Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas accountant was sentenced to 48 months in prison for defrauding clients of his accounting firm, who were also his relatives, of more than $400,000.

According to court documents, Quintin Flanagin, 45, of Colby pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, one count of false statements, and one count of money laundering.

As a certified public accountant (CPA), Flanagin used his status as a signatory on his clients’ business account and trust account to make unauthorized transactions. Between December 2021 and August 2022, he wrote checks and initiated wire transfers totaling $409,710 to Middle Finger Ranch, a fictitious name that Flanagin connected to his personal bank account. He wrote false verbiage in the memo lines indicating the transactions to be payments for farm operations. Flanagin then used the stolen money to help pay for the construction on his new home.

In October 2022, after his victims noticed discrepancies and confronted him, Flanagin took several actions to conceal his crimes including removing Middle Finger Ranch from his personal account. Federal investigators later found a note Flanagin wrote stating that prosecutors couldn’t prove who input the check for processing and that he could likely feign innocence and say his company wasn’t monitoring the account.

“The name of Mr. Flanagin’s fictitious ranch speaks for itself. After stabbing his family in the back, Flanagin lied to their faces. When the victims directly questioned him about accounting inconsistencies, he fabricated convoluted flowcharts and blamed third parties for the fraudulent checks,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “In his hubris, Flanagin thought he could outsmart federal investigators and forensic accountants. He was wrong. My office will continue to use the full force of the federal government to prosecute financial crimes.”

“Mr. Flanagin was entrusted with a fiduciary duty to protect the financial interests of the victims in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. “Instead of acting with integrity and in the interest of his clients, the defendant used his position to personally benefit from the scheme. Today’s sentencing reiterates the severity of the case and the seriousness by which the FBI takes financial fraud schemes.”  

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Memphis, TN – On December 4, 2025, a federal jury delivered a guilty verdict in the case of a Memphis-based convicted felon, Fredrick Buford, 29, who was charged with committing a series of armed robberies of businesses in the summer of 2022.  Buford faces a mandatory statutory minimum of 75 years in federal prison. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the verdict today.

According to information presented in court, Buford conducted a series of armed robberies of local businesses in Memphis, Tennessee:

• May 23, 2022: Dollar General, 3129 Thomas Street
• May 23, 2022: Family Dollar, 1688 Jackson Avenue
• May 29, 2022: Exxon, 4491 Poplar Avenue
• May 29, 2022: Mapco, 979 East Brooks Road (Buford broke into the store and threatened to shoot the store employee. However, he was not successful in obtaining money.)
• June 4, 2022: Dollar General, 2469 Elvis Presley Boulevard
• June 6, 2022: Dollar General, 1760 Winchester Road
• June 6, 2022: Mapco, 3333 Thomas Street
• June 11, 2022: Family Dollar, 2743 North Watkins Street
• June 11, 2022: Dollar General, 1294 Lamar Avenue
• June 12, 2022: Family Dollar, 3255 Hickory Hill Road
• June 15, 2022: Dollar General, 2939 Lamar Avenue
• June 16, 2022: Dollar General, 2245 Lamar Avenue

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Robberies of businesses with a firearm are especially dangerous and violent due to the high risk of death and serious bodily injury by the simple squeeze of a trigger. Business robberies also have a substantially negative impact on the local economy and interstate commerce, which victimizes the entire community. Within the short span of 25 days, this recidivist violent offender’s selfish and impulsive greed terrorized multiple victims across our city – and will rightly earn him a long sentence in a federal prison.”

“This guilty verdict should serve as a reminder that the FBI will not waver when it comes to protecting Tennesseans and taking dangerous criminals off the streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI will continue to combat these issues through strong partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement via task forces and other relationships to ensure the safety of our communities.”

After a four-day trial, Buford was convicted on December 4, 2025 of eleven counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and eleven counts of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Sentencing is set on March 24, 2026 before United States District Judge Mark S. Norris.

The FBI Nashville Field Office-Memphis Resident Agency’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Memphis Police Department investigated this case. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Will Crow and Eileen Kuo prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. 

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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PLANO, Texas –A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking cocaine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Tomas Perez-Guerrero, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on December 8, 2025.

According to information presented in court, Perez-Guerrero was involved in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine in the Eastern District of Texas.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Johnson.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced today that nine individuals were indicted in the Pensacola division of the Northern District of Florida.

