Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced that it has opened a civil investigation into conditions within facilities operated by the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) and Colorado Department of Youth Services (DYS). The investigation will examine DOC and DYS policies and practices to ensure that DOC inmates and youths in the custody of DYS are being afforded their rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

“The Constitution protects every American, whether they are a young person confined in a juvenile facility or an elderly person confined to a prison,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are committed to upholding our federal civil rights laws so that no one is subject to unconstitutional mistreatment when held in state custody.”

The Division has not reached any conclusions regarding allegations in this matter. The Division will investigate DOC and DYS pursuant to its authority to enforce the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Under CRIPA, the Department has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners’ constitutional rights that result from a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights.” The department has conducted CRIPA investigations of many correctional systems, and where violations have been found, the resulting settlement agreements have led to important reforms. The Division will also investigate DOC under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc, and DYS under Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. § 12601.

Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via civilrights.justice.gov/report/. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Kyle Travis Colton, 38, of Citrus Heights, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to six years and eight months in prison for receiving child sex abuse material, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to evidence presented at trial and in court documents, during a search of Colton’s home, law enforcement recovered his laptop, which contained copious images and videos depicting the graphic sexual abuse of young children. Between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton downloaded these depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The material was saved on Colton’s computer desktop and in his downloads folder, and he had user-created bookmarks linking to known child pornography websites.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.

Following sentencing, Colton was remanded into custody of the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence immediately.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

# 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Resident Agent in Charge of the Hudson Valley Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), Kelvin Jackson, announced the arrest of JYEREONNE RANSOM and KENNETH CRUTE in connection with a string of armed robberies in Mount Vernon and New York, New York.  RANSOM and CRUTE were arrested on December 6, 2025, and presented today in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy, who ordered them detained.

“As alleged, over the course of three weeks in November, Jyereonne Ransom and Kenneth Crute carried out a series of gunpoint robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “When offenders choose gun violence in New York, we will work to get them off the street using our robust federal investigative tools and partnerships, and they will be charged with serious federal crimes, often carrying mandatory minimums and consecutive sentences, so that they remain off the street.”

“These arrests stem directly from the strong collaboration between ATF NY’s Hudson Valley Field Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department,” said ATF Resident Agent in Charge Kelvin Jackson.  “By combining our expertise and resources, we were able to swiftly stop a pattern of armed robberies that threatened innocent lives.  Our agencies remain firmly committed to safeguarding our communities, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York will now take the case forward.  This type of violence creates fear within the community, and we refuse to tolerate it.  We will persist in doing everything we can to reduce violent gun crime in our streets.”

As alleged in the Complaint filed in White Plains federal court:[1]

RANSOM and CRUTE committed a string of robberies between November 10, 2025, and November 29, 2025, including: a November 10, 2025, gunpoint robbery of a restaurant in upper Manhattan; a November 12, 2025, gunpoint robbery of a restaurant in Mount Vernon; a November 19, 2025, gunpoint robbery of a gas station in Mount Vernon; and a November 29, 2025, robbery of a restaurant in Mount Vernon.

*               *                *

RANSOM, 19, of New York, New York, is charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, each of which carries an additional mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and must be served consecutively to any other prison terms imposed.     

CRUTE, 18, of New York, New York, is charged with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and three counts of Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, each of which carries an additional mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and must be served consecutively to any other prison terms imposed.     

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the ATF Hudson Valley Field Office, the City of Mount Vernon Police Department, the New York City Police Department, and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Sidransky is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN DIEGO – Claudia Patricia Alvarez Hernandez, the wife of incarcerated Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela, was sentenced in federal court today to 14 years in prison for her role in a massive drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.

U.S. District Judge Andrew G. Schopler also ordered Alvarez Hernandez to forfeit more than $5 million dollars’ worth of luxury watches, jewelry, vehicles and bulk cash seized during this case. During the hearing, Judge Schopler characterized Alvarez Hernandez’s conduct as “assisting a dangerous and violent cartel.”

