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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to re-entry of a removed alien. Ariel Benjamin Gregorio Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty and was then sentenced to serve four months in prison. Zeferino Marceliano Leon, 35, pleaded guilty, was sentenced to time served, and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that on July 24, 2025, Border Patrol agents encountered Ariel Benjamin Gregorio Santiago and Zeferino Marceliano Leon. When questioned by agents, the two men confirmed that that they are citizens of Mexico, and not a national of the United States. Further investigation determined that Gregorio Santiago was previously removed from the United States in 2011 and twice in 2019, and Marceliano Leon was previously removed in 2011.

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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The pleas and sentencings are the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Patrol Agent-in-Charge David Banks.    

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced two siblings to prison for aggravated identity theft and fraud.

Judge Clark sentenced Alexandria Collins, 34, of Shiloh, Ill., to 146 months in prison and Wayne M. Collins, 31, to 141 months in prison. Alexandria Collins also has to pay restitution of $449,984. Wayne Collins was ordered to pay $134,519.

In 2023, Wayne Collins was on supervised release for a 2018 case after having been sentenced to 42 months in prison for aiding and abetting the stealing of a firearm from a licensed gun dealer. The U.S. Probation Office conducted a search of his residence and discovered a phone that had been owned by his sister. The phone contained evidence of identity theft and wire fraud, including a counterfeit driver’s license with Wayne Collins’ picture and the name, Social Security number and birthdate of someone else. That victim’s identity had been used to open a $6,300 credit account on June 21, 2023. The phone also contained evidence of Wayne Collins’ possession and use of bank checks that had been stolen from the mail.

It also showed that Alexandria Collins had produced counterfeit ID and paystubs for multiple people, executed a wire fraud scheme to fraudulently obtain vehicle loans, used stolen identities to open credit accounts with retailers and cellphone companies, attempted to sell fraudulently-obtained vehicles through an auction company, facilitated the shipment of LSD through the U.S. Postal Service and produced counterfeit financial documents for someone to use in court proceedings.

After Alexandria Collins’ release from federal prison in a 2018 fraud case and placement on house arrest on Sept. 13, 2021, she began living in a house in St. Charles County that had been rented by her boyfriend, a convicted felon, using a stolen identity and fake wage verification records. Alexandria Collins told her probation officer that the house had been rented by her sister. The couple and their children would later be evicted, owing the landlord $36,699 for rent, utilities and damage to the home. Collins then moved into a home in Shiloh, Ill. that she rented by using the stolen identity of Oneasha Stevenson and bogus tax records and bank statements. Collins again lied to her probation officer and said the home had been rented by her sister. She paid more than $9,000 in rent by funneling money through her boyfriend’s son’s student checking account.

On April 8, 2022, Collins opened an account at a credit union, falsely claiming that she was employed at a day care center. Over the next five months, Collins deposited or transferred a total of $40,065 – proceeds of a fraudulent loan scheme involving a stolen 2014 Porsche Panamera. Collins was then involved with the sale of a 2011 Rolls Royce that netted $80,000. She did not tell her probation officer about her receipt of money via her involvement with auto sales. Instead, she falsely claimed to be working for a trucking company.

After Collins’ boyfriend was arrested on Oct. 26, 2022, the mother of one of his children tried to regain custody with the help of the Shiloh Police Department. Collins concealed his arrest from police and thwarted the mother by contacting her boyfriend’s brother on Facetime and having him impersonate her boyfriend.

Collins then struck a deal with Stevenson in which Stevenson used a stolen identity to purchase and attempt to purchase a vehicle, electronics and other merchandise with the help of both Collins siblings.

Wayne Collins pleaded guilty in May to aggravated identity theft in a case filed in 2024 and access device fraud in the 2022 case he shares with his sister and Stevenson. His sentence includes 129 months in prison for the current cases, and 12 months for violating his supervised release in the prior case.

Alexandria Collins pleaded guilty in May in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of access device fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of make a false statement to the U.S. Probation Office. Her sentence includes 132 months in prison for her current case plus 14 months for violating her supervised release from the 2018 case.

Oneasha Stevenson, 35, of Berkeley, Missouri, was sentenced in July of 2024 to five years of probation and ordered to repay $3,584 to victims. Ultimately, she was ordered to serve a 15 months sentence in prison after repeatedly violating the terms of her probation, including the condition that she pay restitution.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is charged with defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use.  With the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners, Postal Inspectors investigate fraudsters who utilize the U.S. Mail to perpetuate financial schemes to defraud others in order to enrich themselves.  Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable,” said Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Compliance and Investigation Bureau and the U.S. Probation Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Mexico pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of illegal reentry of a removed alien and was sentenced to 10 months of imprisonment on his conviction, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Daniel Alejandro Benzor-Mora, 31.

According to information presented to the Court, on March 19, 2025, Benzor-Mora was arrested by the Shenango Township Police Department for failing to stop at a stop sign, driving without a license and evading arrest on foot. Following this encounter, immigration officials determined that Benzor-Mora was illegally present in the United States and arrested him, on March 29, 2025, related to this charge. Benzor-Mora was previously removed from the United States on January 3, 2024, after incurring a lengthy criminal history, including 14 prior arrests and 6 prior convictions in Florida, and had not received permission to be in the United States, as required. As a part of his sentence, Benzor-Mora agreed to his removal from the United States. Benzor-Mora has been in custody since his March arrest and will be returned to immigration authorities for his removal following the conclusion of his federal sentence.

