Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jackson, TN – Dallas Jay Stewart, 43, was sentenced to 10 more years in federal prison on possession of child pornography. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, a targeted inmate cell search was conducted on Stewart’s cell. The search revealed an electronic storage device. A forensic examination revealed images of child sexual abuse material. Stewart was charged with one count of possession of child pornography.

On November 5, 2025, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Stewart to 130 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Stewart is currently serving a 50-year sentence for rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery. This sentence will run consecutive to the 50-year sentence.

Additionally, Stewart must comply with the conditions of the Sexual Offender Registry upon his release.  

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “With persistent recidivism and technology, criminals are finding new and increasingly disturbing ways to victimize and exploit child victims, even while behind prison walls. This case demonstrates that no matter where offenders are located, our FBI partners in the Child Exploitation Task Force will find them and we will hold them accountable for internet crimes against children.”

This case was investigated by Agent Eric McCraw, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville-Jackson Resident Agency Child Exploitation Task Force, and the State of Tennessee Department of Corrections Office of Investigations and Conduct.

Assistant United States Attorney Caroline Parish prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Alexandra M. Christensen, 31, Lindsay N. McCray (also known as Lindsay Rogers), 42, Heather T. Bradley (also known as Heather Thomas), 37, and Jennifer E. Purves, 39, all of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges in connection with the unlawful diversion of controlled substances. The pleas were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Christensen and McCray were charged with and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and hydrocodone. McCray, Bradley, and Purves were charged with and pleaded guilty to distribution of amphetamine. McCray was further charged with and pleaded guilty to identity theft in connection with a scheme to unlawfully divert controlled substances.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The opioid epidemic has plagued our communities with addiction and death for years as criminal offenders like these defendants flooded our streets with drugs.  Now, thanks to the close collaboration between our state and federal law enforcement partners, this illegal drug diversion scheme has been dismantled and these offenders will be held accountable.”

According to court records, between 2015 and 2024, McCray, while employed by a medical practice, forged controlled substance prescriptions using the names, signatures, and Drug Enforcement Administration registration numbers of the practice’s two physicians without their knowledge or authorization. McCray issued these fraudulent prescriptions using the names and identifiers of people who were not actual patients of the clinic, had never seen either of the physicians, and in many instances were fictitious. The controlled substance pills were dispensed by area pharmacies, picked up by Christensen and others, and unlawfully sold for shared profit. As a result of the conspiracy, McCray, Christensen, and others caused to be unlawfully distributed and dispensed over 300,000 hydrocodone pills and over 30,000 oxycodone pills. McCray further coordinated with Bradley and Purves to distribute amphetamine in the form of Adderall pills or its generic equivalent. On multiple occasions each, Bradley and Purves obtained and filled prescriptions in their own and others’ names to unlawfully distribute for profit to a third party, payments for which passed through McCray.

Sentencing hearings are scheduled before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II on December 11, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. for Purves; on December 18, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. for McCray and at 2:00 p.m. for Christensen; and on January 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. for Bradley.

The pleas were the result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division, with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

The charges in this case were part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. All the cases were part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PLANO, Texas – During the recent federal government shutdown, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas continued its mission to protect public safety and hold criminals accountable, prosecuting cases involving immigration violations, firearms violations, fraud, drug trafficking, and other federal offenses.

“Over the past 43 days, our mission remained the same, the pursuit of justice for the citizens of the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.  “During the shutdown our prosecutors never stopped. They were in court and on the job every day pursuing justice and protecting our communities as a part of Operation Take Back America.”

Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The following is just a glimpse of some of the many cases handled during the shutdown:

Corey Buchea Grant, 31, and Calvin Autae Thompson, 36, both of Dallas, were convicted by a jury of conspiring to distribute heroin and crack cocaine following a six-day trial in Plano.   

William Caleb Elliott, 26, a former Celina ISD coach and teacher, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging him with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.  A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt, and the defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Bobby Michael Dennis, 64, of Jacksonville, was charged with firearms violations related to the shooting of a Jacksonville police officer.  A complaint or indictment is not evidence of guilt, and the defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

John Prentice Robertson, 65, of Aubrey, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for paying women in the Philippines to sexually abuse their children and make custom ordered child pornography for him.

