Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Sergio Castillo-Lopez, 29, a citizen of Mexico who was unlawfully present in the United States for eight years, was sentenced today to 12 months in prison in connection with his running a cocaine distribution operation out of his bedroom in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Puerto Rican chiropractor pleaded guilty today to filing a false tax return related to his use of an illegal tax shelter.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Stuart Bernsen, formerly of Westmont, Illinois, was the former CEO and co-founder of a company that managed a network of over 50 chiropractic clinics across the Midwest. Bernsen paid to establish an illegal tax shelter, which he used to conceal income through a series of abusive trusts and a fraudulent charitable foundation. From 2019 through 2021, Bernsen used this tax shelter to avoid paying nearly $1.3 million in tax.
The tax shelter was designed to make it appear as if Bernsen had permanently transferred to his trusts and charitable foundation his ownership interest of various business entities, including his chiropractic business. In reality, Bernsen maintained control of the chiropractic business and other business entities, and he continued to benefit from the income they generated. Bernsen used the trusts to make various personal purchases, including personal residences, credit card bills, a luxury vacation and a boat. Bernsen also filed false tax returns for the trusts, erroneously claiming that his personal purchases were tax-deductible expenses related to the administration of the trusts.
Bernsen pleaded guilty to one count of willfully filing a false tax return.
Bernsen is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 and faces a maximum of three years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois made the announcement.
IRS-CI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Boris Bourget and Mahana K. Weidler of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Source: United States Airforce
Moody AFB Airmen recently integrated military working dogs into their SERE training. The realistic scenarios pushed aircrews to apply core survival skills under pressure while evading active pursuit, better preparing them for modern personnel recovery operations.
Source: United States Navy
SAN DIEGO – In a decisive move to restore and expand organic ship repair capabilities, the Navy officially reestablished Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity, San Diego (SIMA SD) on June 1. This strategic West Coast command will develop Sailors as advanced intermediate-level (I-level) maintenance technicians and in Fleet Technical Assist (FTA) roles, directly addressing the Navy’s critical need for self-sufficiency at sea.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 148 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
After a five-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Indiana convicted Sinmi Asomuyide, 33, a former Kokomo Police Department officer today of charges related to his on-duty sexual assault of a 14-year-old and related obstruction.
“Police officers are entrusted with extraordinary authority and responsibility to protect the public. The defendant’s reprehensible actions betrayed that trust,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This verdict sends a clear message: officials who abuse their power and violate the constitutional rights of children will be held accountable.”
“While this administration strongly supports the men and women of law enforcement who are steadfastly committed to making our communities safe, we will not tolerate those who abuse the powers entrusted to them,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas Wheeler II for the Southern District of Indiana. “The defendant used those powers to sexually abuse a 14-year-old girl and then lied and destroyed evidence to cover up his crimes. The jury saw through his lies and held him accountable for his crimes,”
“The defendant used his position of trust and the appearance of assistance to isolate and assault a child, then took steps to obstruct the investigation by destroying records and lying to law enforcement. These actions reflect a complete disregard for the law, the victim, and the public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley of the FBI Indianapolis Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue justice for victims and hold offenders fully accountable.”
In particular, jurors found Sinmi Asomuyide, 33, guilty of willfully depriving the victim, who was then 14 years old, of her constitutional rights by sexually assaulting her. The jury found that the defendant’s conduct included kidnapping and abusive sexual contact of a child under the age of 16.
Jurors also found Asomuyide guilty of lying to the Indiana State Police in attempt to cover up the assault by denying having sexual contact with the victim and lying about the presence of other corroborating evidence. Jurors also found Asomuyide guilty of deleting a messaging application he had been using to communicate with the minor victim prior to the sexual assault in attempt to cover up the assault.
