Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man pled guilty in federal court, today, to charges stemming from his role as a drug supplier. Alcedo Hodge, Jr., 29, of Parkville, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges are in connection with a multi-state federal drug investigation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted a New York woman today for her role in an $8 million health care fraud conspiracy.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Olga Popovych, 43, of New York, New York, was an office manager of several physical therapy clinics that paid cash kickbacks to ambulette drivers who recruited Medicare patients to bring to the clinics. As the evidence at trial showed, the defendant was personally involved with paying the ambulette drivers cash kickbacks. She also falsified medical records to indicate that physical therapists who were not actually at the clinic treated the patients. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid these clinics over $8 million.
Witnesses testified at trial that the defendant exchanged text messages with her co-conspirators that discussed the payment of kickbacks through the use of code words. The evidence also showed that the defendant suspected that the clinics were being watched by law enforcement and took steps to conceal the scheme.
The jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters, 4 counts of health care fraud, and 3 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. She faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years for each health care fraud conviction and 5 years for each false statements conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle for the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Campbell and John Howard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Miriam Glaser Dauermann assisted in the prosecution.
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.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A New York-based former employee of TD Bank N.A., Cheungkin Lam, also known as “Kelvin Lam,” pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding TD Bank customers and bribing an employee at another financial institution to falsify bank records, which, in total, facilitated more than $3.4 million of fraud.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 27, 2026, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach sentenced Leonardo Román-Domenech, age 40, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to 14 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for the transportation of child exploitation material, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Román-Domenech was indicted on April 3, 2025, arrested on April 9, 2025, and pleaded guilty on February 2, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jacksonville, Florida – Francesca Charles (28, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods and unlawfully ship firearms, unlawfully shipping firearms, and smuggling goods from the United States. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 18, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Navy
Senior naval leaders from the United States and Argentina convened at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, Argentina from May 18-22, 2026, for tri-service Maritime Staff Talks, reaffirming partnerships and outlining a path for future collaboration in cybersecurity and the maritime domain.
Source: United States Navy
SAN DIEGO — Pacific Partnership, the U.S. Navy’s largest annual maritime humanitarian and civic assistance effort conducted in the Indo-Pacific, officially began with the departure of U.S. personnel from San Diego to the mission coordinating hub in the Philippines, May 27, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department today announced that San Antonio-based tow company Vehicle Management Solutions Inc. (VMS) will pay $280,000 to resolve allegations that the company illegally sold or scrapped approximately 93 vehicles owned by U.S. servicemembers in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).
“When members of our Armed Forces are called to fight for our country, they should not have to return home to find that their car has been illegally sold. Towing companies must comply with federal laws that protect servicemembers or face serious consequences,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice stands with our men and women in uniform and will vigorously defend their rights under the law.”
“The Western District of Texas is proud to be home to countless military members and their families, as well as many veterans of our Armed Forces. Deploying is hard enough. Worrying about the safety and security of one’s personal property while deployed is a concern no member of our military should carry,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “In the Western District of Texas, we will always fight for those that fight for us, both while they are home and while serving our country overseas. This case is an example of our resolve and commitment to that mission.”
The Department alleges that VMS engaged in a pattern or practice of auctioning or otherwise disposing of vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without obtaining the required court orders. The Department began investigating VMS after receiving a complaint from a servicemember whose vehicle was towed and auctioned by VMS in 2024 while he was serving on an overseas deployment in Kosovo.
The SCRA is a federal law that provides a variety of financial and housing protections to members of the U.S. military. The law prohibits a towing company from selling a vehicle owned by an SCRA-protected servicemember unless the company first obtains a court order authorizing the sale.
Under the settlement, VMS will pay $220,000 in compensation to the affected servicemembers. VMS will also pay a $60,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury and will be required to make policy and training changes to avoid committing future violations.
The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $489 million in monetary relief for over 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Note: Read the settlement here.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Kelon Von Dukes, 22, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
AMONDA MENDEZ, also known as “M-Dot” and “Dot,” 35, of Stamford, pleaded guilty yesterday in New Haven federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense and admitted that she violated the conditions of her supervised release from a prior federal conviction.