David Valdez, 45, and his son, Abel Valdez, 28, both Mexican naturalized citizens living in Dallas, were each to sentenced to 324 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

Juan Manuel Navarette Robles, 49, a Mexican national illegally in the United States, was sentenced to 315 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

Rolando Alberto Vindas Abarca, 45, a Costa Rican national, was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison after being extradited to the United States for conspiring to manufacture and distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine for importation into the United States.

Trevorris Rashomique Woodard, 37, of Longview, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess fentanyl.

Ashley Blaine Brooks, 57, of Plano, a convicted sex offender, was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for child pornography violations.

Desmond Denard Brown, 39, of Longview, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Frank James Collins, 45, of Port Arthur, was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Trinity Snow Cassels, also known as Dustin Joseph McDuffie, 34, of Denton, was sentenced to 170 months in federal prison for posing as a teen boy online to communicate with minors and distribute child pornography to them.

Charleston Jamal Washington, 39, of Lafayette, LA, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for robbing a Vidor bank.

Kahkashan Haider Khan, 54, of Frisco, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for making false statements to federal agents in relation to international terrorism.

Dominique Keyrel Carr, 37, of Grapeland, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.

Daniel Nichols Corbin, 36, of Beaumont, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for carjacking.

Eric Andrew Wara, 29, of Beaumont, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Bradley Morgan Holts, 54, of Orange, a former financial advisor and stockbroker, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $186,381.64 in restitution for using interstate wire communications to defraud three of his investors.

Juan Colorado-Jimenez, 30, a Mexican national illegally living in Nacogdoches, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

Linda Burrell, 51, of Farmers Branch, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fraud scheme.

Antonio Hernandez-Perez, 48, a Mexican national illegally living in Nacogdoches, pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

Joshua Deshon Scott, 18, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen firearms following the burglary of a Beaumont pawn shop.

James Christopher Moffett, 55, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Carlton Hollins, 55, a Longview tax preparer, pleaded guilty to making false statements on federal tax returns.

Bradley Broussard, 38, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm while robbing a tobacco store.

A federal grand jury returned a 19-count indictment charging five Beaumont men with drug trafficking and firearms violations related to a marijuana conspiracy. A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt, and the defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SHERMAN, Texas – A former Celina ISD teacher and coach has been charged with federal child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

William Caleb Elliott, 26, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand earlier this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

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

If convicted, Elliott faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Celina Police Department, Collin County District Attorney’s Office, and the FBI.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calli Bailey.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TYLER, Texas –A Jacksonville convicted felon has been charged with federal firearms violations in connection with the shooting of a police officer in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Bobby Michael Dennis, 64, was named in a complaint in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and while being convicted of a crime of domestic violence.

According to information presented in court, on November 2, 2025, Dennis opened fire on a Jacksonville police officer, striking her twice, with an AR-15-style rifle when the officer attempted to identify him pursuant to multiple outstanding warrants.  After firing numerous rounds at the officer, her K9, and her car, Dennis fled, leading to a multi-agency manhunt, during which Jacksonville-area schools canceled classes for two days. A search warrant executed at Dennis’ residence in Jacksonville discovered four additional firearms. Dennis was apprehended safely on the evening of November 5, 2025, during the execution of a search warrant at a bunker that Dennis had built near Cuney, Texas. An additional firearm was recovered from the bunker.

Dennis is prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law as a three-time convicted felon, with previous convictions for aggravated robbery in Smith County and aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance in Pulaski County, Arkansas.

If convicted of the federal firearms charges, Dennis faces up to life in prison.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; Jacksonville Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division; and the Texas Rangers. The case is being prosecuted in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Lucas Machicek.

A complaint or grand jury indictment are not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Two Missouri men were sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Friday for operating a long-running Ponzi scheme that cost at least 99 victims $5.7 million.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. sentenced James “Jim” Johnson, 78, to 188 months in prison and Darrell Niswonger, 69, to 150 months. Judge Limbaugh also ordered Niswonger and Johnson to repay their victims.

