MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday charging a Hong Kong man for his role in a conspiracy to file false and deceptive investment adviser forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for at least 10 shell business entities that he and co-conspirators created. The false forms gave the impression that the entities were legitimate financial advisers, though they were sham entities. At least two of these false entities were then used to induce retail investors through social media and WhatsApp chats to purchase the stock of Chinese companies listed on NASDAQ. 

“Today’s indictment charges the defendant for his alleged role in a complex securities fraud scheme that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in investor losses,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is fully committed to stopping foreign actors who victimize American retail investors. Under my leadership, the Criminal Division will aggressively investigate and prosecute criminals who steal the hard-earned savings of U.S. citizens through fraud and deceit.”

“The investing public relies on the accuracy and integrity of materials filed with the SEC,” said SEC Inspector General (SEC-OIG) Kevin B. Muhlendorf. “The SEC-OIG will tirelessly investigate domestic and foreign actors who seek to abuse the SEC’s processes for malicious purposes.”

According to the indictment, Guanhua Su, 37, of Hong Kong, who goes by the alias “Michael Su,” was the managing director and marketing director of Rhino Consulting Business Service Ltd, a Hong Kong-based financial services business. As alleged, between approximately February 2023 and March 2025, Su and his co-conspirators created at least 10 shell entities and filed fraudulent investment adviser forms with the SEC on behalf of the companies. For example, on behalf of two entities — Bluesky Eagle Capital Management LTD (Bluesky Eagle) and Wisdom Capital Management Group LTD (Wisdom Capital) — Su allegedly made or caused to be made false statements concerning the entities’ principal place of business, status as a public company, chief officers and whether information about private funds would be disclosed on other investment advisers’ filings.

According to the indictment, in April 2024, Bluesky Eagle and Wisdom Capital were used by co-conspirators to induce investors to purchase stock of a NASDAQ-listed public company based in the Cayman Islands with business in China that operated, at one point, with a variable interest entity (VIE) structure. Using false identities of financial advisers purportedly connected to Bluesky Eagle and Wisdom Capital, co-conspirators allegedly promised returns of 300-500% in WhatsApp chats, telling investors that they would be fully compensated for any losses. The indictment further alleges that as investors were told to buy stock in the public company promoted by WhatsApp accounts associated with the sham entities, foreign-based brokerage accounts sold the company’s stock for gross proceeds of as much as $211 million. On April 17, 2024, the public company’s stock price collapsed by approximately 88%, resulting in significant investor losses.  

On Nov. 13 the SEC filed civil actions against a number of entities for which the Department had charged Su with filing false forms with the regulator. The SEC filed civil actions against Bluesky Eagle and Supreme Power Capital Management LTD in the Southern District of New York and against AI Financial Education Foundation Ltd.,AI Investment Education Foundation Ltd., Invesco Alpha Inc. and Adamant Stone Ltd. in the District of Colorado. The SEC previously filed a civil action against Wisdom Capital in the District of Columbia.

Su is charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, making material misstatements in a report filed with the SEC, and false statements. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.

The SEC-OIG investigated the case. The Department of Justice appreciates the efforts of FINRA’s Surveillance and Market Intelligence – Market Abuse Group.

Trial Attorney Matthew Reilly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man was sentenced to 30 months prison for assaulting a man without provocation and causing severe injuries.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on February 2, 2025, James William Julian, 26, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Tribe, inserted himself into an argument between two other men and repeatedly punched John Doe in the face, causing severe injuries including a nasal fracture, orbit fracture, a fractured rib and lacerations.

Julian pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon his release from prison, Julian will be subject to two years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, 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 Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson is prosecuting the case.

This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

RICHMOND, Va. – A Ruther Glen man was sentenced to life in prison in federal court yesterday after pleading guilty to two federal hate crime charges, each involving an attempt to kill, and to discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence.

“As our nation recovers from recent political violence, today’s verdict is a welcome reminder that terror motivated by hate will not be tolerated,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and vigorously prosecute those who choose brutality and aggression over civility and reason.”

“No one in this country should be hunted down and shot at because of who they are or where they come from,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence reflects the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting communities from hate-fueled violence and to hold accountable those who attack others based on prejudice.”

Douglas Wayne Cornett followed a box truck driven by a victim with the initials O.G., an adult Latino male, into the Sheetz gas station along Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania County. Cornett then asked a victim with the initials J.M., an adult Latino male and a friend of O.G., how long O.G. had been present in the United States. Upon learning that O.G. had arrived within the last two years, Cornett drew a handgun and fired six rounds, striking O.G. three times and J.M. once. Cornett later confessed to a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Deputy to shooting the victims because of his perception of their national origin.