The following indictments were filed in the Pensacola division:

• Basilio Coxcahua-Arohua, a citizen of Mexico, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Luis Manuel Moscoso-Vidal, a citizen of Guatemala, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Marco Olavarrieta-Beranza, a citizen of Mexico, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Roberto Rios-Narvaez, a citizen of Mexico, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Melvin Roberto Saavedra-Vasquez, a citizen of Honduras, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Edin Francisco Trinidad-Moradel, a citizen of Honduras, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Yunior Joehl Vasquez-Garcia, a citizen of Honduras, indicted for illegal reentry after deportation or removal.
• Tyronzia Roquza Levine, of Pensacola, Florida, indicted for one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (more than five grams of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana), one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Isaiah Markeis Sims, of Pensacola, Florida, indicted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Law enforcement agencies conducting the investigations included the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brooke A. DiSalvo and Jessica S. Etherton.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

These cases are 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.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Marlow Allen, 45, of Panama City, Florida, has been sentenced to a five-year term of imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Keeping our communities safe and drug-free remains a top priority of our state and federal law enforcement partners, and my office will pursue aggressive prosecutions of crimes like this with the full force of the law. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America from the violent criminals who have preyed upon our communities for far too long, and this successful prosecution delivers on that promise.”

Court documents reflect that in June 2022, as part of an ongoing drug investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at multiple residences connected to Allen in Panama City, Florida. During the search of the two residences, investigators located “crack” cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, two firearms, as well as other items indicative of drug distribution. Allen is a convicted felon, who has previously been convicted of numerous felony offenses, including Possession with Intent to Deliver Cocaine, Sale of Cocaine, Possession of Cocaine, Unlawful Firearms Possession, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, and Tampering with a Witness.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K Mountin.

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.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Daniel Balan, 47, of Bacau, Romania, was sentenced to more than three years in prison after previously pleading guilty to five counts of bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of possessing 15 or more access devices, and making a false statement to a federal agency in connection with an ATM “skimming” scheme. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This offender exploited numerous innocent victims for his own financial gain, but thanks to the outstanding investigative work of our state and federal law enforcement partners he will enjoy an extended stay behind bars. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes to vindicate the victims exploited by these offenses and hold the fraudsters accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Court documents reflect that beginning on January 28, 2025, the defendant placed “skimming” devices and cameras on multiple ATMs in the Tallahassee, Florida area. The devices and cameras were used to capture customer account and access device information. Then, between February 8 and 9, 2025, the defendant used the stolen information to fraudulently obtain $56,340 in customer funds. At the time of arrest, law enforcement found 28 gift cards in the defendant’s pocket that had been encoded with stolen account information and labeled with a corresponding PIN.

“ATM skimming is not just a crime against individual account holders—it undermines public trust in our banking systems,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “Victims suffer financial losses and stress, banks and businesses face increased costs, and law enforcement resources are diverted to investigate these schemes. This sentence demonstrates HSI’s commitment to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to protecting our community from these fraud schemes and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”

“The successful resolution of this case highlights the strength of our partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and federal prosecutors. Together, we were able to stop a sophisticated scheme that targeted innocent people across Leon County,” said Sheriff Walt McNeil, Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

The case involved a joint investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and Eric W. Welch.

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.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 3, 2025, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a two-count indictment against Leo Reynoso, 46, of Tucson, Arizona, for violations of the Archeological Resources Protection Act.

The indictment alleges that Reynoso excavated, removed, or damaged archeological resources, without authorization, that were located on the Gila River Indian Community, a federally recognized Indian tribe. Reynoso excavated and removed numerous artifacts from known archeological sites located on tribal land. The items included Indian Trader tokens, coins, buttons, crucifixes, jewelry, and other items. The indictment also alleges that Reynoso trafficked archeological resources by selling some of the items that were excavated without a permit. An archeological damage assessment estimated the commercial value of the artifacts to be approximately $5,700; the archeological value to be approximately $29,000; and the cost of restoration and repair of the sites to be approximately $23,000.

A conviction for each count of Unauthorized Excavation of Archeological Resources and Trafficking in Archeological Resources carries a maximum penalty two years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine.

The United States Forest Service and the Gila River Indian Community Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:          25-CR-05253-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-172_Reynoso

 
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Justice Department issued a final rule updating its regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights of 1964. This rule ensures that our nation’s federal civil rights laws are firmly grounded in the principle of equal treatment under the law by eliminating disparate-impact liability from its Title VI regulations.

“For decades, the Justice Department has used disparate-impact liability to undermine the constitutional principle that all Americans must be treated equally under the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No longer. This Department of Justice is eliminating its regulations that for far too long required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race.”

