MIL Security Engine-1

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A former retail banker at TD Bank N.A., Leonardo Ayala, 26, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced today to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for accepting bribes and facilitating the laundering of more than $5.5 million to Colombia.

According to court documents, Ayala accepted bribes and exploited his position as a retail banker at TD Bank to help launder narcotics proceeds to Colombia. From June to November 2023, Ayala opened fraudulent accounts, issued over 150 debit cards to shell companies, and unblocked debit cards that TD Bank had restricted due to suspicious activity. These bank accounts and debit cards were used to make more than 12,000 ATM withdrawals in Colombia, funneling approximately $5.5 million out of the United States. In exchange, Ayala received more than $6,000 in bribes from his co-conspirators. 

Ayala pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with conspiring to launder monetary instruments and accepting bribes as a bank employee. 

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey; Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) New York Region made the announcement.

The IRS-CI Newark Field Office and the FDIC OIG New York Region investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pesce for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case.

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it determined the University of California, Davis School of Medicine (Davis Med), discriminates based on race in its admissions process, violating the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA). The determination follows a six-month investigation by the Department into Davis Med’s admissions practices.

“Davis Med’s actions reflect both unabashed contempt for the rule of law and plain disregard for the potential public health consequences of putting race over merit, skill, and competence,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department will not allow schools to violate federal law without consequence.”

The Department’s investigation found that Davis Med adopted admissions practices with the express purpose of circumventing the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA, which banned affirmative action in higher education admissions. Documents provided by Davis Med show that its leadership openly boasted about “skirting” the Supreme Court’s ruling by using certain class-based “socioeconomic variables” or “disadvantages” as proxies for race (e.g., family income, parental education, or being from an “underserved area”). To admit more so-called “underrepresented minorities,” Davis Med created the “Davis Scale,” which ranks an applicant based upon perceived “disadvantages” while strategically adjusting the impact of his or her GPA and MCAT scores. The result: in 2024, Davis Med became the third most racially diverse medical school in the country, behind only historically black universities.

The Department’s review of Davis Med’s admissions data from 2023 to 2025 revealed that 93% of white and certain Asian admittees had MCAT scores at or above the average black admittee. It also showed that black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at rates up to six times higher than whites and Asians, despite consistently having, on average, lower academic qualifications.

Davis Med is just one of several medical schools that continue to flout SFFA’s prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Last month, the Department determined that UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine discriminate based on race in admissions.

The Department will engage in settlement negotiations with any school we’ve determined violated the law to ensure its admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will sue the schools.

Medical schools receive substantial federal financial assistance and are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to monitor and ensure their compliance with federal law.

Note: Read the Department’s findings here.

Source: United States Department of Justice

 A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday against Jaime “Jimmy” Sanchez Soriano, 45, of Mexico, a prolific drug trafficker who imported vast amounts of methamphetamine into the United States. 

Before his capture on March 19 by Mexican authorities, Sanchez Soriano procured methamphetamine from Los Viagras Cartel, a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization affiliated with the United Cartels, which is among the world’s most significant methamphetamine producers, capable of manufacturing multiple tons every month. The United Cartels’ distribution network spans the United States, with hubs in Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, and extends to Europe, Australia, and other regions. On Feb. 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated the United Cartels (also known as Cárteles Unidos), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, as amended. In August 2025, the Criminal Division announced criminal charges against several top leaders of the United Cartels and Los Viagras Cartel.

Sanchez-Soriano is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine for importation into the United States, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted he faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. 

Trial Attorneys Roger Polack and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri provided significant assistance.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it determined the University of California, Davis School of Medicine (Davis Med), discriminates based on race in its admissions process, violating the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA). The determination follows a six-month investigation by the Department into Davis Med’s admissions practices.

“Davis Med’s actions reflect both unabashed contempt for the rule of law and plain disregard for the potential public health consequences of putting race over merit, skill, and competence,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department will not allow schools to violate federal law without consequence.”

The Department’s investigation found that Davis Med adopted admissions practices with the express purpose of circumventing the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA, which banned affirmative action in higher education admissions. Documents provided by Davis Med show that its leadership openly boasted about “skirting” the Supreme Court’s ruling by using certain class-based “socioeconomic variables” or “disadvantages” as proxies for race (e.g., family income, parental education, or being from an “underserved area”). To admit more so-called “underrepresented minorities,” Davis Med created the “Davis Scale,” which ranks an applicant based upon perceived “disadvantages” while strategically adjusting the impact of his or her GPA and MCAT scores. The result: in 2024, Davis Med became the third most racially diverse medical school in the country, behind only historically black universities.

The Department’s review of Davis Med’s admissions data from 2023 to 2025 revealed that 93% of white and certain Asian admittees had MCAT scores at or above the average black admittee. It also showed that black and Hispanic applicants were admitted at rates up to six times higher than whites and Asians, despite consistently having, on average, lower academic qualifications.