The Richmond Field Office of the FBI investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-91.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Four U.S. Nationals and Ukrainian Identity Broker Plead Guilty

Department Seeks Forfeiture of More Than $15M in Virtual Currency Stolen and Laundered by North Korean Hackers 

The Justice Department today announced five guilty pleas and more than $15 million in civil forfeiture actions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remote information technology (IT) work and virtual currency heist schemes. The DPRK government uses both types of schemes to fund its weapons and other priorities in violation of sanctions.

First, as described in court documents associated with the guilty pleas, facilitators in the United States and Ukraine assisted North Korean actors with obtaining remote IT employment with U.S. companies. For example, the facilitators’ provided their own, false, or stolen identities, and hosted U.S. victim company-provided laptops at residences across the United States to create the false appearance that the IT workers were working domestically. In total, these defendants’ fraudulent employment schemes impacted more than 136 U.S. victim companies, generated more than $2.2 million in revenue for the DPRK regime, and compromised the identities of more than 18 U.S. persons.

Second, as described in the two civil forfeiture complaints, a North Korean military hacking group known to the private sector as Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38) carried out multimillion-dollar virtual currency heists at four overseas virtual currency platforms in 2023. While APT38 actors continued to launder their ill-gotten gains for these heists, the U.S. government froze and seized more than $15 million worth of virtual currency that it now seeks to forfeit for eventual return to the rightful owners.

“These actions demonstrate the Department’s comprehensive approach to disrupting North Korean efforts to finance their weapons program on the backs of Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The Department will use every available tool to protect our Nation from this regime’s depredations.”

“Ensuring national and economic security are paramount to the Department’s mission,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Hostile nation-states raising funds for illicit programs by stealing from digital asset exchanges threatens both. The Criminal Division is steadfast in its determination to forfeit ill-gotten gains from bad actors and return funds to victims.”

“FBI investigations continue to expose the North Korean government’s relentless campaign to evade U.S. sanctions and generate millions of dollars to fund its authoritarian regime and weapons programs,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “These guilty pleas send a clear message: No matter who or where you are, if you support North Korea’s efforts to victimize U.S. businesses and citizens, the FBI will find you and bring you to justice. We ask all our private sector partners to improve their security process for vetting remote workers and to remain vigilant regarding this emerging threat.”

The Department’s actions to combat both the North Korean IT worker and hacking schemes are the latest in a series of law enforcement actions under a joint National Security Division (NSD) and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January and June 2025.

As the FBI has described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024 and January 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Three Guilty Pleas – Southern District of Georgia

Yesterday, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. nationals Audricus Phagnasay, 24, Jason Salazar, 30, and Alexander Paul Travis, 34, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately September 2019 through November 2022, Phagnasay, Salazar, and Travis provided their U.S. identities to IT workers they knew were located outside the United States so that the workers could fraudulently apply for and obtain employment with victim U.S. companies. In addition, the three defendants hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at their residences, and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from the defendants’ residences. Each defendant also assisted overseas IT workers in passing employer vetting procedures. Travis and Salazar, in particular, appeared for drug testing on behalf of the overseas IT workers.

“My office is committed to pursuing individuals that seek to harm the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia. “This collaboration with our law enforcement agencies exemplifies how our joint efforts are successful in identifying, investigating and prosecuting those defendants.”

Travis, an active-duty member of the U.S. Army at the time, received at least $51,397 for his participation in the scheme. Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively. The fraudulent scheme earned approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas.

The FBI Augusta (Georgia) Resident Agency is investigating the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hamner for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the cases.

Oleksandr Didenko Guilty Plea – District of Columbia

On Nov. 10, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a years-long scheme that stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to overseas IT workers, including North Korean IT workers, so they could fraudulently gain employment at 40 U.S. companies. Victim U.S. companies paid Didenko’s IT worker clients hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work. As part of his plea, Didenko agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million, which includes more than $570,000 in fiat and virtual currency seized from Didenko and his co-conspirators.

“North Korea is focused on victimizing and perpetrating fraud on American citizens, companies, and banks by stealing the identity of U.S. citizens and selling them around the world so foreign actors can gain employment in America,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “These convictions prove that we will stop at nothing to uncover complex fraud schemes especially when they are committed by North Korean actors to fund their weapons program.”