In imposing sentence, Judge Stickman expressed his intent that the sentence imposed would “impose respect for the law, impose a deterrent consideration and also to demonstrate that these crimes associated with being [in the United States] illegally are taken seriously.” After all, “the exercise of sovereignty requires that a nation guard its borders and that there be consequences for those who, in violation of the country’s law, violate its sovereignty.” Moreover, “this is not a defendant whose only offense against the United States and the people of the several states has been his illegal entry and reentry into the United States.” Rather, the defendant, “while not a legal resident of this nation, has a history of engaging in criminal acts in violation of the laws of the United States, the laws of the State of Florida and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Benzor-Mora.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Department of Justice has announced the creation of a new office within the Civil Division — the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch — dedicated to safeguarding public health and safety through proactive enforcement and high-impact affirmative litigation.

“By consolidating the Civil Division’s affirmative litigation work into a highly specialized branch, the Department will strengthen its ability to hold powerful actors accountable, protect public health and safety, and enforce critical national policies,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This restructuring reflects the Department’s commitment to aggressively protecting consumers and advancing the interests of the United States.”

The new Branch will consist of two sections. The Enforcement Section will draw on the Department’s extensive experience bringing landmark cases under statutes such as the Controlled Substances Act, Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Consumer Product Safety Act, Federal Trade Commission Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, to protect consumers — whether it be from unfair and deceptive trade practices of the largest technology companies in the world, defective consumer goods imported from China, or false and misleading claims about drugs and dietary supplements manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. The Affirmative Litigation Section will represent the United States by filing lawsuits against states, municipalities, and private entities that interfere with or obstruct federal policies, ensuring nationwide compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

The new Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch will strengthen the Civil Division’s ability to advance the Department’s enforcement priorities, including protecting women and children from pharmaceutical companies, health care providers, and medical associations profiting off of false and misleading claims related to so-called gender transition, and ending sanctuary jurisdiction laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement and make Americans less safe in their communities.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

           WASHINGTON – Richard Holmes, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with a homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of August 26, 2025, in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

           Holmes made his initial appearance on September 24, 2025, before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Heide Herrmann who found probable cause that Holmes committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) and ordered that he be held without bond pending a detention hearing scheduled for October 8, 2025.

           According to court documents, Holmes, shot and killed the victim, 31-year-old Franck Foute Mohdjiom, during an attempted robbery before fleeing the scene. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Fugitive Unit assumed custody of Holmes while he was held at the D.C. Jail on an unrelated matter on September 23, 2025. 

           Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Carson.

            These charges are 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 – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that ASHLEY HYMEL (“HYMEL”) age 42, a resident of Ama, Louisiana, was charged on September 18, 2025, by bill of information, with wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.

According to the bill of information, HYMEL used a company credit card to embezzle funds from her employer, Company 1, where she was an executive assistant. In total, HYMEL embezzled at least $130,663.92.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

TOLEDO, Ohio – A Wood County man has been sentenced to prison for defrauding a computer technology support company of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Blake Underwood, 45, of Perrysburg, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary after pleading guilty in May to wire fraud. Underwood was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. 

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Underwood was employed by Nemsys, LLC, a Toledo-based information technology company. After the Nemsys business owners relocated to Florida to focus their efforts on a second company, Underwood became the CEO and ran the business on behalf of the owners. Court documents show that Underwood devised a scheme to defraud the company from December 2019 until April 2023. Even though he was not permitted to do so, Underwood used Nemsys funds intended for the revitalization of a historic Toledo property to purchase building supplies for his personal home. In 2023, the owners examined why Nemsys was underperforming financially and discovered that Underwood was using company funds to pay his personal credit cards, purchase personal vehicles, golf club memberships, jewelry, and more.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI Toledo Field Office prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Melching for the Northern District of Ohio.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MINNEAPOLIS – John David Degelau, age 28, was sentenced to 78 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release for Possession of Child Pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  Degelau, a then-youth ski coach, created child pornography by imposing the faces of children he coached onto the bodies of child pornography victims.

“A ski coach who used photos of children he coached to create child pornography is now headed to federal prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.  “Today alone, three child predators were sentenced in federal court for absolutely abhorrent conduct.  This epidemic of abuse we are seeing in Minnesota is vile, it is devastating, and it must end.”

According to court documents, John Degelau was caught with over 18,000 files of child pornography.  Law enforcement discovered Degelau was a local ski coach working with children.  In reviewing Degelau’s devices, law enforcement found that he had created child pornography by using Adobe Photoshop.  Degelau used that application by morphing/photoshopping pictures of the children’s faces he coached onto sexually explicit images, to make it appear as though Degelau was performing sex acts on the children.  The investigation uncovered that Degelau’s devices also contained images of children swimming at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from a concealed position behind bushes or trees.

