Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today a federal jury in Brooklyn returned guilty verdicts against national MS-13 leaders Edenilson Velasquez Larin, also known as “Agresor,” Saturno,” “Tiny,” and “Paco,”; Hugo Diaz Amaya, also known as “21”; Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (Fulton) clique leader Jose Espinoza Sanchez, also known as “Cable,” “Bleca,” and “Fantasma”; and Fulton member Jose Arevalao Iraheta, also known as “Splinter,” “Inesperado,” and “Daniel.”  The four defendants were convicted on 24 counts of a third superseding indictment. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Baltimore, Maryland – Three men received life sentences, today, for federal conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murders, attempted murders, and drug trafficking, as well as murder in aid of racketeering charges. Wilson Arturo “Humilde” “Marco Saravia” Constanza-Galdomez, 26, of El Salvador; Edis Omar “Little Felon” Valenzuela-Rodriguez, 24, of Honduras; and Jonathan “Truney” Pesquera-Puerto, 24, all received the mandatory sentence.  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A San Antonio-based member of the Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) group 764 pleaded guilty today to racketeering activity and multiple acts relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

“The FBI will not rest when it comes to identifying and holding accountable those who prey on children and other vulnerable individuals,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The court documents show the defendant coerced minors to commit heinous and cruel acts of self-harm. Today’s guilty plea is a major step in seeing justice served in this case and demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the nation’s youth.”

“Chavez led a group of online predators whose ultimate purpose is to destroy our society.  They tried to achieve that heinous goal by desensitizing innocent children to violence—coercing them to perform gruesome and harmful acts against themselves and animals—with the hope of encouraging further violence and spreading chaos,” said Sue J. Bai, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The National Security Division will continue to relentlessly investigate and prosecute predators who seek to terrorize our society by targeting our most vulnerable.”

“764 members, like the defendant, use the Internet to prey on vulnerable minors, coercing them to mutilate themselves, produce child exploitation images of themselves, and attempt suicide,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “My office will do everything legally possible to prosecute and imprison members of this group for as long as the law allows.”

According to court documents, Alexis Aldair Chavez, also known as Zack and Zack8884, 19, was an administrator and online leader of the ‘8884’ network, which is a network related to 764. Both 8884 and 764 are NVEs who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and engage with other extremists abroad. These NVEs share accelerationist goals that include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the U.S. Government. Members of 8884 work in concert with one another towards a common purpose of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, including minors. NVEs engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. NVEs demand, coerce, and extort victims to engage in variety of violent conduct, including self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.

In or about October 2023, Chavez and a co-conspirator attempted to have a minor female kill herself in a video chat by overdosing on pills. The two conspirators recorded the attempted suicide to obtain “content” that would allow them to maintain and increase their status in the 8884 enterprise. Approximately two months later, Chavez and the minor female victim worked together to coerce a female located overseas to get naked on camera, cut herself, and engage in sexual acts. They also extorted another female by forcing the victim to cut the name “Zack” into herself.

On or about Dec. 29, 2023, Chavez and a co-conspirator coerced another minor female to cut her tongue as well as torture and kill a cat on a live video call. That same month, Chavez and another co-conspirator worked together to groom and extort several other minor females. In one instance, the two conspirators coerced a female victim to light her arm on fire and have the fire burn through her skin and deeper into her body, while on a recorded video chat within the ‘8884’ channel. They groomed another minor female victim, forcing her to drink her own urine and attempt to overdose on unknown pills.

On or about Jan. 23, 2024, Chavez and a co-conspirator threatened and coerced a minor female victim to engage in sexually obscene activities and other egregious acts.

Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, with a minimum of five years in prison for the distribution charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI San Antonio Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from FBI Washington Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the San Antonio Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Roomberg and Bill Harris for the Western District of Texas, and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department remains vigilant against the threat of Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) networks, like 764, that operate within the United States and around the globe. NVEs often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, using social media platforms to share CSAM and gore material, and groom victims toward committing acts of violence. Victims are often extorted, coerced, compelled, and blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, including self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder. For more information on how to protect children and others, read about the online risks here: Parents, Caregivers, Teachers — FBI and the FBI’s March 2025 public service announcement.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

R. Matthew Price, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a civil forfeiture complaint has been filed in federal court against approximately $1.2 million in digital currency seized by the government in connection to a fraudulent online investment scheme.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Wilson Arturo Constanza-Galdomez, also known as Humilde, also known as Marco Saravia, 26, of El Salvador, Edis Omar Valenzuela-Rodriguez, also known as Little Felon, 24, of Honduras, and Jonathan Pesquera-Puerto, also known as Truney, 24, of Honduras were each sentenced today to life in prison for their convictions at trial of Racketeering (RICO) Conspiracy involving murder and Racketeering Murder, all related to their association with La Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

“These defendants committed brutal violence — including murdering and stabbing young women and girls — to fuel their respective climbs up the MS-13 organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These acts, often carried out with machetes, spread fear and terror throughout the community.  As today’s life sentences reflect, the Criminal Division will be relentless in its pursuit of MS-13 leaders, members and associates, to restore a sense of safety and security to neighborhoods throughout the United States.”