This case is part of a long-running investigation targeting the Valenzuela Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), which was a significant component of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Valenzuela TCO was one of the largest importers of cocaine into the United States. The TCO sourced cocaine and other controlled substances (including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana) from South America and Mexico, transported the drugs to multiple locations along the U.S.-Mexico border using commercial trucking companies, smuggled the narcotics into the country, and distributed them throughout the U.S. The TCO then smuggled the bulk cash proceeds from its drug trafficking activities back to the TCO’s leadership in Mexico.

According to court records, throughout 2020, the Valenzuela TCO, including one of its leaders, Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela (“Jorge”), was engaged in violent conflict with another component of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Ivan Archivaldo Guzman-Salazar. During this conflict, Jorge’s brother and previous TCO leader, Gabriel Valenzuela-Valenzuela, was killed. This led the Valenzuela TCO to procure large quantities of firearms, ammunition, tactical gear, armored vehicles, and ballistic vests. A considerable number of these items were sourced from within the United States and clandestinely smuggled into Mexico, using numerous arms trafficking networks.

As the investigation progressed in 2020, agents began to target private jet aircrafts operated by the TCO. In October 2020, while tracking the movement of one of the aircrafts and conducting surveillance at every stop across the county, agents learned that Jorge was onboard. Agents then coordinated with HSI Boston to arrest Jorge.

On November 5, 2020, a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of California returned an indictment charging Jorge with drug trafficking and money laundering offenses (in case number 20-cr-3515-AGS). Jorge subsequently pleaded guilty to all counts and is currently in custody in the Southern District of California pending sentencing.

Following Jorge’s arrest, on November 20, 2020, DEA and HSI agents initiated surveillance at a commercial truck yard being operated by the Valenzuela TCO in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. Agents ultimately obtained a search warrant for this truck yard and during the search, seized approximately $3,078,880 in bulk U.S. currency, approximately 685 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of fentanyl, and a pickup truck with a trap gas tank the size of half the truck bed were discovered. The truck yard contained numerous tractors and trailers, along with numerous other vehicles. Inside one of the trailers, agents seized approximately 20,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, along with approximately 427 ballistic plate carriers, approximately 1,000 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and approximately 104 magazines for .50 caliber ammunition.

During this multi-year investigation, agents identified Claudia Patricia Alvarez Hernandez as the wife of Jorge and a trusted high-ranking member of the TCO. During the last 20 years, Jorge rose from a low-level drug trafficker to a top Sinaloa Cartel drug kingpin. As part of her relationship with Jorge, Alvarez Hernandez was able to live in luxury (purchasing and enjoying luxury watches, jewelry, high-end residences, dozens of real properties, automobiles, and other items) based on the massive amount of cocaine that Jorge and his organization trafficked.

Following Jorge’s arrest in October 2020, Alvarez Hernandez and other family members became intimately involved in the operation of Jorge’s organization by exercising supervisory authorities over its remaining members and trying to locate and preserve its many illegal assets both in Mexico and the United States. And on November 3, 2020, HSI San Diego executed a search warrant at the residence of Alvarez Hernandez in San Diego County and seized approximately $5 million in the form of high-end luxury watches, jewelry, $220,000 in cash, 17 cellular phones, and an RF Detector, among other items.

To date, this investigation has resulted in the charging of 109 defendants and the seizure of approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, over $16 million in cash, and 21,000 rounds of ammunition.

“Cartel WAGs are in for a rude awakening,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “There is a lie behind their luxury: that they didn’t know. This sentence reflects the reality.”

“Today’s sentencing marks a major step in our efforts to dismantle all factions of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Murphy. “The defendant played a key role in a violent drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that brought dangerous narcotics into our communities and fueled cartel violence. The forfeiture of millions in luxury assets and the lengthy prison sentence send a clear message: those who assist and profit from cartel operations will be held accountable. HSI and our partners remain committed to disrupting transnational criminal organizations and protecting public safety.”