Johnson and Niswonger promised clients of their storefront firm in Perryville, Missouri that their investments were safe and would be placed in municipal bonds earning a moderate, 5% return. But for nearly two decades Johnson and Niswonger instead spent the bulk of clients’ money on lavish lifestyles that included country club memberships, sponsored golf tournaments, hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements to Johnson’s home, educational expenses for a Niswonger relative and yearly salaries of $195,000. They also used some of the money to make payments to victims to lull them into believing that their investments were secure.

The crime began in 2006, when Johnson & Niswonger Financial Resources LLC began experiencing cash flow problems. Johnson and Niswonger started offering clients what they referred to as tax-free and risk-free “municipal bonds,” knowing they were really going to use the money to keep their business and themselves afloat financially. They discouraged investors from withdrawing their money and urged them to roll over their investments because they lacked the funds to make the investors whole, their plea agreements say.

The pair bilked friends, relatives, neighbors and a fund to preserve and maintain a cemetery in Ste. Genevieve County. In dozens of letters, victims described being devastated by the loss of inheritances, retirement savings and the proceeds of the sale of homes and farms.

In one letter to Judge Limbaugh, a widow wrote that she “can’t believe 2 people pretending to be your friend could do such a horrible thing. In this day and time is there no one you can trust?”

One couple wrote that “Niswonger stole what it took us a lifetime to earn. We gave up comforts and luxuries so we could be prepared for the future, and he treated our sacrifices as if they were his to squander. Even now, he continues to rob us; not just of money, but of our peace in these last years of our lives. We cannot go back and earn it again. At our age, there is no starting over.”

Another victim wrote of the theft of $25,000 that her grandmother left to her to buy a house – the only way her family could afford to buy one.

Yet another victim wrote, “I’d like to state how shaken I have become about dealing with people in a county where many still use a handshake to make a deal.”

An 87-year-old woman who invested the $150,000 proceeds of the sale of her house said she can no longer afford rent.

“Niswonger and Johnson’s scheme victimized teachers, factory workers, truck drivers, farmers, a rancher, a waitress and even one of their own employees,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “Their victims were not investing to amass luxuries or pay for vacation properties but to provide for their families, buy their first house or pass on a nest egg to their children or grandchildren, and Niswonger and Johnson preyed on that desire for safe and secure investments.”

“Jim Johnson and Darrell Niswonger exploited and defrauded members of their community for personal gain. The irreparable damage they caused has finally ended and justice has prevailed,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Flowers of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Though the devastating financial impact of their actions will not be forgotten, it is our hope that today’s sentencing brings some closure to their many victims.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to defending the nation’s mail system from criminal activity, preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and protecting United States Postal Service employees. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service values our law enforcement partners for supporting our mission to protect the integrity of the U.S. Mail,” said Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Domicile Office.

Johnson and Niswonger pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in August to one count each of wire fraud, securities fraud and investment adviser fraud. Niswonger also pleaded guilty to four additional counts of wire fraud.

Johnson, of Perry County, and Niswonger, of Perryville, agreed to forfeit the $301,749 sales proceeds of Johnson’s home, a 2019 Audi A5 Premium, $61,734 in two bank accounts and $53,588 in brokerage accounts.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Note: This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

On Sept. 30, the United States extradited to Chile three fugitives, all of whom had been in the United States illegally, to face charges of homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and human smuggling in connection with their alleged involvement in Tren de Aragua (TdA). On Jan. 20, Executive Order 14157 designated TdA – a Venezuelan-based transnational criminal organization – to be a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). 

“The three defendants allegedly committed heinous crimes in the name of the foreign terrorist organization, Tren de Aragua, and then sought to escape justice by living in the United States illegally,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With today’s extradition, the Department of Justice has made the streets of the United States safer and assisted our Chilean partners in ensuring that these defendants will be held accountable for crimes that they are accused of committing in that country. The United States will no longer be a safe haven for members of TdA who pose a direct threat to our public safety and national security.”

