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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MINNEAPOLIS – Jonathan Weinhagen, also known as “James Sullivan,” age 42, pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of Mail Fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. 

From December 2019 through June 2024, defendant Weinhagen abused his position as President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce to defraud and embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chamber of Commerce and its business members, in several ways. 

First, Weinhagen stole reward money for the unsolved murders of children.  In May 2021, two minor children were killed, and a third child was injured, in a series of shootings in North Minneapolis.  On May 21, 2021, the Chamber of Commerce contributed $30,000 to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to fund three separate $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the persons responsible for the shootings.  Approximately one year later, Weinhagen emailed the president of Crime Stoppers of Minnesota to inquire about the status of the rewards.  When he learned that the rewards were unclaimed, Weinhagen asked that the $30,000 be returned to the Chamber of Commerce because it had “made a commitment to [its] investors to deploy the resources into the North Minneapolis Community.”  Weinhagen told Crime Stoppers to send the refund check to Weinhagen’s home, which Weinhagen falsely represented was the Chamber of Commerce’s new address.  On June 6, 2022, Crime Stoppers of Minnesota sent the $30,000 check to Weinhagen’s home.  Weinhagen stole this money and used it to pay his personal expenses.

Second, between December 2019 and April 2021, Weinhagen entered into three sham consulting agreements on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce with Synergy Partners, a fictional company the defendant invented for purposes of defrauding the Chamber of Commerce.  Weinhagen signed the sham agreements using the alias “James Sullivan” and caused the Chamber of Commerce to pay a total of $107,500 to Synergy Partners. Weinhagen deposited this money into a bank account he opened in Synergy Partners’ name and used the money for his own personal expenses.

Third, in November 2020, Weinhagen surreptitiously opened a $200,000 line of credit in the Chamber of Commerce’s name.  Over the course of the next year, Weinhagen drew $125,000 from the line of credit, which he transferred to Synergy Partners’ bank account and used for personal expenses. 

Fourth, in January 2022, Weinhagen used the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card to pay for a vacation to Hawaii.  Weinhagen charged $15,701 to the Chamber of Commerce’s credit card for first-class airfare and a two-bedroom ocean-front room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for him and his family.  The defendant later created fake documents to make it appear that the charges were for legitimate Chamber of Commerce business.

Finally, in January 2025, after he was fired from the Minnesota Regional Chamber of Commerce, Weinhagen applied for a $54,661 bank loan. In the application, Weinhagen falsely stated that he earned an annual income of $425,000 from a Minnesota-based restaurant holding company.  Weinhagen provided a fake paystub in support of this bank loan.  In reality, Weinhagen was not a salaried employee of, and did not earn $425,000 per year from, the restaurant holding company.

Weinhagen pled guilty before District Judge Nancy E. Brasel.  A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Patric J. Ferguson, 34, a former Memphis Police Department Officer, was sentenced today to 38 years in prison for civil rights, firearms, kidnapping, and obstruction offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of a man identified by the initials R.H.

“This defendant committed a premeditated murder while using his position as a police officer, not to protect the Memphis community, but to perpetrate this horrendous crime and shield himself from suspicion and liability,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While no prison sentence can undo the defendant’s heartless crimes, today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable and sends a clear message that no one is above the law. The Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who violate the rights of the people they are sworn to protect.”

“This sentence reenforces that violating an individual’s constitutional rights will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “This defendant tarnished his badge and undermined this community’s faith in law enforcement. Our office remains committed to protecting our communities from any and all abuses of power.”

Documents filed in connection with the defendant’s plea established that Ferguson, while on duty as a Memphis Police Department officer on Jan. 5, 2021, kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. Ferguson then conspired with his co-defendant, Joshua M. Rogers, to cover up the fatal shooting by disposing of R.H.’s body in the Wolf River in Memphis. Finally, Ferguson and Rogers conspired to dispose of the vehicle they used to transport R.H.’s body by selling it to a scrap metal company.   

Rogers pleaded guilty on May 8, to obstruction charges related to the cover up of Ferguson’s fatal shooting. Rogers is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Nashville Field Office and the Memphis Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Hartridge for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Tenette Smith and Sarah Armstrong of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Two men with lengthy criminal histories were convicted by a jury on November 25, 2025, after a 11-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.

Floyd Clifford Coates, Jr., aka Cliff Coates, age 44, from St. Francis, Kansas, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon and Drug User, Conspiracy to Conceal Objects with the Intent to Impair Their Availability for an Official Proceeding, and Concealing Objects with the Intent to Impair their Availability for an Official Proceeding. Coates was acquitted of other charges related to threats, and obstruction of justice. 

