Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

An extradited Jamaican citizen was sentenced today to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for participating in a long-running scheme to defraud an elderly California woman.

According to court documents, Dwayne Anderson, 36, of Hannover, Jamaica, undertook a scheme to defraud an American woman from 2010 until 2017. Using fake names, Anderson contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. The defendant persuaded the victim to send money to pay various purported fees and taxes associated with the alleged winnings. He also carefully instructed the victim how to make the payments, including having her send money to an individual in South Dakota. In furtherance of the scheme, Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and falsely told her that her winnings would be forthcoming so long as she paid the requested amounts. In total, the victim paid Anderson over $181,000.

In September 2025, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Anderson was arrested on July 11, 2024, by Jamaican authorities based on a U.S. indictment and was extradited to the United States. At sentencing, Anderson was ordered to pay more than $181,075 in restitution.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald A. Parsons Jr. for the District of South Dakota; and Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group made the announcement.

The USPIS investigated the case.

Assistant Chief J. Matt Williams and Trial Attorneys Brandon J. Robers and Edward E. Emokpae of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson for the District of South Dakota prosecuted this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and August 2024 extradition of Anderson. The Department of Justice further acknowledges the assistance of the Jamaica Constabulary Force in this matter.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian Wood, Special Agent in Charge, Diplomatic Security Service, New York Field Office, announced that MARLON DAMIAN WHITE, also known as Damian Marlon White, 47, a citizen of Jamaica last residing in Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to making a false statement in a U.S. passport application.

According to court documents and statements made in court, White was admitted to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1995.  In subsequent years, he was convicted of various offenses, including a state conviction in New York for assault in the second degree, and a federal conviction in the Southern District of New York for a narcotics distribution offense for which he was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.  After his federal conviction, White lost his status as a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and, in February 2006, was deported to Jamaica.

White returned to the U.S. and, on May 6, 2024, used a false name, false birth date, and false place of birth to apply for a U.S. passport in Hartford.  During the application process, White provided a counterfeit birth certificate and driver’s license falsely representing that he was born in and resided in California. 

Judge Oliver scheduled sentencing for March 10, at which time White faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  He has been detained since his arrest on October 9, 2025.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Blake Floyd Cozzens, 36, of Cedar City, Utah, was sentenced today to 25 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud and bank fraud for embezzling money from homeowners associations, property owners, and tenants, as well as fraudulently obtaining money from a bank and a company that provided property-management software.  

In addition to Cozzens’s term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby, imposed a term of four years of supervised release and ordered he pay $2,168,640 in restitution to the victims.

According to court documents and admissions made at Cozzens’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from January 2020 to January 2025, Cozzens was the property manager for multiple HOAs and property owners in Iron County, Utah. Cozzens defrauded HOAs, property owners, and tenants by embezzling $586,300 he was responsible for safekeeping and diverting the funds for his own use. He also submitted fraudulent deposits to an online application that helps manage properties. The California corporation that offers the application lost $210,000 due to Cozzens’s fraudulent conduct.

Cozzens also defrauded a bank in Las Vegas by presenting seven cashier’s checks totaling $1,414,000 to Las Vegas casinos in exchange for markers, i.e., credits to gamble. After gambling, Cozzens then falsely reported to the bank that he had lost the checks, causing the bank to stop payments to the casinos. Cozzens caused the bank to lose $1,395,673.

“For over five years, Cozzens abused his position as a property manager to steal and cheat people and businesses to fund his gambling lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “As homeowners struggle with affordability, the last thing they need to worry about is that their hard-earned money paid to HOAs will be stolen from those entrusted to serve them.”

“When individuals in trusted roles commit financial crimes, they harm the very communities they are meant to serve.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to investigate fraud and ensure justice for victims,” stated Glen Henderson, Inspector in Charge of the Phoenix Division.

