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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NORFOLK, Va. – A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier pled guilty yesterday to delay or destruction of mail.

On May 2, a witness observed Jerold Brent Mayers, 34, remove mail from his truck and discard it into a dumpster at an apartment complex in Virginia Beach. The witness reported the incident to the post office. Later that day, investigators recovered the discarded mail, which included checks, billing and bank statements, Department of Motor Vehicles correspondence, and medical mailings among other items.  The mail was returned to the post office and placed back into the mail stream.

Mayers is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2026, and faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek is prosecuting the case.

Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kathleen Woodson, Special Agent in Charge of the Mid Atlantic Area Field Office for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.

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. 2:25-cr-82.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OKLAHOMA CITY – DORIEON MYKEL BATES, 29, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 138 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to public records, on January 30, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to a home after a 911 caller claimed to have heard gunfire. The caller further reported that after the gunshots, a stranger, later identified as Bates, knocked on their door, said he had been involved in a shooting, and claimed someone stole his vehicle. Responding OCPD officers spoke with Bates and took him to a local hospital to be evaluated. Hours later, Bates was returned to the scene, and officers learned his car had never been stolen. The car was recovered nearby, and officers observed bullet holes in the back passenger side of the vehicle, along with a loaded firearm near the driver’s seat. On May 7, 2025, a federal Grand Jury charged Bates with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bates pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025, and admitted he possessed a firearm despite his previous felony convictions.

Public record further reflects that Bates has multiple previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County, including:

• robbery with a firearm and unauthorized use of a credit card in case number CF-2014-5996;
• domestic abuse by strangulation, domestic abuse (assault and battery) resulting in great bodily injury, maiming, and attempting to prevent a state’s witness from testifying in case number CF-2018-32; and
• assault and battery upon a police or other law officer in case number CF-2018-2242.

At the sentencing hearing on September 23, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti sentenced Bates to serve 138 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge DeGiusti noted Bates’s extensive criminal history tied to his history of drug abuse.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nichols, Jr., prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OAKLAND – Howard Solomon, also known as Solomon Howard, was sentenced today to 27 months in federal prison in connection with a years-long scheme in which he stole at least $549,000 from his former employer, the non-profit East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA).  He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $549,132.74 to the EOBA and $287,185 to the Internal Revenue Service.  U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers handed down the sentence.  

Solomon, 38, of Oakland, pleaded guilty on April 23, 2025, to one count of mail fraud and one count of tax evasion for tax year 2018.  

From 2017 until 2021, Solomon served as the Executive Director of EOBA, a non-profit that provides after-school and summer programming to East Oakland children and families, including tutoring and literacy support, boxing lessons and coaching, and internship opportunities for teenagers.  Solomon embezzled at least $549,000 from his former employer and diverted funds and donations to EOBA to pay for personal expenses, including a vacation rental and a Ford Explorer.  

“Howard Solomon used his position of trust to steal from kids and working families and threatened the very existence of an organization that is and must remain an important part of the East Oakland community. With this sentence, he is rightly being held accountable for his unspeakable greed,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.

“Mr. Solomon’s embezzlement scheme not only victimized the East Oakland Boxing Association, but also deprived low-income, high-risk children in East Oakland of the internships, mentoring, and boxing programs the organization offers,” said Linda Nguyen, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office. “While Mr. Solomon siphoned funds from a nonprofit to serve his own greed, IRS-CI agents expertly sifted through evidence and followed the money in pursuit of justice.”

Among the misappropriated funds was a $50,000 donation made to EOBA that Solomon diverted into a personal account.  The $50,000 donation was made to EOBA by a television studio in connection with a December 2019 appearance by Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry on the Ellen DeGeneres Show for a segment known as “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” during which the Currys delivered various gifts to EOBA, including the donation check.  

Solomon failed to disclose the money he embezzled from EOBA as income and misstated expenses associated with two alleged businesses Solomon claimed lost money in his tax filings for the years 2017 through 2021.  In total, Solomon evaded the payment of approximately $287,185 in taxes.

In addition to the prison term and restitution, Judge Gonzalez Rogers also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release.  The defendant was ordered to begin serving his sentence on Oct. 30, 2025.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas R. Green is prosecuting this case with the assistance of Amala James and Alycee Lane.  This prosecution is the result of an investigation by IRS-CI.
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MIAMI – A Coral Springs man was arraigned on a superseding indictment related to a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange.

