Category: MIL-OSI

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Operation “No Limits” Apprehends 96 Wanted Violent Felons, Seizes Drugs, Guns, and Cash

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement Dismantled Violent Crime and Drug Trafficking Networks in Danville

Editor’s Note: This matter occurred on the date indicated but was not published at that time due to a lapse in federal appropriations. Press releases are posted and made available following the return to normal operations

DANVILLE, Va. – Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Robert Tracci, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, the Danville Police Department and Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, Danville Department of Probation and Parole, and the United States Marshals Service announced on November 3 the conclusion of Operation Washout – “No Limits,” a weeklong collaborative law enforcement operation targeting violent crime in Danville, Virginia.

Operation “No Limits” resulted in the apprehension of 96 offenders on outstanding felony arrest warrants, plus 23additional offenders located incarcerated in other jurisdictions with active arrest warrants. The coordinated operation also advanced multiple investigations into violent crime and drug trafficking networks, and recovered one missing child.

Local, state, and federal partners collaborated to open multiple federal and local investigations and seized substantial quantities of narcotics, firearms, and cash, including:

  • Over 55 grams of Fentanyl (enough to kill more than 27,600 Virginians)
  • 15 firearms
  • 28 grams of cocaine
  • Over 5 pounds of ammunition
  • 65 grams of K2
  • Over $14,000 in U.S. Currency

Violent offenders were arrested for crimes including: Homicide, Drugs, Failure to Appear, Identity Theft, Probation Violation, Cruelty Toward Child, Malicious Wounding, Burglary, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Assault, Indecent Liberties with a Child, Larceny, Weapons Offenses, Obstruction of Justice, Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Rape, Armed Robbery, Abduction by Force, and Federal Supervised Release Violations.

“I am grateful for the extraordinary work of our federal, state, and local partners who made No Limits a clear victory for Danville and the citizens we serve. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District is determined to build on the success of No Limits to target, prosecute, and ultimately eradicate violent crime, drug trafficking, and transnational criminal threats to our citizen and communities,” Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci said.

“Operation No Limits is an exceptional example of our tireless work with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to make Virginia communities safer, demonstrating once again the effectiveness of Ceasefire Virginia. We will continue partnering with law enforcement across the Commonwealth, particularly in our Ceasefire cities, to hold violent, dangerous, and repeat offenders accountable. My sincere thanks to all law enforcement who collaborated to the success of this operation and to U.S. Attorney Robert Tracci for continued partnership with our office,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. 

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Final Defendant Sentenced in Federal Pandemic Fraud Unemployment Benefits Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Editor’s Note: This matter occurred on the date indicated but was not published at that time due to a lapse in federal appropriations. Press releases are posted and made available following the return to normal operations

ABINGDON, Va. – The final defendant charged in a 17-member conspiracy who defrauded the United States, committed program fraud and mail fraud in connection with a scheme involving the filing of fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits was sentenced October 14 in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.

On October 9, 2025, Jason Dale Worley, 47, of Meadowview, Virginia, was sentenced to serve 12 months and 1 day in prison for filing a fraudulent claim for pandemic unemployment benefits. Worley was also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission in the amount of $9,698, which represents the total pandemic unemployment benefits for which he filed fraudulent claims or recertifications.

Earlier this year, Crystal Shaw was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for her role in the conspiracy. Shaw, one of the lead organizers of this conspiracy, was sentenced to the statutory maximum term of imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay $287,459 in restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for her role in this conspiracy.

Previously sentenced as part of the conspiracy were 15 other co-defendants:  Joseph Hass, 27 months; Brian Addair, 24 months; Russell Stiltner, 24 months; Daniel Horton, 21 months; Christopher Webb, 20 months; Cara Camille Bailey, 19 months; Jessica  Lester, 19 months; Justin Meadows, 18 months; Terrence Vilacha, 18 months; and Clinton Michael Altizer, Stephanie Amber Barton, Jeramy Blake Farmer, and Hayleigh McKenzie Wolfe were each sentenced to 12 months and 1 day. Jonathan Webb, the individual charged with recruiting others to file fraudulent claims, mostly inmates at local jails, was sentenced to 48 months in prison and was ordered to pay $150,218 in restitution. Josef Brown, another incarcerated individual who recruited others to file fraudulent claims, was sentenced to 35 months in prison and was ordered to pay $119,660 in restitution.

