Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Sequan Collier, 29, a previously convicted felon residing in the District, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 29 months in federal prison in connection with his illegal possession of a loaded Glock pistol when police encountered him parked illegally with two additional armed men while he was on supervised release for a previous firearms offense, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a jury has convicted Brandon Brave Heart, age 42, of Kyle, South Dakota, of Assault by Striking, Beating, or Wounding and Simple Assault following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on October 8, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, announced today that LAQUAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a “China Man” was sentenced yesterday afternoon to 200 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain for orchestrating a series of schemes to steal money from banks by sending imposters into bank branches to transfer money from victim bank accounts or to cash stolen U.S. Treasury checks.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Mohammed Maio, 44, of Phoenix, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 10 years in prison. Maio previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire and Bank Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Bank Fraud, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Materially False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Bosnian national was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal export and sanctions violations by conspiring and attempting to broker the sale of Man Portable Air Defense Systems, which are anti-aircraft missiles.
“U.S. sanctions mean little if those who knowingly evade them face no consequences,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “This defendant helped carry out an international scheme to conduct business that U.S. law prohibited, and this sentence holds him accountable for his role. I am proud of the investigators and prosecutors whose hard work and dedication brought this case to sentencing in New Mexico. Their commitment to seeing this prosecution through is a testament to the caliber of the people who serve in this district.”
“Those who knowingly attempt to circumvent U.S. export controls and international sanctions to facilitate the illicit trafficking of military weapons pose a serious threat to our national security and global stability,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “Their willingness to profit from prohibited weapons transactions demonstrates blatant disregard for the law. HSI aggressively pursues those who traffic in restricted military technology and hold them accountable for their actions.”
According to court documents, Sasa Micev, 43, a citizen of Bosnia, is an international arms dealer. Micev worked with a co-conspirator based in New Mexico and others to violate and evade restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the North Korea Sanctions Regulations by brokering the purchase of SA-18 Igla portable surface-to-air missiles from North Korea without the required license or approvals from the Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control.
On multiple occasions in 2020, Micev and a co-conspirator discussed unlawfully acquiring the Igla missiles and Micev provided pricing information, participated in efforts to obtain the items through falsified documentation, and worked to procure the weapons from North Korea despite knowing that such transactions were prohibited under U.S. and international laws.
In late 2020, Micev and the co-conspirator traveled to Ankara, Turkey to meet and complete the sale of the Igla missiles. However, after a price dispute with the North Koreans, the sale fell through.
Micev pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the North Korean Sanctions Regulations.
HSI’s Albuquerque and Phoenix Field Offices investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tavo Hall and Holland Kastrin for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case with the assistance of the Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed charging Melissa Brooks, a correctional officer employed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with taking bribes as a public official and conspiracy to do the same. Brooks was assigned to the Metropolitan Detention Center located in Brooklyn, New York (MDC Brooklyn) and agreed to accept the illegal payments from inmates and others acting on behalf of inmates who were involved in smuggling contraband into the MDC. Brooks was arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Timeka Griffin, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Source: United States Department of Justice
Tallahassee, Florida – Timeka Griffin, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Keynin McGee, 27, of Oakland, California, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor in the Eastern District of California.
According to court documents, McGee met the minor victim in 2021 through Instagram. After months of speaking with her, McGee bought the victim a bus ticket for her to travel to meet him in person. When she arrived, McGee picked the victim up at the bus station, bought her clothing, and took her to a hotel. He then posted photographs of the victim online on a website commonly used to buy and sell sex. McGee then drove the victim to outdoor areas in Oakland and San Francisco known for commercial sex work and instructed her to solicit sex buyers in passing cars. Because of his conduct, the minor victim engaged in commercial sex acts with multiple buyers.
“Exploiting a child for financial gain is reprehensible and heinous,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Yesterday’s guilty plea of Keynin McGee to sex trafficking of a minor, who he lured to meet him in person then trafficked her for commercial sex in the Oakland and San Francisco areas, reflects our commitment to protecting children from the scourge of sex trafficking. The Criminal Division will continue to pursue and prosecute vile individuals who victimize and traffic minors.”
“Keynin McGee reduced his young victim to a commodity to be bought and sold for his own gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh of FBI Sacramento. “Anyone who seeks to exploit children will face relentless pursuit from the FBI and our law enforcement partners. We will hold traffickers fully accountable for the harm they inflict. Together, we can protect the vulnerable and create a safer future for every child.”
McGee pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2027, and faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Deputy Chief Leah Branch of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – Former Massachusetts state official, Lamar Cook, has been arrested for fraudulently obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, receiving over $500 per month, while on court ordered pretrial release in connection with a pending state indictment for alleged cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses.