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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BEAUMONT, Texas –A Nacogdoches man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Adolfo Cruz, 27, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a machinegun and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on September 22, 2025.

According to information presented in court, on April 10, 2024, local law enforcement in Lufkin conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Cruz.  The officer noticed a gun case in the back seat of Cruz’s vehicle and asked Cruz what was inside of the case.  Cruz reached for the case and a firearm fell out.  The officer removed Cruz from the vehicle and conducted a pat-down search of Cruz.  During the pat-down search, the officer found a machinegun conversion device (MCD).  MCDs are small mechanisms that can be attached to the rear of the slide of a firearm, converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic machinegun.  Federal law defines a machinegun as a weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

ATF agents later obtained a search warrant for Cruz’s cell phone. The cell phone contained messages to and from Cruz discussing the buying and selling of firearms, including MCDs.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the Lufkin Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

STATESBORO, Ga. — David Dwayne Cassady, 57, an inmate incarcerated in the Georgia Department of Corrections, has been sentenced to 80 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted malicious use of explosive materials.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that, while incarcerated in Georgia state prison, the defendant constructed two destructive devices. He mailed the destructive devices to the United States Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska and to the Department of Justice in Washington DC.

“This defendant’s devices were not only a threat to the recipients, but to every individual that unknowingly transported and delivered them,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will continue to take action against those who seek to harm the public.”

“Cassady has been sentenced to a significant amount of time in prison as he intended to incite fear to his targets and amongst the general public,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “The sentencing represents the hard work of Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners to keep the sanctity of the mail system safe.”

United States District Judge J. Randal Hall sentenced Cassady to 480 months imprisonment on both counts to run consecutively, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI Anchorage Office, Homeland Security Investigations Federal Protective Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Department of Corrections Office of Professional Standards. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin N. Garner and Elizabeth Major prosecuted the case in the Southern District of Georgia.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Oxford, MS – A Lowndes County man was sentenced today to eight years in prison for drug trafficking.

According to court documents, Jimmy Johns, of Columbus, Mississippi pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to trafficking methamphetamine. Johns was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to 96 months in prison for the charge. He was further sentenced to five years supervised release following his release from prison.

“Those who traffic dangerous narcotics into our communities will be held to account,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.  “The partnership between MBN, the Lowndes County S.O., DEA and ATF demonstrates what can be accomplished when each agency acts as a force multiplier for their partners.”

“Methamphetamine is one of the most destructive drugs impacting families in our state,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics is proud to work alongside our federal and local partners to protect the citizens of Mississippi and hold traffickers responsible.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.

This investigation and resulting case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is also a 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

OAKLAND – Robert Earl Davis was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for dealing firearms without a license and illegally possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon.  U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín handed down the sentence.  

At the conclusion of a week-long trial in February 2025, a jury found Davis guilty of one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition as a felon.  The jury acquitted Davis of a second count of being a felon in possession of firearms.  

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between August 2020 and December 2021, Davis regularly traveled between Texas and California, purchasing firearms in Texas that he shipped to the East Bay.  Davis advertised and sold the firearms for profit using social media platforms and mobile communications.  Over this period of time, Davis trafficked and sold dozens of firearms, most of which were illegal under California law.  In addition, on Dec. 21, 2022, a federal task force executed a search warrant on Davis’s residence and vehicle, where they found a firearm hidden in a hole in the wall and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in various calibers.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Topper made the announcement.  

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martínez-Olguín also sentenced Davis to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment.  The defendant was immediately remanded into custody.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan Mateer and Jonah Ross are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kevin Costello, Mark DiCenzo, and Amala James.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Worth (TX) Police Department.
 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN DIEGO – Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta, an undocumented Mexican national living in Yakima, Washington, admitted in federal court today that he murdered a man and his six-months-pregnant wife while they were engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to his plea agreement, Madrigal-Birrueta and coconspirators fatally shot 44-year-old Cesar Murillo multiple times in the back of the head and the torso on August 28, 2022, during an argument. The shooting took place at a remote ranch outside of Yakima. Madrigal-Birrueta’s co-conspirators then buried the victim’s body near the ranch at Madrigal’s direction.