In total, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief funds to which they were not entitled.

All defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Employment Commission for the fraudulent claims and fraudulent recertifications.

According to court documents, between March 2020 and September 2021, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw developed a scheme to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment befits via the Virginia Employment Commission website. The scheme involved the collection of personal identification information (PII) of inmates housed at SWVRJA-Haysi and Abingdon, as well as personal friends and acquaintances of Brown, Webb, and Shaw. The conspirators used that information to file fraudulent claims and recertifications for pandemic unemployment benefits for incarcerated individuals and others who were ineligible for the benefits.

As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General were charged with identifying major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. According to the United States Department of Labor, Virginia paid approximately $1.1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Ian Kaufman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, Syreeta Scott, Special Agent in Charge, Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the sentences.

Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the FBI, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the Virginia Employment Commission.

Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Section Chief of the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.

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Former Local Music Teacher and Filipino Man Charged With Sexually Exploiting and Sex Trafficking Children

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Former teacher allegedly paid more than $23,000 to produce videos documenting the sexual exploitation of minor boys in the Philippines

BOSTON – A former local school music teacher and a Filipino national living in Baltimore, Md., have been charged with allegedly sexually exploiting and sex trafficking minor children.

Joshua DeWitte, 50, of Cambridge, Mass., was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 29, 2025 on six counts of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy); one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children; one count of distribution of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. Christopher Allan Tisoy, 27, a Filipino national residing in Baltimore, Md., was charged by an Information on Oct. 29, 2025 with one count of sexual exploitation of children (and attempt and conspiracy) and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.

The defendants were arrested in May 2025 and charged with one count each of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy). They remain detained in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at the time of the alleged conduct, DeWitte was a music teacher at a local school in Massachusetts. Tisoy, a citizen of the Philippines who lawfully entered the United States in September 2024 on a H-1B Visa, was employed as a medical technologist at the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

In December 2024, DeWitte was allegedly identified as the owner of a Snapchat account that uploaded child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting the abuse of a boy who appears to be between approximately eight and 10 years old. Snapchat records allegedly showed that, in September 2024, DeWitte requested nude pictures from multiple purported minors; sent pictures of his penis to the purported minors; and discussed previous and potential in-person meetups for sexual relations with minors. Additionally, it is further alleged that DeWitte paid, and offered to pay, another Snapchat user to obtain and produce child pornography and to recruit minor boys for himself.

Based on that information, DeWitte was arrested and charged in Cambridge District Court with six counts of disseminating obscene material to a child, one count of distribution of material depicting a child in a sexual act and one count of possession of child pornography. He was later released on conditions.

According to the charging documents, a Telegram conversation between DeWitte and Tisoy was located on DeWitte’s phone, in which they arranged for the production of videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys in the Philippines. Specifically, it is alleged that in the conversations, DeWitte and Tisoy negotiated the terms of creating sexually explicit videos involving minors, including which minors should be involved; which sex acts the minors should perform; who should film, including whether a third party or one of the minors themselves should film; what angles should be filmed; and how much DeWitte should pay Tisoy for each video. The negotiation allegedly incorporated the sexual preferences of both DeWitte and Tisoy, with both agreeing on what they would each find sexually gratifying. Tisoy then allegedly relayed instructions to the minor victims to create a video.

DeWitte allegedly paid Tisoy for each video Tisoy produced and sent. It is further alleged that, between July 3, 2023 and Dec. 27, 2024, DeWitte sent 87 PayPal payments to Tisoy, in amounts ranging from $27 to $958, to film the sexual exploitation of minors in the Philippines – totaling to approximately $23,752. 

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cambridge Police Department; HSI-Baltimore; the Maryland Department of State Police; and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division are prosecuting 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Former Bank of America Employee Sentenced for Role in International Money Laundering Conspiracy

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A New York man was sentenced on Oct. 27, 2025 for his involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.

