Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has filed and served a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland, against Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, a native of Nigeria who organized a vast conspiracy to steal identities and file fraudulent tax returns. In 2017, he was convicted of 19 counts of mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and sentenced to 15 years in prison. But in 2024, then-President Biden commuted his sentence after only six years.
“The Trump Administration will not permit wrongdoers to retain the U.S. citizenship that they were never entitled to in the first place,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “U.S. Citizenship is a privilege, and we will continue to ask courts to revoke a status that was obtained through fraud and deceit.”
The newly filed denaturalization complaint alleges that Kazeem’s fraud scheme, which he committed in the years before and after his naturalization, along with his concealment of his crimes, precluded him from obtaining his naturalization lawfully. The complaint also alleges that Kazeem had, prior to his fraud scheme, engaged in a sham marriage to obtain permanent resident status and then married a second woman, further disqualifying him from naturalization.
According to court documents and evidence presented at Kazeem’s criminal trial, in May 2013, a victim in Medford, Oregon, notified the IRS that false federal and Oregon state tax returns were filed electronically using her and her husband’s personal identifying information (PII) including social security numbers and dates of birth.
An IRS investigation led to search warrants of residences in Illinois, Maryland, and Georgia and to numerous email and instant messenger accounts used by Kazeem and other co-conspirators. At a Chicago residence, agents seized approximately 150 prepaid debit cards and $50,000 in money orders. In Maryland and Georgia, agents seized more than 50 electronic devices, 40 money orders in amounts exceeding $29,000, $14,000 in cash and numerous prepaid debit cards containing over $12,000 in fraudulent tax refunds. The search warrants helped agents identify Kazeem as the leader and mastermind of the scheme.
The scheme resulted in the conspirators possessing stolen PII of more than 259,000 victims. Kazeem purchased more than 91,000 identities from a Vietnamese hacker that originated from an Oregon company’s private database. The company provided pre-employment and volunteer background checks for thousands of clients. Kazeem divided the identities into batches and shared them with other co-conspirators. They were in turn used to file fraudulent tax returns between 2012 and 2015.
In carrying out the scheme, Kazeem trained and directed his co-conspirators including his younger brother, Michael Oluwasegun Kazeem, to use stolen PII to obtain thousands of electronic filing PINs to bypass IRS authentication procedures. They acquired over 19,500 E-File PINS during the course of the conspiracy. Kazeem also used taxpayers’ PII to gain unauthorized access into many taxpayers’ IRS transcripts, which contain sensitive personal financial information. Conspirators also used pre-paid debit cards with the victims’ stolen identities to receive direct electronic tax refund deposits from the IRS.
In total, Kazeem was linked to 10,139 fraudulent federal tax returns attempting to get over $91 million dollars in refunds and successfully receiving over $11.6 million dollars. Refunds were withdrawn from the debit cards and at least 2,000 wire transfers totaling over $2.1 million dollars were sent to Nigeria. Over 700 of those wire transfers, totaling more than $690,000, were directly linked to Kazeem.
Kazeem used the conspiracy windfall to place a nearly $200,000 down payment on a newly constructed house and to purchase a $175,000 townhouse, both in Maryland. His average monthly credit card payment during 2012 to 2015 was over $8,300. Kazeem also attempted to use his ill-gotten funds to develop a $6 million dollar, 4-star hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.
In May 2015, Kazeem transferred the townhouse to his sister in Nigeria for $10 and included her on the deed to his Maryland residence, also for $10. He was arrested one day later.
