Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

            WASHINGTON — Yana Leonova, 33, a Belorussian citizen most recently residing in Russia, was extradited from France yesterday on an indictment charging her with conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act, to commit smuggling, to commit money laundering, and to defraud the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

            Leonova, aka “Yana Liavonava,” made her initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            Joining in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the Counterintelligence Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the Kansas City, Mo., Field Office and Jonathan Carson of the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement (BIS/OEE).

           The indictment alleges that following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in May 2022, Leonova – using co-conspirators located in the United States – procured and illicitly exported from the United States to Russia numerous avionics and other aircraft equipment. The exported items were for use on private aircraft operated by Leonova’s former employer a company identified on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List.

            As part of the conspiracy, Leonova and her co-conspirators purchased the aircraft components from U.S.-based distributors. Using companies located in Armenia, the Maldives, and elsewhere, they then transshipped the components to Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

            “This defendant tried to circumvent U.S. law to enrich herself by procuring and illicitly exporting, from the United States to Russia, avionics, and other prohibited equipment,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “She used intermediary countries in an effort to block the identity of the final recipient in Russia where licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce were needed.”

            “The FBI’s investigation revealed that Yana Leonova allegedly conspired to evade U.S. export laws by selling sensitive aircraft equipment to Russia,” said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the Counterintelligence Division. “The FBI has made it a top priority to keep U.S. technology from making its way into our adversaries’ hands, and we ask all our private sector partners to remember the critical role they play in safeguarding our national security by reporting violations. And to anyone considering helping a hostile nation-state obtain export-controlled technology, let today’s charges serve as a warning to you: the FBI and our partners will find you, no matter where you are, and bring you to justice.”

          “The Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement remains steadfast in protecting U.S. national security and ensuring the integrity of our export control system,” said BIS-OEE Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson. “Working closely with our law enforcement and international partners, we will continue to uncover and disrupt illicit procurement networks wherever they operate.”

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of work for the FBI and underscores our commitment to identifying those who allegedly violate national export laws,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the Kansas City Field Office. “We’re thankful to the team of investigators, the Department of Justice, the United States Marshals Service, and our French allies for their help in the extradition of Leonova, who will now face these charges in a U.S. court.”

           As alleged, Leonova and her co-conspirators repeatedly concealed and misstated the true end users and end destinations of the aircraft components ordered by Leonova by submitting false information on documents. She caused the items to be transshipped to Russia through intermediary destinations and caused payments in U.S. dollars to be transmitted from foreign bank accounts to bank accounts in the United States.

           This case is being investigated by FBI Kansas City and BIS/OEE Atlanta and New York. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and John W. Borchert of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Sean R. Heiden and Kara Podraza of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. 

           Significant assistance on the extradition was provided by French authorities and the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs. The Department expresses deep appreciation for the support of our French allies. 

           An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

24cr421

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OAKLAND—Brendan Munro Thompson, aka Bella Thompson and Bella Castillo, 26, was charged by criminal complaint with the federal crime of assaulting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon by accelerating a U-Haul truck as it approached several United States Coast Guard (USCG) personnel on October 23, 2025.  Thompson’s initial appearance in federal district court took place this morning.

According to the complaint and court documents filed on October 30, 2025, and unsealed today, on the night of October 23, USCG personnel were standing guard on the bridge connecting Coast Guard Island with Oakland.  Coast Guard Base Alameda is located on Coast Guard Island, a small island on an estuary separating Alameda and Oakland, and can be accessed via the bridge.  At the time, demonstrators had congregated near the eastern end of the bridge, protesting the potential deployment of U.S. Department of Homeland Security personnel to conduct enforcement of U.S. immigration law in San Francisco.  

The complaint alleges that at approximately 10:00 p.m. on October 23, Thompson drove a 10-foot-long U-Haul truck onto the eastern part of the bridge.  Thompson then backed the truck onto the bridge, with its rear end facing toward Coast Guard Island.  Several USCG personnel were positioned in a line across the bridge.  As the truck reversed towards the USCG personnel, they backed away toward a USCG law enforcement vehicle parked on the bridge.  The truck stopped and started several times and then accelerated rapidly backward towards the USCG personnel.  As the U-Haul gained speed, USCG personnel shouted orders to the driver to stop.  

The U-Haul accelerated towards USCG personnel to an estimated 15 to 20 feet, causing USCG personnel to fear the possibility that the truck would strike them or their colleagues, or that it contained explosives or had an explosive device.  When the driver did not stop and continued to rapidly accelerate backward toward the line of USCG personnel, USCG personnel defensively fired their weapons at the U-Haul truck.  

