Justice Department Expands Tribal Access Program to Improve the Exchange of Critical Data with Federally Recognized Tribes

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has selected six federally recognized Tribes to participate in the continued expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides Tribal governments with means to access, enter, and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.  

The announcement follows trips by senior Justice Department officials to Tribal Nations this year to hear from Tribal and federal law enforcement officials and Tribal leaders about the public safety challenges faced by Tribal communities.

“Criminals should have no doubt: Indian Country will not be a refuge for lawlessness,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.  “The Tribal Access Program gives Tribal law enforcement real-time access to crime data, arming them with the information necessary to identify criminals, track down predators, and deliver justice for victims.  The Department stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Tribal officers to restore law and order to Indian Country, and those who target the vulnerable in Tribal communities will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable.”

With this expansion, TAP now supports 154 Tribes and more than 460 Tribal government agencies.

“TAP has been very helpful in our process for hiring Tribal Police Officers,” said Pueblo of Santa Clara Chief of Police Mitchell Maestas.  “We have utilized its ability for fingerprint submissions and the results are provided very quickly. This is a tremendous help in completing the applications and getting them sent off and accurately returned in minutes instead of waiting for days or weeks for a return.”

TAP provides training as well as software and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI CJIS systems.  

The Justice Department began TAP in 2015 in response to concerns raised by Tribal leaders about the need to have direct access to federal systems. Using TAP, Tribes have shared information about missing persons; registered convicted sex offenders; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; entered orders that prevent dangerous prohibited persons from obtaining firearms; run criminal histories; identified and arrested fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.

The following additional Tribes have been selected for participation in TAP:

  1. Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas

  2. Cayuga Nation (New York)

  3. Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

  4. Pueblo of Zia

  5. Seneca-Cayuga Nation (Oklahoma)

  6. Southern Ute Indian Tribe

TAP is managed by the Justice Department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Office of Tribal Justice. It is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).

For more information on TAP, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.

Fresno County Podiatrist and Sales Representative Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Submit False Claims Related to Skin Grafts

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Felipe Ruiz, 51, of Fresno, and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, 52, of Clovis, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, Ruiz was a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc. (WCP), a podiatric medical practice with locations in Fresno, Madera, and Stanislaus Counties. Aguirre was a sales representative that sold skin grafts to Ruiz and WCP.

Between June 2021 and January 2024, Ruiz purchased skin grafts from Aguirre and permitted Aguirre, who was not a licensed health care provider, to apply the skin grafts to Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Ruiz and Aguirre subsequently submitted claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal that falsely represented that Ruiz had applied the skin grafts to the beneficiaries, when Aguirre had actually rendered the services. As a result, Medicare and Medi-Cal paid Ruiz for the false claims. Ruiz then made payments to Aguirre.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.

Ruiz and Aguirre are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Jan. 20, 2026. Ruiz and Aguirre face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Chairman of the Board of Puerto Rican Bank Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Wire Fraud Conspiracy That Led to Bank’s Collapse

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The chairman of the board of Nodus International Bank (Nodus), a Puerto Rican international banking entity, pleaded guilty today for his role in leading a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $13.6 million from Nodus, which ultimately led to the bank’s failure in 2023.

“The defendant abused his position as Chairman of the board of directors to fraudulently divert funds from the bank that he had been entrusted to run, resulting in the bank’s collapse,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to investigating and prosecuting white-collar fraudsters, no matter how lofty their position, to ensure their crimes do not pay.”

According to court documents, Juan Francisco Ramirez, 60, of Miami, Florida, conspired with others to siphon money from Nodus. Ramirez and a co-conspirator concealed from other Nodus board members and executives, and the bank’s regulator — the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (OCIF) — that certain investments or loans were for the benefit of Ramirez and a co-conspirator, in violation of Puerto Rican law and Nodus policy regarding insider transactions.

From 2017 to 2023, Ramirez conspired with others to invest more than $11 million of Nodus’s funds in a Miami-based lender so that it could loan those funds to Ramirez and a co-conspirator for their own benefit. Ramirez and his co-conspirators knew that these transactions were illegal and took steps to conceal their prohibited nature by having the bank make sham investments in the lending entity.