Asomuyide faces up to life in prison at sentencing.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett for the Southern District of Indiana and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Tara Allison are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
In Three Months, Operation Results in 1100 Arrests, Nearly 1000 Illegal Firearms Seized, and Seizure of Over 2700 Pounds of Various Drugs
The Department of Justice today announced the results of Operation Spring Cleaning, a nationwide initiative spearheaded by the FBI to combat gang-related threats and enhance public safety. The operation coordinated with federal, state, and local law enforcement and targeted the illegal flow of firearms and narcotics in our communities. The operation began on March 1 and ended May 31.
In total, Operation Spring Cleaning led to over 1100 arrests, over 600 charges filed, and almost 600 search warrants conducted. The operation also resulted in the seizure of:
“When our neighborhoods are safe from the scourge of deadly drugs, individuals and families can prosper,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Trump Administration has made significant progress in removing this poison from our streets, a key step in our commitment to making America safe again.”
“This FBI understands that communities across our country have been ravaged by gangs and the firearms and narcotics they flood our streets with,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Spring Cleaning represents our total commitment to crushing this kind of violent crime and eliminating the criminal networks who facilitate them – with over 1,000 arrests, 1,000 firearms seized, and 3,000 pounds of narcotics removed from our neighborhoods. Righteous operations like this show this FBI is only getting started and will continue delivering the most prolific run of crime reduction in U.S. history.”
Drugs seized by FBI Sacramento Field Office during Operation Spring Cleaning
Guns seized by FBI Philadelphia Field Office during Operation Spring Cleaning
Guns, drugs, and money seized by FBI Los Angeles Field Office during Operation Spring Cleaning
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Applied Partners LLC was sentenced today to pay a $500,000 fine and complete a two-year term of probation for the company’s illegal handling of regulated asbestos containing material (RACM) at a site in Saginaw, Michigan.
The company had previously pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards for its role in demolishing a structure in 2019. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to cancers like mesothelioma and lung cancer or noncancerous conditions like asbestosis.
According to court documents, Applied Partners acquired a defunct industrial site in Saginaw in 2018 with the intention of demolishing and scrapping structures on the property before reselling it. In fall 2019, despite knowing that RACM remained in a structure called the Power House, Applied Partners directed another company to begin demolition.
Between about Sept. 19 and Oct. 24, 2019, employees of the company performing the demolition used heavy machinery to break apart brick walls and to pull down at least one large facility component covered in RACM from the upper floors of the structure. The demolition was done in violation of numerous asbestos work practice standards. Demolition ceased once regulators performed sampling and informed Applied Partners that it would need to perform remediation of remaining RACM before demolition could continue.
“Applied Partners knowingly disregarded asbestos work practice standards designed to protect human health,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Today’s sentence demonstrates that public health is among our highest priorities, and we will prosecute those who violate environmental laws.”
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, Environmental Investigation Section, assisted with the investigation.
Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine Hemann for the Eastern District of Michigan, and EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Samuel Cardick prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Army
More than 65 members of the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment Association (2-1 Cavalry Association) gathered to honor and remember their fallen comrades during a ceremony May 29, 2026, at Memorial Chapel at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, as part of the association’s 2026 reunion.
The ceremony paid tribute to Black Hawk troopers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation, as well as those who have recently passed away. As each name was read aloud, association members placed a flower on a wreath to remember, pay their respects, and ensure none are ever forgotten.
Following the event, association members were given a tour of the installation and visited the Frontier Army Museum, where Buffalo Soldier reenactor George Pettigrew spoke about the history of the Buffalo Soldier regiments and their lasting legacy to the Army.
Source: United States Army
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Students and faculty from Fort Hays State University, in Hays, Kansas, and the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning, in Winchester, Virginia, were at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May 27, 2026, to share data gleaned from motion-triggered wildlife cameras and obtain video and photographic footage for multiple projects associated early exploration of the area. The location was a stop along the route surveyed by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the early 1800s during the Corps of Discovery expedition.
Snapshot USA
Snapshot USA is an ongoing survey project of the Smithsonian Institution to monitor wildlife using game cameras, conducted by ecologists from universities and organizations across the country. For the nation’s 250th anniversary this year, Snapshot USA collaborators are resurveying the 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition Trail, focusing on the area within 80 kilometers of the original trail. The current data will eventually be compared with observations noted in Lewis and Clark’s journals to see how wildlife species distributions and habitats have changed since then.
