Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Justice Department filed a complaint against the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) alleging that the territory’s unreasonable delays and conditions on lawful gun owners’ rights create an unconstitutional permitting process in violation of the Second Amendment. Numerous applicants complained that VIPD is unreasonably delaying their gun permit application decisions and added unreasonable conditions, including bolted-in gun safes, prior to issuing gun licenses. Finally, VIPD continues to enforce a proper cause regulation nearly identical to the law that the U.S. Supreme Court previously struck down in another case years ago.

“This Civil Rights Division will protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The newly-established Second Amendment Section filed this lawsuit to bring the Virgin Islands Police Department back into legal compliance by ensuring that applicants receive timely decisions without unconstitutional obstruction.”

“The territory’s firearms licensing laws and practices are inconsistent with the Second Amendment,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper for the District of the U.S. Virgin Islands. “This lawsuit seeks to uphold the rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a regulation it labeled “proper cause,” which New York law enforcement used to deny gun permits if the applicant did not provide “proper cause” reasons for the gun permit. That case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, is the established law of the land, including the territory of the Virgin Islands. Today, the Virgin Islands maintains and enforces a law nearly identical to the overturned law. Additionally, complaints have poured in from residents showing unconstitutional delays and requirements, including police conducting unconstitutionally unreasonable home searches — the very type of requirements the U.S. Supreme Court finds abusive in permitting schemes. The lawsuit is filed in the U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands.

The Civil Rights Division enforces the Second Amendment, the Police Pattern or Practice Act (34 U.S.C. § 12601), and Executive Order 14206. If you are a current or prospective gun owner and believe your gun permit application is subject to unconstitutional delays or practices, please submit a complaint through justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Craig Austin Lang (35, Kyiv, Ukraine) to consecutive life sentences in federal prison as a result of his convictions for conspiracy to commit robbery and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering with commerce, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which resulted in death, conspiring to kill persons in a foreign country, and a violation of the Neutrality Act. Lang was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,886 to the family members of the victims of the offenses.

Lang was indicted on December 4, 2019, and extradited from Ukraine to the United States in 2024. Lang was found guilty by a jury on September 15, 2025.

According to testimony presented at trial, on April 10, 2018, two individuals, S.L., Jr. and D.L., were found dead in Estero, Florida from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. Further investigation revealed that the couple had traveled to Estero from Brooksville, Florida to complete the purchase of several firearms from an individual who had listed them for sale on a website known as Armslist. As a result of the investigation, Lang was identified as one of two individuals who was believed to have murdered the couple during an armed robbery of the $3,000 that the couple had intended to use to purchase the firearms. 

Lang, who had previously fought in the Ukraine, pursued a plan to fight the Venezuelan government and committed the robbery of S.L., Jr. and D.L. to obtain money to fund his travel to Venezuela. Lang’s co-defendant, Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, was previously convicted at trial in 2024 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Lang’s arrest and extradition from Ukraine. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and Benjamin S. Winter. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PLANO, Texas – A Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison for a violent crime spree in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Justin Williams, 26, pleaded guilty to bank theft and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on December 15, 2025.  Williams was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $112,212.

According to court documents, from June 2020 to June 2024, Williams was involved in a crime spree referred to as “Hook and Chain” burglaries, which involved stealing a truck, attaching hooks and chains to the vehicle, and using it to drag the door off an ATM to retrieve the cash currency from the machine.  This crime spree involved several burglaries in the DFW area, including the Texas Bank on South Preston Road in Prosper, the BB&T on Legacy Drive in Frisco, and the First United Bank in Pottsboro.  The conspiracy resulted in the theft of approximately $363,000 and damages to ATMs and property of at least $250,000.

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.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Fort Worth Police Department, and Pottsboro Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Johnson.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PLANO, Texas – A Dallas man has been sentenced to federal prison in connection with a crime spree in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Dominique Marquis Childress, 29, pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on December 15, 2025.

According to court documents, Childress was involved in a crime spree aimed at forcibly removing ATMs from convenience stores in the DFW area.  From May 16 to June 1, 2023, the defendants participated in a conspiracy that involved smashing the glass from a convenience storefront with a sledgehammer before using a stolen truck or SUV to drag an ATM from the store. Once the ATM was removed from the store, the defendants would load the machine into the vehicle and leave the scene. The ATM and vehicle would later be found abandoned after the money was removed and divided among the participants.

