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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Trendell Walker Sentenced for Killing a 15-Year-Old Victim During a Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting in 2007

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Samuel Alexander Kuhl, 33, of Kalamazoo was sentenced to 420 months in prison for the sexual exploitation and coercion and enticement of a minor. During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Beckering noted that Kuhl’s conduct reflects a “pattern of angry, defiant, vindictive behavior” and an overall “disregard for the rule of law.” 

Kuhl first contacted the victim in this case, a fourteen-year-old girl, via Facebook. He engaged in an illegal sexual relationship with her for approximately 18 months. During this time, Kuhl abused the victim physically, emotionally, and psychologically. During his time with the girl, Kuhl repeatedly tried to engage the victim in group sexual activity; when she refused, he threatened her and her family with a gun. Kuhl also convinced the victim to provide him with child pornography. In June, a jury convicted Kuhl of two federal offenses charged as a result of this activity.

U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “Sam Kuhl devoted his adult life to crime, and part of his criminal lifestyle included tracking down adolescent girls to sexually exploit.  My office will never tolerate child exploitation and when it happens, we will bring the people involved to justice. Kuhl earned the sentence he received yesterday.” 

“Heinous and predatory acts against any child deserve severe punishment and serious consequences,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The actions of this predator included physical, emotional, and psychological abuse and manipulation of a teenager, and I am sincerely grateful for the work of my team at the FBI Kalamazoo Resident Agency, alongside the Wyoming Police Department, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, and the Michigan State Police for bringing this violator to justice. Their tireless work throughout this investigation and trial, along with that of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, clearly demonstrates our joint commitment to doing everything possible to keep our children safe in Michigan.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wyoming Police Department investigated this case. Also supporting the investigation were Indiana State Police, Michigan State Police, and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. 

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 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 justice.gov/PSC.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – A Texas businessman on Thursday admitted fraudulently obtaining $1.9 million from Medicare for COVID-19 test kits.

Companies owned by Rashid Naqvi, 52, of the Houston area, obtained $1,974,479 through the scheme, which lasted from roughly March 2023 to at least October of 2023. As part of his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud, Naqvi admitted fraudulently submitting thousands of claims to Medicare for the kits.

Naqvi operated two laboratories that he used to submit claims to Medicare: Elite Diagnostics Inc. in the Eastern District of Missouri and Astro Diagnostics Inc. in Texas. Naqvi obtained patients’ Medicare numbers and identifiers without their knowledge or consent by paying $488,435 in kickbacks to co-conspirators. He used that information to submit claims to Medicare for test kits that were then sent to patients who had not requested them. Naqvi’s labs billed Medicare a total of 22,898 times for the kits during the scheme. Neither Naqvi nor his labs had any direct contact or relationship with the Medicare patients who were the subject of the claims. Some of the reimbursement claims were for patients who had died before receiving the kits.

Naqvi continued his scheme even after patients called to say that they had not requested the test kits. During subsequent audits by Medicare investigators, Naqvi tried to conceal his scheme by producing false records to investigators, including documents which falsely represented that the Medicare patients authorized the kits. He also hid the kickbacks from investigators.

Naqvi is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2026. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CINCINNATI – A Middletown man was sentenced in federal court here today 312 months in prison for coercing minor victims online into creating nude images and videos that involved sexual conduct. 

William Scott Elam, 53, pleaded guilty in July to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.

“There are real-life consequences to actions taken online,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Predators like Elam hide behind a computer screen while preying on vulnerable children. But the harm they cause is real, and so is the significant amount of time they will spend in federal prison to account for those actions.”

According to court documents, for approximately four years, Elam began online relationships with numerous minor females in at least seven states, particularly with vulnerable minors who had previously engaged in self-harm, had body issues or other social issues. He connected with girls between the ages of 10 and 16 on various online chatting apps and pretended to be a 14-year-old male.

Elam coerced victims into masturbating on live video calls with him. For example, he manipulated at least one victim into complying by threatening to harm himself if she did not do as he asked. He instructed another victim to self-harm via cutting on live video after learning the victim had a history of self-harm. Elam also coerced victims into sending him live sexual material by threatening to leak naked images he obtained of them. Law enforcement officers have identified at least 10 victims.

The defendant was arrested in October 2023.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Adam Lawson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Israel Chaires-Villa, 23, a Mexican national, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has an administrative detainer on Chaires-Villa so deportation proceedings can occur once Chaires-Villa serves the sentence imposed in this case.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 6, 2024, Chaires-Villa drove to Cross Lanes, West Virginia, from Houston, Texas, with approximately 22 lbs. of methamphetamine in his possession that he intended to deliver to another person in Cross Lanes. Chaires-Villa was arrested as part of a joint investigation by federal and local law enforcement into a conspiracy that was responsible for delivering large quantities of methamphetamine to West Virginia and elsewhere from Houston. 