On June 20, 2018, Kazeem was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $12 million in restitution. However, on Dec. 12, 2024, then-President Joe Biden commuted Kazeem’s sentence, along with nearly 1,500 others who had been serving under house arrest following their release from prison due to conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kazeem’s criminal conviction resulted from a joint investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Investigative support was provided by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Department of State; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (DHS HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Kazeem’s criminal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Byron Chatfield and Gavin Bruce for the District of Oregon. Kazeem’s denaturalization case was investigated by DHS HSI and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tampa, FL – Cristian Daniel Diaz-Garcia (age 27), an illegal alien from Honduras, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to three years and two months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Clarksburg, West Virginia man has admitted to working with others to sell fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. Matthew Ryan Lester, 33, pleaded guilty to federal drug and firearm charges.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that Joseph Crocco was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for dealing guns, fentanyl, and crack in Poughkeepsie, New York, while on federal supervised release.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage doctor was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for executing a $12.5 million health care fraud scheme and evading over $4 million in taxes on the profits of their 15-year scheme. Her husband and co-defendant was sentenced to three years’ probation, with two years to be served in home confinement for his role in the fraudulent scheme.
LIVORNO, Italy – Livorno Elementary Middle School students gathered at the LEMS Media Center on March 13 to lead an immersive math modeling activity.
Divided into four specialized teams, the students demonstrated modern mathematical methodologies to community members in attendance, effectively showcasing both their academic proficiency and their leadership skills.
“The event empowers students to teach parents real world math problems through hands-on modeling and graphing tasks,” said Villet Ferreri, LEMS mathematics teacher. “The primary expectation is for the students to collaboratively teach, model and explain math concepts that each grade level is learning.”
Now in its second year, the event involves all students in grades 6–8. Ferreri noted that the presentation serves a dual purpose: it reinforces the students’ understanding while bridging the gap between the classroom and the home.
“The event also gives the students an opportunity to teach the new modeling techniques and math approaches to their parents, so they are equipped to help with the ‘new’ math at home,” she said.
Reflecting on the presentation, Ferreri expressed high praise for her students’ performance.
“All the students did an amazing job guiding and explaining their reasoning,” she said. “I’m proud of the courage and confidence they displayed and grateful to all the parents and families that came out to support us.”
SEMBACH, Germany– For a command whose members are spread across 24 countries, the opportunity to come together is invaluable. U.S. Army NATO leadership convened here for their Quarterly Touch Point February 24-25, uniting command teams from the brigade, its two battalions, and nine companies to sharpen their collective focus.
The event, QTP 26-1, was designed to build a shared understanding of readiness across NATO, identify best practices, and develop confident leaders. The U.S. Army provides Soldiers to NATO at every level, and the U.S. Army NATO Brigade ensures these personnel and their families have the logistical and human resources support they need to remain resilient and ready to support the multinational partnership.
The two-day event was packed with semi-annual training briefs, battalion break-out sessions, morale-building physical fitness, and professional development, all designed to reinforce the unit’s core mission.
Col. Jeremiah D. Pope, commander of the U.S. Army NATO Brigade, kicked off the training by setting a clear objective. He framed the event not as a new beginning, but as a crucial check-in on continuing progress.
“This event is just a continuation of the last time we met,” Pope stated. “I want to see what progress we’ve made since then, focusing in on what training you have conducted to get after the goal of readiness, specifically for your tier-one organizations.”
His subordinate commanders were ready to demonstrate their progress. Lt. Col. Natalie Meng, who commands the Allied Forces South Battalion from Naples, Italy, saw it as a key moment to align with the brigade’s goals. “This is a great opportunity to show you what we’ve been working on in this last quarter,” she explained, “and how we’re going to move forward in the next quarter.”
For company-level leaders, the QTP provided a vital link to the higher echelons of command. Capt. Jennifer Zimmerman, of Company B, Allied Forces South Battalion, highlighted the practical benefits of the sessions.
“It gives us, as a company command team, the opportunity to go over the plans and operations that we would like to have,” she said. The direct feedback from senior leaders is critical, as “it gives them the opportunity to either provide insight or guidance and support as needed from the elements that we may not have readily available to us.”
Beyond the strategic planning, the human element of the gathering proved to be one of its most valuable aspects. For leaders operating in different countries, the simple act of being in the same room was a powerful tool for building cohesion.
