Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –DONELL BARTHELEMY (“BARTHELEMEY”), age 22, and MICHAEL BROOKS (“BROOKS”), age 30, were charged in a recently unsealed eight-count indictment with violations of the Federal Gun Control Act and Federal Controlled Substances Act on February 6, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PHOENIX — Tri-City Cardiology, P.C., a physician group based in the metro area of Phoenix, Arizona, and three individual physicians, have agreed to pay $4.75 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by performing medically unnecessary vein ablations.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Wednesday convicted a former Northwoods, Missouri police officer of charges related to the assault of a handcuffed man in 2023.
Jurors found Samuel Davis, 28, guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of witness tampering by way of misleading conduct for making a misleading statement to a police dispatcher and one count of falsifying records in a federal investigation for turning off his body-worn camera. He was found not guilty of one count of conspiracy.
Jurors acquitted another former officer, Michael Hill, 54, of all charges.
“Law enforcement officers are given immense public trust because of the gravity of the work they do to keep communities safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The defendant violated that trust when he took matters into his own hands and savagely beat the victim rather than processing him for the alleged theft. The jury’s verdict makes clear that these violations of trust will not be tolerated.”
Evidence and testimony at the trial, which began March 2, showed that Northwoods police were called to a Walgreens store on the evening of July 4, 2023, about a shoplifter, C.G. C.G. had shoplifted from the store before and was known to Davis. Davis handcuffed C.G., who was compliant and cooperative, and then placed him in Davis’ police vehicle. Instead of taking him to jail, Davis drove him to an empty field in a desolate area of Kinloch. C.G. testified during the trial that Davis pepper-sprayed him, beat him with a baton while he was still handcuffed, breaking his jaw, and then tased him. A passerby interrupted the attack, causing Davis to flee, evidence and testimony showed. She returned and found C.G., bloodied and crying out for help. C.G. told responding St. Louis County Police Department officers and medical personnel that he had been beaten by a Northwoods officer. Medical records documented the broken jaw. Davis’ TASER records indicated that it had been used around the time of the attack.
Davis did not file a report about the arrest of C.G., the trip to Kinloch or any use of force. He also turned off his body-worn camera.
Davis faces up to 10 years in prison for the deprivation of rights under color of law charge and 20 years in prison for the other charges.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug of the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Taylor Payne of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –JANETTE RAMIREZ (“RAMIREZ”), age 34, was sentenced on January 15, 2026 by U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to interstate transmission of a ransom demand, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted the New York man who was arrested in late February on federal sexual exploitation charges filed in the Southern District of Ohio after investigation into a missing Colerain teenager revealed he was previously involved with the minor.
Source: United States Army
The ceremony took place during the installation’s 2026 kick-off event because the Wiesbaden AER team was unable to attend the Association of the United States Army annual meeting and exposition last October.
Serving as the event’s keynote speaker, Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, connected AER’s role in enabling Soldier readiness by reminding the audience that the Army needs the AER program the same way the nation needs its Army.
“The United States Army culture is two things: people and warfighting,” Donahue said. “If you think about it, we celebrated the Army gaining 250 years prior to the nation. Why is that? Because it was the Army that gave us our freedom. That’s our culture. We are the ones who generate everything that we need. It’s no different than AER.”
Donahue also announced that this year’s goal is to raise $160,000 by June 14.
After sharing some of his personal experiences during his tenure as the AER CEO, Grinston reminded leaders at all levels that they can reach out to him personally if they need assistance advocating for a Soldier in need of financial relief.
“Not one time, in two-and-a-half years, has a chain-of-command sent me a note, and we’ve turned that person down—not once,” Grinston said. “All you got to do is ask for help.”
The kick-off event concluded with USAG Wiesbaden senior leaders making their first donation of the campaign.
If you’d like to donate, please speak to your unit representative or by visiting the AER website, armyemergencyrelief.org
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – GERARD CARR (“CARR”), age 27, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan on January 22, 2026 to 137 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8), his ninth felony conviction.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Trump Administration Will Protect American Families from Higher Car Prices & Manufacturers from Making Vehicles the Public Doesn’t Want
Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the Justice Department, on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has filed suit to stop California from imposing an illegal electric vehicle (EV) mandate through what are effectively state-specific mileage requirements for car manufacturers. Federal law prohibits individual states from adopting regulations related to fuel economy.
President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Duffy created the “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” initiative to save the American people $109 billion over the next five years and save families $1,000 on the average cost of a new vehicle by resetting NHTSA’s corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. California’s scheme would force carmakers to radically revamp their production lines nationwide to meet standards more stringent than the national standards adopted by NHTSA. The deviation would send car prices through the roof, restrict consumer choice, and undermine interstate commerce.
“Oppressive, expensive electric vehicle mandates drive up costs for American consumers and violate federal law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “California is using unlawful policies from the last administration to create exorbitant costs for our citizens — this Department of Justice is proud to stand with President Trump and Secretary Duffy to bring litigation that will make life more affordable for American consumers.”
“I was proud to stand alongside President Trump to unveil our plan to eliminate the Biden-Buttigieg EV mandate and allow auto manufacturers to produce cars American families actually want to buy at a more affordable price. But Gavin Newsom is determined to continue pushing Democrat’s radical EV fantasy – even if doing so is illegal,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Newsom may not care about lowering costs, but President Trump does. I want to thank Attorney General Bondi for fighting to protect consumer choice and stop activist governors from destroying our manufacturing sector.”
“This lawsuit continues ENRD’s war on regulatory overreach by California that is set on undermining the national market for motor vehicles through unlawful state policies,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “The state vehicle standards we are challenging today are preempted by federal law, just like the standards that were blocked by a court in our challenge to California’s so-called Clean Truck Partnership.”
“This litigation will help automakers design and produce cars and trucks to meet one federal fuel economy regulation. It was a mistake by Presidents Obama and Biden to enable California to set its own backdoor fuel economy policies, which have now spiraled into a costly patchwork quilt of individual state fuel economy requirements. This litigation will correct that misstep,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.
Read more about President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s “Freedom Means Affordable Cars” initiative HERE.
Read the United States’ complaint HERE.
Additional Information:
This case challenges the state’s regulations as preempted under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which makes NHTSA the exclusive regulator of fuel economy in the United States.
The litigation involves defendants California’s Air Resources Board and its executive officer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.
ENRD filed the complaint.
The case number is 26-at-00450 in California.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PENSACOLA and TALLAHASSEE – Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced that eight previously deported illegal aliens have been indicted separately by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States, and seven illegal aliens were convicted of federal crimes in the month of February.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a 39 count indictment charging Trevor Knapp, 34, of Tonawanda, NY, with 15 counts of production of child pornography, two counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, one count of distribution of child pornography, 19 counts receipt of child pornography, and two counts possession of child pornography. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 930 years in prison.