Snapshot USA collaborator Dr. Lorelei Patrick, associate professor in biological sciences at FHSU and associate curator of mammals at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, connected with Fort Leavenworth Natural Resources Specialist Neil Bass to participate in the Lewis and Clark project. She said the collaboration for project participation was easy to accomplish, with FHSU students already conducting wildlife surveys on post, and the fact that the installation is located within the boundaries specified for the project. The Corps of Discovery expedition passed through the area in the summer of 1804.
“I thought it was important and good to share our camera data with a larger entity that could use it, and thus show the good stewardship that the Army provides and has been providing at Fort Leavenworth for almost 200 years,” Bass said about participating in the project.
FHSU scientists have been collecting data from wildlife cameras set up on Fort Leavenworth for their own studies and the Snapshot USA Lewis and Clark Trail project. While the university’s study is focused on medium-sized mammals, such as raccoons, skunks and opossums, FHSU graduate student Elizabeth Horinek said the cameras have also been picking up several white-tailed deer and coyotes, as well as some squirrels and a bobcat.
Virtual reality project
Students from the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning are travelling to several sites along the Lewis and Clark trail this summer to collect footage for multiple video projects, tying into the Smithsonian’s project as well as working on another supported by the Lewis and Clark Trail Association.
The Shenandoah students recorded interviews with Patrick and Bass and got footage of Patrick and Horinek checking one of the trail cameras on the floodplain by Sherman Army Airfield, then they trekked to the fort’s champion pecan tree near the river to take 360-degree views, video and photographs.
During the summer of 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition made note of pecan trees seen on the shore of what would later become Fort Leavenworth when travelling on the Missouri River.
“When we’re going back to the Lewis and Clark history, Lewis and Clark actually mentioned those pecan trees in their journals on the July 1, 1804, journal entry, and so (the students) could then look at these historic trees that are actually mentioned in the journal for this original assessment that they’re kind of following and mimicking as part of the Lewis and Clark (Trail Association),” Bass said.
Bass said at least one of the pecan trees on Fort Leavenworth is large enough, and thus old enough, to have possibly been among the trees spotted by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
“It’s very possible that that tree and some others — there’s probably at least two trees out there that could (have been) actually standing when Lewis and Clark came by, were actually big trees when Lewis and Clark went by — and then some of those others probably were seedlings.”
Shenandoah Immersive Media Specialist Lee Graff, project lead for “Lewis and Clark VR,” a virtual reality student production funded by the Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance, said he and a group of students travelled across the country two years ago to interview historians and capture footage at significant sites. Now he is travelling with a crew of work-study students to several sites along the trail, from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Oregon coast, for a second iteration and expansion of the project.
“(On the first trip), we did the story of Lewis and Clark, the expedition. Now we’re wanting to talk a bit more about the scientific stuff — the plants, the animals, flora, fauna and geography that they encountered that white people from the east had never seen before,” Graff said. “And we’re interviewing people about Native (American) perspectives, first on Lewis and Clark, second on American westward expansion in general, to add that to a 2.0 version of the experience that more fully tells the stories associated with that, because one of the things Lewis and Clark did is, as they traveled up the Missouri River, they encountered more than 50 different tribal groups and clans (and) did diplomacy with them. Some went better than others.”
Graff said the “Lewis and Clark VR” project isn’t part of a class, but it is allowing the work-study students to have an immersive experience in their field of study as they travel across the country, without compensation for their time but with meals and lodging paid for.
For more information on the “Lewis and Clark VR” project, including how to view the first iteration for free, visit https://www.su.edu/scil/projects/lewis-and-clark-vr/.
For more information on the Snapshot USA Lewis and Clark Resurvey project, visit https://nationalzoo.si.edu/conservation/lewis-clark-resurvey-snapshot-250th.