The three extradited fugitives alleged to be associated with TdA are:

• Miguel Oyola Jimenez, 38, a dual Venezuelan and Ecuadorian national, surrendered to Chile to be prosecuted on two counts of kidnapping for ransom and one count of criminal association. Chile alleges that Oyola Jimenez directed and conducted kidnappings for ransom of migrant workers as part of a cell of TdA operating in Northern Chile;
• Jesus Alberto Golding Escalona, 34, a Venezuelan national, surrendered to Chile to be prosecuted on charges of aggravated murder and human smuggling. Chile alleges that Golding Escalona is associated with Tren de Desastre, a Chilean-based affiliate of TdA, and that he killed an individual as part of a large human smuggling operation in Chile; and
• Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, 37, a Venezuelan national, surrendered to Chile to be prosecuted on charges of kidnapping with homicide, criminal association, and receiving stolen property. Chile alleges that Benitez Rubio was a member of TdA who participated in the kidnapping and killing of a well-known Venezuelan opposition member in Santiago, Chile, by providing the vehicles used to facilitate the kidnapping operation.

Also on Sept. 30, the United States extradited two additional defendants to Chile, both accused of violent crimes. Chile alleges that Gregoris Jose Cortez Fernandez, 35, a Venezuelan national, acted as the hitman for Gallineta, a violent street gang. Chile further alleges that Yonaiker Gabriel Sequera Olivero, 24, a Venezuelan national, shot an individual in connection with a dispute over narcotics.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, Eastern District of Michigan, and Western District of Washington, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Chilean prosecutors and law enforcement authorities, to facilitate the extraditions.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Editor’s Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to the government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Four Co-Defendants Previously Pleaded Guilty for Their Roles in Compelling the Labor of H-2A Visa Recipients Throughout the Southeastern United States

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – During the lapse in government funding, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah continued its mission to protect public safety and prosecute federal cases. Below are some of the indictments, pleas of guilty, and sentencings obtained during the shutdown.

Oct. 9, 2025

Ryan Michael Gaines, 32, of Santa Clara, Utah, pleaded guilty to damaging government property, specifically a Department of Homeland Security Transit Van in April 2025. As a result, the damage to the van totaled $2,883.20. Gaines’ sentencing is set for January 7, 2026, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 2B 206 in St. George, Utah.

Oct. 14, 2025

Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes, 33, a Nicaraguan citizen living in the United States illegally, was indicted by a federal grand jury after he allegedly obtained approximately 104,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills that field-tested positive for fentanyl and weighed 23 pounds total. Castillo-Reyes was charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. He had his initial appearance on the indictment on October 30, 2025.

Oct. 14, 2025

Mario Guzman Bonilla, 20, a Honduran citizen living in the United States illegally, was indicted by a federal grand Jury on October 14, 2025, after law enforcement in Washington County, Utah, seized ten packages of narcotics from his vehicle. The packages tested positive for fentanyl, with a total weigh of 10 kilograms of fentanyl powder. Guzman Bonilla was charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. He had his initial appearance on the indictment on October 20, 2025.

Oct. 15, 2025

Darwin Brock, 58 of Lapoint, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury for abusive sexual contact of a child in Indian Country after he allegedly engaged in sexual contact with a victim under the age of 12. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for November 18, 2025, at 2:15 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

Oct. 29, 2025

Diriyeh Gass, 18, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was charged by a federal grand jury after he allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the driver of a vehicle that Gass then carjacked. Officers were able to stop the vehicle in Salt Lake City, Utah, but Gass took off on foot. Because Gass possessed the victim’s earbuds, the officers were able to track Gass to his home in Salt Lake City where Gass was arrested. Officers also seized a Hi-Point C9 9mm handgun from his home. Gass’s initial appearance on the indictment was on November 4, 2025.

Nov. 12, 2025

Thomas Paul Madden, 67, of Washington City, Utah, was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $13,860,988.56 in restitution after he engaged in a yearslong scheme in which he defrauded over 200 people out of $25 million. In addition to his term of imprisonment, the court also sentenced Madden to two years’ supervised release.