Further, between January 2018 and September 2021, Ramirez and a co-conspirator fraudulently induced Nodus’s board and comptroller to agree to, or facilitate, the purchase of at least 47 promissory notes totaling approximately $25.3 million from Miami-based finance company that Ramirez and the co-conspirator jointly owned. These promissory notes purported to fund loans to legitimate individuals or businesses, but in fact Ramirez and a co-conspirator used the loan proceeds for their own benefit, including to make personal investments in third-party companies, pay personal mortgages, or cover personal credit card expenses.

In early March 2023, OCIF notified Nodus of its intention to place the Bank into liquidation, and later that month Nodus agreed to enter into a voluntary liquidation. On April 28, 2023, knowing that the liquidation process would commence imminently and without authorization from OCIF, Ramirez and a co-conspirator caused Nodus to purchase from their Miami-based finance company a loan portfolio totaling approximately $26 million. Most of these loans were delinquent, nonperforming, and otherwise uncollateralized. Ramirez and a co-conspirator caused Nodus to accept the loan portfolio as payment of their Miami-based finance company’s debt arising from the 47 promissory notes that Nodus had purchased during 2018 to 2021. This resulted in a direct benefit to the finance company (and Ramirez and his co-conspirator) by relieving the finance company of its debt to the bank.

As part of his plea agreement, Ramirez agreed to forfeiture in the amount of at least $13.6 million, which represents the value of the proceeds he derived from the conspiracy.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on a later date and faces  a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Javier Urbina and Samir Paul of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), Bank Integrity Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Felipe Plechac-Diaz for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

High School Student Charged as an Adult in Shooting and Robbery of Off-Duty Firefighter on Capitol Hill

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

           WASHINGTON – Marcellus Dyson, Jr., 17, of Suitland, Maryland, will be charged as an adult under Title 16 in the shooting of an off-duty firefighter late Saturday night in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of the District, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

           Dyson faces charges of armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and aggravated assault while armed. Dyson is expected to have his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday.

           Joining in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to court documents, the victim firefighter was off-duty and walking home from a party about 10:30 p.m. when he was approached by a male wearing a surgical mask at 8th and C Streets NE. The male pulled out a gun, pointed it at the firefighter and stated: “give me everything you got.” The firefighter handed over his cell phone. The male demanded that the firefighter unlock his phone and give him access to the phone’s Apple Pay app. When the firefighter was not immediately responsive to the male’s demands, the male pushed the barrel of the gun into the firefighter’s chest.

           The firefighter grabbed the barrel of the gun. The two struggled. The male fired a shot into the firefighter’s chest. The bullet also struck the male shooter in the hand. The male began to scream as the firefighter and the gun fell to the ground. The suspect male began to run off, but then ran back towards the firefighter and the firearm. The firefighter picked up the gun first. He fired two shots at the male to prevent further attacks. The suspect male was last seen running northbound on 8th Street NE, and then eastbound on C Street, NE.

           The victim firefighter removed his shirt to stanch the flow of blood and cried out for help. He dialed 911 but the call did not go through. A neighbor had arrived at the scene, saw the victim firefighter waiting for somebody to answer his 911 call, and noticed the firearm on the sidewalk.

           The victim firefighter gave the neighbor the phone number to the firehouse where he worked nearby. Once someone answered, the victim firefighter told them he had just been shot and to send someone to help. Metropolitan Police officers arrived soon after. Emergency Medical Services medics transported the victim firefighter to a trauma center to be treated for his wounds.

           Meanwhile, on the 400 block of 9th Street, a witness reported that she had heard a man screaming for help. An individual approached her, stated someone had tried to rob him, and that he had been shot in the hand. The witness began to guide the male to a nearby hospital. Responding police officers found the pair walking and detained the male.

           Officers identified the male was identified as Marcellus Dyson, Jr., and arrested him for assault with intent to rob and transported him to Howard Hospital. While en route to the hospital, Dyson allegedly made a spontaneous utterance stating, “I’m sorry and I won’t do it again.” The statement was recorded on the body-worn camera of one of the officers.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

           These charges are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

New York Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Connection With 2023 Shooting Using “Ghost Gun”

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that TERRY BROOKS was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing ammunition in connection with a November 12, 2023, shooting in which BROOKS shot an innocent bystander in the Bronx, New York.  BROOKS’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett, who also presided over the guilty plea.