Rongjian Li, 38, of Staten Island, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years of probation, with the first year to be served on home confinement. Following home confinement, Li will be required to perform 100 hours of community service. In February 2025, Li pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy.

In May 2023, a federal grand jury in Boston returned a superseding indictment charging 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization. The network was identified in the greater Boston area in 2021 along with the leader of the organization, Jin Hua Zhang, based in Staten Island, New York, and a number of his criminal associates. The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than one year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million.

A large portion of the laundered funds were generated by criminal groups operating overseas who tricked U.S. victims into falling for a variety of internet-based frauds. These frauds included tricking victims into sending money to purchase or extend warranties or soliciting victims to invest in cryptocurrencies and then stealing the invested funds. In order to help these criminal groups launder these funds, Zhang needed U.S. bank accounts.

Rongjian Li was a Bank of America employee in New York who became friendly with Zhang. In 2021-2022, Zhang directed his runners to meet with Li at Li’s Bank of America branch. Li knew some of Zhang’s accounts were opened with runners using fraudulent passports and knew that the accounts were intended for use to launder “scam” money. When the bank’s financial auditing systems flagged or froze accounts for suspicious activity, Li misused the branch customer information system to help Zhang move illicit funds elsewhere. Finally, Li was seated next to Zhang at a lengthy recorded dinner in New York with undercover agents where Zhang discussed the different fee percentages he charged various criminal groups for drug trafficking and scams.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Brazilian National Sentenced for Selling Firearms Without a License and Conspiracy

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Florida was sentenced on Oct. 29, 2025 in federal court in Worcester for conspiracy and engaging in the business of to sell firearms without a license.  

Marcos Alves Silva, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In June 2025, Silva pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between March 2024 and June 2024, Silva shipped nine firearms to individuals in Massachusetts. In addition to firearms, Silva also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England;  Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Milford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

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Florida Woman Sentenced for Role in International Money Laundering Conspiracy

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Florida woman was sentenced on Oct. 15, 2025 in federal court in Boston for her involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering organization that laundered more than $6 million in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through the United States, Caribbean and European banking systems. Over the course of the investigation, approximately 1,193 kilograms of cocaine were seized at sea, in addition to 1,555 kilograms of cocaine seized from shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia.

Dawnett McGee, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 21 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. On Dec. 12, 2024, McGee pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and three counts of laundering of monetary instruments.

McGee was among 20 individuals from Colombia, Jamaica and Florida who were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 in connection with the money laundering conspiracy.

Over the course of the investigation, $1 million was seized from corporate bank accounts and other investigative activity. Nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine – with a street value of over $90 million – was traced back to the money laundering organization. This includes approximately 1,193 kilos of cocaine seized at sea, 60 miles south of Jamaica, in July 2019, as well as 1,555 kilos of cocaine seized in nine scrap metal shipping containers at the Port of Buenaventura, Colombia in March 2019.

In or about October 2016, an investigation began into a sophisticated money laundering organization located primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE). By using the BMPE, the defendants and their co-conspirators sought to conceal drug trafficking activity and proceeds from law enforcement as well as evade currency exchange requirements in the United States and Colombia through the illegal currency exchange process. As part of the conspiracy, members of the organization held roles and responsibilities relative to the needs and opportunities of the scheme, such as drug suppliers, peso brokers, money couriers and business owners/dollar purchasers.

Through the BMPE, Colombian drug trafficking organizations with drug proceeds generated in the United States use third parties – generally referred to as “peso brokers” that are also based in Colombia – who agree to exchange Colombian pesos they control for the drug supplier’s dollar proceeds. Peso brokers then use money couriers in the United States and elsewhere to physically secure the drug proceeds, often in suitcases or bags on the street, and transfer the proceeds into the United States banking system. To avoid detection, peso brokers deposit the drug proceeds into bank accounts in company or individual names intended to appear as legitimate business activity, or through multiple small deposits into different bank accounts which are then consolidated into larger accounts. As a result, Colombian peso brokers control a pool of drug-derived proceeds in United States bank accounts. These dollar proceeds are then purchased by individuals or companies in Colombia seeking to exchange pesos for United States dollars at a favorable exchange rate and in a manner that avoids currency exchange and income reporting requirements. The dollar drug proceeds are transferred at the direction of the purchaser and often end up in bank accounts of individuals or companies who appear to have no direct involvement in drug trafficking crimes.