The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cedar City Police Department, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Stephen P. Dent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a North Chesterfield man today on charges of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least July 2013 through July 2019, George Nathaniel Boykins, 43, was a Qualified Mental Health Professional authorized to bill Medicaid for Mental Health Skill-Building Services (MHSS). From at least January 2014 through July 2019, Boykins caused his employers to submit false and fraudulent Medicaid claims for MHSS services that were not actually provided.

“The United States holds the provision of healthcare services as a paramount priority,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Through apathy and avarice, George Boykins’ misconduct – billing Medicaid for services he never delivered – robbed vulnerable Virginians of vital care and siphoned resources meant to serve them.”

“Today’s conviction should send a strong message to those providers who put greed in front of patient care,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Alongside our law enforcement partners and with steadfast dedication, HHS-OIG will continue to pursue those who commit health care fraud and steal from federal programs.”

Boykins reported that he provided in-person MHSS services in Richmond despite having been outside the United States on the dates he falsely represented he had provided those services. While working for multiple employers, who were unaware of his employment with other service providers, Boykins reported providing services for different Medicaid recipients on the same dates and times. On one occasion, while Boykins was under investigation, Boykins billed Medicaid for in-person services he claimed to have provided at the same time he was being interviewed by law enforcement.

Boykins faces a mandatory minimum of two years and up to 10 additional years in prison when sentenced on April 8, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Gibbons and Robert Day are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-24.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

LAS VEGAS – A North Las Vegas resident who has prior felony convictions was sentenced today by United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro to 10 years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release for possession of a machine gun, possession of six firearms, and possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute that methamphetamine to another person. The government recommended a prison sentence of 130 months and five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, in April 2023, Harold Wesley Snowten IV, also known as “Insane,” unlawfully possessed six firearms, including a Taurus G2c 9x19mm pistol that had a loaded 17-round high-capacity magazine; a MasterPiece Arms Defender 9x19mm pistol that had a loaded 30-round high-capacity magazine; a Smith & Wesson 9x19mm pistol that had a loaded 16-round high-capacity magazine; a SCCY CPX-2 9x19mm pistol that had a loaded 32-round high-capacity magazine, as well as several other magazines. Furthermore, Snowten admitted that in addition to the ammunition found in the firearms and various magazines, he possessed more than 500 other rounds of ammunition. Snowten has prior felony convictions including unlawful possession of cocaine base for sale and felon in possession of a firearm, all in San Diego, California. In addition to the firearm charges, Snowten admitted that he possessed with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Snowten pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, one count of a prohibited person in possession of firearms, and one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge John Westerfor the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, San Francisco Field Division made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the ATF and the North Las Vegas Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dan Cowhig prosecuted 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Guatemalan national, Bayron Leopoldo Perez Batres, 63, residing in Beltsville, Maryland, made his initial appearance today in U.S. federal court in the District of Maryland and is charged with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.

According to the indictment, Perez Batres unlawfully reentered the United States after having been removed on three separate occasions — in January 1996, September 2009, and May 2010. He had not received consent from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States, as required by law.

If convicted of illegal reentry, Perez Batres faces a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Matthew Thiman and Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney LaShanta Harris for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). JTFA also leads and supports U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the prosecution of crimes related to unaccompanied alien children (UACs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Houston, Texas man was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison for his role in the “jugging” robbery of an ATM technician, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.  A “jugging” robbery is a type of theft where thieves follow a victim as they service or withdraw cash from ATMs or banks and then rob them.

Corey Dashun Holloway, 30, of Houston, Texas pled guilty in September 2025 to the felony charge of interference with commerce by robbery relating to his role in the July 3, 2024, robbery of an ATM technician.  Today, United States Senior District Judge David Godbey sentenced him to 87 months in federal prison.  Holloway is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case.  

Also indicted with Holloway were Houston residents Johnny Juwan Clark, Tierra Toneisha Brandyberg, and Roosevelt Ford Valentine.  Court records reflect that Clark, Brandyberg, Holloway, and Roosevelt have been linked to a Houston-based criminal organization called the “Hiram Clarke Money Team.”  HCMT members are known to routinely travel to areas outside of Houston and engage in “jugging” style robberies and other forms of theft.