“Terry Brooks armed himself with an arsenal of weapons and shot an innocent bystander on the busy streets of New York City, seriously injuring that person,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Brooks cannot be in a position to harm or kill other New Yorkers.  Today’s sentence protects New Yorkers from a violent, gun-toting offender and sends a message to anyone considering the same path: New York will not tolerate it.”

As alleged in the Complaint and the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in court proceedings:

Between July 2023 and August 2024, BROOKS purchased more than 50 firearm components online and possessed nine firearms, including two privately manufactured and un-serialized “ghost guns.”  On November 12, 2023, while on a public sidewalk in the Bronx, BROOKS used one of those ghost guns, firing a shot at a man with whom BROOKS was having a verbal dispute.  The bullet struck a nearby bystander, hitting her in the abdomen and eventually lodging itself near her spine.  The victim was rushed to a hospital, where she received emergency medical treatment, including surgery.

After obtaining surveillance video footage and other records, officers were able to track and identify BROOKS as the shooter.  On August 14, 2024, officers executed search warrants at BROOKS’s residences and recovered eight firearms, including the ghost guns, together with ammunition and firearm parts.  Ballistics testing established that the shell casing found immediately after the November 2023 shooting had been fired by one of BROOKS’s ghost guns recovered pursuant to these warrants.  The following week, on August 21, 2024, officers arrested BROOKS and recovered a ninth firearm.

*                *                *

In addition to the prison term, BROOKS, 59, of the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to the victim of the November 12, 2023, shooting.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department. 

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Grossinger and James Mandilk are in charge of the prosecution.

Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Kristopher D. Osborne, 47, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 27, 2025, a law enforcement officer encountered Osborne riding a bicycle in the area of Third Street in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Osborne admitted that he tried to flee when the officer attempted to make contact with him and wrecked the bicycle. Osborne further admitted that he told officers who approached him after the wreck that he had a firearm and that he was a felon. Officers seized a loaded Hi-Point model C9 9mm pistol from Osborne’s waistband.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Osborne knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for grand larceny, attempted possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, breaking and entering, and conspiracy to commit a felony in Raleigh County Circuit Court on August 30, 2022.

Osborne is scheduled to be sentenced on January 20, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case.

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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-43.

###

 

DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR STEALING MAIL AND COMMITTING BANK FRAUD

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

AUGUSTA, GA: Two Richmond County men were sentenced to federal prison for using a United States Postal Service key to steal mail, commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  

Cameron Martinas Curry, 22, and Quavaun Enreco Rhodes, 22, both of Augusta, were sentenced to 120 months in prison respectively, along with substantial financial penalties and supervised release each upon completion of the prison term. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. ordered Curry to pay a $2,000 fine, $400 in special assessments, and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.  Judge Bowen also ordered Rhodes to pay a $2,000 fine, $400 in special assessments, and to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

As described in court documents and at sentencing, the Defendants obtained a U.S. Postal Service collection key and used that key to steal mail, including business checks, from collection boxes in the Augusta, Georgia area.  The Defendants then altered the business checks, deposited the altered checks into the bank accounts of co-conspirators, and withdrew the money.  The money was withdrawn and stolen before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent.  The Defendants tried to steal more than $550,000 through his fraudulent scheme.

“There were hundreds of citizens of this District who were victimized by these two Defendants.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting and defending the nation’s mail system from illegal use and aggressively pursuing those who would commit fraud in this district.  With the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners, fraudsters who use the mail to steal will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Heap.

“Stealing from the U.S. Mail and defrauding financial institutions are serious crimes that erode public trust,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who abuse federal systems and victimize our communities for personal gain.”

“I am very grateful for our partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of Georgia. These individuals defrauded multiple citizens and businesses in our community, and that is simply unacceptable. Working together, we will continue to protect our residents and businesses from fraud, theft, and other crimes that undermine trust and financial security,” said Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI and prosecuted for the United States by First Assistant United States Attorney David H. Estes and Assistant United States Attorney Patricia Rhodes.

For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422. 

Garner Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on September 19, 2025, to 12 years in federal prison.

Andrew Frazee, 32, from Garner, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 1, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, Frazee admitted that in November of 2024, he and others conspired to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine in and around Hancock County, Iowa.  Evidence showed that, on November 19, 2024, law enforcement observed Frazee and his vehicle in a ditch in rural Hancock County.  Upon contact with law enforcement, Frazee exhibited signs of impairment and deputies noted the smell of marijuana.  A search of the vehicle was conducted where deputies found approximately 325 grams of methamphetamine, a smoking device, baggies, over $1,200 cash, a scale, and marijuana.  Frazee admitted recently buying large quantities of methamphetamine and distributing to others.   

