Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
OAKLAND – Former San Leandro City Council Member Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in a conspiracy to accept bribes in exchange for using his official position to obtain favorable treatment and city contracts for a housing company, and to lying to federal investigators
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Albey H. Braster, 44, of Elmira, NY, who was convicted of distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of firearms, was sentenced to serve 128 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. Braster was also ordered to forfeit $1,861.00 in seized U.S. currency.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Timothy Douglas, 65, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography by a person having a prior conviction related to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual conduct involving a minor, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Douglas must also register as a sex offender.
Source: United States Army
FORT HOOD, Texas – Leaders assigned to the 85th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command and the 120th Infantry Brigade conducted a Mobilization Assessment Workshop, February 2-6, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas, ahead of an upcoming mobilization for observer, coach/trainers that will prepare combat ready formations for deployments and overseas operations.
“The purpose of the (MAW) is to assist with our training, to help us identify personnel gaps and see what capabilities someone else can bring for you,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyon Cummings, Command Sergeant Major, 120th Infantry Brigade.
“We can’t help solve problems that we don’t know about. We have enough resources here that can help solve problems for you,” added Cummings while speaking to leaders from the 2-345th Training Support Battalion, the 3-360th TSBN and the 2-382nd Logistics Support Battalion.
The MAW is one of many steps units complete in preparation for their mobilization to their mobilization force generation installation at Fort Hood, Texas, where they will play an important role as OC/Ts with the 120th INF BDE, 1st Army Division West, assisting with pre-mobilization, mobilization, post mobilization, and the deployment of U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard units.
“Our goal is to train Component 2 (National Guard) and Component 3 (U.S. Army Reserve) Soldiers,” said Col. Charles Ausman, 120th INF BDE Commander. “We are here to support you and to make sure that you are ready and trained so that we can train other Soldiers. Our main focus is to train our COMPO 2 and 3 units while taking care of our Soldiers.”
Leaders attending the MAW had the chance to see what their mission would look like while mobilized in support of the 120th INF BDE. The MAW also provided commanders an opportunity to identify obstacles or deficiencies within their units, prepare their forces for mobilization, and recognize key personnel in the 120th INF BDE who can help ensure mission success.
Brig. Gen. Michael Shanley, Commanding General, 85th USARSC, also attended the MAW and addressed the Soldiers participating. During his remarks, Shanley highlighted the importance of COMPO 3 units in preparing for mobilization and post-mobilization activities.
“It’s great to see that the level of cohesion and support between Component 1 and Component 3 has never been better,” said Shanley. “Fighting alongside each other for the past few decades has definitely strengthened the cohesion and collaboration between the components. It has never been stronger; it will only grow with units like yours and commanders who recognize the value that Component 3 Soldiers bring to the fight.”
Source: United States Army
MILAN–CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Four Soldiers of the Army National Guard are representing the United States of America in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Vermont Army National Guard’s Staff Sgt. Deedra Irwin, Spc. Sean Doherty, and Spc. Maxime Germain are competing as part of the U.S. Olympic Biathlon team and Utah Army National Guard’s Sgt. Ben Loomis is competing in the Nordic Combined event.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Deedra Irwin, of Pulaski, Wisconsin, competed in her first Olympics in 2022, where she placed seventh in the women’s 15-kilometer individual biathlon — the highest finish for an American in biathlon history. Irwin is now the top female athlete for the U.S. Biathlon Team, and she could compete in six events in Milan.
Irwin, 33, is a human resource specialist with the Vermont National Guard. She enlisted in the Army in 2019 and competed for the National Guard Biathlon Team in the 2022 Games. In 2023, she joined the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, or WCAP, for its consistent support, which she said has made all the difference in both careers.
“With WCAP, I have full-time orders, full-time benefits and direct access to resources,” Irwin said. “Being both a platoon sergeant and an athlete have pushed me to learn a lot.”
Growing up, Irwin wanted to be a track and field athlete. She picked up cross-country skiing in the winter during high school to stay in shape between the fall cross-country season and the spring track and field season. Irwin then went to Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, where she competed in all three sports.
After college, Irwin tried her hand at a professional skiing career. She didn’t start biathlon until she was 25, when a fellow cross-country skier talked her into attending a talent camp. She told Team USA she instantly fell in love with the sport.
“It has been an honor to be able to represent my country as both a U.S. Olympian and a U.S. Army Soldier,” she said. “I hope to inspire the next generation to serve and represent our country, too.”
Outside of biathlon, Irwin enjoys knitting, baking, puzzles and music.
U.S. Army Spc. Sean Doherty, of Center Conway, New Hampshire, might be the most experienced military athlete this year, as he is competing on his fourth Olympic team in as many as six events.