Harun Abdul-Hamid Yener, 30, is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce, threatening to murder federal law enforcement officers, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, law enforcement received information in February 2024 that Yener was storing bombmaking schematics in an unlocked storage unit. A search of the unit revealed sketches, multiple watches with timers, electronic circuit boards, and other components consistent with construction of an explosive device. Investigators also uncovered internet searches dating back to 2017 related to bombmaking. A search of Yener’s cellphones revealed numerous AI-generated images and videos depicting CSAM. 

In October 2024, Yener told an individual he believed to be affiliated with an anti-government militia that he desired to target the New York Stock Exchange the week before Thanksgiving. Over the following months, Yener built a remote trigger, researched potential placement for the bomb, and tasked others to obtain explosive materials, conduct surveillance, and photograph the building. Yener also recorded a message he intended for release to the press explaining his motivations. Yener anticipated catastrophic effects from the explosion.

During this same period, Yener repeatedly voiced his intent to murder law enforcement agents who searched his storage unit. 

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the Coral Springs Police Department and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Ajay J. Alexander of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20523.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to sexually abusing two minors under the age of 16 while he was employed by the U.S. Armed Forces outside of the United States.

“The defendant engaged in the repeated sexual abuse of two young children over several years while he was employed as a civilian with the U.S. Army in Japan,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His guilty plea should serve as a warning to anyone who would harm children — even overseas — as long as the Criminal Division has jurisdiction, we will hold you accountable. The abuse and exploitation of children is intolerable, and we will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who engage in such deplorable conduct.”

“As this guilty plea demonstrates, those who exploit and abuse children, whether at home or abroad, will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that such heinous acts, including by military employees, are met with consequences that dispense justice and deter future offenses against the vulnerable.”

“American armed service members should be trusted to keep people safe and uphold values of honor and integrity. The sexual abuse of children is despicable and counter to everything Americans stand for,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners remain vigilant in rooting out those who seek to harm our most vulnerable population, both at home and abroad.”

“We are committed to protecting our overseas military communities from those who exploit and endanger children,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael DeFamio of the Army CID Far East Field Office. “This case is an example of the work our special agents do every day to protect the Soldiers and civilian employees of the Department of the Army and their families.”

According to court documents, Thelmo Meneses Santos Jr., 60, of Merced, California, sexually abused two children multiple times between 2015 and 2023. Santos began sexually abusing one of the minor victims when the child was 11 years old. Santos abused the two minors over a period of years in Japan, where he was employed by the U.S. Army as a civilian employee. During the investigation, Santos gave an interview to law enforcement officers where he admitted to engaging in sexual acts with both children. Santos was later arrested in Hawaii by Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) special agents.

As part of his plea agreement, Santos faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Additionally, Santos will be required to pay restitution to his victims and to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026.

The Far East Field Office of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated this case with valuable assistance from the FBI.

Trial Attorney Eduardo A. Palomo of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice

In a superseding indictment unsealed today, high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel are facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in trafficking hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine into southern Illinois and laundering the proceeds to Mexico.

“The Sinaloa Cartel relies on drug trafficking to finance its terrorism against the American people while spreading poison in our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s indictment is a significant blow against this terrorist organization’s infrastructure as we carry out President Trump’s mission of dismantling and destroying the cartels.”

“The Sinaloa Cartel is a vicious international criminal organization that spreads terror through intimidation, torture, and murder. The entire enterprise is financed through a drug distribution network that includes southern Illinois,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “Today’s superseding indictment targets some of the highest level of Sinaloa leadership demonstrating our commitment to use every possible tool to crush this cartel, dismantling its operations, and protecting our community from its narcoterrorism.”

“Today’s announcement in the Southern District of Illinois is monumental in our fight to eliminate the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “The extraordinary work of the St. Louis Field Division and their partners resulted in the seizure of more than 800 pounds of fentanyl and exposed a money laundering network that pushed millions in cartel profits through U.S. banks. This is not a street-corner operation — it is a cartel pipeline that has flooded the Midwest with significant amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. We continue the fight, using all the resources of the United States government, to destroy the Sinaloa Cartel.”

The indictment alleges that the Sinaloa Cartel is a Mexican-based transnational drug trafficking organization that uses premeditated violence to control territory and undermine governmental authority. The Cartel sustains its enterprise by trafficking narcotics into the United States and funneling the profits back into Mexico.

