Category: Security

Source: US FBI

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Paul Mignacca, age 46, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison for distribution, transportation, and possession of child pornography. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig R. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

Between September 2023 and February 2024, Mignacca uploaded several videos of child sexual abuse material to a social media application group chat dedicated to sharing child pornography files, as well as to Mignacca’s private account on an Internet-based filesharing application. Law enforcement arrested Mignacca in April 2024 and seized his electronic devices. Digital forensic analysis revealed that Mignacca possessed more than 3,400 files constituting child pornography.

United States Chief District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also ordered Mignacca to serve a 10-year term of post-incarceration supervised release, to pay a total of $60,000 in restitution to children identified from the child pornography he possessed, and to forfeit the electronic device he used to commit the offenses. Mignacca will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly stabbed a man multiple times during an altercation near Shiprock.

According to court documents, on the night of April 19, 2025, Navajo Police Department officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing in Shiprock, New Mexico. Officers located the victim who had sustained three stab wounds to his upper and lower back. The victim was transported to the hospital for emergency treatment.

An investigation led by the FBI and Navajo Nation Criminal Investigators revealed that Matthew Charley, 29, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, approached the victim and two witnesses. After a brief verbal exchange, the witnesses left the area, leaving Charley and the victim alone. When the witnesses returned a short time later, they found the victim had been stabbed. The victim identified Charley as his assailant.

Law enforcement collected witness statements, obtained video evidence, and reviewed surveillance footage that corroborated the description and movements of the suspect.

Screenshot of video showing Charley

Charley is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Charley faces 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon following a shooting incident outside a restaurant.

According to court documents, Navajo Nation Police responded to a 911 call reporting that an individual was shot in the hand in front of the Little Caesars Restaurant in Shiprock. Officers located the suspect, identified as Terrold Tyler, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, near the scene carrying a black backpack that contained a homemade firearm and five live shotgun shells. Tyler was detained without incident.

Investigators determined that Tyler and the victim were involved in an argument behind the restaurant prior to the shooting. Tyler allegedly produced the homemade shotgun and shot the victim in the left hand. Paramedics responded to the scene, but the victim declined medical treatment.  A social media video depicting Tyler with the firearm was also recovered as evidence.

Tyler is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Tyler faces up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Ojo Amarillo man has been charged by criminal complaint with assault following an incident that left the victim with multiple fractures and severe facial injuries.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2025, the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a residence in Ojo Amarillo, New Mexico, where officers discovered the victim suffering from extensive facial lacerations, swelling, and a right eye swollen shut. She was immediately transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment.

The victim reported that Kyle Kee, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attacked her without warning, striking her repeatedly in the face, back, and stomach. The assault only ended when a phone call interrupted the attack. The victim said that Kee had previously assaulted her and was on probation for a prior offense.

Officers located Kee hiding in a nearby field. After initially attempting to evade capture, Kee was apprehended and became verbally aggressive, spitting on and kicking an officer during the arrest.

Medical records confirm the victim sustained an orbital fracture, nasal bone fractures, multiple contusions, and a laceration above her right eye requiring sutures.

Keeis charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Kee faces up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jordan is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 48 months in prison for sexually assaulting a teen 20 years his junior.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on September 27, 2024, Thomas Lee Chaffins, 35, an enrolled member of Mescalero Apache Tribe, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation

Upon his release from prison, Chaffins will be subject to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Phillip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Alyson Hehr is prosecuting the case. 

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Vanderwagon man pleaded guilty to assault and federal firearms charges after firing shots and threatening a man with a rifle during a confrontation on the Navajo Nation.

According to court records on May 1, 2023, Perris Jeremiah Arthur, 36, initiated a confrontation at John Doe’s residence in Vanderwagon. Arthur then went outside to retrieve a rifle from his ATV, fired two shots into the RV, and later pointed the weapon directly at John Doe, threatening him with the firearm. 

At sentencing, Arthur faces a minimum of seven years and up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Arthur will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

Saipan, MP – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Ye Fang, aka “BATU”, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was sentenced by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona in District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 25 years imprisonment, after being convicted of Conspiracy to Possess over 500 Grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1).  The court also ordered 5 years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment fee.  He was also ordered to report to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release from prison.

