Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
[UPDATED] OMAHA — A federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska returned an indictment Wednesday charging six individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Miami man made his first appearance in federal court today after a grand jury in Miami charged him with drug crimes, using and firing a gun as part of the drug crime, and illegal firearm possession by a prior felon relating to his prior felony conviction.
“This defendant shot repeatedly at an innocent man who stopped a crime as it was happening,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It was through the bravery of the Uber driver that police were alerted and able stop the movement of almost a kilogram of pure cocaine from hitting the streets of Miami. The Criminal Division will pursue violent drug dealers in every city in America.”
“There is a real and dangerous link between drug trafficking and gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the indictment, this defendant arranged a drug deal and then fired multiple shots at a rideshare driver. That kind of alleged conduct turns a drug crime into a life-threatening situation in seconds. Federal law treats that combination seriously, with a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years if convicted.”
According to court documents, on or about Oct. 29, 2024, the defendant Lester Leon Sanders, 47, of Miami Gardens, allegedly reserved an Uber ride share. When the driver arrived, the defendant and another man loaded three suitcases in the Uber. While this was happening, the Uber driver saw a firearm magazine fall out of Sanders’s clothing.
Sanders got into the Uber and he and the driver drove off. Shortly thereafter, Sanders ordered the driver to stop the car. Sanders got out of the vehicle and began shouting. The driver, concerned with what he had observed, drove off without Sanders but with the luggage and other belongings still in the car. Sanders shouted at the Uber driver and fired a gun approximately five times as the Uber driver sped away.
The driver then flagged down police and relayed what had happened. Law enforcement arrested Sanders a short time later. Inside of the Uber, police recovered a loaded, large-capacity firearm magazine, 929 grams of almost pure cocaine, six pounds of marijuana, and more ammunition, as well as drug paraphernalia, such as a weight scale and multiple small transparent bags. They also found shell casings in the vicinity of where Sanders fired at the Uber.
If convicted, Sanders faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance provided by the Miami Gardens Police Department.
Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Jinah Chang of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
An indictment is merely an allegation and 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
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced that TONYA DENISE BROWN (“BROWN”), age 49, of Tangipahoa Parish, a licensed practical nurse pleaded guilty to five felonies on February 12, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Specifically, BROWN pleaded guilty to four counts of Wire Fraud, with each count involving a different scheme.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that a jury found RAMON RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Pollo,” guilty today of murder in aid of racketeering, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses, and racketeering conspiracy. The convictions relate to RODRIGUEZ’s participation in the “Shooting Boys” gang (a set of the Trinitarios), the June 21, 2021, murder of Milton Grant during a robbery in Manhattan, and the attempted murder of another victim during that same robbery.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that DEREK HASSELBRINK, a/k/a “Derek Spear,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román for enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
NEW ORLEANS – MARK BROOKS a/k/a “Baby Nu” (“BROOKS”), age 35, from New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on February 12, 2026 by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe to 41 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment and payment of a $100 special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.
According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.
“As alleged, the Sex Money Murder 24K gang, a derivative of the nationally known Bloods gang and a subset of the Sex Money Murder gang, brutally enforced its purported rules, stabbing and attempting to kill three of their own members and one rival who crossed their leaders, and engaged in a sophisticated drug trafficking operation to move large quantities of dangerous drugs into Florida Department of Corrections facilities throughout the State,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc in our prison systems is dismantled. Thank you to every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that came together to dismantle this gang.”
“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”
“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”
According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang. Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.” In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida are 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
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 84 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – A 66-year-old Maryland man made his initial appearance in federal court today, in connection with flying an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in restricted airspace. Stuart Bennett, of Frederick, Maryland, is charged with violating national defense airspace.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Memphis, TN – A Memphis woman has been sentenced to federal prison for defrauding state and federal programs out of over $560,000 intended to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.Karen Guevara, 38, was sentenced on February 13, 2026 by Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman to one year and a day of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and…