The case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Norfolk and San Diego Field Offices and the Jefferson City (Tennessee) Resident Agency. In May 2024, Polish authorities arrested Didenko and on Dec. 10, 2024, he was extradited to the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Tennessee, and Eastern District of Virginia, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

Erick Ntekereze Prince Guilty Plea – Southern District of Florida

On Nov. 6, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. national Erick Ntekereze Prince, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately June 2020 through August 2024, Prince, through his company Taggcar Inc., contracted to supply allegedly “certified” IT workers to victim U.S. companies, knowing that the IT workers were located outside the United States and were using false and stolen identities to gain employment. In addition, Prince hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at Florida residences and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from Prince’s residence. Prince earned more than $89,000 for his participation in the scheme.

“These prosecutions make one point clear: the United States will not permit the DPRK to bankroll its weapons programs by preying on American companies and workers,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will keep working with our partners across the Justice Department to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue every individual who enables North Korea’s operations.”

Prince, U.S. national Emanuel Ashtor, and a Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso de los Reyes were charged in January 2025 by indictment alleging their participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from more than 64 U.S. companies. The fraudulent scheme earned more than $943,069 in salary payments from victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. Ashtor is awaiting trial, and de los Reyes is in custody in The Netherlands awaiting extradition.

The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

Forfeiture Complaints for More Than $15 Million in Stolen Funds – District of Columbia

The Department recently filed two civil complaints to forfeit USDT, a virtual currency stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, that the FBI seized in March 2025 from North Korean APT38 actors: an Oct. 24, 2025 complaint (1:25-cv-03771) to forfeit 1,159,834.52 USDT; and a complaint filed today (1:25-cv-03943) to forfeit 13,980,951.103 USDT. In total, the seized USDT is valued at more than $15 million.

As alleged in the complaints, the seized virtual currency relates to North Korean APT38 actors’ efforts to raise revenue for the DPRK government through four heists from virtual currency providers: (1) a July 2023 theft of approximately $37 million in virtual currency from an Estonia-based virtual currency payments processor; (2) a July 2023 theft of approximately $100 million from a Panama-based virtual currency payment processor; (3) a November 2023 theft of approximately $138 million from a Panama-based virtual currency exchange; and (4) a November 2023 theft of approximately $107 million in virtual currency from a Seychelles-based virtual currency exchange. Efforts to trace, seize, and forfeit related stolen virtual currency remain ongoing, as the APT38 actors continue to launder such funds through various virtual currency bridges, mixers, exchanges, and over-the-counter traders.

The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with these complaints.

Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorneys Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. and Prava Palacharla of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the forfeiture actions.

***

Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Newcomb man has been charged in federal court with sexually assaulting a minor.

According to court documents, between July and August 2025, Raymond Lapahie, 18, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly engaged in multiple sexual acts with a minor.

Lapahie is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse by use of force and one count of abusive sexual contact. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of all charges, Lapahie faces up to life in prison, a minimum of five years of supervised release upon release from prison, and mandatory sex-offender registration.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, 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 Jesse Pecoraro 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.

This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman admitted to assaulting and stabbing another woman.

According to court documents, on November 21, 2024, Angelia Garcia, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, repeatedly stabbed Jane Doe with the intent to cause bodily harm.

Garcia pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. At sentencing, Garcia faces up to ten years in prison. Upon her release from prison, Garcia will be subject to three years of supervised release.

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

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Investigation and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Pahl is prosecuting the case.

This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces teenager has been charged with illegally receiving a firearm while under indictment following an investigation that linked him to a handgun through social media evidence.

According to court documents, on August 31, 2025, Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call involving multiple people with firearms near the intersection of Roe Deer Court and Cous Deer Avenue. Deputies had been searching for a sedan that had dropped off a gunshot victim at a local hospital earlier that day and located the sedan and another vehicle at the scene.

The owner of the second vehicle stated she did not own any firearms and provided written consent to search the vehicle. Inside, detectives recovered a loaded handgun from the back seat, with a round in the chamber and a 17-round capacity magazine. The owner indicated she believed her passenger, Anthony Jacob Lopez, 19, left the firearm in her vehicle.

A subsequent search warrant for Lopez‘s Instagram account and cell phone revealed multiple photographs and videos of Lopez with the same handgun on various dates. Instagram messages from July 14, 2025, showed an associate offering to sell Lopez the specific handgun for $600, with Lopez confirming the purchase on July 18, 2025, stating “Appreciate dat heater too brudda good ass deal.” Cell phone data showed photographs of the firearm taken at Lopez‘s residence in Las Cruces.

