Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
JOSE ORJUELA, also known as “Hov,” 37, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 188 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking in and around Norwalk and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg, Va. man, who used friends and family members to help him distribute more than a kilogram of fentanyl while he was incarcerated at the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center, was sentenced yesterday to more than 21 years in federal prison.Tremon Jaquil Burford, 31, pled guilty on July 10, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – The former Director of Plymouth Public Schools’ Food Services program pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to a long-running fraud scheme that began in 2014 in which he allegedly stole food and commercial kitchen equipment for use and sale at his private business, the “Snack Shack” on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Mass.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
WILMINGTON, Del. – A federal jury convicted a New Castle County resident yesterday on charges of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Source: United States Navy
The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), alongside NASCAR driver and U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Iwuji, unveiled his NEX-themed NASCAR driver uniform and vehicle on May 14, 2026. Iwuji will race the DGM Racing x JIM No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro SS when NASCAR hosts its first race on an active military installation on June 20, 2026, onboard Naval Base Coronado, California.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore County man pled guilty in court today, to drug and firearm charges in connection with a federal drug surveillance operation. Jacque “Hammer” Brown, 50, of Randallstown, Maryland, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, after authorities caught him with fentanyl during a traffic stop.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jarrell Curne, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a wire fraud case that resulted in more than $312,500 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A. Inc. has agreed to pay $13,670,921 to resolve allegations that it knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs by paying kickbacks to healthcare providers to induce prescriptions of Trintellix, an antidepressant medication that Takeda marketed and sold to treat major depressive disorder.
“The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously pursuing violations of the False Claims Act arising from illegal kickbacks,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Such conduct can erode the trust that patients place in their healthcare providers and lead to higher drug costs for American taxpayers.”
“This settlement demonstrates the continued commitment of my office to ensure that patients’ best interests remain paramount,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California. “Prescribing decisions should not be influenced by drug companies’ payments or side perks made available to physicians.”
“Alleged kickback schemes such as those described in this matter undermine the trust that patients place in their providers and federal health care programs,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). “This settlement underscores that HHS-OIG, together with our law enforcement partners, will investigate and hold accountable entities that attempt to disguise purported honoraria or other improper payments as legitimate compensation. Decisions regarding patient care should never be influenced by extravagant meals or other inducements.”
“As the investigative arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service is committed to protecting the integrity of programs that directly affect our service members and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge John E. Helsing for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “When companies use kickbacks to influence prescribing, they erode trust in healthcare providers, misuse federal healthcare funds, and put the health and readiness of our warfighters at risk. DCIS will continue working with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice to stop schemes that threaten those who faithfully serve our country.”
The Anti‑Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying anything of value to induce the referral of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal health care programs. The statute is intended to ensure that the judgments of healthcare professionals are not compromised by improper financial incentives.
The civil settlement resolves allegations that, from January 2014 to October 2020, Takeda paid improper remuneration, including in the form of speaker honoraria and meals at high-end restaurants, to healthcare professionals to induce them to prescribe the antidepressant medication Trintellix in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The United States contends that Takeda selected certain healthcare providers to be part of the Trintellix speaker bureau and provided them paid speaking opportunities with the intent that the speaker honoraria and meals would induce them to prescribe Trintellix. The government further contends that certain prescribers who attended multiple programs on the same topic and received meals and drinks from Takeda received no educational benefit from attending duplicate programs.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and HHS’s Office of Inspector General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
Trial Attorney Kimya Saied of the Justice Department’s Civil Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Thiess for the Eastern District of California handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment yesterday against Audias Flores Silva, also known as “Jardinero,” 45, of Mexico, a high-ranking leader of the Mexico-based drug trafficking organization the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). The superseding indictment expands on charges first filed in August 2020, when Flores Silva was accused of trafficking cocaine and heroin into the United States, now alleging he also trafficked methamphetamine and conspired to launder drug proceeds from the United States back to Mexico.
Before his capture on April 27 by Mexican authorities, Flores Silva was reportedly a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” the former top CJNG leader who died after a military operation to capture him in February 2026. The State Department designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.
“Audias Flores Silva is charged with trafficking massive amounts of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine into our country and funneling the profits back to Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drugs and violence that cartels inject into communities have no place in the United States. Our mission in the Criminal Division is to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at every level, targeting their leadership, financing and operations and ensuring those who have harmed our country face justice.”
“Jardinero believed he would assume control of the violent foreign terrorist organization CJNG following the death of El Mencho. He was wrong.” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Yesterday’s superseding indictment demonstrates the combined strength of DEA and the Homeland Security Task Force in dismantling the command and control structures of the cartels and holding their leaders accountable. I thank the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) for taking Jardinero into custody in Mexico. DEA and our partners will continue to relentlessly pursue the leaders of these terrorist organizations, disrupt their global operations, and protect the American people from the violence, poison, and chaos they spread.”
“The superseding indictment of Audias Flores Silva underscores how the Homeland Security Task Force and our partners are systematically targeting the command structure of violent cartels that traffic drugs, violence, and fear into our communities,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “The HSTF will continue to marshal the full strength of our interagency and international partnerships to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these transnational criminal organizations wherever they operate.”
Flores Silva is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine for importation into the United States, use of a firearm, one of which was a destructive device, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted he faces a minimum penalty of at least 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
HSI and the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Douglas Meisel and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has completed a year-long investigation into the admissions policies and practices at the Yale School of Medicine.
Yale’s documents show that its leadership intentionally selected applicants based on their race. Yale’s documents reveal that they studied how to use racial proxies to circumvent the Supreme Court’s prohibition on using race to select students. Yale’s admissions data demonstrate that Black and Hispanic students have a much higher chance of admission to Yale than White or Asian students with the same test scores.
“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform.” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.”
The investigation showed that, in general, Black and Hispanic applicants were admitted with consistently lower academic qualifications than their White and Asian counterparts. These facts support the Department’s finding that Yale violated the law by intentionally discriminating based on race in its admissions, in clear violation of federal law.
Medical schools use substantial federal financial assistance to train the next generation of doctors. The Department is continuing its focus on eradicating illegal race politics from admissions at medical schools, where quality and excellence are vitally important to public safety.