Over approximately one week, the DEA, in conjunction with law enforcement partners, arrested 15 of the charged defendants in a nationwide operation involving Sinaloa Cartel associates. These indictments and arrests are the result of a years-long operation involving the removal of more than 400 kilograms of fentanyl, nearly 80 kilograms of methamphetamine and 50 kilograms of cocaine from communities in and around Southern Illinois.

President Donald J. Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The designation included the Sinaloa Cartel among eight criminal organizations classified as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1189) and Executive Order 13224.

Narcoterrorism is a federal crime that provides enhanced penalties to punish drug trafficking that supports terrorist organizations. The crime of providing material support applies when a person provides resources to an organization knowing that it has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment alleging that 26 defendants participated in a Sinaloa Cartel sourced drug distribution pipeline originating in Mexico that included the Southern District of Illinois, including the following:

Name	Age	Residence	Charge(s)
Prospero Coronel-Sanchez, also known as “Pro”	40	Mexican national	Narcoterrorism; providing material support to foreign terrorist organization; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
Jose Luis Angulo-Soto, also known as “Jose Luis Angulo-Cazares” or “El Mi Nino”		Mexican national	Narcoterrorism; conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
German Angel Alatorre-Monge	24	South Gate, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Leobardo Alcaraz-Ibarra	51	Phoenix	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Miguel Angel Aramburo, Jr.	34	Paramount, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Manuel Buenrostro	38	Cudahy, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Oscar Bryan Castro	34	Pasadena, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
Carlos Diaz, Jr.	34	Pasadena	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
Alejandro Flores	30	Cudahy, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Armando Gallardo	46	Chula Vista, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Karen L. Gandarillas-Carreno	36	Sun Valley, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
Roberto J. Gonzalez, Jr.	39	Bell, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Sabrina Danielle Herrera	35	South Gate, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Mauro Armando Luna-Renteria	39	Lynwood, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Lucia Viridiana Montano	40	Rio Rico, Arizona	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
David Alonso Pereda	33	Costa Mesa, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Memo Perez, also known as “Demecia Perez”	50	Los Angeles	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Jaqueline Desiree Piikkila-Vigueras	49	Tucson, Arizona	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy
Miguel Rios	31	Cudahy, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Richard Ruiz, Jr.	27	Paramount, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Evan Sanchez	31	Victorville, California	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Julio Villa-Morales	36	Tucson	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Jose Espino-Zavala	44	Mexican national	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Martin Ismael Zuniga-Lopez	32	Los Angeles	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine
Earl Frank	56	O’Fallon, Illinois	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy (2 counts); distribution of controlled substances: methamphetamine
Michael Pennel	56	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering conspiracy

According to court documents, the charged conduct occurred between January 2020 and July 2025. The conspiracy is accused of distributing more than 50 or more grams of methamphetamine, 400 or more grams of fentanyl, and five kilograms or more of cocaine.

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.

DEA St. Louis, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. HSI’s Parole and Law Enforcement Programs Unit provided critical support.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal, Laura Reppert, and Thomas Leggans for the Southern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.

In March 2023, the original indictment charged Earl Frank and 10 others with various federal offenses related to the drug trafficking conspiracy:

Name	Age	Residence	Charge(s)	Plea
Earl Frank	56	O’Fallon, Illinois	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; distribution of controlled substance: methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy	Not guilty
Michael Pennel	56	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering	Not guilty
Chontell Reynolds	42	East St. Louis, Illinois	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; distribution of controlled substance: methamphetamine	Guilty; awaiting sentencing
Jeffery Neely	54	St. Louis	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine	Guilty; awaiting sentencing
Dereck Turnage	49	Bowling Green, Missouri	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine	Guilty; sentenced to 235 months in prison
David Allen Day	55	Ironton, Missouri	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine	Guilty; Sentenced to 20 years in prison
Dwayne Kimmins	52	St. Louis	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine	Guilty; Sentenced to nine years in prison
Charles R. Evans	35	O’Fallon, Missouri	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine	Guilty; Awaiting sentencing
Shannon Guyton	46	Clarkton, Missouri	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; transportation in aid of racketeering enterprise	Guilty; sentenced to eight years in prison
Kimberly Hoskins	38	O’Fallon, Illinois	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; money laundering	Guilty; Awaiting sentencing
Aundre Vaughn	54	East St. Louis, Illinois	Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine; distribution of controlled substances: fentanyl	Guilty; Awaiting sentencing

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