On September 2, 2022, Madrigal-Birrueta persuaded Murillo’s wife, Maira Hernandez, 33, who was unaware of her husband’s death, to come to the ranch by claiming her husband was waiting for her there. She agreed, and the defendant picked up Hernandez in Yakima and drove her to the ranch.

According to admissions in his plea agreement, when the visibly-pregnant Hernandez arrived at the ranch, the defendant’s coconspirators shot her multiple times in the head. Madrigal-Birrueta and his coconspirators then buried Hernandez near the ranch. The child died in utero when Hernandez was shot, killed and buried.

Madrigal-Birrueta admitted the murders were committed while he was engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy. The plea agreement said Madrigal-Birrueta’s coconspirators owed money to the couple for an unpaid drug debt.

Madrigal-Birrueta is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, 2026.

The superseding indictment also charges Ricardo Orizaba-Zendejas with being an accessory after the fact to murder and a co-conspirator in Madrigal’s drug trafficking organization. Orizaba-Zendejas is set for trial beginning October 27, 2025

According to court filings, the investigation originated with the seizure of drugs from vehicles entering the United States through San Diego area ports of entry between August and October of 2021. By August of 2022, the investigation led agents to a group of individuals operating out of Yakima. Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) interviewed Murillo and Hernandez. Within days of those interviews, Murillo and Hernandez were murdered and their bodies buried at the Yakima ranch in the high desert. Court filings describe how these charges followed an exhaustive, years’ long investigation that employed geophysicists, ground penetrating radar, aircraft, laser imaging, chemical testing of the soil, numerous cadaver dogs, and other law enforcement techniques to search for the victims’ remains. HSI Special Agents successfully recovered the remains on September 13, 2023, aided by a Washington State Police Crime Scene Investigations team.

During the investigation agents seized methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, multiple firearms — including a machine gun — and body armor from Madrigal-Birrueta’s drug trafficking organization, to include the Yakima ranch.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Wong, Alexandra Foster, Mario Peia and Brandon Kimura.

DEFENDANTS                                   Case Number 23cr1684-RBM                                    

Benjamin Madrigal-Birrueta                  Age: 22                        Yakima, WA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Count 4: Murder of Cesar Murillo in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e)

Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years and up to life, or death

Count 5: Murder of Maira Hernandez in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Conspiracy – Title 21, United States Code, Section 848(e)

Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum twenty years and up to life, or death

Count 9: Causing the Death of a Child in Utero – Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1841 and 1111.

Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum life in prison or death

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Washington State Police

California Highway Patrol

Yakima Police Department

Tulare County Sheriff’s Office

Visalia Police Department

Fresno Sheriff’s Office

Fresno Police Department

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

LAS VEGAS – Two Mexican nationals unlawfully residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.

Alfredo Covarrubias-Jimenez, 39, and Victor Manuel Navarro-Quesada, 34, are both charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for October 6, 2025, before United States Magistrate Judge Elayna J Youchah.

According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Covarrubias-Jimenez and Navarro-Quesada are both citizens and nationals of Mexico and were both previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally.

On September 10, 2025, Covarrubias-Jimenez was remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an ICE detainer. ICE became aware Covarrubias-Jimenez was in Nevada after he was arrested by North Las Vegas Police for Possession of Controlled Substance, Trafficking Controlled Substance, and Own Possess Gun by Prohibited Person. On another occasion, ICE filed a detainer in California after Covarrubias-Jimenez was arrested by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s office on December 1, 2021, for Possess Purchase for Sale Narcotic Controlled Substance and Transport Sale Narcotic Controlled Substance. The California ICE detainer was not honored. Covarrubias-Jimenez had previously been deported five times, and he also has a prior felony conviction for Inflict Corporal Injury on a Spouse out of California.

On September 16, 2025, Navarro-Quesada was remanded to the custody of ICE, from the Nevada Department of Corrections, based on an ICE detainer. On February 6, 2025, ICE learned that Navarro-Quesada was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for Trafficking Controlled Substance and four counts of Possess to Sell Controlled Substance. Navarro-Quesada had previously been deported to Mexico on four occasions. Navarro-Quesada has a prior felony conviction from 2019 out of the District of Colorado for Illegal Reentry after Deportation, the same offense he is currently charged with.