Davis Med is just one of several medical schools that continue to flout SFFA’s prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Last month, the Department determined that UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine discriminate based on race in admissions.

The Department will engage in settlement negotiations with any school we’ve determined violated the law to ensure its admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will sue the schools.

Medical schools receive substantial federal financial assistance and are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to monitor and ensure their compliance with federal law.

Note: Read the Department’s findings here.

Source: United States Department of Justice

 A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment yesterday against Jaime “Jimmy” Sanchez Soriano, 45, of Mexico, a prolific drug trafficker who imported vast amounts of methamphetamine into the United States. 

Before his capture on March 19 by Mexican authorities, Sanchez Soriano procured methamphetamine from Los Viagras Cartel, a notoriously violent drug trafficking organization affiliated with the United Cartels, which is among the world’s most significant methamphetamine producers, capable of manufacturing multiple tons every month. The United Cartels’ distribution network spans the United States, with hubs in Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Sacramento, California, Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, and extends to Europe, Australia, and other regions. On Feb. 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated the United Cartels (also known as Cárteles Unidos), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224, as amended. In August 2025, the Criminal Division announced criminal charges against several top leaders of the United Cartels and Los Viagras Cartel.

Sanchez-Soriano is charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine for importation into the United States, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted he faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the case. 

Trial Attorneys Roger Polack and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri provided significant assistance.

MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command and control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JABARI CLARKE in connection with a series of gunpoint robberies in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York.  

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today a settlement agreement with New York Educational Technology Company, LangInnov Inc. (LangInnov).  The settlement agreement addressed allegations that LangInnov violated the federal False Claims Act (FCA) by 1) performing research and development funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program outside of the United States, which was expressly prohibited 2) double-booking payroll to both the SBIR program and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, and 3) not primarily employing its principal investigator as required under the program. LangInnov agreed to pay $50,000 and to forgo $224,634.25 remaining unpaid on an SBIR award to settle these allegations. The settlement was based on LangInnov’s ability to pay. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco-based Circle Medical Care of California, Circle Medical Technologies, Inc., and their Chief Medical Officer and medical director Dr. Nicole Tsang, D.O., have agreed to pay a total of $3,325,000 to the United States and the State of California to settle allegations that they knowingly submitted claims for payments to federal healthcare programs and California commercial insurers for services by providers who did not actually provide or supervise those services, in violation of the federal False Claims Act and corresponding state statute

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Ahold Delhaize USA Inc. (Ahold Delhaize), headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay the United States and participating states a total of $40 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and state analogs by reporting inflated “usual and customary” prices on claims to federal healthcare programs.

“Federal healthcare programs rely on pharmacies reporting accurate pricing information used in the applicable payment formulas,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “If pharmacies report inflated ‘usual and customary’ prices on claims to federal healthcare programs, the programs pay more than they should on those claims.”

“Pharmacies are trusted with charging the contracted prescription prices to Medicare and Medicaid and not unfairly and unlawfully taking advantage of the government and the public,” said U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “This settlement confirms that the United States will take all necessary steps to bring to justice dishonest pharmacies.”

“Pharmacies in federal health care programs must report truthful prices. Inflating those prices, as alleged here, puts the integrity of taxpayer‑funded programs at risk,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to aggressively pursue such conduct to protect these critical programs and all the people who rely on them.”

The United States alleged that Ahold Delhaize supermarkets with in-store retail pharmacies – including supermarket chains operating under the names Giant, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Food Lion, and others – operated prescription savings programs pursuant to which enrolled members received discounted prices on prescription drugs. The United States contends that, in light of the features and operations of those savings programs, and the applicable Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and TRICARE program requirements (including, where applicable, contractual requirements), the discounted prices should have been reported as “usual and customary” prices on claims submitted to Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and TRICARE. Reported “usual and customary” prices serve as ceiling prices on payments to pharmacies under the applicable healthcare program payment formulas. The United States contends that Ahold Delhaize pharmacies failed to accurately report their discounted prices as their “usual and customary” prices on claims to Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and TRICARE, causing those programs to pay inflated amounts on such claims.

The Medicaid Program is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Of the $40 million resolution announced today, the federal share is $32.9 million and the remainder will be paid to states participating in the settlement.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Lawrence LaBenne, who was a pharmacist at an Ahold Delhaize supermarket in Pennsylvania. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Mr. LaBenne will receive $6,083,587 from the federal share of the settlement. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. LaBenne v. Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., et al., Civil Action No. 18-CV-925 (W.D. Pa.).

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Health Agency, and state Medicaid programs.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Jeffrey A. Toll and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Skirtich for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that Mario Felix, 36, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson III on June 9, 2026, to the federal charge of causing the attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.