Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CINCINNATI – Ronald Scott Daley, 53, of Miamisburg, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 54 months in prison for wire fraud and tax evasion related to a scheme to defraud clients, including elderly victims. 

According to court documents, Daley was employed by a life insurance brokerage firm in the Southern District of Ohio from 1995 through 2021 and advised several elderly clients with respect to life insurance and annuity products.

From at least 2012 until 2020, Daley fraudulently convinced client victims to withdraw certain assets from the insurance brokerage firm and to deposit the funds into their own personal accounts. Daley then influenced the victims to make payments to a bank account for an entity that Daley controlled.

For example, Daley defrauded three victims of more than $707,000 in total.

Furthermore, the defendant failed to file and pay taxes on the fraudulent income.

As part of his conviction, Daley will repay restitution in the amount of approximately $707,000 for fraud against the victims and nearly $212,000 to the IRS.

Daley was indicted in December 2024 and pleaded guilty in May 2025.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations; announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jackson, MS – A Jackson man pleaded guilty on Wednesday, December 3rd in federal court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement identified Roman Walker, 35, as a distributor of narcotics from Hinds County, Mississippi. Court filings reflect that Walker was distributing a “menu” of narcotics, business hours, and prices for different drugs he was selling. On or about January 24, 2023, while executing a search warrant of Walker’s residence, law enforcement discovered large quantities of narcotics including more than 11,000 fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder packaged for distribution into the metro Jackson area.

Roman Walker is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  

United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and DEA Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw made the announcement. 

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating the case with assistance from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Amber Nicole Ferguson has been indicted on charges of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse material, possession of child sexual abuse material involving a minor under the age of 12, and production of obscene material. 

“Sexual predators who prey upon children or sexually abuse animals for the purpose of disseminating images of the abuse face significant prison time if convicted in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.  “To protect the community and its most vulnerable members, my office will aggressively prosecute anyone who commits such crimes.” 

“The actions alleged in this indictment represent a profound betrayal of the trust and responsibility placed in law enforcement officers. Those who are sworn to protect our communities—especially our children—must be held to the highest standards, said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “Homeland Security Investigations is committed to ensuring that individuals who exploit their positions to harm the most vulnerable will be brought to justice.”

“Few crimes are as vile as those committed against children. When the offender is someone who swore an oath to protect the public and uphold the law, it is an even deeper violation. We remain unwavering in our commitment to working alongside our partners to safeguard our most vulnerable and bring offenders, regardless of their title our authority, to justice,” said Chris Hosey, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: After a family member of the two minors reported suspicions to the Commerce Police Department, an investigation led to the discovery of child sexual abuse material on Ferguson’s phone.  As the investigation continued, images involving horse and dog bestiality allegedly possessed by Ferguson were discovered as well. The indictment alleges that Ferguson produced the bestiality images and child sex abuse material.

Amber Nicole Ferguson, 34, of Commerce, Ga., was arraigned on December 4, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anna W. Howard.  She was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 2, 2025.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

If convicted of production or attempted production of child sex abuse material, Ferguson would face at least 15 years in prison.  In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Commerce Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Keen is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RALEIGH, N.C. – An illegal alien was arrested and charged with forcibly assaulting and impeding agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by allegedly ramming his vehicle into agents’ vehicles and narrowly missing an ICE agent.

“Assaulting a federal officer is an attack on the rule of law itself,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “When someone allegedly drives a vehicle to threaten or endanger ICE agents, we treat it with the utmost seriousness. We have zero tolerance for conduct that puts our officers or the public at risk, and this office will take every lawful step to protect our families, officers, and communities.”

“When a federal agent is attempting to make a lawful arrest, there is no excuse to respond with violence. The FBI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to support illegal immigrant enforcement operations,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, Milton Ermilo Arreaga Roblero, 23, was taken into custody in Morrisville, after ICE agents attempted to stop his vehicle during an enforcement operation.  Initially, Roblero allegedly came to a complete stop before he suddenly backed into one agent’s vehicle and then drove into four different ICE vehicles. The complaint further alleges that he forced one of the agents on scene to jump out of the way narrowly avoiding Roblero crashing into him. Roblero was taken into custody after he allegedly drove over the curb, through a garden bed and then collided with a civilian’s vehicle.

Roblero is charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and faces maximum penalty of twenty years in prison if convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx is prosecuting the case, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-MJ-02535-JG.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a man who illegally bought guns that were later recovered during criminal investigations in Missouri and Illinois to 12 months in prison.

Dayquan Long, 23, of Cape Girardeau, will be on supervised release for two years after his release from prison. Long pleaded guilty in September in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of making a false statement during a firearm purchase. He admitted buying 19 firearms from two federally licensed firearms dealers between Nov. 3, 2022, and Nov. 27, 2024. During each purchase, Long filled out a form certifying that he was the “actual transferee/buyer” of the firearm and that he was not “acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person.” Long signed the form acknowledging that he was aware “that the repetitive purchase of firearms for the purpose of resale for livelihood and profit without a federal firearms license is a violation of federal law.”

Firearms sold by Long were later recovered during criminal investigations in Kansas City, Sweet Springs, Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Missouri and in Overland Park, Kansas, Long’s plea agreement says. On Feb. 5, 2025, Long told a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agent that he sold the guns for a profit of between $100 and $200.

