Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of “Operation Red Card”, a multi-agency law enforcement operation that identified, apprehended, and initiated prosecution against some of the most violent offenders in the Greater Kansas City, Mo. metro area.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
ROANOKE, Va. – An indictment charging a Danville, Va. man in connection with twelve felony charges related to child exploitation, including the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sexual enticement of minors, cyberstalking, and making threats to injure reputation with intent to extort, was unsealed today following his recent arrest in New Mexico.In a sealed indictment returned April 9, 2026, a federal grand jury in Roanoke charged Jesus Diaz, 25, of Danville, with two counts of making extortive threats to injure the reputation of a minor, one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), one count of cyberstalking of a minor, four counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and four counts of enticement of a minor.
Source: United States Army
VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Garrison Italy and Italian first responders teamed up recently for an emergency exercise simulating a major earthquake striking the Vicenza Military Community and triggering secondary incidents across multiple installations.
The joint drill strengthened coordination between U.S. and Italian agencies and reinforced readiness for real‑world emergencies.
“Exercises like this are essential because they allow us to apply and assess our emergency management capabilities in real time,” said Col. Vaughn Strong, USAG Italy commander. “Training side by side with our Italian fire, medical and law enforcement partners strengthens the interoperability we rely on to protect this community.”
The scenario began at 7:30 a.m., when an earthquake in the Veneto region affected Caserma Miotto in Longare. The installation operations center alerted garrison leaders, prompting coordination with emergency services, public works and tenant units. The Emergency Operations Center activated within 20 minutes.
As first responders worked at Caserma Miotto, the exercise escalated at Caserma Ederle’s Golden Lion Conference Center, where a simulated gas explosion caused multiple injuries. Military police and firefighters arrived quickly, recovering role‑playing Soldiers covered in moulage. Italian fire services joined U.S. crews to treat 16 injured participants.
The Emergency Family Assistance Center opened at 9 a.m., offering support at Army Community Service. ACS and the Java Café closed during the drill, and community alerts advised residents to avoid affected areas.
“Our shared goal is simple,” Strong said. “We work to ensure we can contain emergencies quickly and keep our Soldiers, families and workforce safe.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization complaint yesterday against Victor Manuel Rocha in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Rocha is a native of Colombia who was convicted of serving as an unregistered agent for the Republic of Cuba.
“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. “Our mission is clear: to root out these fraudsters and preserve the sanctity of the naturalization process for those who adhere to our laws. Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice.”
“Victor Manuel Rocha was not a low-level operative. He was a former United States Ambassador and senior government official who admitted he secretly served the Cuban regime for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Southern District of Florida helped take down one of the most prolific Cuban spies ever uncovered in the United States. This civil denaturalization case is about finishing the job. The complaint alleges that Rocha obtained American citizenship through lies, concealment, and betrayal. A person who secretly serves communist Cuba should not keep the privilege of United States citizenship, even while in prison.”
The U.S. seeks an order revoking Rocha’s naturalization based on his admission in criminal proceedings that he began spying for Cuba in 1973 before he naturalized in 1978. When he applied for naturalization, Rocha represented under penalty of perjury that he had not committed crimes for which he had not been arrested; he was not affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba; he had not advocated, believed in, or knowingly supported and furthered the interests of Communism; and he believed in the U.S. Constitution and the form of government of the U.S. None of these were true.
In 2023, Rocha was charged with several counts related to spying for the Republic of Cuba and passport fraud. U.S. v. Rocha, No. 1:23-cr-20464-Bloom (S.D. Fla. Dec. 5, 2023). In April 2024, Rocha admitted that, starting in or around 1973, he secretly supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering mission against the U.S. by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s intelligence services. He pleaded guilty and was convicted of Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of a Foreign Government and to Defraud the United States and Acting as an Illegal Agent of a Foreign Government. He was sentenced to and is serving a 15-year sentence.
