MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Braden Birdsong, 28, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Bernard M. Jones for the Western District of Oklahoma today and pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime violation.

According to filed plea documents and today’s court hearing, on Aug. 25, 2023, Birdsong, a white man, attacked D.G., a black man, while D.G. was cleaning the parking lot of the Oklahoma City restaurant at which he worked. Birdsong used racial slurs and other anti-black rhetoric as he punched D.G. in the head multiple times. D.G. suffered bodily injury because of the attack. As Birdsong admitted in court today, he assaulted D.G. because of D.G.’s race and color.  

Birdsong faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for the hate crime violation. U.S. District Court Judge Jones will determine Birdsong’s final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors at a later date. Birdsong will remain in federal custody pending the future sentencing hearing.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas M. Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry for the Western District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorneys Laura Gilson and Taylor Payne of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

It is great to speak with you today at ACAMS’ Assembly.

The Assembly brings together the largest group of anti-financial crime and anti-money laundering professionals to learn about critical issues facing the U.S. and global financial systems. Today, I’d like to share our perspective on the key threats to the United States that are most relevant to you all, and how all of us – at the Department of Justice and in the business community – can work to mitigate these threats.

Our work has led us to identify myriad threats to our nation. Most relevant to the financial services industry, these include cartels and transnational criminal organizations, particularly those operating in Mexico and the Western Hemisphere; Chinese money laundering organizations; and rogue nation-states like North Korea and Iran.

What is the Department doing to counter these threats?

Since February, the Department has taken custody of more than 50 cartel bosses and high-level targets who will, at long last, have to account for their crimes in U.S. courts. Collectively, this constitutes one of the greatest takedowns in law enforcement history. We have brought material support for terrorism and other charges against cartel leaders. And we are holding these criminals to account – as one noteworthy example, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as “El Mayo,” recently pleaded guilty to charges that carry a mandatory minimum life sentence.

While we will continue our relentless pursuit of cartel members, we have to tackle this threat from all angles. The cartels cannot survive without the networks of financial facilitators that move their illicit proceeds, and we are committed to dismantling these networks too.

For instance, Chinese money laundering organizations, or CMLOs, are critical to cartel profitability. CMLOs facilitate the cartels’ repatriation of funds back into Mexico and other Latin American countries and the purchase of precursor chemicals from China. They do so at a low cost using every money laundering technique in the book, including cash pickups, shell accounts, and trade-based money laundering.

This year, my division alone has charged or convicted thirty individuals for laundering money for drug trafficking organizations, including foreign officials, third-party money launderers, and corrupt bankers. Across all of these drug trafficking-related money laundering schemes, we see money laundered through financial institutions that are right here in this room.

We have in particular targeted CMLOs, arresting their members across the United States and overseas. As one example, in May, three members of a prolific CMLO that laundered over $92 million in illicit funds pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. One of the defendants traveled throughout the United States to collect drug trafficking proceeds and deposited those illicit funds, using both real and fake identities, into shell company bank accounts.

Beyond these illicit organizations, we are also holding companies accountable when they enable laundering of illicit narcotics proceeds. Last year, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and the District of New Jersey brought the ground-breaking prosecution of TD Bank for facilitating money laundering for drug traffickers. We continue to prosecute individuals for their involvement in this scheme. And this work – prosecuting companies, including financial institutions, and individuals that knowingly facilitate criminal conduct such as narcotics trafficking – remains a core part of our practice.

We are also targeting the money laundering networks that enable other criminals, such as fraudsters, sanctions evaders, and hackers too. A key component of our work is taking the profit out of crime and recovering victims’ funds. Earlier this year, with our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, we filed a forfeiture complaint against over $225 million in cryptocurrency connected to cryptocurrency investment scams that targeted everyday Americans. And we are continuing to target overseas scam centers, and their money laundering networks, that prey on victims.

Sanctions evasion committed by, or on behalf of, our foreign adversaries poses a critical threat to our national security. In June, with our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division, we filed an action to forfeit over $7.74 million worth of cryptocurrency being laundered on behalf of the North Korean government in connection with North Korean IT worker schemes. Such schemes, in which North Koreans misrepresent their identities to obtain jobs with U.S. companies and other organizations, have been used to fund North Korea’s weapons development program.

That brings me to an ever-present threat: Iran. Iran’s continued support for terrorism has endangered the United States for far too long. Iran carries out its terror campaign in myriad ways, from terror attacks to developing its nuclear program to human rights abuses. To finance and facilitate these criminal acts, Iran seeks access to the U.S. financial system.

