Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Daniel Richter, 47, of Middle Island, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to cyberstalking. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed today charging two alleged Tongan Crip Gang Members (TCG), one of whom is a convicted felon, with firearm crimes following the January shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Salt Lake City.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Carlos Frate, 41, a former Maui Police Department officer, was sentenced today to 65 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for using unreasonable force against an arrestee. Frate previously pled guilty in August 2025 to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Frate admitted that on Jan. 6, 2024, Frate repeatedly tased an arrestee, even though the arrestee was not resisting or posing any threat. Frate admitted that he knew that his force was unjustified, but he nonetheless continued to tase the arrestee despite the arrestee’s pleas for him to stop.
“The defendant’s acts were abusive and unbecoming of the oath he swore to protect the public,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Law enforcement officers who abuse their positions of power will be held accountable by this Administration.”
“Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder that no one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii. “Our law enforcement officers play an invaluable role in our community, serving at the frontline in preventing and investigating crime, protecting our citizens, and keeping Hawaii safe. We entrust them with enormous power and expect them to wield that power responsibly and constitutionally. While the vast majority of law enforcement officers conduct their duties with honor, integrity, and restraint, we are committed to bring to justice those who on the rare occasion violate the public trust by abusing their power or using excessive force.”
“Trust between our citizens and the men and women of law enforcement who serve them is foundational to the safety and success of any community,” said Special Agent in Charge David Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “By using excessive force and abusing the power entrusted in him, the defendant didn’t just break the law — he betrayed the community’s trust and made the job more difficult for the vast majority of law enforcement putting in good work every day. The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively investigate any officers who violate the public trust and their duty to serve.”
FBI investigated the case based on a referral from the Maui Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Julia White of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Thvoughn Lynden Curry, 34, and Alexis Daneen Curry, 34, both of New River, Arizona, were convicted last week in federal court based on their scheme to defraud the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid Agency, of over $12 million. Following a four-day bench trial before Senior U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow, both defendants were convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, three counts of Health Care Fraud, and eight counts of Transactional Money Laundering. Their sentencings are scheduled for May 4, 2026.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A San Gabriel Valley man and commercial real estate broker was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for engaging in a years-long pattern of obstructing the IRS from collecting taxes he owed, leading that agency to collect $770 in tax liabilities when he earned approximately $1 million from his employment during that time.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today that Marissa Nicole Delagarza, 38, of Visalia, California, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine. Her co-defendant, Maryjane Maria Gomez, 24, of Tulare, California, was sentenced to 8 months in prison.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – A former New York based sales director for the Northeast region of a mobile medical diagnostics company was sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jacksonville, Florida – Miguel Solis-Morales (42, Mexico) has been charged by indictment with illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Solis-Morales faces up to 20 years in federal prison and subsequent deportation and removal from the United States.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates resolves allegations that it received kickbacks for referrals and performed medically unnecessary gastrointestinal pathology testing services
Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates located in Atlanta, Georgia, has agreed to pay $4.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by receiving kickbacks in exchange for referrals of gastrointestinal pathology services and by performing certain gastrointestinal pathology services that were not medically reasonable or necessary.
The United States alleged that beginning in approximately May 2017, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates contracted with Advanced Pathology Solutions (APS), a pathology laboratory located in Little Rock, Arkansas, to construct and operate a limited-capacity pathology laboratory in Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates’ office. Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates received various benefits from APS in connection with the setup and ongoing operations of the in-house lab, in which histology technicians prepared and stained specimen sample slides and Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates billed Medicare and other insurers for the technical component of those services. In exchange, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates agreed to exclusively refer patients to APS, which interpreted the slides and billed for the professional component of the services. The United States alleges that the benefits provided by APS to Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates were unlawful remuneration in exchange for patient referrals.
“Healthcare fraud has negative impacts for taxpayers and patients alike,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This settlement reflects the Department’s commitment to protecting taxpayer money and ensuring that healthcare services paid for by for by federal healthcare programs are reasonable, necessary, and free from the influence of kickbacks.”
“As recent headlines across the country have made us all too aware, fraud against the American taxpayer through healthcare fraud is rampant,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify and eliminate fraud of every kind wherever we find it and also to seek the recovery of tax dollars that were wrongfully paid.”
“Federal health care programs rely on truthful billing and accurate medical documentation,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office. “This False Claims Act settlement underscores our commitment to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and maintaining public trust by holding providers accountable when they fail to meet those obligations. Providers who induce referrals by paying illegal kickbacks place an unfair burden on these programs, and we remain steadfast in working with our law enforcement partners to identify and address such conduct.”
Additionally, the United States alleges that Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates performed and billed for medically unnecessary special stains using a blanket or reflex ordering process in which special stains were ordered on an automatic basis, without a pathologist first reviewing a routine stain and determining whether additional special stains were needed for the particular patient, and without justification in the medical record for performing additional special stains. Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates and APS terminated their relationship in approximately May 2020.
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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates 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).
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorneys Evan Ballan and Jessica Bergin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Dempsey for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
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
Antonio Cook, 27, a twice-convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 36 months in federal prison in connection with his illegal possession of a firearm while on supervised release.