Thompson drove away in the U-Haul and later received medical treatment for a non-life-threatening gunshot injury sustained during the incident.    

“As alleged, Thompson drove a U-Haul truck directly into a line of Coast Guard personnel who were protecting the Coast Guard base, as they bravely do day in and day out.  Let this be clear: there is zero tolerance for assault on federal officers or property, and those who do so will face federal criminal charges,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.

“The FBI stands firmly with our federal law enforcement partners and will always work to protect those who protect our communities,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo. “Attempting to use a truck to assault federal officers performing their lawful duties is not protest, it is a violent and serious federal crime. Federal officers must be able to carry out their mission without fear of violence, and we will continue to support efforts to ensure that anyone who commits violence against them is held fully accountable under the law.”

Thompson will next appear in federal district court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore for a status on detention and preliminary hearing on November 10, 2025.

A criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(b).  Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.  

The case is being prosecuted by the Oakland Branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Thompson Complaint
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendants allegedly visiting area colleges on Halloween night break into medical school building and detonate fireworks

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Paducah, KY – A Hopkinsville man pleaded guilty yesterday to damaging religious property.

U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division, Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement.

According to court documents, on January 28 and 29, 2025, Marley R. Taylor, 27, of Hopkinsville, destroyed a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus located at a Catholic church by using an axe to chop off both statues’ heads.  Taylor admitted that he intentionally decapitated the statue of Mary and Jesus because he believed people prayed to the statue as an act of worship.  The statue had been hand carved from marble and imported from Italy.

Taylor pleaded guilty to damage to religious property in a one count Information.   He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2026, at 11:30 a.m.  If the court accepts the terms of the plea agreement, Taylor faces a penalty of not more than 3 years in prison and payment of not less than $35,935 in restitution.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“The violent destruction of religious property due to hatred for another’s faith is both intolerable and un-American,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice stands firmly against anti-Christian bias and will hold accountable anyone who targets Americans because of their religious beliefs.”

“We cannot and will not accept attacks on the free exercise of religion, nor the desecration of sacred religious symbols. Mr. Taylor intentionally desecrated two of Christianity’s most revered symbols, statutes of Mary and Jesus, as an attack on the Christian faith.  His motives and his conduct have earned these federal charges.   Let this be a warning that no attack on the exercise of religion—regardless of faith—will be tolerated in the Western District of Kentucky,” said U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner.

“Mr. Taylor not only intentionally and severely damaged two religious statues at a place of worship, but by doing so, he also violated a key principle of our nation, the freedom of all to express religious beliefs afforded under the U.S. Constitution,” said Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “As our mission conveys, the FBI will work tirelessly alongside our partners to ensure Constitutional rights provided to every American are protected.”

“I would like to thank our federal partners for their constant support in helping us protect the citizens of Hopkinsville from those that choose to threaten our quality of life,” said Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department. “Citizens have the right to live in a society where their beliefs and safety should never be violated by those who threaten either with violence.  We will continue working together to ensure our commitment to make Hopkinsville a safer community remains successful.”

This case is being investigated by the FBI Bowling Green Satellite Office and the Hopkinsville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, and Trial Attorney Julia White of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DETROIT, Mich. – Last Friday, the FBI arrested multiple suspects and took them into custody. They have now been charged for having firearms that would be used in a conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS—a vicious foreign terrorist organization hell-bent on murdering Americans. The complaint sets forth grievous allegations of a radical Islamic terror plot involving AR-style rifles, shotguns, handguns, and other tools for a tactical assault.

“This newly unsealed complaint reveals a major ISIS-linked terror plot with multiple subjects arrested in the Eastern District of Michigan targeting the United States,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “According to the complaint, subjects had multiple AR-15 rifles, tactical gear, and a detailed plan to carry out an attack on American soil. Thanks to the extraordinary diligence of our U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr., the FBI and state and local law enforcement officers, this plot was stopped before innocent lives were lost.”

“With today’s unsealed criminal complaint, the American people can see the results of months of tireless investigative work where the FBI acted quickly and likely saved many lives,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “We’ll continue to follow the facts, uphold the law, and deliver justice for the American people.”

“We are thankful for the exceptional work of the FBI in keeping the Homeland safe and for the helping hand of state and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.

“FBI Detroit and its Joint Terrorism Task Force are relentless in ensuring the safety of the citizens of Michigan and beyond. Defending the homeland will always be one of our top priorities, and we will utilize every available federal resource to disrupt and dismantle any individuals or groups who threaten national security,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan for their dedicated support.”