Capt. Zimmerman emphasized this, noting that the personal interaction was what she looked forward to the most. “I am just very excited to be essentially reunited with my fellow commanders because we don’t get that time together outside of meetings,” she shared. “So getting to actually meet teammates who are in this command struggle… for me has been my favorite part.”
Capt. Mark Howard, from Company A, Allied Forces North Battalion in Brunssum, Netherlands, echoed that sentiment, stressing the irreplaceable value of face-to-face communication. “There’s something to be said about actually being in front of a person that you can ask the questions and immediately respond to facial cues and body language,” he remarked. “There’s way more to communication than just hearing words.”
Howard explained that this personal connection is the foundation of their unique, geographically dispersed mission. “This is a great event because we are so geographically dispersed and this is one of our few opportunities during the year to all get together,” he said. “QTP 26 allows us an opportunity to really foster an environment of teamwork which helps us with our end goal: taking care of Soldiers and their families and ensuring that our mission is accomplished.”
By the end of the training, the leaders reaffirmed their collective strength. As Pope concluded, the event confirmed that “U.S. Army NATO is trained, capable, and ready to provide Title 10 support and administrative agent execution to enable NATO formations in the implementation of the SACEUR’s (Supreme Allied Commander Europe) guidance for collective deterrence and defense of the alliance.”
U.S. Army NATO supports approximately 800 U.S. Soldiers, with about 725 assigned to NATO billets across 23 European countries and in Norfolk, Virginia. An additional 75 Soldiers are assigned to Military Personnel Exchange Programs and foreign schools.
These 800 Soldiers are supported by a dedicated national support element of some 275 personnel who conduct mission essential training to achieve and maintain rapid deployment readiness, improve interoperability with allies and partners and protect U.S. personnel and interests.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who has prior felony convictions was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware to 132 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and unlawful possession of firearms including a 9mm handgun without a serial number. The government recommended a sentence of 151 months incarceration.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy pleaded guilty today to obstructing a federal investigation into a now-jailed, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman by lying that he never witnessed the wannabe crypto mogul threaten and extort $25,000 from a party planner at his Bel Air mansion.
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – U.S. and Tanzanian medical professionals completed the first-ever medical readiness exercise at Lugalo General Military Hospital and Msata Military Training Base, Tanzania, March 2-12. The mission served as an operational component of Justified Accord 2026, U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa.
Led by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), JA26 focused on readiness, innovation and crisis response. The MEDREX advanced those priorities by testing U.S. medical proficiency in austere, resource-constrained environments and supporting the Nebraska-Tanzania State Partnership Program.
The joint medical team integrated professionals from U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force units from the Nebraska National Guard and active-duty forces. The team treated more than 800 patients across 10 distinct medical specialties, including trauma surgery, infectious disease, orthopedic surgery, optometry and pediatrics.
Tanzanian partners identified the required capabilities, shaping the U.S. medical team’s composition.
1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Ling, the lead medical readiness exercise planner for Justified Accord 2026, assigned to the 155th Medical Group, 155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard, meets the Tanzania People’s Defence Force hospital commander as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 26 at Lugalo General Military Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 3, 2026. This first-ever MEDREX in Tanzania prepared U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside traditional clinical settings. Working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refined their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
JA26 increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tucker Chase) (Photo Credit: 1LT Tucker Chase)
VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Air Force Col. Halton Beumer, an ear, nose and throat and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon assigned to the Surgical Operations Squadron, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, performs surgery as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 26 at Lugalo General Military Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 3, 2026. This first-ever MEDREX in Tanzania prepared U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside traditional clinical settings. Working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refined their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
JA26 increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tucker Chase) (Photo Credit: 1LT Tucker Chase)
“We collaborate with the host nation about the types of specialties they prefer,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Ling, a medical officer assigned to the 155th Medical Group, 155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard. “It’s not just what Nebraska has available, it’s what they need and desire, and then how do we improve readiness by fulfilling their needs.”
