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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – John Robert Burchett, 31, formerly of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for production and transportation of obscene material for distribution. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This successful federal prosecution is the result of close collaboration with our state law enforcement partners, and ensures this defendant will be held fully accountable for his criminal exploitation of vulnerable victims. I appreciate the outstanding work of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the 14^th Circuit State Attorney’s Office, and our federal law enforcement partners in helping to bring this offender to justice.”

Court documents reflect that in February 2024, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office received information that the defendant had used his cell phone to surreptitiously record women while they were changing their clothes in a private dressing room at a Panama City gym. Between September 2023 and January 2024, the defendant shared thirteen different videos to a public website where they were viewed thousands of times.

Initially, the defendant was arrested by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and state charges followed. Following collaboration with the State Attorney’s Office for the 14th Judicial Circuit, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office sought a federal indictment.

“This was a deliberate and predatory invasion of the victims’ privacy, and it won’t be tolerated in Bay County,” said Sheriff Tommy Ford, Bay County Sheriff’s Office. “Investigators worked tirelessly to uncover the full scope of the defendant’s actions, and I’m grateful for the outstanding teamwork with our state and federal partners in holding the defendant accountable.”

State Attorney Larry Basford stated, “The defendant violated the privacy of these innocent female victims and has been held accountable.  By working with the U.S. Attorney, we were able to get a longer sentence for this defendant than was possible in state court for these crimes.  I thank the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their role in pursuing justice for these victims.”

The defendant’s imprisonment will be followed by two years of supervised release, meaning if he violates any of the conditions of his supervision, he will potentially face an additional period of incarceration. Additionally, the defendant was ordered to pay restitution. 

The case was investigated by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordane New and Meredith L. Steer.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Saipan, M.P. – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that the following individuals were sentenced this week by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona in the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §1324(a)(1)(A)(v)(I):

• Steven Villagomez Pangelinan – age 58, sentenced on November 20, 2025, to 30 months incarceration, two years of supervised release, 100 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee;

• William J. Cabrera, Jr. – age 44, sentenced on November 19, 2025, to 21 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release, 100 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee;

• Steven Chris Tomokane – age 55, Sentenced on November 19, 2025, to six months imprisonment, six months home detention, 3 years of supervised release, 100 hours community service, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee; and

• Kenneth Hocog Pangelinan – age 39, sentenced on November 19, 2025, to 37 days incarceration, three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and $100 assessment fee.

On June 22, 2023, Steven Pangelinan led two boats—a 25-foot Boston Whaler and an 18-foot McKee Craft—on a 120-mile, overnight trip from Saipan to Guam to smuggle 21 Chinese nationals, each of whom paid about $4,500 to avoid airport immigration checks by Customs and Border Protection. Guam authorities spotted the vessels dropping off the passengers and alerted CNMI law enforcement, which intercepted the boats and their four-person crew on their return.

Pangelinan led an organized human-smuggling operation responsible for numerous prior trips. He owned the boats, captained one during the voyage, and earned at least $80,000 from this single run. A third vessel, a 31-foot Fountain, was also linked to his smuggling activities, and all three boats will be forfeited to the federal government.

William Cabrera served as Pangelinan’s primary accomplice and captained the second boat in this and previous smuggling trips. Steven Tomokane and Kenneth Pangelinan were crew members on each boat.  Tomokane, a mechanic, also stored Pangelinan’s vessels at his home. Steven Tomokane is a boat mechanic who allowed Steven Pangelinan to store vessels used for human smuggling at his residence. Steven Tomokane and Kenneth Pangelinan both served as crew members for Steven Pangelinan and William Cabrera on the June 22, 2023, voyage to transport 21 Chinese nationals to Guam.

“The defendants facilitated illegal migration and risked the lives of many for their own financial gain,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “Their conduct was part of a concerning trend involving the abuse of the CNMI visa waiver program, among other provisions of our immigration laws. We will combat this activity at every opportunity.  I applaud the work of Guam and CNMI law enforcement in support of federal immigration enforcement.”

“This sentencing underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ unwavering commitment to dismantling criminal networks that exploit vulnerable individuals for profit while undermining the integrity of our immigration system,” said Lucia Cabral-DeArmas, HSI Honolulu. “The defendants in this case endangered lives and violated the law in their attempt to smuggle individuals into Guam. HSI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect our borders and hold those who engage in human smuggling accountable.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the CNMI Department of Public Safety.

Assistant United States Attorney Albert S. Flores, Jr. prosecuted the case in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON – Today, The United States is challenging California laws providing in-state tuition, scholarships, and subsidized loans for illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates, scholarships, or subsidies, create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal immigrants with benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for, all in direct conflict with federal law.

“California is illegally discriminating against American students and families by offering exclusive tuition benefits for non-citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This marks our third lawsuit against California in one week — we will continue bringing litigation against California until the state ceases its flagrant disregard for federal law.”

The Department of Justice’s complaint is filed in the Eastern District of California against the State of California, Governor Newsom, the State Attorney General, and the Regents of the University of California, the Board of Trustees of the California State University, and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the California laws and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.

In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of California laws that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain California residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Additionally, the complaint seeks to enjoin California from enforcing its so-called “California Dream Act” which affords scholarships and subsidized loans to illegal aliens.