The investigation is ongoing.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, Colombian authorities extradited Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT) Jose Orlando Buitrago-Rodríguez, also known as “Tito el Borracho” or “Tito” or “El Borracho,” to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico. United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, made the announcement.

On January 27, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an Indictment against Buitrago-Rodríguez charging him with international conspiracy to distribute cocaine for the purpose of unlawful importation, importation of cocaine, and attempt to import cocaine. The Indictment also includes a narcotics forfeiture allegation regarding 14 real properties and five vehicles. 

Buitrago-Rodríguez was the leader of a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Colombia. This TCO sent many shipments totaling over ten thousand kilograms of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to Puerto Rico and the continental United States, often through the Dominican Republic. Once successfully smuggled into Puerto Rico, drug traffickers then smuggled the majority of the cocaine into the continental United States for further distribution.

The Attorney General designated Buitrago-Rodríguez as a CPOT in 2022. The Attorney General’s Interagency CPOT list is comprised of leaders who exercise “command and control” of the elements of the most prolific drug trafficking/money laundering organizations that have the greatest impact on the United States’ illicit drug supply.  The CPOT list represents the “most wanted” of the cartel leadership and ensures that the full capabilities of the U.S. government are focused, in a coordinated and clear manner, on a group of agreed-upon high-level targets.

“This prosecution and extradition demonstrate the Department of Justice’s relentless efforts to eliminate international drug cartels flooding our streets with deadly drugs and to bring their leaders to justice,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow.  “This case also highlights the strategic and critical role that Puerto Rico plays in defending our nation against TCOs, cartels, and foreign terrorist organizations.

“This capture is another step in our fight to crush violent crime. It reflects what our mission demands—relentless pursuit, disciplined execution, and zero tolerance for those who threaten our communities,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “We will hunt down the drivers of violence—wherever they run, however long it takes.”

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the collaboration of partner agencies Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, United States Coast Guard, Internal Revenue Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations HSI, and the San Juan Puerto Rico Municipal Police.

On January 22, 2024, in coordination with foreign officials, Buitrago-Rodríguez was located and arrested in Colombia at the request of the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from Colombia. The Department of Justice also recognizes the significant collaboration provided by authorities in Colombia.

In July 2025, the government of Colombia conducted an asset seizure operation related to Buitrago-Rodríguez based, in large part, on the United States Indictment and investigation, seizing 18 properties, including vehicles, land lots, farms, houses, and commercial establishments. The value of all the items seized was approximately $6,769,988.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso under the supervision of Chief Myriam Y. Fernández-González and Deputy Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, & Transnational Organized Crime Section.

If convicted, Buitrago-Rodríguez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for all the drug trafficking charges.

This prosecution and extradition are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the below-listed federal agencies with the prosecution in this case being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico: 

(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (2) U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – SAC San Juan; (3) the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of Puerto Rico and the District of the United States Virgin Islands; (4) the United States Marshals Service for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; (5) U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations San Juan Field Office; (6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Caribbean Air and Marine Branch; (7) U.S. Border Patrol – Ramey Sector; (8) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Caribbean Division; (9) U.S. Coast Guard – Sector San Juan; (10) U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; (11) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) – Puerto Rico / Virgin Islands; (12) Internal Revenue Service; (13) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Miami Field Division – RAC San Juan; (14) U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Miami Division, San Juan Field Office; (15) United States Secret Service – RAC San Juan; (16) Transportation Security Administration – Federal Air Marshal; and (17) Federal Aviation Administration.

In addition, the following state and local law enforcement agencies participate with and provide resources to the HSTF: (1) Puerto Rico Police Department; (2) San Juan Municipal Police Department; (3) Carolina Municipal Police Department; (4) Guaynabo Municipal Police Department; (5) Barceloneta Municipal Police Department; (6) Ponce Municipal Police Department; (7) Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; (8) Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; (9) Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); (10) Puerto Rico Port Authority; and (11) Virgin Islands Police Department.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Stefanie Roddy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that DONOVAN HALL was sentenced on October 30, 2025, to 49 months in prison for making interstate threats and the interstate stalking of Jewish victims in New York City.  The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden.

“Donovan Hall targeted Jewish victims with a sustained campaign of intimidation, terror, and harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “The approximately 1,000 threats he sent to these New Yorkers were alarming and brazen.  The prosecution of this case and the sentence imposed make clear that this Office will aggressively bring to justice those who perpetrate senseless crimes of hate.” 