A screenshot of a photo posted to Lopez’s Instagram account on or about August 22nd, 2025

On March 5, 2025, Lopez received a two-year deferred sentence for Smuggling of Persons in Texas and is currently on supervised release. His probation conditions explicitly prohibit him from possessing or transporting any firearms. Under federal law, Lopez is considered under indictment until he successfully completes his deferred sentence. Lopez is charged with receiving a firearm while under indictment. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department and Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo 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.

This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jujuan Andre George, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of distribution of controlled substances, one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners, this offender’s drug trafficking enterprise has been dismantled and he has been stopped from continuing to flood our streets with deadly drugs. My office is committed to fulfilling the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to Take Back America from the violent drug traffickers who have terrorized our communities for far too long, and this successful prosecution is yet another step toward achieving that goal.”

Court documents reflect that in May of 2025, the defendant sold cocaine and fentanyl during an undercover operation. In June 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a suite in a Pensacola strip mall that the defendant was known to distribute drugs out of. Law enforcement located approximately 285 grams of fentanyl as well as methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, six firearms, ammunition, and other items indicative of drug distribution. The defendant is a multi-time convicted felon.

George faces up to life imprisonment.  

The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2026, at 11:00am at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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).

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

ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man with a lengthy history of retail thefts and assaults was federally charged under the Hobbs Act after the Las Cruces Police Department publicly condemned the state judicial system for failing to prosecute more than 70 offenses allegedly committed by the defendant since 2022.

According to court documents, between November 2022 and April 2025, Neal Wesley Garcia, 43, allegedly committed multiple robberies and assaults at retail stores throughout Las Cruces, New Mexico. Garcia’s offenses involved violence or threats against employees when they attempted to prevent him from leaving stores with unpaid merchandise.

Court documents allege that:

• On November 21, 2022, Garcia stole a Sony backpack from GameStop after pushing an employee who confronted him.
• On April 24, 2023, Garcia assaulted two employees at Lowes Fiesta Foods after attempting to leave with cleaning products without paying.
• On June 30, 2023, Garcia threatened a Savers employee with a stolen baseball bat and broke a window while fleeing with merchandise.
• On July 7, 2023, Garcia punched a Murphy’s Express employee and damaged the employee’s vehicle after shoplifting.
• On August 24, 2023, Garcia struck an Albertson’s worker while taking grocery items without payment.
• On April 5, 2025, Garcia punched a Walmart employee after concealing items in his waistband and attempting to leave without paying.

Each incident involved goods that were manufactured and shipped from outside New Mexico and Garcia’s criminal conduct impacted the stores’ ability to conduct business and thereby affected interstate commerce.

Garcia is charged with six counts of interference with commerce by threats or violence and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Garcia faces 20 years in prison as to each count.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo 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.

This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a former Belleville attorney to spend 90 months in federal prison after he admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from his clients.

Jason R. Caraway, 51, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud in February. He was sentenced on Oct. 1.

“This lawyer didn’t just steal—he preyed on clients who trusted him to fight for them after suffering life-altering injuries,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “He pocketed their settlements, grabbed money intended to pay doctors, falsified court records, and even defrauded the children of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Attorneys must be held to account when they fail to honor their duty to serve as officers of the court. This sentence rightly delivers justice for his victims.” 

Caraway was a partner at Caraway, Fisher & Broombaugh, P.C., a personal injury law firm in Belleville. According to court documents, Caraway had control of the firm’s bank accounts and misappropriated funds by improperly spending client funds on personal and business expenses, issuing checks to himself, accepting settlements without client notification or payment, failing to pay medical lienholders from legal proceeds, and misapplying retainers without authorization.

The investigation identified more than 40 clients that were impacted and a loss of more than $1 million. To help facilitate his theft, he also forged the signatures of St. Clair County judges on two court orders.

“The actions of Mr. Caraway, which involves stealing from his clients, including child beneficiaries, are reprehensible” said FBI Springfield’s Special Agent in Charge, Christopher J. S. Johnson. “FBI Springfield believes this guilty plea offers a measure of peace to the victims and hopes this can restore trust in the justice system.”

Caraway represented two children of Ricardo Davis, a Washington Park Police officer who was killed in the line of duty after a tragic accident in 2018. He obtained more than $128,000 for their benefit that was never disbursed to them. Thanks to the ARDC Client Protection Program, the beneficiaries were paid after years of waiting.

FBI Springfield Field Office led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross prosecuted the case.