The U.S. will bring seven independent counts seeking the revocation of his U.S. citizenship. Rocha was not qualified for naturalization for several reasons, including that he committed unlawful acts, gave false testimony during his naturalization examination, was not attached to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and not well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the U.S., was affiliated with the Communist Party of Cuba, and advocated for communism. The U.S. will also seek the revocation of his naturalization because he procured his citizenship by concealing material facts or willful misrepresenting several facts in naturalization proceedings related to spying for Cuba.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Denaturalization Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is litigating the case.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Airforce
The President of the United States has nominated Maj. Gen. Paul D. Moga, Third Air Force commander, to serve as the 23rd Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy and promotion to the rank of lieutenant general.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
BOSTON – A federal indictment was unsealed today against seven members and associates of the Boston-based Columbia Point Dawgs and Johnston Road gangs and their associates for firearm and drug charges. A federal complaint was also filed against an eighth defendant for being a felon in possession of ammunition. One defendant is currently on pre-trial release for a pending state murder case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that ten people were charged in an indictment that was unsealed on May 6, 2026, on charges including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PROVIDENCE- A federal grand jury in Rhode Island has returned a four-count indictment charging Felipe Almonte Polanco, 57, of Providence, with wire fraud, theft of public money, false representation of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft related to an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits using the identities of deceased and other individuals.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – Michael Cris Traya Sordilla, a 34-year-old citizen of the Philippines, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he conspired to perpetrate a book publishing scam that caused losses of over $48 million to more than 800 victims throughout the United States. Sordilla is the first of four defendants to admit his role in a scheme that targeted authors — most of them seniors — by promising to elevate their work to major publishing deals and Hollywood film adaptations, all in exchange for millions of dollars in fraudulent fees.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal jury convicted Sohaib Akhter, 34, of Alexandria, Virgina, today on charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, password trafficking, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
“Sohaib Akhter harmed Americans who trusted their government with personal information and sensitive requests,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His conviction shows that getting fired from a job is not an invitation to retaliate.”
“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General’s (FDIC-OIG) Electronic Crimes Unit is proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners in holding Sohaib Akhter accountable for conduct that compromised sensitive government information and targeted the integrity of federal systems,” said Inspector General Jennifer L. Fain of FDIC-OIG. “As proven at trial, Akhter participated in the unauthorized access of protected computer systems, the theft of credentials, and the destruction of government data affecting numerous federal agencies. The deliberate deletion of databases containing sensitive government information and the subsequent attempts to conceal that criminal activity demonstrated a blatant disregard for the security and integrity of federal information systems. Today’s conviction reflects the FDIC OIG’s continued commitment to aggressively investigating cyber-enabled threats, protecting government networks and data, and pursuing those who seek to exploit positions of trust for personal gain.”
“This was a calculated abuse of trust and access. Attempting to profit from stolen sensitive information shows a complete disregard for the law, and this verdict shows that those who abuse access to government information will be held accountable,” said Joseph V. Cuffari Ph.D. of the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS- OIG). “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and the agencies that worked alongside us throughout this investigation to ensure those responsible were brought to justice.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Sohaib Akhter, and his twin brother and co-defendant, Muneeb Akhter, worked for a Washington, D.C., company that provided software products and services to more than 45 federal government agencies and hosted data for some federal government clients on servers in Ashburn. On Feb. 1, 2025, Muneeb Akhter asked Sohaib Akhter for the plaintext password of an individual who submitted a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Public Portal, which was maintained by the Akhters’ employer. Sohaib Akhter conducted a database query on the EEOC database and then provided the password to Muneeb Akhter. That password was subsequently used to access that individual’s email account without authorization.
When the company discovered Sohaib Akhter’s felony conviction, it terminated both brothers’ employment during an online remote meeting on Feb. 18, 2025. Immediately after being fired during this meeting, the brothers sought to harm their employer and its U.S. government customers by accessing computers without authorization, write-protecting databases, deleting databases, and destroying evidence of their unlawful activities. The compromised information included case management and Freedom of Information Act response processing software. Over the course of several hours, the brothers deleted approximately 96 databases storing U.S. government information hosted by the company.
A search of Sohaib’s cellphone revealed that he had obtained firearms as early as January 2025 and, following the execution of a search warrant on March 12, 2025, took steps to sell them. On March 18, 2025, Sohaib drove to a firearm company in Farnham, Virginia, with his domestic partner, who completed paperwork for a transaction to sell the company seven firearms. As a convicted felon, Sohaib could not legally possess firearms.
On June 6, 2015, Muneeb and Sohaib pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization, and conspiracy to access a government computer without authorization. Muneeb also pled guilty to accessing a protected computer without authorization, making a false statement, and obstructing justice. On Oct. 2, 2015, Muneeb was sentenced to three years and three months in prison; Sohaib was sentenced to two years in prison.
Sohaib Akhter is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9 and faces a maximum penalty of 21 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FDIC-OIG, DHS-OIG, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Valuable assistance was provided by: the Department of Agriculture OIG; Department of Education OIG; Environmental Protection Agency OIG; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission OIG; Federal Reserve Board OIG; Department of Health and Human Services OIG; DHS Office of the Chief Security Officer; Department of Housing and Urban Development OIG; Department of the Interior OIG; International Development Finance Corporation OIG; Department of Justice OIG; Department of Labor OIG; Nuclear Regulatory Commission OIG; Small Business Administration OIG; Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; Department of Veterans Affairs OIG; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Capitol Police; Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department; and the Alexandria, Virginia Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorneys George Brown and Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.