Dennis Lawson, age 65, from Whiting, Iowa, was convicted of Using Threat of Physical Force Against Another with the Intent to Hinder, Delay, or Prevent the Communication to a Law Enforcement Officer and Judge of the United States of Information Relating to the Commission and Possible Commission of a Federal Offense. Lawson was acquitted of other charges relating to drugs, threats and obstruction. 

The verdict was returned following about 2 hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that in Spring 2019, Coates was a member of a drug trafficking organization that funneled pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado to Strubel, Iowa, among other places, for redistribution, and that Coates possessed firearms to protect his illegal drug operation. Evidence also showed that on Easter weekend 2019, Coates had arranged a drug run to Kansas City, Missouri.

To execute the Easter weekend drug run, Coates had convinced an Iowa woman to drive from Sioux City, Iowa; meet him in Blair, Nebraska; and drive him to Kansas City, Missouri, and back. Coates decided to travel to Blair from Trenton, Nebraska, with another woman, 18-year-old Sunny Sramek. Coates and Sramek left Trenton in his wife’s white Ford Explorer to go on the trip. There is no evidence Ms. Sramek knew Coates was going to Kansas City; in fact, she told friends and family that she was going to be on a day trip to Omaha. 

The pair made it to Blair, where Coates went into a home, but Ms. Sramek did not. Coates’s driver arrived from Sioux City and Coates said nothing of Ms. Sramek to the driver. As the driver and Coates left the home, the driver saw Ms. Sramek’s motionless body. The driver testified it looked as if Ms. Sramek had overdosed, and Coates said he had provided her methamphetamine. Coates cancelled his drug run to Kansas City and told his driver to go to the home of his brother-in-law Dennis Lawson near Whiting, Iowa, on the banks of the Missouri River. The driver testified that after they arrived at Lawson’s residence Lawson and Coates disappeared for a time, when they returned, Ms. Sramek’s body was gone. The driver also testified that she and Coates cleaned out the car, and that Lawson threatened her saying if she told anyone, “it would be her funeral.”

Later, Coates told confidants that Ms. Sramek had overdosed. He told other friends a more violent story. In both versions, however, he told people he had thrown Ms. Sramek’s body into the Missouri River to conceal evidence of his crimes. Coates was confident his efforts at concealing Ms. Sramek’s body would insulate him from accountability. He told one person “no body, no case” and asked another “you can’t get charged with murder if there is no body, can you?”

Coates’s confidence was misplaced. Law enforcement gathered a significant amount of physical evidence tying Coates to Ms. Sramek’s disappearance. Forensic analysis indicated Ms. Sramek’s DNA and a significant amount of blood were found in the white Ford Explorer. The forensic findings combined with other evidence provided the proof the jury used to convict Coates and Lawson. 

“Sunny Sramek went missing more than six years ago,” said United States Attorney Leif Olson. “But the investigators’ dedication kept her case from going cold. Thanks to them, these two criminals now face judgment for Sunny’s disappearance. Those who believe they can escape justice through threats, cover-ups, or the passage of time will discover they are mistaken.”

“The convictions of Coates and Lawson represent years of tireless, unwavering efforts by a dedicated team of FBI personnel who never stopped looking for Sunny Sramek,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “Despite the defendants’ best efforts to conceal involvement in her disappearance, the FBI persisted in our mission to hold these subjects accountable for their actions. We hope these convictions bring some measure of solace to Sunny’s family. The FBI will always use every tool and technique in our arsenal to seek justice for the missing and attempts to hinder those efforts will be aggressively investigated.”

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Coates and Lawson remain in custody of the United States Marshal.

Coates faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

Lawson faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

 The case was investigated by Hitchcock County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office; the Nebraska State Patrol; the Iowa Department of Public Safety—Division of Criminal Investigation; the Plymouth County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the O’Brien County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner; the Goodland, Kansas, Police Department; and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

 Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case number is 24-4021.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Gregory Aaron Farley, 51, of Hazelton, Idaho, pleaded guilty in federal court today to assault of an employee of the United States with a deadly or dangerous weapon after he rammed his pickup truck into two U.S. Park Rangers’ vehicle in May 2025.

According to court documents and admissions made at Farley’s change of plea hearing, on May 3, 2025, while in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Southern Utah, Farley used his GMC Sierra Denali pickup truck to assault two on duty United States Park Rangers who conducted a traffic stop on Farley. During the traffic stop, Farley, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, fled the scene while one of the rangers was speaking to him, nearly hitting one of the rangers. A vehicle pursuit ensued, and at one point, Farley turned his vehicle around and rammed his truck into the driver’s side of the rangers’ vehicle, pushing them into the shoulder of the road, causing their vehicle’s air bags to deploy and rendering the driver’s side door inoperable. See prior press release: Idaho Man Indicted after Allegedly Assaulting U.S. Park Rangers in Southern Utah.