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.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Frisco Office, Plano Police Department, Irving Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Mesquite Police Department, Carrolton Police Department, and Grapevine Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Johnson.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenland LA Metropolis Hotel Development LLC, Greenland US Management LLC, and Greenland LA Metropolis Development III (together, the Greenland USA Entities), have agreed to pay $7,312,283.36 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for which they were not eligible.

“Congress created the PPP to help American small businesses during the pandemic, not to fund large Chinese-owned corporations. Here, however, the defendants are alleged to have provided false information to the SBA to obtain government funds to which they were not entitled,” said U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. “This settlement demonstrates that the U.S. Attorney’s Office takes seriously its obligation to combat fraud and protect American taxpayers.”

Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of individuals the borrower and its affiliated entities employed. In January 2021, SBA announced that certain parties that had previously received PPP loans were eligible to apply for a second loan. In their loan applications for both PPP rounds, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.

The Greenland USA Entities own and develop real estate projects and are part of a large multinational corporation ultimately owned by the Greenland Holding Group Company Limited, a Chinese company with tens of thousands of employees worldwide.  

In applying for their PPP loans, the Greenland USA Entities certified that they were eligible for the PPP. The United States alleges that the Greenland USA Entities were not eligible for their first- or second-round PPP loans because they were affiliated with other companies in the United States and China, and together with their affiliates across the globe, the Greenland USA Entities employed more individuals than permitted by SBA’s size standard for their industry. Additionally, the United States alleges that the Greenland USA Entities were not eligible for their second-round PPP loans because they are more than 20 percent owned by entities created and organized in the People’s Republic of China.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. This settlement resolves claims in two related qui tam lawsuits filed by GNGH2 Inc. and Aidan Forsyth. In connection with the settlement, GNGH2 Inc. will receive $697,757.80 and Forsyth will receive $33,470.53.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.

Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberts of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Carter for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON – Greenland LA Metropolis Hotel Development LLC, Greenland US Management LLC, and Greenland LA Metropolis Development III (together, the Greenland USA Entities), have agreed to pay $7,312,283.36 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for which they were not eligible.

Congress created the PPP in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Under the PPP, eligible businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).  Regulations provide various eligibility requirements for the PPP, including limitations on the number of individuals the borrower and its affiliated entities employed.  In January 2021, SBA announced that certain parties that had previously received PPP loans were eligible to apply for a second loan.  In their loan applications for both PPP rounds, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the PPP and that the information they provided was accurate.

The Greenland USA Entities own and develop real estate projects and are part of a large multinational corporation ultimately owned by the Greenland Holding Group Company Limited, a Chinese company with tens of thousands of employees worldwide. 

In applying for their PPP loans, the Greenland USA Entities certified that they were eligible for the PPP.  The United States alleges that the Greenland USA Entities were not eligible for their first- or second-round PPP loans because they were affiliated with other companies in the United States and China, and together with their affiliates across the globe, the Greenland USA Entities employed more individuals than permitted by SBA’s size standard for their industry.  Additionally, the United States alleges that the Greenland USA Entities were not eligible for their second-round PPP loans because they are more than 20 percent owned by entities created and organized in the People’s Republic of China.

“Congress created the PPP to help American small businesses during the pandemic, not to fund large Chinese-owned corporations.  Here, however, the defendants are alleged to have provided false information to the SBA to obtain government funds to which they were not entitled,” said U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel.  “This settlement demonstrates that the U.S. Attorney’s Office takes seriously its obligation to combat fraud and protect American taxpayers.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  This settlement resolves claims in two related qui tam lawsuits filed by GNGH2 Inc. and Aidan Forsyth.  In connection with the settlement, GNGH2 Inc. will receive $697,757.80 and Forsyth will receive $33,470.53.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.

Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberts of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Carter for the Eastern District of Wisconsin handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging three men with a multitude of financial and securities fraud crimes resulting in a potential loss of tens of millions of dollars for victims.

According to court documents, Steve Parish, 54, formerly of Derby, Kansas, Richard Dean, 66, of Plano, Texas, and Joshua Owens, 39, of Derby, Kansas, were all indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. 

Parish is also charged with two counts of bank fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, 18 counts of securities fraud, and one count of wire fraud.

Dean was also indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and 18 counts of securities fraud. 

A grand jury also indicted Owens on two counts of bank fraud and one count of wire fraud. 

Parish was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Premier Global Corp, a company that offered investments and promissory notes to purportedly purchase factored invoices. Owens was an employee. Dean was the owner of DDI Advisory Group LLC.