Ye Fang arrived in the CNMI from China in 2016 under a tourist visa waiver program.  After his waiver term elapsed, he remained on Saipan where he ran a birth tourism business for three years.  Ye Fang hosted at least 200 women and their families from China so that pregnant women could give birth on island.  He later began trafficking methamphetamine.

In November 2022, CNMI police executed a search warrant at Ye Fang’s home.  They seized more than one kilogram of methamphetamine.  A CNMI arrest warrant was issued, but Ye Fang remained a fugitive, escaping from Saipan by boat and traveling to Guam in the summer of 2023. From Guam, Ye Fang continued to organize methamphetamine trafficking in the CNMI.  In September 2023, he arranged the shipment of methamphetamine hidden inside lava lamps, which were sent to Saipan from California.  The packages were intercepted by CNMI Customs, who coordinated with the DEA to conduct a controlled delivery.  That resulted in the arrest of co-conspirator Liang Yang, another out of status PRC national.  A total of eight pounds of liquid methamphetamine was seized.

Ye Fang eventually fled Guam in November 2023 via commercial airline using the identification of another person.  He then traveled to Palau, where he organized the murder of another PRC citizen.  In January 2024, Ye Fang and three others were arrested in Palau for that crime.  Ye Fang pled guilty to manslaughter in March 2024 and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.  In May 2024, he was extradited to the CNMI where he pled guilty to the lava lamp drug scheme.

“Law enforcement has brought Ye Fang’s Indo-Pacific crime spree to an end,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “He will now serve many years in a United States prison with other high-risk offenders.  Every day of his sentence is a day made safer for the people of the CNMI. We will continue to use our resources to combat transnational criminals and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime.”

“Methamphetamine is potent and highly addictive. This synthetic stimulant has contributed to the overdose crisis facing America. DEA, along with federal and international partners, are in lockstep in our commitment to combat drug networks,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Saipan. “We will vehemently pursue all criminals who flood our communities with this poison.”

“Today’s sentencing is the direct result of sustained commitment and collaboration between the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Mr. Fang led a violent, transnational narcotics trafficking organization; his crimes significantly contributed to the ongoing drug epidemic facing America and plaguing our island communities. The FBI—standing in resolve with our local, state, and federal partners—is prepared to confront and disrupt these dangerous criminal organizations, wherever they may operate.”

“The conviction of Mr. Fang is a testament to HSI’s enduring commitment to keep harmful substances out of Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “Understanding the damage that illegal narcotics do to our communities, we will stop at nothing to hold those accountable for their contributions to drug trafficking within our islands.”

“As the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service, the safety of postal employees and the public is our top priority,” said Inspector in Charge Stephen Sherwood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  “Anyone who misuses the U.S. Postal Service will be held accountable for their actions. I would like to thank our federal and local law enforcement partners, including our task force partners from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, Guam Police Department, and Army National Guard Counterdrug Program.”

This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshal Service for extradition, CNMI Customs, CNMI Department of Public Safety, Republic of Palau Bureau of Public Safety, and in collaboration with the CNMI Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, and the Republic of Palau.

Assistant United States Attorney Albert S. Flores, Jr., and former Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Kost prosecuted this case in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.

This case is 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

Source: US FBI

NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County man admitted to making interstate death threats against a political commentator, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Haim Braverman, 47, of Morris Plains, New Jersey, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to an Information charging him with transmitting threats in interstate commerce. Sentencing is scheduled for September 15, 2025.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On or about September 10, 2024, Braverman posted a video of himself on a social media platform in which he made various threats to a political commentator. Braverman admitted to having been angered by the commentator’s public statements about a prominent, now-deceased rabbi whom Braverman respected. In the video, Braverman threatened to use a bat he was holding against the commentator, stating: “[y]ou’ll get what’s coming to you . . . , I’ve never met someone . . . if I could f**king kill you right now, I would not even . . . , f**k it I’ll give you the steel bat. I wouldn’t even stop. I’d kill you. Dead. . . . I’m threatening a death sentence against [the commentator].” Braverman also included a written comment on his post in which he stated: “[The commentator] needs to be killed.” Braverman also transmitted an audio message to a group chat on a messaging application, referencing the commentator and stating, “[a]fter I heard what . . . [the commentator] said, I will go to prison, gladly find her and kill her . . . I will find a f**king weapon and f**king kill her. I am outraged.”