Doherty began competing in biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting, at age 12. By 18, he was competing in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, becoming the first teenager and the youngest U.S. athlete in the sport.
In 2018, Doherty enlisted in the Army as a carpentry and masonry specialist and is now a member of the Vermont National Guard. However, he didn’t join the WCAP until after he competed in the 2022 Beijing Games. Now 30, Doherty said the experiences he’s had with the WCAP continue to shape him.
“WCAP supports you not just as an athlete, but as a person and a Soldier,” he said. “They care about my athletic performance, but they also care about my development as a whole person, and I’m grateful for that.”
Doherty trains at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont, which is home to theArmy Mountain Warfare School. Outside of biathlon, he’s an avid hunter, archer, fisherman and woodworker.
U.S. Army Spc. Maxime Germain, of Juneau, Alaska, is competing in his first Olympic event this year. Germain had three top-30 results in individual events at the 2025 Biathlon World Championships and followed up with a strong start to the 2025-26 World Cup season, securing his spot on his first Olympic team in biathlon for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Germain, 24, first tried biathlon at age 13 while living in France, then moved back to Alaska, this time to Anchorage, at age 16 to finish high school, according to his Team USA biography.
Germain enlisted with the Vermont National Guard in 2020 as an aviation specialist and is studying to be a commercial pilot. He has trained with the National Guard Biathlon Team since joining the Guard.
When not competing in biathlon events, Germain enjoys surfing, backcountry skiing, rock climbing and mountain running.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ben Loomis, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is competing in his third Olympics in the Nordic Combined event, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Loomis competed in the 2022 Beijing Games and the 2018 PyeongChang Games in South Korea.
According to Nordic Combined USA, Loomis, 27, started ski jumping at age 5. His talents grew so quickly that, at 15, he moved to Park City, Utah, to find higher-caliber training and competition.
In 2019, after high school, Loomis enlisted in the Utah National Guard as a motor transport operator to join the WCAP for its opportunities. He told the Army that training for his sport requires power, endurance and strength — physical traits that are also required to carry out his military duties.
“Being an athlete and a Soldier go hand in hand,” Loomis said. “What I’ve learned in the military has helped my athletic career, and my athletic background has helped me as a Soldier.”
He said his experience in the military has been incredibly positive.
“I want to stay in after my athletic career, maybe even for a full career,” Loomis said. “My reasons for joining and my reasons for staying are completely different now.”
After earning silver in the 2016 Youth Olympic Games, Loomis was named the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Nordic combined athlete of the year. He’s been a member of four world championship teams, and his brother, Adam, is also a former world champion in the sport.
When Loomis isn’t on the snow, he enjoys hiking, fishing, biking and water skiing.
Source: United States Army
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center, or NADWC, was designated by the U.S. Department of War as a national range for uncrewed aerial systems training.
“Today’s designation of the NADWC as a national test site shows that Michigan can lead the future of aerospace and continues to play a key role in protecting our national defense,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Over the last few years, we held an autonomous drone competition, released a statewide Advanced Air Mobility Initiative and secured a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Now, thanks to this new national test site, we are building on that momentum, becoming an even more attractive place for cutting-edge defense and aerospace companies to invest in, create good-paying, high-skill local jobs and grow our economy. You can already see Michigan-made products on roads around the world, and soon, we’ll be in the sky too.”
This designation cements the NADWC as the nation’s premier proving ground for advanced UAS and counter-UAS, positioning Michigan at the forefront of America’s defense innovation economy. Selected by the U.S. Army and National Guard Bureau, NADWC offers an unmatched environment for drone development and testing and training, one that is squarely focused on the warfighter and on doing what is best for the force. By combining permissive operating authorities, cutting-edge infrastructure and close ties to Michigan’s world-class technology and manufacturing ecosystem, this designation amplifies our ability to train at speed and scale.
Anchored by nearly 200,000 acres of maneuver space at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and more than 17,000 square miles of special-use military airspace at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, NADWC delivers a level of scale and realism few training environments can match. These Joint National Training Capability–certified sites feature diverse terrain, robust electromagnetic spectrum access and a true four-season climate, allowing units to stress systems, tactics and formations in conditions that replicate multiple theaters of operation and prepare forces for the next fight.
As the largest joint training range east of the Mississippi River and home to the flagship Northern Strike Exercise, NADWC is purpose-built to enhance readiness. Its all-weather, all-domain environment enables warfighters and our allied partners to train together at full operational tempo, integrating uncrewed systems into live-fire, combined arms and advanced swarm operations. The result is a more lethal, more prepared force, better equipped to succeed on the future battlefield.