This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment: “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” and “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens.” This lawsuit also follows similar tuition lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Defendant Was Part of a Crew That Terrorized a DC Neighborhood as a Retaliation for a Neighborhood Feud

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Arrested on three different dates in 2023 with narcotics: twice with loaded firearms

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MIAMI – A Fort Lauderdale man pleaded guilty on Nov. 14 to charges arising from a years-long scheme that defrauded international investors—primarily Venezuelan nationals—of more than $94 million.

According to court documents, Andrew Hamilton Jacobus, 64, falsely portrayed himself as a seasoned financial advisor managing legitimate investment portfolios, while misappropriating investor funds for personal use and to pay returns to earlier investors in classic Ponzi-scheme fashion.

Between 2004 and 2023, Jacobus solicited funds through entities under his control, including Kronus Financial Corporation and Finser International Corporation, promising access to secure investment products and high-yield returns. In reality, Jacobus forged account statements, falsified documentation, and diverted client funds to luxury personal expenditures and Ponzi payments.

Jacobus pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Ronald A. Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office, made the announcement.

IRS-CI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore is prosecuting. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitch Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  25-cr-20309.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenville, MS – A federal jury convicted a Tennessee man this week of three counts of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sex.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Terry Dewayne Macon met a Mississippi teen online in July of 2024. Over the next month, Macon drove from Tennessee to Mississippi on three occasions where he picked up the minor and returned with her to Tennessee. Macon later admitted that he had engaged in sex acts with the minor. At the time of the transport and sex acts, Macon was 27 years old, and the female was 14 years old.

On August 28, 2024, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Abduction Response Team located the minor with Macon at a residence in Grand Junction, Tennessee and returned her safely home. The jury considered the testimony of the minor and her mother, as well as two Task Force Officers with the FBI. Macon was found guilty on all counts of transporting a minor in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity. He will be sentenced for these offenses by Chief United States District Judge Debra M. Brown on a later date.

Macon was serving a term of federal supervised release at the time of the offenses. At a revocation proceeding held following the verdict, Judge Brown sentenced Macon to 24 months for the violations of release, which will run concurrent to the future sentence imposed in the sex offense case.

U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary of the Northern District of Mississippi and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement concerning the jury’s guilty verdict.

The FBI Jackson Field Office and the Corinth Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Nashville, Jackson Resident Agency and other local investigative agencies in the State of Tennessee.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Addison and Parker King are prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment today against Anthony Mark Silva, 40, of Manchester, New Hampshire, charging him with nine counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, between July 2020 and June 2021, Silva executed a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) by filing fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with EDD, seeking Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and other benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. During the scheme, Silva collected personally identifiable information of numerous individuals—including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers—which were used to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. The filings represented, among other things, that the claimants had recently lost employment or were unable to find employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These unemployment insurance claims were fraudulent because, for example, the claimants were not unemployed, they were not eligible for California unemployment insurance benefits, or Silva did not have authority to file claims on their behalf.

EDD approved dozens of the fraudulent claims and authorized Bank of America to mail out debit cards containing unemployment insurance benefits. Silva then activated the debit cards and spent the benefits on himself. The scheme sought and caused EDD and the United States to incur actual losses exceeding $700,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and EDD’s Investigation Division. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Silva faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each of the bank fraud counts. Silva also faces a two-year mandatory prison sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft, which must run consecutive to any sentence received on the other counts. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Marshals Service Located Man in Upstate New York After More Than a Decade on the Run

OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal Grand Jury has charged ANTHONY MICHAEL LENNON, 44, of Moore, with failure to register as a sex offender, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to court documents, on March 12, 2012, officers with the Moore Police Department (MPD) contacted the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) for assistance in locating Lennon. MPD learned that Lennon disappeared from a local hotel, where authorities found evidence of a violent struggle. However, after consulting with crime scene experts, the USMS determined the crime scene was staged.

At the time of his disappearance, Lennon, a registered sex offender, faced child pornography charges in Cleveland County District Court, as well as potential prison time for violating the terms of his suspended sentence from a prior child pornography conviction. USMS learned that Lennon had emptied his bank accounts shortly before vanishing and believed he had fled the state of Oklahoma.

Recently discovered information determined that Lennon lived in the State of New York, had failed to register as a sex offender, and had attempted multiple times to obtain a United States passport under an alias. Lennon was arrested on October 30, 2025, in Canton, New York. On November 18, 2025, a federal Grand Jury sitting in the Western District of Oklahoma charged Lennon with failure to register as a sex offender.

If convicted, Lennon faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The public is reminded this charge is merely an allegation, and that Lennon is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service, the Moore Police Department, and the Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OKLAHOMA CITY – ALIAS BAH DE ZA LAWRENCE SOUDRY, 21, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, on June 14, 2024, law enforcement officers with the Blanchard Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) responded to a fatal car collision on Highway 76. While driving southbound on the highway, Soudry drifted into oncoming traffic, sideswiping one vehicle and colliding with a second. The driver of the second vehicle, Raquel Anderson, died on scene, and a passenger was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries, where they were later released. Soudry was administered a blood test, which showed evidence of alcohol and marijuana in his system, and was subsequently arrested. On September 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury charged Soudry with involuntary manslaughter.

This case is in federal court because Soudry is a member of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and the crime took place within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.   

On June 4, 2025, Soudry pleaded guilty and admitted he knowingly drove a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and thereby caused the death of another person.

At the sentencing hearing on November 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Soudry to serve 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing her sentence, Judge Dishman noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, highlighting the extent of Soudry’s intoxication and the number of individuals injured or killed during the collision.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Blanchard Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.