“For years Alvarez Hernandez lived in comfort while turning a blind eye to the violence, addiction, and devastation her husband’s cartel inflicted on our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge James Nunnallee. “Today’s 14-year sentence makes clear that those who profit from drug trafficking will be held accountable, whether they are on the front lines or living in luxury. The DEA remains committed to pursuing every individual who enables cartel operations and fuels the suffering of innocent families.”

“Today’s sentencing confirms the extensive and damaging role the defendant played within the Sinaloa Cartel, a dangerous Transnational Criminal Organization infiltrating our communities,” said Mark Dargis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Alvarez Hernandez took ownership of her incarcerated husband’s illegal dealings to preserve her way of life, no matter who it hurt. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not stop until all these dangerous cartel leaders behind the drugs and violence in our neighborhoods are held accountable.”

“Following the money is one of the most effective ways to bring down criminal organizations’” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Division for Los Angeles. “Our special agents will continue to work tirelessly to trace and seize millions in illicit proceeds, ensuring that crime does not pay.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton and Mikaela Weber.

DEFENDANT                                                                                Case Number 22-cr-01504-AGS                                

Claudia Patricia Alvarez Hernandez                          Age: 38                                   Culiacan, MX

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Import Cocaine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960 and 963.

Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine.

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846.

Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine.

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. 1956(h).

Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved.

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation

United States Marshals Service

Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations

Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol

Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations

Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department

San Diego Police Department

Border Crime Suppression Team

San Diego County District Attorney’s Office

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. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant Violently Attacked Owner of Demolition Business in Midtown Manhattan Over Purported Debt

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization action in the District of Maryland against Nicholas Eshun, a native of Ghana. Eshun secured U.S. citizenship under a provision reserved for U.S. servicemembers that requires the servicemember to serve honorably for at least five years. After he naturalized, the U.S. Marine Corps court-martialed and dishonorably discharged Eshun for attempted sexual abuse of someone he believed to be fourteen years old.

“As alleged, this defendant betrayed the uniform, abused the trust of this nation, and targeted who he believed was a child,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Under strong leadership, this Department is using every lawful tool to protect the American people and to ensure that citizenship is not a shield for criminals who never deserved it in the first place. If you commit heinous crimes, you will be held accountable. This is how we make America safe again.”

“Today’s denaturalization against Nicholas Eshun, a court-martialed sex offender, demonstrates the United States’ commitment to using every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their U.S. citizenship unlawfully,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Thanks to the intrepid investigators of NCIS, we now know the danger this man poses to this country. He is no longer serving as a Marine. There is no lawful basis for him to keep the citizenship he secured as one.”

Ten months after immigrating to the United States, Eshun enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in October 2011. In 2013, he naturalized under a statute that expedites U.S. citizenship for individuals serving in the U.S. armed forces. But two years later, while serving overseas, Eshun tarnished the honor of the Marine Corps by exchanging lewd messages with someone whom he believed to be a fourteen-year-old girl and by attempting to sexually abuse her. Eshun was, in fact, communicating with an undercover officer with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. His actions resulted in his court-martial and conviction. On May 16, 2016, the Marine Corps dishonorably discharged Eshun after 4 ½ years of service. Defendant is thus subject to denaturalization under 8 U.S.C. § 1440(c), a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that applies to servicemembers who naturalize through military service but who are dishonorably discharged without serving honorably for at least five years.

This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Hans H. Chen of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – A man from Waukegan, Illinois on Monday admitted traveling to Missouri and other states to open fraudulent bank accounts and deposit checks that had been stolen from the U.S. Mail.