Parish, Dean, and Owens allegedly orchestrated a scheme of falsifying records and misrepresenting payments to investors as profits but were making those payments using money that came from investors. Parish is accused of misappropriating investors’ deposits for his own personal expenses. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case with support from Kansas Department of Insurance, Securities Division and the Oklahoma Department of Securities.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Smith and Katie Andrusak are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and 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

SAN ANTONIO – A Colombian national made his initial appearance in a federal court in El Paso Monday after he was extradited to the United States on Friday.

According to court documents, Luis Guillermo Peralta Pacheco, is allegedly a member of a Colombian drug trafficking organization identified as a major supplier of cocaine to the Caribbean and the United States. Through a joint investigation beginning in March 2018, agents seized an alleged 24 kilograms of cocaine and identified nine alleged members of the network.

On March 16, 2022, Peralta Pacheco and eight alleged co-conspirators—Alvaro Luis Deluque Pallares, Angello Caicedo Atehortua, Juan Camilo Valderrama Taborda, Carlos Alfredo Becerra Castro, Lina Gisseth Barrera Sarmiento, Angel Julio Arroyo Calderon, Pedro Emilio Gallardo Hincapie, and Charle Salcedo Portilla—were indicted in the Western District of Texas on conspiracy charges to import and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, with provisional arrest warrants approved in 2023. All nine defendants have now been successfully extradited to the U.S.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá worked with the Government of Colombia to secure the arrest and extradition from Colombia of all nine defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Rosales is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is 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 Antonio comprises agents and officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of Treasury, the Department of State, the Department of War, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Labor. with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. Participating agencies include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Secret Service; along with state and local law enforcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation and 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

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on December 15, 2025, Joshua Hartness, 45, of Colebrook, New Hampshire, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 25 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. Hartness previously pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM, also known as child pornography). Hartness has been detained since March 28, 2025, when his conditions of release were revoked after he attempted to take possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on September 11, 2022, Hartness was subjected to an inspection upon his return to the United States from abroad. A review of Hartness’s cellphone revealed suspected CSAM. A forensic review confirmed Hartness possessed a video of a child being sexually assaulted by an adult, and photos of a naked female child in sexual poses. Investigating agents also located on the cellphone multiple online communications between Hartness and minor girls consistent with “grooming,” including complimenting the girls on their beauty and sending the girls nude photographs of himself. The forensic review and subsequent investigation confirmed that Hartness possessed the CSAM on his phone while in the District of Vermont, and that Hartness did so while working as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.

First Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General – Northeast Region, and Homeland Security Investigations.

“Hartness was found to possess images of child exploitation, a heinous crime that was further compounded when he was shown to be in possession of these images while serving in a position of public trust. The conviction of Joshua Hartness reinforces the message that no one is above the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Hartness was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defenders Carmen Brooks and Emily Kenyon.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago has convicted a leader of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang of participating in a criminal organization that terrorized the West Side of Chicago for two decades by committing murders, robberies, extortions, witness tampering, and drug dealing.

After a six-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the jury on Monday convicted LABAR SPANN on all four counts against him, including racketeering conspiracy, two murders in aid of racketeering, and extortion.  The jury found that Spann committed a total of four murders in a premediated manner as part of the racketeering conspiracy, including the killings of Willie Woods on April 17, 2003; Rudy Rangel on June 4, 2003; George King on April 8, 2003; and Maximillion McDaniel on July 25, 2000.

Spann, 47, of Chicago, faces a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin set sentencing for April 20, 2026.

The verdicts were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois Secretary of State Police Department, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Morrissey, Michelle J. Parthum, and Emily C.R. Vermylen.

The Four Corner Hustlers operated primarily in the Chicago neighborhoods of West Garfield Park and North Lawndale on the city’s West Side, as well as in the former LeClaire Courts public housing development on the city’s Southwest Side.  According to evidence presented at trial, the gang dealt drugs and robbed and extorted rival dealers, while using violence and intimidation to prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement.  The gang engaged in numerous acts of violence, including multiple murders and armed robberies.  During the trial, the jury heard testimony from other members of the Four Corner Hustlers, eyewitnesses to numerous crimes, law enforcement officers who responded to crime scenes, and expert witnesses who analyzed forensic and other evidence.

Spann was indicted in 2017 along with eight other members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants.  All the defendants have now been convicted.