Farley is scheduled to be sentenced February 11, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge in courtroom 2B of the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470.

United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph M. Hood and Stephen P. Dent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.

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: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Robert Godinez, 53, of Hayward, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 13 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine and heroin with the intent to distribute, and for using a cellphone to facilitate drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 30, 2019, law enforcement officers pulled over Godinez on a traffic stop after he purchased methamphetamine and heroin from a drug dealer in Stockton. A search of Godinez’s vehicle resulted in the discovery of 2 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately a half pound of heroin. Additionally, during the prosecution of this case, Godinez submitted false declarations to the district court and lied to the assigned probation officer, resulting in the application of an obstruction of justice sentencing enhancement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Joaquin County Probation Department, the Stockton Police Department, and the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Lee and Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

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 Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Omar Vayas Duran, 45, of Delano, was sentenced today to six years and eight months in prison by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, between Sept. 23, 2020, and June 29, 2021, Duran conspired with Jesus Manuel Morfin Villa, 31, of Delano, and others to acquire and distribute fentanyl. On one occasion in June 2021, Duran supplied Morfin Villa with approximately 2,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to sell.

On Aug. 14, 2023, Morfin Villa was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Sanchez and Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant possessed over 700 video files of CSAM depicting children between one and eight years old

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – A Wakefield woman was convicted of money laundering conspiracy on Nov. 24, 2025, following a six-day jury trial.

Christiane Fischer, 42, was convicted of one count of money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for March 5, 2026. Fischer was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2022.

Fischer owns PK Motor Cars, a used car dealership in Peabody that also repairs cars and rents used cars. In 2016, law enforcement began an investigation into a large-scale drug trafficker named Phillip Morose who sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit fentanyl pills.

Evidence presented at trial established that Fischer conspired to launder Morose’s drug proceeds through her business, PK Motor Cars. In August 2016, Fischer added Morose as CEO of PK Motor Cars and thereafter Morose deposited nearly $1 million in cash into Fischer’s business bank accounts. At the end of 2016, Fischer used cashier’s checks from those same business bank accounts to buy Morose a house in Lynnfield. The house was purchased in the name of Fischer’s business in order to conceal the true ownership of the house and where the proceeds to buy the house came from. Fischer also allowed Morose to use luxury vehicles owned by her business to promote his drug trafficking.

In 2019, Morose was sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering in the Middle District of Florida. In March 2025, Morose was sentenced to 80 months in prison, to be served concurrently to the 2019 sentenced imposed, for money laundering in the District of Massachusetts.

The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of the laundered funds. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Tampa District Office Task Force 1; Massachusetts State Police; and the Newton, Millis, Waltham, Framingham, Haverhill, Brookline, Natick, Wakefield, Burlington, Lynnfield and Peabody Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea E. Porter and K. Nathaniel Yeager of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

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 Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Office of Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to announce that the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council will hold a virtual meeting on Monday, December 15th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET.    

The CFO Council meeting is open to all agency FOIA professionals and members of the public.  Time will be provided for members of the public to address the Council.  Registration is required. Those interested in attending can register here.  The meeting will also be livestreamed on the National Archives’ YouTube channel.

In accordance with the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, the Chief FOIA Officers Council is tasked with developing recommendations, sharing best practices, and developing and coordinating initiatives to improve agency FOIA administration.  The Council is co-chaired by the Directors of OIP and OGIS and is comprised of each agency Chief FOIA Officer and the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management Budget.

Do you have ideas for future meeting topics and potential panelists?  Please email us at DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Adrian Demetrius Ludaway, also known as “A1,” 35, of Wayne, Michigan, was sentenced today to nine years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl and a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 27, 2025, Ludaway sold approximately 28.5 grams of methamphetamine and 6.79 gram of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Ludaway admitted to conducting the transaction and to arranging it beforehand.

On May 30, 2025, law enforcement officers arrested Ludaway and executed a search warrant at his 30th Street residence in Huntington. Officers seized approximately 4 pounds of fentanyl and 100 grams of cocaine base, also known as “crack,” a loaded Charter Arms model Undercover .38-caliber revolver, and approximately $20,000 during the search.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.

Ludaway’s co-defendant, Scott Burd, 59, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on November 24, 2025, to aiding and abetting the distribution of fentanyl and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2026.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-103.

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