Degelau was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell.  Judge Blackwell sentenced Degelau to 78 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.  Judge Blackwell ordered Degelau to pay a special assessment of more than $10,000 that will go to programs supporting victims of child pornography offenses and ordered Degelau to pay restitution to the victims of this crime.

“John Degelau will spend the next several years behind bars, a sentence that demonstrates the serious consequences for adults who abuse their position of trust,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr.  “Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification.  Children in our community should be safe in every location, including at the beach and on the ski hill, but especially in the company of a trusted adult.  The FBI appreciates our partnership with the Duluth Police on this important investigation.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced on September 16, 2025, that TYREE RUDOLPH (“RUDOLPH”), age 22, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to one of three counts of an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

U.S. District Judge Daryl J. Papillon will sentence RUDOLPH on December 16, 2025. RUDOLPH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) imprisonment up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. RUDOLPH also faces a period of supervised release of up to five (5) years, a fine up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

According to court documents, in October 2023, the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated RUDOLPH due to his affiliation with known members of a New Orleans criminal organization known as “M3RE,” operating out of the Magnolia Housing Projects. During their investigation, detectives observed that RUDOLPH posted an advertisement for the sale of a Draco assault rifle for $800.00, referred to as a “drac” on social media.

On October 19, 2023, a search warrant was obtained for RUDOLPH’s residence. The following items were found inside of the residence: (1) one plastic bag containing 54.37 grams of fentanyl; (2) one plastic bag containing 21.20 grams of fentanyl; (3) $724.00 in U.S. currency; (4) thirty-four (34) counterfeit $100 bills; (5) a Glock Model 23 Gen4, .40 caliber handgun, with sixteen (16) live rounds of ammunition; (6) a Glock Model 19 Gen5, nine- millimeter caliber handgun, with twenty-five (25) live rounds of ammunition; (7) a Romarm/Cugir Draco, 7.62×39 caliber pistol, with twenty-nine (29) live rounds of ammunition; (8) a Glock switch machinegun conversion device; (9) various rounds of ammunition; and (10) various gun parts/accessories.

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.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime Unit/Strike Force Unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice

A Texas pharmacy owner and three Texas pharmacists were sentenced today in Houston for unlawfully distributing more than half a million opioid pills and other commonly abused prescription drugs, including to individuals paid to pose as patients by black market drug traffickers.

“While I served as the Attorney General of Florida, addressing the opioid crisis was one of my top priorities and remains a top priority at the Department of Justice today,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The opioid crisis has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed countless American families. Our enforcement efforts aren’t limited to cartels and gangs: anyone in the medical profession who abuses their position of trust to deal deadly drugs will face severe consequences.”

“Billings and his co-conspirators brazenly operated a pill mill for years, selling dangerous narcotics to dealers through straw patients and fueling the opioid epidemic,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants ignored their obligations as pharmacists to care for their patients and instead profited from the illicit sale of highly addictive drugs. The Criminal Division is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting the gatekeepers in the health care industry who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”

“Pharmacies exist to heal the sick, not to fuel addiction and line the pockets of drug traffickers,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “These defendants betrayed their communities by turning a pharmacy into a pill mill, flooding our streets with over half a million opioid pills, and leaving a trail of addiction, abuse, and tragedy. DEA remains steadfast in its commitment to bring to justice those responsible for the country’s opioid crisis.”

Arthur Billings, 61, of Missouri City, a pharmacy owner and pharmacist, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and a $2.6 million forfeiture order. On Aug. 26, 2022, Billings pleaded guilty to a four-year conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone and making false statements in an application for disability benefits. According to court documents, Billings was the owner, operator, and pharmacist-in-charge of Health Fit Pharmacy (Health Fit), a cash-only pill-mill pharmacy. In exchange for hundreds of dollars per prescription, Health Fit dispensed controlled substances to individuals sent by drug traffickers to pose as patients. The drug traffickers provided the funding for the pills then sold the drugs on the black market. The prescriptions used to obtain the drugs from Health Fit were often fraudulent, issued in the names of physicians whose identities were stolen. The pharmacy continued its illegal operation despite repeated warnings from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Three of Billings’ co-conspirators, all of whom were Health Fit pharmacists in Houston, were also sentenced today.

Deanna Winfield-Gates, 56, was sentenced to six years in prison and a $60,000 forfeiture order. On Sept. 13, 2023, Winfield-Gates was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Winfield-Gates was a relief pharmacist at Health Fit who dispensed over a half million pills of addictive and dangerous drugs, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, among others, often in combination, knowing these controlled substances were likely to be diverted or abused.

Jeremy Branch, 38, was sentenced today to 22 months in prison and a $68,931.44 forfeiture order. On Aug. 29, 2022, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Branch was the pharmacist-in-charge at Health Fit for much of 2017.

Frank Cooper, 55, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a $5,000 forfeiture order. On Aug. 22, 2022, Cooper pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense hydrocodone and oxycodone. According to court documents, Cooper was a relief pharmacist at Health Fit during the conspiracy.

The DEA investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Drew Pennebaker of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Meghan Malinowski.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.