Category: Security

Source: US FBI

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Larceny. The sentencing took place on April 22, 2025.

Larry White Lance, age 29 was sentenced to seven years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

White Lance was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023. He pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025.

The conviction stems from White Lance breaking into a home in St. Francis in June 2022 and steeling a tool chest, tools, and other property.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

White Lance was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Source: US FBI

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Chadron, Nebraska, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Casey Lopez, age 51, was sentenced on April 21, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.

Lopez and others distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City.  Lopez was a leader in the conspiracy, setting prices, organizing the distribution, and enabling a Mexican cartel to gain inroads into the Pine Ridge Reservation. In sentencing Lopez, Judge Schreier denounced how Lopez’ actions severely damaged the community. Judge Schreier also noted the drugs Lopez was distributing came from Mexican cartels and constituted 100% pure methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Lopez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing. 

 

 

Source: US FBI

TYLER, Texas – An Orange, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for theft from the Trinidad Independent School District, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

Brandon Delane Looney, 39, pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on April 24, 2025.

According to information presented in court, Looney stole nearly $340,000 from Trinidad ISD between 2017 and 2023 while he served as Trinidad ISD’s business manager. Federal law makes it a crime for someone to steal from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal funds annually.  Looney used the stolen funds to purchase personal trips to Walt Disney World and on spending sprees at the Disney Store.  Trinidad ISD is one of the poorest school districts in Texas and suffered adverse financial consequences as a result of Looney’s theft.

Looney worked with the Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to liquidate his available assets, including his home, to pay $200,000 of the restitution before sentencing.  The remaining balance of the restitution judgment will be collectible for 20 years after the termination of Looney’s incarceration.

This case was investigated by FBI’s Tyler Field Office, with assistance from the Tyler Police Department and the Trinidad ISD.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Austin Wells.

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Source: US FBI

SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today that federal prosecutors in the district filed 344 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 18 through April 24.

Among the new cases, Henry Cruz-Lemas, an illegal alien and a Honduran national previously convicted of aggravated kidnapping in September 2011 and sentenced to five years in prison. Cruz-Lemas was arrested on April 18 during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ERO) investigation in San Antonio.  He is charged with one count of illegal reentry of an alien.

Jose Angel Escarcega-Briones, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found approximately 4 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Border Patrol Agents determined that he did not have immigration documents allowing him to be in the United States legally and that he has previously been removed from the United States 5 times.  He has 3 prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as a federal drug trafficking conviction.

Jose Alfonso Deras-Valle, a citizen of El Salvador, was found near mile marker 87 of Interstate 10 in Fort Hancock, Texas.  U.S. Border Patrol determined that Deras-Valle had recently been deported to El Salvador on February 21, 2025.  His criminal record includes a murder conviction in Florida for which he received fifteen years in prison.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents performing line watch operations in an area near Sierra Blanca, Texas encountered three people attempting to conceal themselves in a culvert.  After questioning and investigation, the agents determined the group was in the United States illegally.  Sergio Aguirre-Isidro was determined to be a foot guide for the group and that he was to collect 10,000 Mexican Pesos if the group arrived in the U.S. successfully.

Junior Enrique Garcia-Escobar, a Honduran national with a prior conviction out of the State of New York for Burglary using/threatening use of a dangerous instrument, was arrested on illegal reentry charges near Eagle Pass, Texas.  He had been sentenced to five years in prison on the burglary charge and was deported in 2019.

Raul Rodriguez-Morales was arrested by Border Patrol Agents in Del Rio, Texas on April 18, 2025, for illegal reentry after having been deported in January 2025.  Rodriguez-Morales has previous drug convictions in California as well as a conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and two previous convictions for illegal reentry of an alien in 2011 and 2019.

In Carrizo Springs, Texas, Devarick Dewayne Benson was arrested for conspiring to transport two illegal aliens further into the United States.  Benson was driving a vehicle with fictitious plates and was pulled over for driving 10 miles over the speed limit.  He had two illegal aliens in the trunk of his car.

A Honduran citizen, Angel Almendarez-Ulloa, was arrested on April 19, 2025, by Border Patrol Agents near Eagle Pass, Texas. Almendarez has been deported from the United States 10 times, with his last deportation to Honduras being on April 21, 2023.

These cases were referred or supported by our federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

HOUSTON – A total of 237 more cases have been filed in immigration and border security-related matters from April 18-24, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

As part of those cases, 124 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, firearms or sexual offenses, prior immigration crimes and more. A total of 106 people face charges of illegally entering the country, five cases involve various instances of human smuggling with the remainder relating to assault of an officer or other immigration-related crimes.  

As part of the cases filed this week, Carlos Verduco-Muniz faces charges of assault of a federal officer. He allegedly punched a Texas Military Department Specialist on the left side of his face during a pursuit to apprehend him near Rio Grande City. The charges allege he is a citizen and national of Mexico who was illegally present in the United States at the time of the assault.

Some of those charged with felony reentry include three men found near Roma. Jose Roberto Cuadro-Parada had just been removed in March and allegedly illegally returned. Yobani Garcia-Garcia and Benito Barrera-Martinez are both Mexican nationals who had previously been removed Jan. 10, 2025, and Sept. 18, 2024, respectively, according to the complaints filed in their cases. The charges allege Garcia-Garcia has a conviction for a previous illegal reentry, while Barrera-Martinez had been ordered to serve 60 months for intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana prior to his removal.

Another charged this week is Perla Elizabeth Arguelles-Trejo, a Mexican female found in the United States near Edinburg. She had previously been removed in September 2020 following her sentence for intoxication manslaughter with vehicle, according to allegations.