With the partnership of U.S. financial institutions, we have driven Iran out of the traditional financial sector, but Iran and its proxies still seek to exploit the U.S. dollar and abuse our economy, using shadow banking, front companies, layered transactions, and complex financial networks. We are attuned to these developments and are actively working to stop this conduct and hold bad actors accountable.

I am proud that the Criminal Division continues to support these efforts across the Department. Not only by bringing our own prosecutions and seizure actions, but by offering our expertise in support of the Department’s priorities. 

These threat actors exploit the U.S. financial system for one reason: we have the safest and most dynamic financial system in the world, and criminals are determined to access our financial networks to further their crimes.

Having reviewed the threats and some of what the Department is doing to combat them, let me take a minute to discuss how we view the private sector’s role.

So, first and foremost, we want you to work cooperatively with us.

Many of you in this room are the first line of defense. You see the suspicious transactions, you know when red flags are raised. When that happens, I encourage your institutions to contact us. The faster we can move, the faster we can stop the flow of funds and choke off the funding that allows these illicit networks to prosper.

In May, I revised the Criminal Division’s Corporate Enforcement Policy to provide a clear path to companies and institutions that timely self-report potential misconduct, cooperate, and remediate. When companies self-report, they will receive the most favorable resolution we can offer. They will have to disgorge illicit proceeds, but companies can avoid charges, avoid a monitor, and avoid additional penalties. Self-reporting also allows us to focus our resources on the individuals that commit crimes, holding them accountable and dismantling the schemes they facilitate.

This is about even-handed justice. It is about putting the right incentive structures in place. We do this to encourage entities to identify wrongdoing, work cooperatively with the government to prevent crime, and ensure that we can hold individuals accountable. 

And, if you work at a company that is not interested in cooperating with the government to counter these threats, we still want to hear from you. We have expanded our whistleblower program and are focused on reports relating to our priorities, many of which I covered here today.

Since I announced the expansion of the program in May, we have received credible whistleblower tips across the spectrum of white-collar violations. In those four months, we have received 313 whistleblower tips and found 120 of them to warrant further investigation, including a number of tips relating to our priority areas – procurement fraud, trade fraud, and sanctions evasion. The program is working.

Our hope is that this is another incentive for companies to address the problems identified by their compliance personnel. Make no mistake, though. Where companies do not come forward, do not cooperate, or do not remediate, they will face consequences. White-collar enforcement remains a priority for the Criminal Division, and I have directed our prosecutors to aggressively investigate and prosecute bad actors.

The best case for all Americans is to avoid these issues or address them before they ripen. You all are here to put compliance first and stop threats before they become problems for your institution. You are here to safeguard our economy and the American people. We share those goals and look forward to working with you. 

Thank you. 

*These remarks were delivered on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice announces its collaboration with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to identify over 170 anticompetitive regulations in response to the President’s Executive Order on Reducing Anti-Competitive Regulatory Barriers. Under the leadership of President Trump, the Antitrust Division, in close coordination with the FTC and federal agencies, conducted a comprehensive, government-wide effort to identify and reform anticompetitive regulations that distort markets and stifle competition.

“In America we believe in free markets, not central planning by government regulators or powerful monopolists,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Lowering barriers to entry by removing anticompetitive regulations will free America’s innovators and entrepreneurs to do what they do best: drive America’s future success.”

The Executive Order recognized that federal regulations should not predetermine economic winners and losers, yet some regulations “operate to exclude new market entrants.”  It tasked the Chairman of the FTC and the Attorney General to consult with the heads of agencies and to develop a consolidated list of regulations that warrant rescission or modification in light of their anti-competitive effects. The FTC and DOJ worked closely and effectively on this review, and today Chairman Ferguson submitted an extensive list of anti-competitive regulations to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division sued the states of Oregon and Maine, and their respective Secretaries of State, for failing to provide information regarding voter list maintenance procedures and electronic copies of statewide voter registration lists.

“States simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with, including our voting laws, which ensure that all American citizens have equal access to the ballot in federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “American citizens have a right to feel confident in the integrity of our electoral process, and the refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences.”

The lawsuit against Oregon alleges that Oregon and its Secretary of State Tobias Read violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA) by refusing to produce the current unredacted electronic copy of the state’s voter registration list, to provide information on the state’s voter list maintenance program, and to disclose registration information for any ineligible voters.

The lawsuit against Maine alleges that Maine and its Secretary of State Shenna Bellows violated the NVRA, HAVA, and CRA by refusing to provide data regarding the removal of ineligible individuals and to produce an unredacted, computerized state voter registration list.

Yet both states gave identical information requested by the Justice Department to a private organization.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The vice president of a Miami-based seafood wholesaler pleaded guilty today to conspiring with competitors to fix prices for the purchase of stone crab claws and spiny lobster in Florida.

