legally authorized to work in the United States, for construction work. The Somerville homeowner, who was 75 years old, withdrew money from his retirement account to pay for the work and told investigators that the work was not completed and that he could not get in touch with the company after he paid them $199,500. The Cambridge homeowner, who was 78 years old years old, reported being charged $80,000 for work that should have cost no more than $30,000.

Investigators also learned that a homeowner in Washington, D.C., had obtained a default judgment against McInerney and an associate named Terrence Connors after writing checks totaling $60,000 to McInerney in August 2023. McInerney and Connors represented themselves to the homeowner as working for a legitimate roofing and masonry company. When the homeowner learned that the company was not legitimate, he confronted Connors, who threatened to tear up the roofing job if the homeowner did not pay an additional $20,000. The homeowner never saw Connors or McInerney again.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the case.

The accusations in the complaint, and the description of the complaint, constitute allegations that certain property is subject to forfeiture. The United States must prove, by a standard of preponderance of the evidence, that the property is subject to forfeiture.  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Yakima, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on October 9, 2025, United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell, sentenced Allicianna Lynnzie Clark, age 31, of Yakima, Washington, Washington, to 151 months imprisonment for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Judge Pennell also ordered that, following her sentence, Clark be on supervised release for a period of five years.

According to court documents, on August 5, 2024, two Yakima police officers were in a marked unit when they observed a vehicle with expired tags. The officers observed that the driver was a female and was the only person in the vehicle. The officers initiated a traffic stop and the driver sped away into a neighborhood. A few minutes later the officers found the vehicle abandoned in an alleyway. The officers found Clark a short distance away, identified her as the driver of the vehicle, and arrested her. Inside a bag Clark possessed police found approximately 120 grams of actual meth and 25 grams of fentanyl. Also inside the bag was a Glock model 19, 9mm pistol. Clark had previously served long prison sentences for assault, robbery, and illegal firearm possession.

“Repeat offenders engaged in drug trafficking while armed pose a direct threat to our communities.” Said United States Attorney Pete Serrano. “Through the diligent efforts of our local law enforcement along with their DEA partners, they were able to bring this offender to justice and make our community safer.”

“All too often, the evil trinity of meth, fentanyl, and firearms lead to violence and death, but in this case, it led Ms. Clark back to prison for a very long time,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “DEA and our partners work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from repeat offenders like Ms. Clark, who continue to threaten our communities with drugs and guns despite their previous incarceration.”

The case was investigated by the Yakima Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin D. Seal.

1:24-CR-2073-RLP

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that James Anthony Stinson, age 55, of Spokane, Washington was convicted following a 3-day jury trial of 11 felonies pertaining to Sex Trafficking, Drug Trafficking, and Unlawful Possession of Firearms.

Based on evidence presented during the jury trial, the investigation into Mr. Stinson began in 2021 following a series of controlled purchases of crack cocaine. Some of those purchases occurred from Mr. Stinson’s hotel room in the Spokane Valley. Based on that, law enforcement with the FBI, Spokane Police Department, and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on Mr. Stinson’s hotel rooms. They located distribution quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl pills, along with multiple illegally-possessed firearms as well as evidence consistent with sex trafficking. Further investigation into Mr. Stinson’s phones and other digital evidence revealed videos of Mr. Stinson threatening and violently beating a commercial sex worker. Messages on Mr. Stinson’s phones revealed his ongoing use of force, fraud, and coercion, described as an atmosphere of fear to force multiple victims to engage in sex work, as well as significant financial gains from his human trafficking and drug trafficking operations.

Mr. Stinson was previously convicted in Washington State Superior Court for Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine), for which he served 132 months and was released in 2011. In 2012, Mr. Stinson was convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of Washington for Addict and Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, for which he served 120 months in prison. At the time of his arrest in 2021, Mr. Stinson was on federal supervised release.

United States Attorney Pete Serrano stated the following: “The United States takes very seriously the safety of our neighborhoods. Crimes involving drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession are devastating to our communities. Mr. Stinson not only engaged in the distribution of controlled substances, but he also exploited multiple vulnerable women to engage in sex work.

He took advantage of their addiction and other vulnerabilities for his own benefit. Mr. Stinson is a violent predator with a lengthy criminal history, and I am grateful for the work of many law enforcement partners whose efforts led to Mr. Stinson being taken off the streets.”

“As this investigation into Mr. Stinson progressed, it revealed even more crimes, all of them harmful to the public,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Unfortunately, he did not seem to learn his lesson from prior convictions and returned to criminal activity, including distribution of dangerous drugs, illegal possession of firearms, and even sex trafficking through force and coercion. This case highlights the importance of the FBI’s Spokane Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Task Force, which was instrumental in bringing Mr. Stinson to justice and is an effective asset in keeping our Eastern Washington communities safe.”

This case was a multi-jurisdiction investigation conducted by the FBI Spokane Child Exploitation/Human Trafficking Task Force, which is a partnership between the FBI, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and Spokane Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca R. Perez and Lisa Cartier-Giroux.