According to court documents, Holloway admitted that, during the early morning hours of July 3, 2024, he traveled from Houston, Texas to the Dallas metroplex in a rental car with the intent to commit robbery.  Holloway further admitted that after arriving in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he followed an ATM technician to multiple stops as the technician repaired ATMs in Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington, and ultimately, Midlothian, Texas.  At approximately 5:35 p.m. on July 3, 2024, Holloway approached the ATM technician as he was servicing an ATM at a Chase Bank located in Midlothian, Texas.  Clark, Holloway, and Valentine were wearing a hoodies and face coverings to disguise their appearance.  Clark approached the technician from behind and forced him to the ground.  Clark kept his fist to the back of the victim’s head as cannisters containing United States currency were removed from the ATM by Holloway and Valentine. Approximately $260,000 in United States currency was taken during the robbery.  

 

Court records reveal that after the robbery, Holloway and two of his codefendants fled from the Chase Bank in the rental car and met codefendant Tierra Tonisha Brandyberg at an apartment complex near the bank. The stolen money was loaded into a Range Rover and driven back to Houston, Texas.  Evidence presented in court showed that, two days after the robbery, a jewelry store in Houston posted a video on social media of Holloway in the store in possession of large quantities of cash and purchasing a diamond Rolex, a diamond necklace and other jewelry, as depicted below: 

At the time of the Chase Bank robbery, Holloway was serving a probation sentence in Collin County, Texas for aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity.  At today’s sentencing hearing, United States Senior District Judge David Godbey ordered that Holloway’s federal sentence run consecutive to any state sentence imposed in Holloway’s Collin County cases.

Two of Holloway’s codefendants have also been sentenced to terms of imprisonment in federal prison.  Codefendant Tierra Toneisha Brandyberg was sentenced to 41 months on November 3, 2025.  Codefendant Johnny Clark was sentenced to 96 months on August 4, 2025.  On December 2, 2025, codefendant Roosevelt Valentine pled guilty to a total of three “jugging” style robberies that targeted ATM technicians, and he is awaiting sentencing.  

The FBI Dallas Field Office investigated the case.
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tiffany Dawn Shaffer, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced today to ten years in prison, to be followed by six years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine and for violating supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 17, 2025, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Shaffer near St. Albans. Shaffer admitted that she possessed 2 pounds of methamphetamine in the back of the vehicle during the traffic stop.

At the time of the offense, Shaffer was serving a term of supervised release after pleading guilty to the distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on June 28, 2021. The sentence imposed today includes two years to be served concurrently for committing a crime while on supervised release.

Shaffer has a criminal history that also includes prior convictions for conspiracy to operate a clandestine drug laboratory and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department and the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-144.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant illegally possessed a gun and ammo – called couple to gloat about explosion while using racial slurs

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County tour company entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by applying for and receiving two loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) for which the company was not eligible, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced today.

According to the allegations in the complaint and the contentions of the United States contained in the settlement agreement:

Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses.

CIE Tours International Inc. (“CIE Tours”) applied for and received two PPP loans totaling $3,410,300 even though it was ineligible for the loans as an entity owned by the government of Ireland, and because it exceeded the employee size eligibility requirements. CIE Tours then sought and received forgiveness of the total amount of the loans. 

CIE Tours fully cooperated in the investigation and resolution of this matter. In accordance with the terms of the settlement CIE Tours agrees to pay the United States $4,428,985.04. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. In this matter, Relator is receiving $428,985 as his share in the recovery.

Senior Counsel Lamparello credits the SBA’s Office of General Counsel for their assistance in this matter.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Dauenheimer of the Healthcare Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The qui tam case is captioned US ex rel. TZAC, Inc., v. CIE TOURS INTERNATIONAL, 24-cv-009637 (D.N.J.).

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Counsel for CIE Tours: Reetuparna Dutta, Hodgson Russ, LLP, Buffalo, New York.

Relator’s counsel: David Abrams, Esq., New York, New York.