Beginning in 2016 and continuing until 2022, an undercover agent infiltrated the organization by portraying himself as an international money launderer able to pick up bulk cash throughout the world, launder the proceeds through his United States-based accounts and send the money to Colombia through the BMPE.

Throughout the course of the investigation, members of the money laundering organization would contact the undercover and arrange meetings for the undercover and the undercover’s purported associates to collect bulk cash throughout the world. Individuals, such as McGee performed the role of money courier. McGee delivered bulk cash on two occasions in Florida. That cash was then deposited into the undercover bank account in Massachusetts, and then subsequently wired to accounts and repatriated back to drug traffickers in Colombia. Over the course of the conspiracy, McGee was responsible for the laundering of over $330,000 in drug proceeds.

McGee is the 15th defendant to be sentenced. All 20 defendants have been convicted either at trial or by pleading guilty.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Aura Liliana Trujillo Rojas, Delegate for Criminal Finance for the Colombian Attorney General’s Office; Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre, Brigadier General of the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate; Jervis Moore, Chief of the Narcotics Division for the Jamaica Constabulary Force; and Colonel Geoffrey Noble of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of Cover, Rowe, and other co-defendants from Colombia and Jamaica. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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Dorchester Man Charged with Robbery of Local Bank

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Dorchester man has been arrested and charged in connection with the robbery of a local bank. The defendant has a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and state convictions for armed and unarmed robberies.

Joseph Wilcox, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 23, 2025 on one count of bank robbery in relation to the robbery of Santander Bank in East Boston. Wilcox was initially arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 1, 2025. He remains detained in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2025, a male, allegedly later identified as Wilcox, approached the bank teller, showed a note stating “give me all 20’s and stated “don’t **** with me.” It is alleged that after the teller stated that he did not have many $20 bills, the suspect told the teller to take the money out of the box and give it to him. The teller ultimately gave Wilcox cash totaling $4,150.

A subsequent investigation allegedly identified Wilcox depositing nine $100 bills into his own Santander account at another branch, with his face visible on surveillance. A query of Wilcox through the Registry of Motor Vehicles (“RMV”) revealed a photograph of an individual that resembled the suspect caught on surveillance and matched the description of the suspect provided by the victim teller.

According to court records, Wilcox has a prior federal conviction from 2015 for three counts of bank robbery; a 2010 state conviction for unarmed robbery; and 2004 state conviction for armed robbery.

The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $ 250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Marion County Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Possession Of A Machinegun

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Sean Rayvon Hubbard, Jr. (19, Ocala) to three years in federal prison for possession of a machinegun. Hubbard pleaded guilty on May 22, 2025. 

According to court documents, on July 28, 2024, officers from the Ocala Police Department approached Hubbard to place him under arrest for outstanding warrants. Hubbard fled from the officers on foot but was ultimately apprehended. On August 7, 2024, officers received a call from an apartment complex about a firearm that had been discovered along the path where Hubbard had been running. The firearm, a black handgun with a tan extended ammunition magazine, had been modified with a “switch” that allowed it to fire more than one round of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. Officers obtained a search warrant for Hubbard’s cellphone and recovered a video of Hubbard handling the same modified handgun just prior to his arrest on July 28, 2024.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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.

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Former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Years-Long Bribery and Extortion Conspiracies

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant gave false passing scores on CDL road skills tests to dozens of commercial driver’s license applicants

BOSTON – A former Sergeant with the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) was sentenced on Oct. 14, 2025 in federal court in Boston for orchestrating a series of bribery and extortion schemes to give false passing scores to certain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) applicants, including individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test.

Gary Cederquist, 60, of Stoughton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to six years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Cederquist was also ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $30,000, restitution in the amount of $18,300, and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $18,300. In May 2025, Cederquist was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of extortion, six counts of honest services mail fraud, three counts of conspiracy to falsify records, 19 counts of falsification of records and 17 counts of false statements. Cederquist was acquitted of one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, two counts of extortion, three counts of falsification of records and three counts of false statements.