According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida, Dennis Dopico, of Miami, was a vice president for a company that operated a seafood processing center that sold stone crab claws and spiny lobsters. Between 2023 and 2025, Dopico conspired with competing companies and their employees to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices paid to fishermen for stone crab claws and spiny lobsters. This conspiracy deprived fishermen in Florida the benefits of competition, depressing the prices paid to fishermen for their harvests.

“Criminal conspiracies to deprive hardworking Americans the right to earn a fair wage are untenable in a free society. As the defendant admits, his price fixing conspiracy unfairly took money out of the pockets of hardworking fishermen for years,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to ensure that hard working Americans are paid competitively for an honest day’s work.”

“Price fixing cheats fishermen, squeezes restaurants, and makes families pay more at the table,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will protect honest competition from the boat to the dinner table.”

“This case highlights the serious consequences of undermining the integrity of our nation’s natural resource markets,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “Price-fixing schemes not only disrupt fair competition but also threaten American businesses and the sustainability of our valuable fisheries. We remain committed to working with our federal partners to hold accountable those who exploit our natural resources for unlawful profit.”

Dopico and his co-conspirators exchanged text messages and calls in which they coordinated and agreed on the prices they would pay fishermen and would adjust the prices together as the respective harvest seasons progressed. For example, on Sept. 28, 2023, following communications with a co-conspirator about spiny lobster prices Dopico replied “[d]on’t show text to anyone[.] Confidential,” to which the co-conspirator responded, “I give you my word. We’re working together now not against each other[.]” Later, on Oct. 13, 2023, the same co-conspirator texted Dopico new stone crab claw prices. Dopico responded, “[l]et me know what you do. I am matching your prices. It’s the one we like the most.”

In the plea agreement filed today, Dopico admitted that the volume of commerce attributable to him and related to the conspiracy was approximately $8 million.

Dopico pleaded guilty to one felony count of restraining trade by conspiring to fix prices, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The maximum penalty for corporations is a $100 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

The court set Dopico’s sentencing hearing for Jan. 5, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is investigating this case.

The Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section is prosecuting the case with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of a superseding indictment (the “superseding indictment”) charging 10 members of the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) with participating in a racketeering conspiracy and committing multiple violent crimes in aid of racketeering.

Keiber Jaen Martinez, also known as “Keybe;” Samuel Gonzalez Castro, also known as “Klei” and “Kley;” Eferson Morillo-Gomez, also known as “Jefferson” and “Efe Trebol;” Keiver Silva-Jimenez, also known as “Josue Reuben Silva,” and “Chuky”; Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica, also known as “Keiner;” and Marlon Farias, also known as “Bili,” were charged with participating in the murders of Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless on May 24, 2024, in the vicinity of 2290 Davidson Avenue in the Bronx, New York, which also resulted in a third victim being shot and injured. Gonzalez Castro was also charged with participating in the shooting of a rival gang member on Aug. 3, 2024, in the vicinity of Roosevelt Avenue and 90th Street in Queens, New York, which also resulted in an innocent bystander being shot and injured. Six of the 10 defendants charged in the superseding indictment were previously charged with racketeering, firearms, drug, and sex trafficking offenses on April 16. Eight of the defendants are already either in federal custody or state custody. Silva-Jimenez is currently at large. Farias was previously removed from the United States by immigration authorities. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote for the Southern District of New York.

“The Department of Justice is completely committed to destroying Tren De Aragua and bringing its members to justice for their horrific crimes against the American people,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s indictment reflects our ongoing efforts to dismantle this terrorist organization by any legal means necessary.”

“Tren de Aragua is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. “They murder those who stand against them. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are utilizing a whole-of-government approach to arrest and deport these foreign terrorists. Today’s murder and racketeering indictment is a victory for the rule of law and the American people. Thanks to our collaboration with federal and local partners, Americans can rest easy at night knowing these dangerous terrorists are off our streets. Let me be clear: If you are in this country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and you will never return. That’s a promise.”

“As alleged, these members of Tren de Aragua were illegally present in the United States and committed a series of devastating and horrific crimes, including robberies, sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and the murders of Claretha LaQuesha Daniels and Justin Lawless outside of an apartment building in the Bronx,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “We are committed to putting cartels, gangs, and others who poison our children and pursue violence as a way of life out of business. We and our law enforcement partners know that is what New Yorkers want, and it is what they deserve.”

“As demonstrated with today’s allegations, the Tren de Aragua street gang has unleashed a reign of terror in New York, marked by brutal and unforgiving violence that defies humanity,” said Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office. “With ruthless tactics and a disregard for human life, this foreign terrorist organization has become a symbol of unchecked brutality. HSI New York, together with our law enforcement partners, is waging an unyielding offensive against TdA and Anti-Tren, dismantling gang operations piece by piece and pursuing their members with relentless determination. HSI will not rest until this ruthless criminal enterprise is obliterated and the streets are reclaimed from their grip of savagery.”