The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MISSOULA – A Washington man who possessed fentanyl was sentenced today to 135 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Skyler Christian Crowder, 31, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement officers responded to a call of a fentanyl pill found in a motel room in Missoula on October 7, 2024. The occupant, Skyler Crowder, had requested to move to a new room and the pill was located when the room was cleaned. They also reported Crowder had taken out his own trash when he switched rooms, which they thought was odd. Law enforcement located two vacuum-seal bags (one with a remnant of a blue pill) and drug paraphernalia in the outside garbage. Law enforcement reviewed surveillance and saw approximately 12 different people visited Crowder over 24 hours. Several appeared to be under the influence. The activity was consistent with individuals purchasing illegal drugs.

Law enforcement contacted Crowder in his new room. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies located methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and firearms.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that John Paul Barsch III, 31, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography. Barsch was a soldier in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs at the time of his arrest.

According to the plea agreement, on multiple occasions between November 2018 and March 2020, Barsch performed sex acts on an infant or toddler in his custody, care, or control; created videos depicting those sex acts; and distributed at least one of the videos to another person who was in the United Kingdom. Barsch’s conduct was discovered when law enforcement arrested the person who received the videos, and a search of his devices revealed conversations with Barsch.

“Crimes against children are some of the most despicable in our society and this sentence demonstrates the magnitude of the crimes committed,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly.

“Homeland Security Investigations will not tolerate the vile and reprehensible exploitation of children, especially by those entrusted with their care. The sentencing of this individual sends a clear and unyielding message: no position of authority or service will shield predators from the full force of justice,” said HSI Denver Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen. “Let this serve as a stark warning—there is no place in our society for such heinous acts, and we will stop at nothing to protect our children and uphold the rule of law.”

United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney presided over the sentencing.

The investigation was handled by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Hindman handled the prosecution.

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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Case Number: 24-cr-00028-CNS

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A Honduras citizen has been sentenced in federal court to 39 months in prison, to be followed by deportation, on his convictions of illegal reentry of a removed alien, fraudulent use of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines imposed the sentence on Jose Mejia-Sarmiento, 67.

According to information presented to the Court, Mejia-Sarmiento was found in the Western District of Pennsylvania after having been deported and removed from the United States three times prior between 1996 and 2016, including after a felony conviction on the latter occasion. Further, Mejia-Sarmiento made false statements to the Social Security Administration on four different occasions between May 2024 and February 2025 in the Western District of Pennsylvania, by possessing and using the identification of another person. Following the completion of his sentence, Mejia-Sarmiento will be immediately deported to Honduras.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Mejia-Sarmiento.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Seattle – Three Seattle area men were sentenced in October 2025 to significant federal prison sentences due to their convictions for drug trafficking and firearms violations, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.

The longest sentence, ten years, was imposed on Anthony Raymond Dodd, 36, of Seattle. Dodd was convicted of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on July 25, 2025 following a three-day trial. At the sentencing hearing on October 27, 2025, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun noted that the offense was very serious, given the danger of fentanyl in our communities, and that it was compounded by the fact that Dodd had a gun and was on Department of Corrections community custody at the time of the offense.

In Tacoma, Chief Judge David G. Estudillo sentenced a drug trafficker connected to an Aryan Family prison gang to six years in prison. Philip Boorkman was a key drug distributor in one of three related drug trafficking groups. Boorkman was indicted in March 2023 and pleaded guilty in January 2025. At the October 3, 2025, sentencing hearing Judge Estudillo said, “This is a serious offense…The amount of damage it does to the community is probably immeasurable in terms of lives lost and all of the ripple effects from people who are addicted.”

In asking for a seven-year sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Boorkman was a trusted member of a large distribution network responsible for distributing hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills. Based on Boorkman’s trusted role in the organization, there is no question that he understood the devastating impact these drugs were having on the community.”

And finally, on October 1, 2025, U.S District Judge Tana Lin sentenced Tacoma resident Marquise Tolbert, 30, to 39 months in prison for drug trafficking and illegal firearms possession. Tolbert pleaded guilty to federal charges in March 2025.

Investigators with the FBI Safe Streets task force, the DEA, and the Seattle Police Gun Violence Reduction Unit were investigating a drug trafficking organization when Tolbert and his coconspirators were heard on a wiretap discussing a shoot-out in Federal Way. From that point on, investigators worked to identify those who were possessing and using firearms as part of their criminal activity. Investigators heard Tolbert discussing his purchase of the Ruger firearm from another member of the conspiracy.  On the day he bought the gun, law enforcement, surveilled Tolbert, followed him to his residence, arrested him, and secured the firearm.

Prior to the federal investigation, in 2020, Tolbert was involved in a shootout at 3^rd Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. One woman was killed, and seven other bystanders were injured in the gun battle. Tolbert was acquitted in state court on murder and assault charges connected to the incident. He was convicted of illegal firearms possession.

The case against Anthony Raymond Dodd was investigated by the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Seattle Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cecelia Gregson and Rachel Yemini.

The case against Philip Boorkman was investigated by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Washington State Department of Corrections. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer.

Marquise Tolbert was investigated by the FBI, the Seattle Police Department, and the DEA as part of their focus on getting firearms off the streets. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen Hobbs and Michelle Jensen. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter killing her daughter.

According to court documents, on October 24, 2022, Maylene John, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation at the time of the offense, stabbed her 7-year-old daughter in the heart with a knife, causing her death. John was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the incident.

John pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. At sentencing, she faces up to 15 years in federal prison. Upon her release from prison, John will be subject to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Eliot Neal are prosecuting the case.