The joint investigation also resulted in the indictment of three additional Mexican nationals, on charges alleging they conspired to distribute quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area from in or about March 2024 to in or about October 2024. Defendants Braulio Villa-Chairez, also known as “Raul,” 32, and Silvester Barcenas, 23, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine and are scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2026. The indictment remains pending against German Francisco Diaz, also known as “Trulio,” 41. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department, and the South Charleston Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.

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. 2:24-cr-175.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Sharon, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to violating federal explosives laws and has been sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Paul Lyn Graves, 47.

Graves, a convicted felon, admitted to illegally possessing explosive materials. According to information presented to the Court, in January 2022, Graves began working at a manufacturer of military equipment despite his previous felony conviction. In April 2023, he was tasked with assembling the detonators on M213 grenade detonating fuses. These fuses contained Royal Demolition eXplosives, which are explosive materials under federal law.

On April 14, 2022, members of the Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant at Graves’ residence and recovered three M213 grenade detonating fuses that were between the detonator assembly step and the sealing step, the same assembly state that Graves was tasked with completing.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Bissoon referenced the inherently dangerous nature of the offense and Graves’ prior conviction.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark V. Gurzo prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Graves.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $492,841.78 in restitution for wire fraud.

According to court documents, Leticia Arceneaux, 48, worked full time from home as a human resources supervisor for an agency within the Department of Energy. Beginning in or around August 2020 and continuing through on or around April 2022, Arceneaux unlawfully enriched herself by applying for and receiving Covid relief loans in the amount to $480,100 and converting the funds to her own personal use.

In August 2020, Arceneaux submitted an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application on behalf of a volleyball club, claiming she needed the EIDL proceeds to continue operating the volleyball club. Later that month, the Small Business Administration funded an EIDL in the amount of $149,900 to Arceneaux. Instead of using the EIDL funds for volleyball related expenses, Arceneaux utilized the funds for her own personal expenses, including a golf cart and the installation of a swimming pool at her primary residence.

In May 2021, Arceneaux submitted a loan modification request to the SBA seeking additional funds for the volleyball club. Relying on Arceneaux’s false representations, the SBA disbursed $91,000 on or about Aug. 9, 2021. On Aug. 11, 2021, Arceneaux transferred approximately $31,000 of the EIDL funds from the volleyball club’s business account to her personal account.

In April 2022, Arceneaux applied for a second loan modification seeking additional funds to operate the volleyball club. Relying again on the false representations, the SBA disbursed $239,100 to Arceneaux on or about April 29, 2022. Arceneaux converted the funds for personal use, using approximately $72,000 of EIDL funds to pay down personal credit card debt.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The Department of Energy Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Playton prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Kevin Eugene Leeks, Jr. (34, Leesburg) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Leeks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the court records, Leeks has been a convicted felon since 2013. His prior felony convictions include robbery with a deadly weapon. As a convicted felon, Leeks is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law. On July 13, 2019, a deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office stopped an automobile driven by Leeks. During the traffic stop, Leeks had a passenger toss a loaded firearm out of the car window. Leeks subsequently confessed that he had stored the firearm under his seat in the automobile.  

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

This case is being investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MISSOULA – A New Jersey man who sexually assaulted another passenger while flying from Bozeman, Montana to Dallas, Texas was sentenced today to more than 8 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Bhaveshkumar Dahyabhai Shukla, 40, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of abusive sexual contact in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Shukla, an Indian citizen, likely will be deported to India following his release from custody.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on January 26, 2025, Shukla was flying from Bozeman to Dallas on American Airlines. He was seated next to Jane Doe and Doe’s daughter. Jane Doe had a coat on her lap because she was cold. Shukla also placed his coat on his lap and initially acted as if he was sleeping but began using his right hand to rub Jane Doe’s left leg near her pocket on her hip. Jane Doe initially thought Shukla was trying to pick her pocket, so she and her daughter got up and went to the restroom to diffuse the situation.

Shukla continued rubbing Jane Doe’s inner and outer thigh throughout the flight. Doe was scared and firmly told him to “stop touching me.” Shukla said he was sorry and attempted to offer her something out of his bag. He also tried to talk to Jane Doe’s daughter, and Doe responded, “she’s fine. Don’t talk to my daughter.” As the flight continued, the plane hit some turbulence, and the flight crew remained seated. Shukla continued to rub Jane Doe’s thigh and, frightened, she turned her back to him, at which point he started rubbing her lower back and buttocks.

A witness seated in the row behind Shukla and Jane Doe confirmed that Shukla inappropriately touched Jane Doe for a large portion of the flight.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno Baucus and Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI, ICE, and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Police conducted the investigation.