Special Agent in Charge Roddy said: “Hall’s sentencing speaks volumes about the severity of his crimes, and the seriousness with which the law takes them. After being remanded for approximately 10 months, Hall’s guilty plea still resulted in the near-maximum sentence allowed for his calculated campaign of anti-Semitic rhetoric. His reign of fear is over and serves as a reminder to those who think they can hide behind computers, phone lines, and texts – the FBI treats all threats of violence with the utmost seriousness. The FBI will not relent in seeking justice for the victims of these egregious crimes.”

According to the Indictment, other public filings, and statements made in court: 

Over a period of three months, HALL contacted several individuals located in New York, New York (the “Victims”) approximately 1,000 times and made anti-Semitic and violent threats to torture, mutilate, rape, and murder them and their families.   In particular, starting in August 2024, HALL made dozens of threatening phone calls—many of which were anti-Semitic in nature—to the Jewish owner of a hotel located in Manhattan, the owner’s family members, and hotel staff.  During these calls, HALL threatened numerous times to kill the Victims.

In October 2024, HALL escalated his threatening conduct by texting photographs of two firearms and a machete to the hotel owner, along with threats to use those weapons to harm the owner and his family.  During a search of HALL’s residence in Arizona conducted on November 22, 2024, the firearms depicted in the text messages, among other weapons and ammunition, were recovered.  The two firearms—neither of which is registered in HALL’s name—were located alongside his wallet in his backpack.  One of the firearms was loaded.

HALL’s threats toward the Victims were part of a larger pattern of death threats sent to various other individuals.  The targets of his threats are located throughout the U.S.  In these communications, HALL consistently used violent and threatening language, and often targeted Jews.

*                *                *

In addition to his prison term, HALL, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. 

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI’s Newark Field Office.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the New York Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the FBI Phoenix Field Office, the Mesa Police Department, and the Clifton Police Department in Clifton, New Jersey.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Adelsberg is in charge of the prosecution.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice

Jay Clayton, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Stefanie Roddy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that DONOVAN HALL was sentenced on October 30, 2025, to 49 months in prison for making interstate threats and the interstate stalking of Jewish victims in New York City.  The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden.

“Donovan Hall targeted Jewish victims with a sustained campaign of intimidation, terror, and harassment,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “The approximately 1,000 threats he sent to these New Yorkers were alarming and brazen.  The prosecution of this case and the sentence imposed make clear that this Office will aggressively bring to justice those who perpetrate senseless crimes of hate.” 

Special Agent in Charge Roddy said: “Hall’s sentencing speaks volumes about the severity of his crimes, and the seriousness with which the law takes them. After being remanded for approximately 10 months, Hall’s guilty plea still resulted in the near-maximum sentence allowed for his calculated campaign of anti-Semitic rhetoric. His reign of fear is over and serves as a reminder to those who think they can hide behind computers, phone lines, and texts – the FBI treats all threats of violence with the utmost seriousness. The FBI will not relent in seeking justice for the victims of these egregious crimes.”

According to the Indictment, other public filings, and statements made in court: 

Over a period of three months, HALL contacted several individuals located in New York, New York (the “Victims”) approximately 1,000 times and made anti-Semitic and violent threats to torture, mutilate, rape, and murder them and their families.   In particular, starting in August 2024, HALL made dozens of threatening phone calls—many of which were anti-Semitic in nature—to the Jewish owner of a hotel located in Manhattan, the owner’s family members, and hotel staff.  During these calls, HALL threatened numerous times to kill the Victims.

In October 2024, HALL escalated his threatening conduct by texting photographs of two firearms and a machete to the hotel owner, along with threats to use those weapons to harm the owner and his family.  During a search of HALL’s residence in Arizona conducted on November 22, 2024, the firearms depicted in the text messages, among other weapons and ammunition, were recovered.  The two firearms—neither of which is registered in HALL’s name—were located alongside his wallet in his backpack.  One of the firearms was loaded.

HALL’s threats toward the Victims were part of a larger pattern of death threats sent to various other individuals.  The targets of his threats are located throughout the U.S.  In these communications, HALL consistently used violent and threatening language, and often targeted Jews.

*                *                *

In addition to his prison term, HALL, 35, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. 

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI’s Newark Field Office.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the New York Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the FBI Phoenix Field Office, the Mesa Police Department, and the Clifton Police Department in Clifton, New Jersey.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Adelsberg is in charge of the prosecution.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, Colombian authorities extradited Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT) Jose Orlando Buitrago-Rodríguez, also known as “Tito el Borracho” or “Tito” or “El Borracho,” to the United States to face drug trafficking charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico. United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office, made the announcement.