“The prior ‘disparate impact’ regulations encouraged people to file lawsuits challenging racially neutral policies, without evidence of intentional discrimination,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our rejection of this theory will restore true equality under the law by requiring proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions.”

“For over 50 years, the prior disparate-impact rule fostered the very thing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited — discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. But with today’s rule,” said Chief of Staff and Supervisory Official for the Office of Legal Policy Nicholas Schilling. “The Department reaffirms Congress’ commitment to measure all Americans by merit.”

Congress enacted Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. In 1973, the federal government added to the law a new rule — disparate impact — that was not part of the law. The term “disparate impact” refers to the concept of imposing liability on a federal fund recipient only because there may be different outcomes for different people, not based on prejudice or intent. That prior disparate-impact rule was already enjoined in one state, prohibiting DOJ from enforcing it there.

The Department’s new rule reflects the best reading of Title VI, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized for over twenty years. Title VI has and will continue to prohibit intentional discrimination. The Department’s new rule ensures that recipients of federal funding will be judged on their actual conduct, not on statistical outcomes or circumstances beyond their control.

Despite decades of case law, the Department’s prior Title VI disparate-impact regulations remained on the books, sowing confusion and creating costly compliance obligations for states, local governments, nonprofits, and private organizations receiving federal financial assistance. This new rule eliminates these burdens, promotes consistent enforcement across agencies, and restores public confidence in civil rights law by aligning the Department’s regulations with the Constitution.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ATLANTA – Mitchell Parsons Hughes has pleaded guilty to committing a federal crime by flying a drone over Truist Park during the Major League Baseball All-Star game in July 2025 and was sentenced to six months’ probation. 

“Anyone attempting to fly a drone in a prohibited manner can expect to be prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Flight restrictions are implemented for the safety of everyone, whether at the event or nearby.  My office and its partners will enforce the law to protect the community whenever a major event, such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup, is hosted in our district.”

“Flying a small drone means you are flying an aircraft, and unsafe behavior will cost you,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “These actions can be dangerous to the public and interfere with security operations.”

“Drone regulations protect the public and ensure the safety of our national airspace,” said Joseph Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region. “Flying drones illegally—especially above large sporting events filled with families, friends, and fans—poses serious risks. This guilty plea highlights our continued dedication to working with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and avert dangerous incidents.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put a temporary flight restriction (TFR) in place for Truist Park during the July 15, 2025, Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star game, designating it a No Drone Zone.  A TFR restricts certain aircraft, including an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), commonly known as a “drone,” from operating within a one nautical mile radius of the stadium.

Introducing a TFR for stadiums or sports venues hosting regular or post-season contests is standard practice for the NFL, MLB, NCAA Division I, Major League Soccer, and NASCAR.  The TFR goes into effect one hour before the scheduled start time and lasts until one hour after the end of a qualifying event.

There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding drone use anywhere within the FAA’s No Drone Zone.  Anyone who attempts to fly a drone in any prohibited manner is subject to arrest, prosecution, fines, and/or imprisonment.

During the MLB All-Star game, Mitchell Parson Hughes flew a drone directly over Truist Park despite being warned about the flight restrictions on his UAS’s control panel. Hughes also admitted that his drone was not registered and that he lacked the required training and licensing, including a remote pilot certificate, to operate a UAS.

On December 5, 2025, Mitchell Parsons Hughes, 47, of Decatur, Ga., pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with knowingly violating national defense airspace.  Hughes was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell Vineyard to six months’ probation and a $500 fine. 

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Transportation – Office of the Inspector General.  U.S. Attorney Hertzberg also commended the FAA and the Cobb County Police Department for their work in the investigation.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles Delroy Singletary, 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that sold substantial amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

The indictment, returned in January 2024 charged 82 defendants, including Gary Brown, Jr., for their roles in the operation. According to statements made in court, Singletary was one of the workers for the operation, ensuring drug customers were receiving their controlled substances. Singletary was a fugitive for 18 months following the initial indictment and used using multiple aliases during his fugitive status.

All 82 defendants have been convicted and 81 defendants, including Singletary, have been sentenced. Brown, Jr. was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison in May 2025.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh Field Division and Baltimore Field Division); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service;  the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office; Ranson Police Department; Martinsburg Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Maryland); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Winchester Police Department; and the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia).

This investigation 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 Neighborhood (PSN).

Find the original case press release here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/investigators-dismantle-fentanyl-drug-trafficking-network-eastern-panhandle