Terry Carter-Kilgore, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of bank fraud. Between December 2022 and August 2024, Carter-Kilgore bought or otherwise obtained checks that had been stolen from the mail. He then used fraudulent driver’s licenses with his picture and the personal information of others and fake business documents to open unauthorized bank accounts in Missouri and other states in names matching those on the stolen checks. Carter-Kilgore would then deposit or try to deposit the stolen checks into the unauthorized bank accounts. He deposited or attempted to deposit at least six stolen checks totaling $214,935.

On Dec. 21, 2022, Carter-Kilgore deposited a stolen $36,373 check into an account at a bank in Florissant, Missouri, using a fake driver’s license. Over a year later, on Aug. 20, 2024, Carter-Kilgore opened an unauthorized bank account in Lee’s Summit, Missouri and tried to deposit a stolen check using a fraudulent Georgia driver’s license. Suspicious bank personnel called the Lee’s Summit Police Department. When police arrived, Carter-Kilgore ran away but was found hiding under the deck of a nearby home. He admitted to police that he attempted to deposit a stolen check using a false driver’s license. He also said he’d bought both check and ID in Chicago.

Carter-Kilgore is scheduled to be sentenced on March 9, 2026. Bank fraud carries a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both prison and a fine.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Lee’s Summit Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, announced that MELISSA CRUZ, 37, of New Britain, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to an offense stemming from her participation in a conspiracy to import and sell counterfeit goods.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2021 and 2024, Cruz conspired with others to sell counterfeit clothing, luxury and designer handbags and purses, and jewelry bearing counterfeit trademarks to customers across the U.S., some of which she imported from outside the U.S.  She used Facebook to conduct live shows during which she showcased, advertised, and sold the counterfeit goods.  In total, Cruz and her co-conspirators made more than $4 million in gross sales for the counterfeit merchandise through various electronic peer-to-peer payment services including CashApp, Paypal, and Venmo.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized multiple international parcels containing dozens of counterfeit handbags from Thailand, China, and Hong Kong that were addressed to Cruz’s residence in New Britain.  On December 19, 2024, law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of the residence and seized nearly 2,000 units of counterfeit goods.

Cruz each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to willfully infringe a copyright, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of one year.  She is released on her own recognizance pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 12.

This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Katrina Maclean, age 46, of Bradford, Massachusetts, pled guilty today before Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann to interstate transport of stolen human remains. 

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Maclean admitted that, from 2018 through 2022, she bought human remains that she knew to have been stolen from Harvard Medical School and transported them from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania.  Maclean also sold stolen human remains to others, including Jeremy Pauley, who previously entered a guilty plea to a felony information.

From 2018 through 2022, Cedric Lodge, who managed the morgue for the Anatomical Gifts Program at Harvard Medical School, located in Boston, Massachusetts, stole organs and other parts of cadavers donated for medical research and education before their scheduled cremations.  Lodge at times transported stolen remains from Boston to his residence in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he and his wife, Denise Lodge, sold the remains to Katrina Maclean, and others, making arrangements via cellular telephone and social media websites.  On some occasions, Maclean transported stolen remains to Pennsylvania.

Several other defendants have previously entered guilty pleas, including Jeremy Pauley, Cedric Lodge, Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian, Matthew Lampi, and Angelo Pereyra.  Lampi was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Pereyra was sentenced to 18 months.  Cedric Lodge, Denise Lodge, Joshua Taylor and Andrew Ensanian are still awaiting sentencing. Additionally, Candace Chapman-Scott, who stole remains from an Arkansas crematorium where she was employed and sold them to Pauley in Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty in Arkansas federal court and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the East Pennsboro Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.           

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

# # #

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 3 years’ probation plus 7 days intermittent confinement on his conviction of theft of government property, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Nicholas T. Grimes, 31.

According to information presented to the Court, following the death of a Title II Social Security benefits recipient, Grimes began stealing that person’s Social Security retirement benefits, beginning as early as 2014. Grimes stole benefits totaling approximately $216,779 by negotiating the benefits from the deceased’s account through ATM transactions. Grimes has also been ordered to pay the full restitution of $216,779 to the Social Security Administration.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Grimes.