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Gannon, with the investigation leading to this plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammi Malek of the National Security Unit in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Candace Hom, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

Source: US FBI

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County woman was sentenced to 45 months in prison for forced labor and other crimes related to her coercive scheme to compel two victims to perform domestic labor and childcare in her home, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced.

Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, previously was found guilty of two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain and two counts of document servitude following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court. Judge Williams imposed the sentence in Camden federal court.

“This sentence vindicates the rights of two vulnerable women who the defendant subjected to grueling hours and coercive abuse in her home.  Forced labor and human trafficking are atrocious crimes that have no place in our society.  My office and the entire Department of Justice is committed to standing up for vulnerable human trafficking victims and holding their traffickers accountable.”

– U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

“The defendant exploited her relationship with the victims to lure them to the United States with false promises,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and subjected them to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce them to work long hours for minimal pay. This prosecution should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable for such shameful exploitation of vulnerable victims.”

“Human nature is generally good. There are situations though that prove some people display more cruel and inhumane behavior,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Newark Field Office. “Bolarinwa lured women with false promises, held them captive, and forced them clean her home and care for her children. Then took it a sickening step further by physically abusing them. Luckily, one of the victims had the courage to tell someone. We ask anyone who notices an odd situation, something that doesn’t look or feel right, to please call us so we can help victims that may be hiding in plain sight.” 

According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

From December 2015 to October 2016, Bolarinwa – originally from Nigeria, but living in New Jersey as a U.S. citizen – recruited two victims to come to the United States and then coerced them to perform domestic labor and childcare services for her children through physical harm, threats of physical harm, isolation, constant surveillance and psychological abuse. The defendant engaged in this conduct knowing that one of the victims was out of lawful status while working in her home.

Once the first victim arrived in the United States in December 2015, Bolarinwa confiscated her passport and coerced her through threats of physical harm to her and her daughter, verbal abuse, isolation and constant surveillance to compel her to work every day, around-the-clock for nearly a year.  Bolarinwa then recruited a second victim to come to the United States on a student visa. When the second victim arrived in the United States in April 2016, Bolarinwa similarly confiscated her passport and coerced her to perform household work and childcare but relied more heavily on physical abuse.  The two victims lived and worked in Bolarinwa’s home until October 2016, when the second victim notified a professor at her college, who reported the information to the FBI.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Williams sentenced Bolarinwa to 3 years of supervised release, imposed a $35,000 fine, and ordered Bolarinwa to pay $87,518.72 in restitution to the victims of her offenses.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to this sentence.

This case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2025. The Task Force brings together federal and state agencies to collaborate and dedicate resources to combat human trafficking and prosecute human trafficking offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The Human Trafficking Task Force is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the New Jersey Office of Attorney General.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

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Defense counsel: Jeffrey Zucker, Esq. 

Source: US FBI

NEWARK, N.J. – A Paterson man was charged with distribution and possession of child pornography that he shared on multiple messaging platforms, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Dwayne Smalls, 25, was charged by complaint and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Smalls posted messages on certain messaging platforms advertising images and videos of child pornography, including those involving prepubescent minors.  Specifically, he represented that he could provide images and videos depicting child sexual-abuse material (“CSAM”) for a fee. Law enforcement conducted a search of his cell phone and residence and determined that between August 2023 and October 2023, Smalls distributed CSAM on multiple occasions. In addition, law enforcement found approximately eleven unique video files containing CSAM on Smalls’ cell phone.

The charge of distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit with the investigation leading to the charges.  She also thanked the FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly for their assistance.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Stern of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Defense counsel: Tatiana Nnaji, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender