Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced a Raleigh man, Joseph Matthew Dobbs, age 45, to 135 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), after a federal jury convicted him earlier this year.

“Predators who target children have no place in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This office will pursue them relentlessly, charge them aggressively, and make sure they face the consequences they deserve. We will always stand up for the most vulnerable and protect the families of this district. This criminal won’t bother our children for at least 11 years.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in early November 2022, Dobbs worked from home as an IT support engineer for a multinational technology company. During a routine remote session, a supervisor observed content on Dobb’s work-issued laptop that appeared to be CSAM. The company immediately terminated his employment and provided screenshots to law enforcement.

The Raleigh Police Department executed a search warrant at Dobb’s apartment and seized the company laptop.  Investigators reviewed the device and the company’s back-up servers and found that Dobbs had stored over 300 CSAM images. Many images showed children under the age of 12.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Warlick and Logan Liles prosecuted the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case.

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.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-182-FL.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a Georgia man of sending a threatening letter to a spiritual mission in suburban Chicago.

In July 2023, JIMIL PARMAR mailed a letter to the Sant Nirankari Mission in West Chicago, Ill.  The letter stated, “CANCEL US CANADA TOUR IMMEDIATELY SRS ATTACK PLANNED.”  The threat coincided with the visit of the Mission’s spiritual leader, Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, who was touring the United States and Canada that summer, including scheduled appearances in Chicago and Atlanta, Ga.  At least four other Sant Nirankari Missions in the United States received identical letters that summer, and all of them were postmarked from the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Parmar, 33, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was found guilty on Wednesday of mailing a threatening communication.  The jury returned its verdict after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The conviction is punishable by up to five years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set sentencing for March 4, 2026, at 1:15 p.m.

The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Atlanta Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha J. Babu and Ramon Villalpando.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on December 10, 2025, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Frederick Daniel Stensgar, age 61, of Inchelium, Washington, to 33 months in prison for Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner and Dating Partner in Indian Country, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 113(a)(7) and 1153. Judge Rice also ordered that, following imprisonment,
Stensgar must serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on April 20, 2025, Stensgar struck his intimate partner with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause her bodily harm. As a result, she suffered serious bodily injury to the back of her right hand. The victim disclosed that, during an argument on the morning of Easter, Stensgar told her she needed to get out of his face, or he was going to do something to her. Stensgar grabbed an object and was going to hit the victim in the face, so she put her hand up to block the strike and it sliced her hand open. The victim was transported to a hospital, where it was determined she sustained a seven-centimeter, v-shaped laceration on the back of her right hand.

Additionally, according to court documents, Stensgar’s criminal history includes multiple convictions for violent crimes, including domestic violence. This is Stensgar’s third criminal conviction for assaulting his intimate partner.

First Assistant United States Attorney Serrano said, “This case exemplifies the mission of our office to ensure the criminal justice system protects victims and the public as a whole from people like Stensgar who perpetrate violence against their intimate partners, often in secret within the home.”

“Mr. Stensgar’s repeated violence is horrifying and inexcusable, especially since it was directed against his long-term partner in their shared home,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “In this incident, his violent attack caused severe injury necessitating hospital treatment. The FBI and our tribal partners will continue to combat violent crime on tribal lands together, as we do throughout the state of Washington.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colville Tribal Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen.

2:25-cr-00098-TOR

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KAWAIISHH BROWN, age 52, a resident of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty on December 4, 2025 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

According to court documents, In January 2024, law enforcement officers learned that Shyheim Pines sold heroin and fentanyl from his residence in Pontchatoula, Louisiana and that his mother sold heroin and fentanyl from her Pontchatoula, Louisiana residence on behalf of Pines.

On March 26, 2024, agents executed search warrants at Pines and BROWN’S residences. At Pines’ residence, agents found a black book sack containing 312.1 grams of methamphetamine, 1.61 grams of cocaine, and 57 grams of a substance containing tramadol, fentanyl and heroin. Also in the book sack with the drugs was a Glock Model 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

At the residence, where BROWN resides, law enforcement seized 57.1 grams of methamphetamine, 5.523 grams of fentanyl, 11.73 grams of cocaine and .995 grams of cocaine base. Also found in the residence were a Ruger LSP .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a Radical Firearm Model RF-15 semi-automatic rifle.

BROWN faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

The case was investigated by the Southeastern Louisiana University Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), which is comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hammond Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the 21st Judicial District Court. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Sarver and André Jones of the Narcotics Unit.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HOUSTON – A 25-year-old man has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Brice Andrew Flickinger pleaded guilty March 20.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now sentenced Flickinger to 120 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information, including a victim letter detailing how the minor victim was taken advantage of at a young age and how it affected the victim negatively for several years. In imposing the sentence, the court noted that Flickinger engaged in a sexual relationship with a very young minor.

Flickinger was also ordered to pay $5,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and forfeit his phone. Restitution will be determined later. Following his prison term, Flickinger will serve the rest of his life on supervised release and must comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

On July 9, 2021, the victim’s mother reported her daughter missing. Shortly thereafter, authorities conducted a traffic stop after observing a vehicle with two men, including Flickinger as passenger, drop the minor victim off near her home. A search resulted in the discovery of a phone in Flickinger’s possession. Forensic examination revealed at least nine videos of child sexual abuse material depicted Flickinger and the minor victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Law enforcement later executed a search warrant at his home where they seized numerous items, including a pair of purple handcuffs located near his bed.

The investigation revealed Flickinger had initially met the minor victim through social media. They later met in person, approximately 15 times, during which he would drive them both to his home after midnight.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Sherrif’s offices in Harris and Fort Bend County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Charles M. Schmaltz, 29, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for cyberstalking and sending obscene materials to minor females. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our children face unprecedented threats online from predators, like this defendant, but this case demonstrates the unified commitment of our state and federal law enforcement officers to keep them safe by capturing the offenders who try to exploit them. My office will continue to back up those excellent investigative efforts by law enforcement with successful prosecutions to send those offenders to federal prison.”     

Court documents reflect that the defendant communicated with multiple minor females between 2022 and 2024 by utilizing ten or more social media accounts to contact them.  The minor females, and later their parents, repeatedly requested that the defendant cease communicating with them.  Instead, the defendant sent sexually explicit content to the minor females, including extremely graphic communications.  The minor females in this case ranged in age from nine to 15 years old.  The defendant was eventually caught through the work of a multi-agency investigation in North Florida and South Alabama, where some of the victims were located.

Upon his release, Schmaltz will be supervised for five years by a United States Probation Officer and have to comply with sexual offender treatment.  The defendant faces further state charges in Alabama.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office and the Dothan Police Department in South Alabama.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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

Spokane, Washington – Upon the expiration of his 120-day appointment as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Pete Serrano has accepted the Attorney General’s appointments as Special Attorney to the Attorney General and as First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington and will act with all the authority conferred by those appointments.

“I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving my community as a member of the Department of Justice,” Mr. Serrano said. “I am honored to continue working with the excellent team we have at the United States Attorney’s Office here in Eastern Washington, and I look forward to doing everything I can to continue keeping this community safe and strong.”