Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), Naomi Gruchacz, announced that the United States has settled a civil healthcare fraud lawsuit against DR. ROBERT SIMON, a New Jersey-based urologist, and DR. NICOLE FLEISCHMANN, a New York-based urologist.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 28 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release in connection with his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
Robert Craig, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty on June 25, 2025, to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos.”
According to court documents, Craig used encrypted chat applications to share and discuss obscene videos of monkeys being tortured and sexually abused. According to a statement of facts signed by Craig, the videos in question included numerous depictions of extreme violence and torture against monkeys that had been specifically requested by the defendant and his co-conspirators.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office, and Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland today dismissed a lawsuit challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s 2025 biological opinion and incidental take statement for oil and gas activities in the Gulf of America. The court held that the case is moot and that it lacks jurisdiction to proceed because the Endangered Species Committee exempted those activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The dismissal was effective yesterday.
On March 31, the Endangered Species Committee voted unanimously to exempt all Gulf of America oil and gas activities from the ESA, after the Secretary of War found that the exemption was necessary for reasons of national security. This is the first exemption the committee has ever granted on national security grounds. As the United States explained in its motion to dismiss, the exemption removed the underlying federal action from the ESA’s requirements. With this exemption, the challenged biological opinion and incidental take statement retain no legal force, leaving no live controversy for the court to resolve and no effective relief it could grant.
“The Endangered Species Committee’s exemption reflects a judgment at the highest levels of government that producing American energy in the Gulf of America is essential to our national security,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “Today’s decision clears away litigation that threatened development in the Gulf, in furtherance of President Donald J. Trump’s directive to unleash American energy.”
The Endangered Species Committee consists of six senior federal officials and is chaired by the Secretary of the Interior. Congress authorized the Committee to exempt agency actions from Section 7 of the ESA and directed that it grant an exemption whenever the Secretary of War determines that an exemption is necessary for reasons of national security. Because that exemption now governs the Gulf oil and gas program, today’s dismissal ensures that the ESA cannot be used to disrupt energy production the government has determined is vital to the Nation.
Attorneys with ENRD’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section handled this matter.
Source: United States Army
CAMP SHELBY, Miss. — U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers with the 441st Transportation Company, 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, conducted rail operations June 10–16, 2026, at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center during the combat support training exercise Operation Sentinel Justice.
As part of the exercise, Soldiers from the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command were tasked with executing a real-world rail mission concurrently with Operation Sentinel Justice. The mission provided a unique opportunity to integrate practical logistics operations into a large-scale training environment.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Contreras, a mobility officer with the 143rd ESC, coordinated efforts across multiple Army components to ensure the mission was executed safely and effectively. His collaborative approach enabled units to work together seamlessly while reinforcing critical sustainment capabilities.
Training began in Gulfport, Mississippi, where Soldiers from the 441st Transportation Company (Seaport Operations), known as 441 SPOC, completed online instruction to familiarize themselves with rail and port operations equipment. Following this initial phase, Soldiers deployed to the Camp Shelby rail yard to apply their knowledge in a hands-on environment.
Over several days, 441 SPOC Soldiers trained in teams, practicing tie-down and lashing techniques essential for the upload and download of military equipment at both the rail yard and the Port of Gulfport. This iterative, crawl-walk-run training approach allowed Soldiers to progressively build proficiency and confidence.
The mission culminated with 441 SPOC teams downloading equipment at the port, which was subsequently transported and received at the Camp Shelby Equipment Concentration Site, demonstrating the unit’s ability to conduct synchronized port-to-rail operations.
Contreras emphasized the importance of teamwork and shared commitment to Soldier development. “I can’t take all the credit,” he said. “It’s not just me — it’s about people who care about Soldiers getting quality training. Having vested partners who want to see Soldiers succeed makes all the difference.”
The hands-on experience gained during the rail operation enhances the Army Reserve’s readiness, ensuring Soldiers remain proficient with the same equipment and procedures used in real-world deployments within complex, modern operational environments.
This mission brought together key partners, including the 1st Mission Support Command, Army Transportation Command, 84th Training Command, Deployment Support Command, and the Mississippi Army National Guard. Their coordination enabled a controlled and realistic training environment where Soldiers applied newly acquired skills throughout the exercise.
Operation Sentinel Justice is the largest training event in U.S. Army Reserve history, with approximately 12,000 to 15,000 Soldiers participating. The event consists of CSTX 26-01, Global Medic, and a tech evaluation, conducted across multiple locations including Camp Shelby, Gulfport and Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.
The CSTX is designed to assess and enhance unit readiness in a dynamic, multi-echelon, joint environment, preparing Army Reserve forces for large-scale combat operations.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Pensacola, Florida – James Christopher Bradford, 34, of Pensacola, Florida, and William Kody Montgomery, 38, of Mobile, Alabama, have both been indicted in federal court on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Bradford was also indicted for one count of distribution of Ketamine and MDMA. Montgomery was indicted for one count of distribution of cocaine and a separate count of distribution of LSD, MDMA, and cocaine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Jackson, TN – Michael Holland, 37, a former resident of Columbia, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting a minor across state lines with intent that the minor engage in criminal sexual activity in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a). United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the results of the court proceedings today. According to information presented in court, in November 2024, Holland traveled from his home in South Carolina to Jackson, Tennessee to pick up a…
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Washington admitted that from April 2023 through October 2024, she worked with others to steal the personally identifiable information of Medicaid beneficiaries to fraudulently obtain prescription medications from pharmacies throughout the Northeastern United States. She further admitted that the conspiracy causes a loss of nearly $4 million to the New York Medicaid program and tens of thousands of dollars to pharmacies.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Providence– A federal grand jury in Rhode Island has indicted a former Wyatt Detention Facility programs counselor, two former Wyatt detainees, and a Massachusetts woman for their alleged roles in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “This defendant has finally admitted the reprehensible conduct he engaged in which included his victimization of a nine-year-old child. My office will now ensure the defendant spends decades in federal prison where he belongs. Let this be a message to others who target and exploit children: we will find you, we will charge you, and we will put you behind bars.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
TUCSON, Ariz. – Jorge Luis Castro-Mercado, 51, of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was arrested earlier this month by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nogales Special Agents as he tried to cross the border into the United States from Mexico. Castro-Mercado faces federal charges related to drug trafficking from an indictment in March.