On January 27, 2023, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an Indictment against Buitrago-Rodríguez charging him with international conspiracy to distribute cocaine for the purpose of unlawful importation, importation of cocaine, and attempt to import cocaine. The Indictment also includes a narcotics forfeiture allegation regarding 14 real properties and five vehicles. 

Buitrago-Rodríguez was the leader of a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Colombia. This TCO sent many shipments totaling over ten thousand kilograms of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela to Puerto Rico and the continental United States, often through the Dominican Republic. Once successfully smuggled into Puerto Rico, drug traffickers then smuggled the majority of the cocaine into the continental United States for further distribution.

The Attorney General designated Buitrago-Rodríguez as a CPOT in 2022. The Attorney General’s Interagency CPOT list is comprised of leaders who exercise “command and control” of the elements of the most prolific drug trafficking/money laundering organizations that have the greatest impact on the United States’ illicit drug supply.  The CPOT list represents the “most wanted” of the cartel leadership and ensures that the full capabilities of the U.S. government are focused, in a coordinated and clear manner, on a group of agreed-upon high-level targets.

“This prosecution and extradition demonstrate the Department of Justice’s relentless efforts to eliminate international drug cartels flooding our streets with deadly drugs and to bring their leaders to justice,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow.  “This case also highlights the strategic and critical role that Puerto Rico plays in defending our nation against TCOs, cartels, and foreign terrorist organizations.

“This capture is another step in our fight to crush violent crime. It reflects what our mission demands—relentless pursuit, disciplined execution, and zero tolerance for those who threaten our communities,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “We will hunt down the drivers of violence—wherever they run, however long it takes.”

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the collaboration of partner agencies Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, United States Coast Guard, Internal Revenue Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations HSI, and the San Juan Puerto Rico Municipal Police.

On January 22, 2024, in coordination with foreign officials, Buitrago-Rodríguez was located and arrested in Colombia at the request of the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition from Colombia. The Department of Justice also recognizes the significant collaboration provided by authorities in Colombia.

In July 2025, the government of Colombia conducted an asset seizure operation related to Buitrago-Rodríguez based, in large part, on the United States Indictment and investigation, seizing 18 properties, including vehicles, land lots, farms, houses, and commercial establishments. The value of all the items seized was approximately $6,769,988.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso under the supervision of Chief Myriam Y. Fernández-González and Deputy Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, & Transnational Organized Crime Section.

If convicted, Buitrago-Rodríguez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for all the drug trafficking charges.

This prosecution and extradition are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the below-listed federal agencies with the prosecution in this case being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico: 

(1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (2) U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations – SAC San Juan; (3) the United States Attorney’s Offices for the District of Puerto Rico and the District of the United States Virgin Islands; (4) the United States Marshals Service for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; (5) U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations San Juan Field Office; (6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Caribbean Air and Marine Branch; (7) U.S. Border Patrol – Ramey Sector; (8) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Caribbean Division; (9) U.S. Coast Guard – Sector San Juan; (10) U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; (11) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) – Puerto Rico / Virgin Islands; (12) Internal Revenue Service; (13) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Miami Field Division – RAC San Juan; (14) U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Miami Division, San Juan Field Office; (15) United States Secret Service – RAC San Juan; (16) Transportation Security Administration – Federal Air Marshal; and (17) Federal Aviation Administration.

In addition, the following state and local law enforcement agencies participate with and provide resources to the HSTF: (1) Puerto Rico Police Department; (2) San Juan Municipal Police Department; (3) Carolina Municipal Police Department; (4) Guaynabo Municipal Police Department; (5) Barceloneta Municipal Police Department; (6) Ponce Municipal Police Department; (7) Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; (8) Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; (9) Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); (10) Puerto Rico Port Authority; and (11) Virgin Islands Police Department.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced the removal of Baltimore County, Maryland, as a designated sanctuary jurisdiction after the County recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ICE to collaborate on immigration enforcement. This follows the Department publishing a list of sanctuary jurisdictions on August 5th, 2025, in accordance with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14287.

The list initially included Baltimore County and has now been updated following work between the Administration and the County – the second removal since the list’s publishing. Following Baltimore County’s removal from the list, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward released the following statement:

“Despite restrictions from state leadership, Baltimore County has shown a willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. This is a small step toward restoring public safety and we appreciate the county’s commitment to updating its policies.”