“This designation is about staying focused on the warfighter and doing what’s best for the force,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “The NADWC gives us the scale, airspace and all-domain environment we need to amplify our ability to train and prepare for the next fight. It allows our Soldiers, Airmen, joint partners and allies, to develop, test and employ uncrewed systems at operational tempo under realistic, all-weather conditions. That kind of training directly translates to readiness and ensures our forces are positioned to succeed on the future battlefield. I want to thank Governor Whitmer and Michigan’s congressional delegation for their steadfast support in making this effort possible, which will ensure the men and women of the U.S. military and our allies will be prepared for any future conflict.”
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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the District of Vermont charging a Dominican national and a U.S. citizen with conspiring to smuggle foreign nationals from Mexico and Central and South America into the United States via the U.S.-Canada border.
According to court documents, Francisco Antonio Luna Rosado, 27, an illegal alien from the Dominican Republic, and Jesus Hernandez Ortiz, 37, of Puerto Rico, are charged with one count of conspiracy to illegally bring aliens to the United States and 12 counts of illegally bringing aliens to the United States for the purpose of private financial gain related to a Sept. 17, 2023, smuggling event. Luna Rosado is also charged with two counts of transactional money laundering for engaging in monetary transactions involving property derived from smuggling activities.
Image captured during the movement of alien groups that Luna Rosado allegedly guided through the Canadian and Vermont border to his human smuggling drivers.
Luna Rosado allegedly directed smuggling operations from at least Aug. 2022 through at least March 2024, coordinating the illegal transport of aliens across the U.S.-Canada border into northern Vermont. Aliens arrived by airplane, from their origin country to southern Canada. Luna Rosado then used live shared cellular location data to guide the aliens across the Canadian border to northern Vermont. From northern Vermont, Luna Rosado used an approximate 70-person encrypted chat platform to communicate and arrange for drivers, including Hernandez Ortiz, to pick up aliens at the northern border. The drivers then drove the aliens from Vermont to New York City. Upon arrival in New York City, the aliens paid Luna Rosado in U.S. currency. Luna Rosado deposited and withdrew this money into and through the U.S. financial system, in amounts exceeding $10,000.
Images of the rented Home Depot van, which Hernandez drove during an alleged smuggling event, that law enforcement stopped.
Text messages between Luna Rosado (left side in blue) and Hernandez (right side in green), with translations into English, discussing the alleged smuggling operation.
Text messages between Luna Rosado and aliens during an alleged smuggling event.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt for the District of Vermont and Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of the Swanton Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) made the announcement.
Agents from the Swanton Sector Intelligence Unit assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol Newport Station and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Derby Line Office led U.S. investigative efforts, with assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Trial Attorneys Jake Drucker and Emily Cohen of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chet Kirkham and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia Cowles for the District of Vermont are prosecuting the case.
The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 435 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 385 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
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
FREDDY ALEXANDER MORALES TEJADA, 25, a citizen of El Salvador last residing in Vernon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to nearly four months of imprisonment, time already served, for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued a permanent injunction against Chicago area tax return preparer Stacy Thomas, formerly known as Stacy Sorrel, both individually and doing business as Rapid Tax Refunds LLC, Rapid Tax Refund Pros LLC, and Rapid Refunds Income Tax Service Inc. The injunction bars Thomas from preparing tax returns for others, working for or having any ownership stake in any tax preparation business, and advising anyone about the preparation of a tax return or setting up business as a preparer. Thomas agreed to the terms of the injunction.
According to the complaint, Thomas prepared and filed tax returns that falsely understated her customers’ federal income tax liabilities by fabricating, among other things:
As a result of the court’s order, Thomas must post a copy of the injunction at all locations where she conducts business and post a link to the injunction on her business’s website.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Wu of the Civil Division’s Tax Litigation Branch made the announcement. Tax Litigation Branch attorney Kimberly Parke handled this matter.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information.
In the past decade, the Department of Justice has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Civil Division, Tax Litigation Branch with details.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, the Justice Department announced that it reached a landmark agreement with the State of Alabama to address allegations of discrimination against children in foster care with disabilities, in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This first-of-its-kind agreement ensures that young Alabamians in or transitioning out of the foster care system have the tools they need to be successful as adults and advances the commitment of this Administration to foster children and families set forth in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14359, entitled, “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families.”
“Children in foster care should not be treated differently because of their circumstances,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We applaud Alabama for reaching this agreement so that all students may benefit from an education that equips them for a promising future.”
The settlement agreement requires that students with disabilities in foster care who are placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) attend school in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs and that students educated on site at PRTFs are provided with equal educational opportunities.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section’s work to combat disability discrimination is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.