Providing these tailored, host-nation requirements ensures U.S. forces increase their technical proficiency and advance the interoperability required for rapid crisis response. This training promotes shared responsibility and positions African partners to achieve operational independence and lead regional security efforts.
About 20 U.S. military medical personnel provided care alongside Tanzanian counterparts at Lugalo General Military Hospital. Meanwhile, a smaller joint team deployed to the remote village of Msata, testing medical decision-making under severe resource constraints.
Treating unfamiliar regional illnesses, such as malaria, provides military physicians with hands-on experience they cannot replicate in standard U.S. treatment facilities.
1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army Maj. Woo Do, the chief of pediatric surgery with the Directorate for Surgical Services, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and Tanzania People’s Defence Forces medical personnel perform surgery on a Tanzanian patient as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 2026 at Lugalo General Military Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 4, 2026. This first-ever MEDREX in Tanzania prepared U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside traditional clinical settings. Working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refined their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
JA26 increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tucker Chase) (Photo Credit: 1LT Tucker Chase)
VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army Maj. Woo Do, chief of pediatric surgery with the Directorate for Surgical Services, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and Tanzania People’s Defence Forces medical personnel perform a surgery on a Tanzanian patient as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 2026 at Lugalo General Military Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 4, 2026. This first-ever MEDREX in Tanzania prepared U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside traditional clinical settings. Working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refined their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
JA26 increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tucker Chase) (Photo Credit: 1LT Tucker Chase)
“Operating in this austere environment forces us to rely on our foundational clinical skills and adapt to logistical constraints,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Halton Beumer, an ear, nose, throat and facial plastic/reconstructive surgeon assigned to the Surgical Operations Squadron, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston. “The interoperability we build here directly translates to our own operational readiness, ensuring we are prepared to deploy and provide trauma care anywhere in the world.”
Such field training ensures medical units remain tactically prepared to support large-scale combat operations globally.
“At home station, our main priority in the National Guard is ensuring that our Airmen are medically ready to deploy, and then also maintaining our readiness,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Brooke Sciuto, family medicine physician and commander of 155th Medical Group, Nebraska Air National Guard. “Here, we have the great opportunity to provide care and practice our readiness skills.”
The exercise also functioned as a battle lab for the total force. The U.S. Army tested a digital field-medicine tracker for the first time in Africa to quantify operational readiness. Providers logged encounters, procedures, diagnoses and clinical hours through a mobile interface.
Developed by the U.S. Air Force, the Medical Currency Application for Readiness Tracking 2.0 is a cloud-enabled, modular system. The platform aggregates clinical data and adds calculated measures like work-relative value units, as well as joint knowledge, skills and abilities metrics, then populates a near real-time dashboard accessible to leadership.
U.S. Air Force and Tanzania People’s Defence Force medical personnel pose for a group photo after completing a knowledge exchange on pediatric best practices as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 26 at Lugalo General Military Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 6, 2026. This first-ever MEDREX in Tanzania prepared U.S. military health professionals for the challenges of providing care outside of traditional clinical settings. Working alongside African partners, U.S. medical professionals refined their ability to deliver rapid, adaptable and resource-efficient medical care, directly increasing medical readiness for large-scale combat operations.
JA26 increases multinational interoperability in support of humanitarian assistance and crisis response, prepares regional partners for United Nations and African Union missions, and builds readiness for the U.S. joint force. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) and hosted in Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania, JA26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Tucker Chase) (Photo Credit: 1LT Tucker Chase)
“The most significant improvements came from the hundreds of end users across the Army, Navy and Air Force who tested the application during operational missions and exercises,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Justin Fo, professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. “Their feedback was critical in improving usability and ensuring the platform met the practical needs of clinicians operating in real-world environments.”
The platform’s ongoing success relies on continuous user-driven feedback from the field. Testing by end users during the exercise ensures the application meets the practical needs of medical personnel.
By synchronizing the state partnership, specialized clinical expertise and digital innovation, this historic MEDREX validated U.S. medical readiness and reinforced the operational value of partnered training in East Africa.
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.