“These ruthless individuals displayed a total lack of humanity and regard for life, including murdering a 16-year-old girl, all to advance their standing within a transnational criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Now they’ll spend the rest of their lives behind bars where they belong. We, along with our law-enforcement partners, are committed to dismantling the MS-13 gang, and other lawless organizations, and holding criminals accountable who thrive on committing murders and terrorizing our communities.”

“The horrific acts of violence carried out by these MS-13 members are indefensible and demonstrates a complete disregard for human life,” said Acting Assistant Director Rebecca Day of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue members and associates of MS-13 and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes.”

This case targeted the violent activities of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization that operates throughout Central America and the United States. MS-13 members are organized into “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region, including Maryland. The defendants, all MS-13 members and associates, were required to commit acts of violence to increase their status and rank within the gang. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, MS-13 maintained a rivalry with the 18th Street Gang, among others.

The investigation led to the conviction of six MS-13 members, including the three trial defendants. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 25, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, and other members and associates of MS-13 assaulted a man whom they suspected of being a rival gang member by repeatedly striking him with machetes, resulting in significant injuries to the victim’s face and arm. Afterward, those involved reported the incident to MS-13 leadership in El Salvador to gain credit and increase their status.

On May 29, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other members and associates of MS-13 lured a 16-year-old girl, whom they suspected of associating with rival gang members, to an area near Loch Raven Reservoir in Cockeysville, Maryland. There, they struck her with a machete and stabbed her multiple times, murdering her. They then reported it to MS-13 leadership.

On June 5, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Valenzuela-Rodriguez and other MS-13 members and associates lured another female, whom they suspected was a rival gang member that cooperated with law enforcement, to an area near the CSX Bayview Train Yard in Baltimore, Maryland. There, the gang stabbed her 143 times, killing her and leaving her body near the train tracks. They again reported the murder to MS-13 leadership.

On June 6, 2020, Constanza-Galdomez, Pesquera-Puerto, and other MS-13 members and associates confronted a man, who had had prior disputes with the gang, and his girlfriend, who was the sister of one of the prior murder victims. Constanza-Galdomez and other members and associates ordered younger MS-13 members to bring the female victim to the same train tracks where her sister had been murdered. There, the younger members stabbed her over 70 times. All three defendants stabbed the male victim multiple times. Both victims survived the attacks.

The FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Baltimore County Police Department, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Grace Bowen and Christopher Taylor of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Wallner for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. The FBI and HSI both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know. You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

Source: United States Department of Justice

A Ukrainian national pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud for his role in a series of international ransomware attacks.

According to court documents, Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, of Barcelona, Spain, conspired with others to deploy the Nefilim ransomware against victim computer networks in the United States and other countries, causing significant damage to victim computer systems. As part of the scheme, the conspirators generated a unique ransomware executable file for each victim, along with a corresponding decryption key and customized ransom note. If a victim paid the ransom demand, the perpetrators provided the decryption key, enabling the victim to decrypt files locked by the ransomware.

In June 2021, Nefilim administrators gave Stryzhak access to the Nefilim ransomware code in exchange for 20 percent of his ransom proceeds. Stryzhak operated the ransomware through his account on the online Nefilim platform, known as the “panel.” Shortly after gaining access, Stryzhak asked a co‑conspirator whether he should choose a different username than one he used in other criminal activity, in case the panel “gets hacked into by the feds.”

Nefilim administrators preferred to target companies located in the United States, Canada, or Australia with annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Stryzhak and others researched potential victims after gaining unauthorized access to their networks, including by using online databases to obtain information about the companies’ net worth, size, and contact information. In or about July 2021, a Nefilim administrator encouraged Stryzhak to target companies in those countries with more than $200 million dollars in annual revenue. 

As part of the extortion scheme, the conspirators threatened that unless victims agreed to pay the ransom, the stolen data would be published on publicly accessible “Corporate Leaks” websites maintained by Nefilim administrators.

Stryzhak was arrested in Spain in June 2024 and extradited to the United States on April 30.

Stryzhak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud related to computers in connection with his Nefilim ransomware activities. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2026. The defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program has offered a reward of up to $11 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction or location of Stryzhak’s charged co-conspirator, Volodymyr Tymoshchuk. Anyone with information about Tymoshchuk should contact the FBI via phone at +1-917-242-1407, by email at TymoTips@fbi.gov, by contacting your local field office, if in the United States, or by contacting the nearest U.S. Embassy, if located overseas. More information about the TOC reward offer is located on the State Department website.

The FBI Springfield Field Office in Illinois is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Brian Z. Mund of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander F. Mindlin and Ellen H. Sise for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth of the Eastern District of New York. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s New York Field Office, and Spanish law enforcement authorities provided substantial assistance in this case.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.