In January 2024, Cederquist was charged in a 74-count indictment along with three other MSP troopers and two civilians:  

  • Former Trooper Calvin Butner, 65, of Halifax;
  • Former Trooper Perry Mendes, 65, of Wareham;
  • Former Trooper Joel Rogers, 56, of Bridgewater;
  • Scott Camara, 44, of Rehoboth; and
  • Eric Mathison, 48, of Boston.

Cederquist was in charge of MSP’s CDL Unit, of which former Troopers Butner, Mendes and Rogers were members. Class A CDLs are required to drive combination vehicles (e.g., tractor-trailers, oil tankers). Class B CDLs are required to drive heavy single vehicles (e.g., box trucks, school buses). Test requirements for CDLs are established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Members of MSP’s CDL Unit are responsible for administering CDL skills tests. The CDL skills test is a demanding, in-person test that consists of three segments: Vehicle Inspection; Basic Control Skills; and the Road Test. Test scores reported by members of MSP’s CDL Unit are material to whether applicants meet federal requirements for, and therefore whether the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is permitted to issue applicants, CDLs. In Massachusetts, the pass rate was 48% in 2019, 44% in 2020, 41% in 2021 and 41% in 2022.

Between in on or about February 2019 and January 2023, Cederquist and his co-conspirators arranged to give passing scores to at least three dozen applicants regardless of whether or not they had actually passed or, in some cases, had even taken the CDL skills test, including in some instances in exchange for bribes.

Cederquist and his co-conspirators used the code word “golden handshake” or “golden” to identify applicants who received special treatment and were to be given passing scores on their skills tests regardless of performance. In text message conversations, Cederquist and his co-conspirators described a number of “golden” applicants as performing poorly on their skills tests. However, all of the applicants received passing scores.

Among the CDL applicants to whom Cederquist gave preferential treatment were six MSP Troopers who Cederquist falsely reported as having passed a Class A skills test. In reality, however, the Troopers did not take a real CDL skills test. For four of the Trooper applicants, Cederquist conspired with his friend Camara, who worked for a truck-driving school in Brockton, to accomplish this offense.

Cederquist also conspired with his friend Mathison, who worked for a water company that employed drivers who needed CDLs, to give passing scores to certain applicants affiliated with the water company. In exchange for the passing scores, Cederquist accepted bribes – for years – of free inventory from the water company, such as cases of bottled Fiji, VOSS and Essentia water, cases of bottled Arizona Iced Tea, coffee and tea products and boxes of Twizzlers and Swedish Fish, all of which Mathison delivered to an office trailer at the CDL test site in Stoughton. Cederquist sent Mathison a text describing one applicant as “an idiot,” who had “no idea what he’s doing,” and “should have failed about 10 times already.” Cederquist then texted Mathison that Mathison’s boss “owes big time.”

In exchange for using his official position to give preferential treatment to certain CDL applicants, Cederquist accepted a variety of bribes including inventory from Mathison’s water company valued at $8,300; a $750 granite post and mailbox; a new driveway valued at over $10,000; and a snowblower valued at nearly $2,000. Cederquist described one such applicant as “horrible,” and “brain dead,” but gave him a passing score anyway in exchange for the snowblower.

All CDL recipients identified as not qualified during the course of this investigation have been reported to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.  

In August 2025, former Trooper Calvin Butner, a co-defendant, was sentenced to three months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first three months in home confinement. In August 2025, former Trooper Perry Mendes, also a co-defendant, was sentenced to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release with the first two months on home confinement. In September 2025, civilian co-defendant Eric Mathison was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2025, Scott Camara was sentenced to one month in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Elise Chawaga, Principal Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Adam W. Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

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Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Illegal Reentry

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Chelsea, Mass. pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 22, 2025 in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

Leonardo Hernandez-Blanco, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to time served (approximately 10 months) followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. Hernandez-Blanco was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2020.

Hernandez-Blanco was deported from the United States to Mexico on July 23, 2010 and on Feb. 11, 2020. Sometime after each of removal, Hernandez-Blanco illegally reentered the United States without permission.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston; and Chelsea Police Chief Keith E. Houghton made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.