In addition to the new cases filed, a 27-year-old Mexican national unlawfully residing in Laredo was sentenced for assaulting and inflicting bodily harm on a Border Patrol (BP) agent. Guillermo Osto-Navarrete had picked up several illegal aliens after they exited the Rio Grande River. He then led authorities on a vehicle pursuit and broadsided a law enforcement vehicle, causing it to spin 180 degrees. A BP agent rushed to assist Osto-Navarrete and check for injuries. However, Osto-Navarrete struck the agent’s face and head several times in rapid succession while the agent was standing and after falling to the ground. The agent sustained a black eye, bruising to his head and face, scratches to his chin, lacerations on his hands–including a deep cut to one finger–and a scraped knee. Osto-Navarrete was ordered to serve 24 months in federal prison and is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.

Also announced this week was the sentencing of a 21-year-old Honduran man illegally residing in Houston for a robbery of a Family Dollar store. Carlos Gonzalez-Vargas had brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the register. When the employee did not act fast enough, Gonzalez-Vargas shot her in the leg. He will now serve 150 months for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At the hearing, the court heard he was affiliated with a gang, posted Instagram selfies with the firearm and fired the weapon at a 13-year-old child one month after the robbery. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the mandatory minimum sentence did not adequately address the seriousness of his conduct.

In Houston, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against a Guatemalan national for illegally reentering the country without authorization. The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Leonardo Fernando Batz guilty as charged following a three-day trial. Testimony revealed Batz had been previously removed in 2007 and in 2020. Prior to his 2020 removal, he had illegally entered the United States by raft on the Rio Grande River.

The second ringleader in an international fraud scheme victimizing the elderly was also ordered to serve 46 months in prison this week. Hardik Jayantilal Patel, 37, illegally resided in Lexington, Kentucky, and was also ordered to pay a combined $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 identified victims. From March through November 2019, Patel led a team of domestic money mules aka “runners.” They laundered money tied to telemarketing fraud schemes originating from call centers in India.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, BP, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children. 

The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

Source: US FBI

BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who distributed methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 24 months in prison to be followed by 6 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Shannon Tyrone Seminole, 50, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in the spring of 2022, law enforcement received reports that Shannon Seminole was selling methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Agents arranged two controlled purchases from Seminole, one in December 2022 and the other in September 2023. Following the second buy, agents executed a search of Seminole’s residence. During the search, agents seized an airsoft pistol and an AR-15 upper receiver and bolt.

In an interview, Seminole admitted to providing methamphetamine to the many drug users that helped him with his work. He admitted selling methamphetamine starting when he was released from jail three years prior. His source provided him with a regular supply of meth that he would sell. Seminole also admitted he carried firearms when selling drugs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI.

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

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Source: US FBI

HOUSTON – A 42-year-old Houston man has been taken into custody on charges of conspiracy to commit arson of a commercial building and conspiracy to use an interstate facility to commit arson of a vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Lyndell “Lynn” Price, former owner of the Turkey Leg Hut who now owns The Oyster Hut, is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo at 2 p.m. Also in custody and set to appear are Armani Williams, 27, and John Lee Price, 39, both also of Houston.

The indictment, returned April 8 and unsealed upon the arrests, alleges Price and others conspired to set fire to Bar 5015. The charges allege the owner of that bar was a former co-owner of the Turkey Leg Hut and Price’s business partner. 

In early June 12, 2020, Price had allegedly recruited a group which included Williams, John Price and others. The charges allege Williams, John Price and others were involved in pouring gasoline at the entrance ramp before igniting a fire at Bar 5015. Lynn Price later provided payment to them, according to the charges. 

Prior to the arson, the indictment alleges that in April 2020, Lynn Price also paid John Price and others to set fire to a stolen blue 1975 Chevy Nova.

Lynn Price and the others are charged with conspiracy to commit arson and arson and face up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.   

Lynn Price and John Price are also charged with conspiracy to use an interstate facility to commit arson of a vehicle and could receive another five years as possible punishment, upon conviction.   

The indictment remains sealed to those charged but not as yet in custody. 

FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Houston Arson Bureau conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and Harris County Constable’s Office – Precinct 4. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Keri Fuller are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law. 

Source: US FBI

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dustin P. Brunker, 37, Weston, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 7 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Brunker pleaded guilty to this charge on January 28, 2025.

In early 2024, investigators with the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force began investigating a group of individuals who were distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine in the Marathon County area. Brunker was identified as a distributor for the group.

Following a series of controlled purchases of methamphetamine involving Brunker in March and April of 2024, task force officers executed a search warrant at a residence that Brunker shared with co-defendant Mercadys A. Perkins in Weston. Officers found over 300 grams of methamphetamine, over $2,000 in cash, drug ledgers, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia during the search.

Further investigation revealed that between February 18, 2024, and April 12, 2024, a co-conspirator provided Brunker and Perkins approximately 16 pounds of methamphetamine and 6 ounces of cocaine intended for further distribution.

At the time of these events, Brunker was serving a term of state supervision for two felony cases and out on state bond for a felony drug charge. His state supervision was revoked, and he was sentenced to a total of 3 years in state prison, which he is currently serving. Judge Conley ordered the federal sentence run concurrently with the remainder of Brunker’s state prison sentences.

At sentencing, Judge Conley called Brunker’s large quantity methamphetamine trafficking egregious. Judge Conley further observed that while Brunker had a lengthy prior record, the conduct in the present case showed an escalation in criminality.

Three others were charged in connection with this drug trafficking conspiracy. Mercadys Perkins was convicted of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and sentenced to 6 years in federal prison on April 17, 2025. Joshua Lake and Jessica Colby have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming weeks.

The charge against Brunker was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Bay Police Department, Wausau Police Department and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. The Marathon County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case. 

Source: US FBI

Defendant allegedly billed Medicare for genetic testing of patients she never communicated with for over three years

Source: US FBI