If convicted, Covarrubias-Jimenez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.

If convicted, Navarro-Quesada faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.

Acting United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Acting Director Jason Knight made the announcement.

The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Michael Dickens, 59, of Clovis, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 12.5 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, between Oct. 21 and Oct. 30, 2020, Dickens used his cellphone and social media to communicate with a person he believed to be a 12-year-old minor, but who was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer. Dickens communicated his desire to engage in sexual activity with the minor, including by sending images and a video of his genitalia to the undercover officer. Dickens drove to an agreed-upon location to meet with the minor and was arrested by law enforcement.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany M. Gunter and Arin C. Heinz prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, a former Sanger, California, police officer, was sentenced today to five consecutive life sentences for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. After a two-and-a-half-week trial in January 2025, a federal jury in the Eastern District of California convicted Torrence of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law. The jury found that five of the counts involved kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or attempted aggravated sexual abuse.

“The defendant’s conduct was premediated and depraved. He repeatedly abused his official authority to exploit women who expected the police to protect them,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While no prison sentence can undo the extraordinary pain and suffering the defendant caused these women, today’s sentence of five consecutive life sentences holds the defendant accountable for his heinous conduct and sends a clear message that the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who violate the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to protect.” 

“I commend the court’s decision to impose life sentences on this former police officer, who betrayed the public’s trust and abused his authority to perpetrate heinous acts of sexual violence,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant for the Eastern District of California. “This sentence sends a clear message: no one is above the law, and those who exploit their position to violate the civil rights of others will face the full force of justice. Our office stands with the victims and remains committed to protecting our communities from such egregious abuses of power.”

“We commend the courageous women who came forward, trusting law enforcement to ensure J.D. Torrence was held accountable for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Their bravery has prevented this predator from harming anyone else. The FBI recognizes the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for their unwavering partnership. Justice has been served, making our community safer.”

The evidence at trial proved that Torrence kidnapped a 21-year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. As Torrence drove the woman away from town, he taunted her by saying “no one is going to look for you.” After the assault, he warned that if she reported him, “no one’s going to believe you.”

Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67-year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. After the assault, Torrence frequently parked his police car in front of the woman’s home to stalk and intimidate her. On one of these occasions, Torrence cornered the woman behind her home and sexually assaulted her.

With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her home, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body by falsely telling her that he had to “photograph” her injuries. On one occasion, Torrence trapped the woman in her bedroom and sexually assaulted her.

The FBI Sacramento Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Former Sanger Police Department Officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, was sentenced today by visiting U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson, to five consecutive life sentences for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. After a two-and-a-half-week trial in January 2025, a federal jury in the Eastern District of California convicted Torrence of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law.  The jury found that five of the counts involved kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or attempted aggravated sexual abuse.

“The defendant’s conduct was premediated and depraved. He repeatedly abused his official authority to exploit women who expected the police to protect them,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While no prison sentence can undo the extraordinary pain and suffering the defendant caused these women, today’s sentence of five consecutive life sentences holds the defendant accountable for his heinous conduct and sends a clear message that the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who violate the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to protect.”

“I commend the court’s decision to impose life sentences on this former police officer, who betrayed the public’s trust and abused his authority to perpetrate heinous acts of sexual violence,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “This sentence sends a clear message: no one is above the law, and those who exploit their position to violate the civil rights of others will face the full force of justice. Our office stands with the victims and remains committed to protecting our communities from such egregious abuses of power.”

“We commend the courageous women who came forward, trusting law enforcement to ensure J.D. Torrence was held accountable for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Their bravery has prevented this predator from harming anyone else. The FBI recognizes the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for their unwavering partnership. Justice has been served, making our community safer.”

The evidence at trial proved that Torrence kidnapped a 21‑year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. As Torrence drove the woman away from town, he taunted her by saying, “no one is going to look for you.” After the assault, he warned that if she reported him, “no one’s going to believe you.”

Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67‑year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. After the assault, Torrence frequently parked his police car in front of the woman’s home to stalk and intimidate her. On one of these occasions, Torrence cornered the woman behind her home and sexually assaulted her.

With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her home, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body by falsely telling her that he had to “photograph” her injuries. On one occasion, Torrence trapped the woman in her bedroom and sexually assaulted her.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.