2:23-cr-162-TOR

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on November 13, 2025, Chief District Court Judge United States District Judge Stanely Bastain, sentenced Joshua Isaac Stine, age 40, of Moses Lake, Washington, to 120 months of incarceration following his guilty plea to Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl. Judge Bastain ordered Stine’s sentence to commence after he finishes serving his current 20-year federal prison sentence, which was imposed for his previous for significant drug trafficking in the Moses Lake area. Stine will be on 8 years of supervised release upon his release from this sentence.

Evidence shows that Stine engaged in this conduct to facilitate the criminal activities of a national prison gang called “La Nuestra Familia” or “NF”. NF is attempting a targeted push to bring their “hardcore” principles and teachings to Washington State. NF doctrine dates back to the late 1960s and is encapsulated in multiple written documents, including an NF “constitution”. The rules of this criminal organization are mandatory and non-negotiable. NF leadership asserts they are engaged in this struggle for the betterment of Norteños – better known as “La Causa” or the “NF Movement”. Many individuals who have left the gang stated that La Causa is a ruse as its just about making money to perpetuate the criminal organization, which does not hesitate to use violence to achieve their objectives.

This persistent prison gang is purposely targeting minors to recruit into the gang and then indoctrinates them into their myopic way of life. These children are taught that if they are worthy Norteños, they will commit crimes and will end up in prison – so they need to follow the NF rules to be in “good standing” to comfortably serve their inevitable prison sentence. To advance further, these children will “owe a body” to advance their lifelong “careers”.

Stine’s conduct shows his clear desire to be selected by NF for membership. Stine is a member of the Moses Lake Norteño set East Side Familia. His criminal history dates back to 2000 and this is his 3rd federal conviction. In 2012, Stine was sentenced to 20 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm while on Washington State Department of Corrections supervision. Following his term of incarceration, Stine was on federal supervised release, and he participated in the STEP Program, which is intensive supervision to help drug addicts gain and maintain their sobriety. Shortly after his completed the program, Stine engaged in significant drug trafficking activity in the greater Moses Lake area in 2018-2019. He was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his conduct in 2021. (Case No: 2:19-CR-111-WFN-2).

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Marlborough pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to trafficking firearms.

Guilherme Fernandes-Tavares, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2026. Fernandes-Tavares was charged by criminal complaint in March 2025 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025.

Between December 2023 and May 2024, Fernandes-Tavares sold 11 firearms and ammunition across 10 different dates and offered others for sale. Specifically, the firearms Fernandes-Tavares sold were pistols, some of which were privately manufactured firearms without serial numbers and one of which had an obliterated serial number. One of the firearms was sold with a large capacity magazine that could hold 28 rounds of ammunition. In addition, a package intended for Fernandes-Tavares sent from Florida was intercepted and found to contain an additional firearm.

The charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Massachusetts State Police; and the Westborough Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PIERRE – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Lower Brule, South Dakota, convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on October 9, 2025.

Leighton Laroche, Jr., age 42, was sentenced to five months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Laroche was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 9, 2025.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on January 19, 2024, when Laroche was in custody at the Lower Brule Detention Center. Laroche engaged in a physical struggle with a Bureau of Indian Affairs correctional officer after he refused to return to his cell as directed.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services – Lower Brule Agency.

Laroche was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Department of Justice released the 2025 Annual Report to Congress on Department of Justice Activities to Combat Elder Fraud and Abuse, which details the Department’s progress in protecting older Americans and holding perpetrators of elder fraud accountable.

Over the reporting period, criminal and civil litigators across the Department pursued more than 280 enforcement actions against over 600 defendants — including many in the United States illegally or located overseas and extradited to be charged in U.S. courts. These offenders, both domestic and transnational, attempted to steal, or did steal, more than $2 billion from more than one million older Americans. The Department also successfully held multiple nursing home operators accountable for providing grossly substandard care to vulnerable Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

To strengthen its response to elder fraud and abuse, the Department continued to invest in capacity building for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges. It held the first National Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Team Summit, which brought together nearly 400 elder abuse multidisciplinary team members from around the country to share best practices for coordinated enforcement and improved services for older Americans.

Department reporting confirms that older adults lose billions of dollars every year to elder fraud schemes. During the reporting period, the Department recovered or froze millions of dollars stolen from older victims. The Department — through Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) formula grants to states — also supported more than 4,000 victim assistance organizations, which provided services to nearly 200,000 older victims nationwide. Additionally, the Department supported the first National Elder Abuse Victim Services Needs Assessment, a resource that will enable the Department and others to address and close identified gaps in services for older victims in the years ahead.

Recognizing the devastating consequences of elder fraud and abuse, all components within the Department engaged in some form of public awareness to promote prevention. In total, the Department held nearly 1,200 elder-focused public awareness and training events, reaching nearly 15 million Americans with information about prevention, intervention, and available resources.

The Department is committed to using every tool available — enforcement, victim services, capacity building, and public outreach — to combat the scourge of elder fraud and abuse, and it will continue to prioritize elder justice in the year ahead, building on these accomplishments.

For more information on elder fraud and abuse, visit the Department’s Elder Justice Initiative website. If you or someone you know has been the victim elder fraud, please call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11or or 833–372–8311.