Frazee was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Frazee was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Frazee is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 25-CR-03003.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Iowa Farmer Pleads Guilty to Defrauding USDA Out of More than $1.5 Million in COVID-19 Pandemic Subsidies and Stalking

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

An Iowa farmer who stole over $1.5 million in agricultural subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic, stole multiple identities, and stalked a victim and witness in his case, pled guilty on September 19, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City.

Tanner James Seuntjens, age 32, from Danbury, Iowa, was convicted of one count of theft of government funds, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of crop insurance fraud, and one count of stalking.

In a plea agreement, Seuntjens admitted that, between June 2020 and June 2021, he was a farmer who defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) out of more than $1.5 million in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (“CFAP”) grant moneys.  Livestock producers qualified for CFAP subsidies on a per head basis that depended upon the producer’s self-certified livestock inventory.  Seuntjens filed CFAP applications at three Iowa county USDA-Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) offices—in his own name and in the names of another individual and a limited liability company—that each falsely claimed ownership of thousands of swine.  Seuntjens also admitted he later submitted false documents to USDA-FSA county commissioners who were attempting to verify the USDA payments during so-called “spot checks.”          

Seuntjens admitted that, from March 2021 through April 2022, he defrauded a South Dakota bank.  Seuntjens had borrowed funds from the bank as early as 2014 and pledged as collateral his accounts receivable, which included payments from the sales of grain and livestock.  As a result, when Seuntjens sold grain and livestock at a cooperative and an auction, the bank required the cooperative and auction to issue two-party checks to Seuntjens and the bank.  Seuntjens forged an authorized representative of the bank’s signature on two-party checks no less than 20 times and, as a result, deprived the bank of more than $400,000 of its collateral.  Seuntjens spent the diverted funds on a combination of farming expenditures, a trip to Cocoa Beach and Disney World, transfers to family members, and large cash withdrawals.

Seuntjens admitted he committed crop insurance fraud in 2022 and 2023.  Crop insurance is a federally subsidized program whereby farmers may receive payment from an authorized insurer in the event of adverse weather, fire, disease, and price declines.  Seuntjens admitted he repeatedly underreported his crop yields during the 2022 and 2023 crop seasons, thereby receiving crop insurance funds to which he was not entitled.

Finally, Seuntjens admitted to stalking another person who was a victim and witness in the federal case.  Specifically, Seuntjens admitted that there were federal and state court orders forbidding him from having any contact with the individual.  In Auguust 2025, while on pretrial release in his federal criminal case, Seuntjens travelled to the person’s workplace in Nebraska and placed a tracking device on the person’s car.  Seuntjens admitted he did so with the intent to harass and intimidate the witness and to place the person under surveillance.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Seuntjens was taken into custody for pretrial release violations prior to his sentencing hearing and remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Seuntjens faces a mandatory minimum sentence of three years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole and could receive up to 42 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole and a $1.75 million fine.  Seuntjens also may be ordered to serve up to 5 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Special Investigations Staff.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file numbers are 25-CR-4026 and 25-CR-4052.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

Cedar Rapids Man Who Sold Fentanyl Near Elementary School Sent to Federal Prison

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A man who distributed fentanyl near a school was sentenced today to more than 11 years in federal prison.  D’quon Morrow, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 28, 2025 guilty plea to one count of distribution of at least 40 grams of fentanyl near a protected location.

Evidence in a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that between February 2024 and July 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Morrow agreed with others to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.  In March 2024, he distributed 6.50 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl to another person.  In April 2024, he sold a firearm to another person.  At the time, Morrow had a felony conviction for eluding.  In May 2024, he distributed 20.75 grams of fentanyl to another person.  In June 2024, he distributed 48.60 grams of fentanyl to another person near Madison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids.  In July 2024, law enforcement searched Morrow’s residence and recovered two firearms, ammunition, and over 1,000 fentanyl pills.    

Morrow was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Morrow was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment and must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Morrow is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center. 

This case is also 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.

This case is also 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).

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 25-CR-4.

Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.