“Tren de Aragua has been terrorizing New York City streets, causing widespread violence and claiming lives,” said New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Over the past few months, the NYPD has taken significant action to root out this criminal enterprise and shut down their operations across the city, and today’s indictment reflects our relentless efforts. I want to thank all our law enforcement partners for their continued commitment to making New York City safer.”

According to the allegations contained in the superseding indictment:

TdA is a criminal organization that operated throughout New York City, including the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, as well as internationally in Venezuela, Peru, and elsewhere. The purposes of TdA included:

• Preserving and protecting the power and territory of TdA and its members and associates through acts involving murder, assault, robbery, other acts of violence, and threats of violence, including acts of violence and threats of violence directed at former members and associates of TdA who associated with a splinter organization known as Anti-Tren.
• Enriching the members and associates of TdA through, among other things:
  • The unlawful smuggling of individuals, including young women from Venezuela, into Colombia, Peru and the United States;
  • The sex trafficking of young women (whom members and associates of TdA often refer to as “multadas”) who had been unlawfully smuggled into Peru and the United States;
  • The trafficking of controlled substances, including a mixed substance called “tusi” that contains ketamine;
  • And armed robberies.
• Keeping victims and potential victims in fear of TdA and its members and associates through threats and acts of violence.
• Promoting and enhancing TdA and the reputation and activities of its members and associates.
• Providing assistance to members and associates of TdA who committed crimes for and on behalf of TdA, such as lodging and interstate transportation for members and associates of TdA to flee prosecution.
• Protecting TdA and its members and associates from detection and prosecution by law enforcement authorities through acts of intimidation, threats, and violence against potential witnesses to crimes committed by members of TdA.

Members and associates of TdA transported young women, again often referred to by members and associates of TdA as “multadas,” from Venezuela into Peru and the United States in exchange for debts that the young women would pay back to TdA by engaging in commercial sex work. Members of TdA enforced compliance among these young women by, among other things:

• Threatening to kill the young women and their families,
• Assaulting the young women,
• Shooting or killing the young women,
• And tracking down and kidnapping the young women who tried to flee.

Members of TdA also committed and conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit, acts of violence, including acts involving murder and assault, to protect and expand TdA’s criminal operations; resolve disputes within TdA; to retaliate against rival organizations, including Anti-Tren; and to maintain control over sex trafficking victims. TdA members and associates also trafficked controlled substances, committed robberies, and obtained, possessed, trafficked, and used firearms and ammunition.

On May 24, 2024, Jaen Martinez, Gonzalez Castro, Morillo-Gomez, Silva-Jimenez, Ibarra-Mujica, and Farias agreed with others to kill Daniels and Lawless in the vicinity of 2290 Davidson Avenue in the Bronx. Jaen Martinez, Gonzalez Castro, Morillo-Gomez, Silva-Jimenez, Ibarra-Mujica, and Farias then shot and aided and abetted the shooting of Daniels, Lawless, and another victim (Victim-3), which resulted in the deaths of Daniels and Lawless, and multiple non-fatal gunshot wounds to Victim-3. Daniels was 44 years old, and Lawless was 36 years old.

On Aug. 4, 2024, Gonzalez Castro shot and injured a rival gang member from Anti-Tren (Rival-1), a splinter organization of former TdA members, in the vicinity of Roosevelt Avenue and 89th Street in Queens. During the shooting, a bystander (Victim-4) was also shot and injured.

On Sept. 30, 2024, Valero-Calderon, Gonzalez Castro, and Morillo-Gomez committed a gunpoint carjacking and robbery of an employee of a car dealership (Victim-1) in the Bronx.

A chart containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below.

The maximum potential penalties in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

The Justice Department praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI and NYPD and also thanked the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office; the Aurora Police Department in Aurora, Colorado; Joint Task Force Vulcan; the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS); U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Gang Unit and New York Human Intelligence Division; ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations New York; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the New York City Crime Analysis Center at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

This case is a part of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded to target Tren de Aragua, and is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Southern District of New York; the Eastern District of New York; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the District of Massachusetts; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; the Southern District of Texas; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; HSI; the ATF; USMS; and the Federal Bureau of Prisons have been essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department 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 Neighborhoods.

This case is being handled by attorneys from JTFV and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jun Xiang, Kathryn Wheelock, Timothy Ly, and Andrew K. Chan for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Note: A copy of the superseding indictment can be found here.