Source: United States Navy
Vice Adm. Scott Gray, Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC), today reaffirmed the Navy’s unwavering commitment to the well-being and recovery of its wounded, ill, and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen during his visit to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the 2025 Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) of the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (NDCA) today announced that Cadence Design Systems Inc. (Cadence), a multinational electronic design automation (EDA) technology company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to plead guilty to resolve charges that Cadence committed criminal violations of export controls by selling EDA hardware, software, and semiconductor design intellectual property (IP) technology to the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT).
NUDT, a university in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the leadership of the PRC’s Central Military Commission, was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in February 2015 due to its use of U.S.-origin components to produce supercomputers believed to support nuclear explosive simulation and military simulation activities in the PRC.
Today, the Department filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California a criminal information charging Cadence with conspiracy to commit export control violations and the Department’s plea agreement with Cadence, pursuant to which the company has agreed to plead guilty and pay criminal penalties of nearly $118 million to resolve the charges.
In addition to the criminal charges, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) today announced the resolution of a parallel civil enforcement action against Cadence in which Cadence has agreed to pay over $95 million in civil penalties. The Department of Justice and BIS have coordinated the resolution of the parallel criminal and civil actions, with each agreeing to credit against their respective fines a portion of the payments made by Cadence to satisfy the other agency’s fine. After the Department of Justice and BIS credit payments made by Cadence under the coordinated agreements, Cadence will pay aggregate net criminal and civil penalties and forfeiture totaling more than $140 million.
“Cadence has agreed to accept responsibility for unlawfully exporting sensitive semiconductor design tools to a restricted Chinese military university and has implemented a strong export compliance program to help prevent any further illegal transmission of American technology,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “American ingenuity is one of our Nation’s most precious assets, and the National Security Division will vigorously enforce U.S. export control laws to protect the technological advantage we enjoy because of that ingenuity.”
“Export controls safeguard America’s advanced technological know-how from falling into the wrong hands, which is particularly important in the Silicon Valley as the epicenter of groundbreaking innovation,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “With this plea, Cadence has admitted to unlawfully exporting its semiconductor design technology to a restricted PRC military university using a front company, and accepted responsibility for its wrongdoing. Cadence’s remedial measures are a positive step toward rectifying the company’s violations of export control laws and demonstrating corporate responsibility.”
“Protecting the U.S. semiconductor industry is critical to our national defense,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Working with NUDT, which has been on the entity list for a decade for its work to advance China’s military capabilities, is unacceptable. The FBI will stop at nothing to defend the homeland from China’s Communist Party.”
According to Cadence’s admissions and court documents, from February 2015 to April 2021, Cadence and its indirectly owned and wholly controlled subsidiary in the PRC, Cadence Design Systems Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (Cadence China), engaged in a conspiracy to commit export control violations in connection with the provision of EDA tools that were subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to NUDT through Central South CAD Center (CSCC), an alias for NUDT, and another associated entity, Phytium Technology Co. Ltd. (Phytium), without seeking or obtaining the requisite licenses from BIS. Specifically, Cadence, Cadence China, and their employees exported, reexported, and transferred in-country U.S.-origin EDA tools to CSCC in the PRC, despite having knowledge that CSCC was an alias for NUDT. As a result, Cadence and Cadence China exported and caused to be exported EDA tools at least 59 times through September 2020, when Cadence terminated Cadence China’s business relationship with CSCC due to CSCC’s association with NUDT.
In court documents, Cadence admitted that Cadence China employees installed EDA hardware on NUDT’s Changsha, China, campus and that NUDT personnel downloaded EDA software and IP technology from Cadence’s download portals while Cadence and Cadence China, through its employees, had knowledge that NUDT had been added to the Entity List. On Feb. 18, 2015, the same day that NUDT was added to the Entity List, Cadence’s export control officer emailed Cadence and Cadence China employees that NUDT had been added to the Entity List “meaning that export licenses will be required if sales are made.” Further, in March 2016, a Cadence China employee authored a presentation for a quarterly sales review meeting with her colleagues stating (as translated from Chinese) that as of Feb. 18, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce had “embargoed” four national supercomputer centers in the PRC, including NUDT, due to U.S. microprocessor chips being used in the “TianHe” supercomputing systems believed to be used for nuclear explosion simulation. Cadence also admitted that its employees who conducted work at CSCC’s location on NUDT’s campus knew about connections between CSCC and the PRC military.
According to Cadence’s admissions and court documents, employees of Cadence China did not disclose to and/or concealed from other Cadence personnel, including Cadence’s export compliance personnel, that exports to CSCC were in fact intended for delivery to NUDT and/or the PRC military. For example, in May 2015, a few months after NUDT was added to the Entity List, Cadence’s then-head of sales in China emailed colleagues, cautioning them to refer to their customer as CSCC in English and NUDT only in Chinese characters, writing that “the subject [was] too sensitive.” Further, in October 2019, a Cadence China employee instructed another to recall and recirculate an updated version of a weekly email on Cadence China’s customers in the PRC. The updated version of the weekly email removed a reference to the People’s Liberation Army of the PRC in relation to CSCC that was written in the original version. Employees of Cadence’s subsidiaries, including employees of Cadence China involved in sales to CSCC, also received sales commissions that incentivized achieving sales quotas as part of their compensation packages.
Further, in October 2020, while Cadence and Cadence China had knowledge that items previously sold and exported to CSCC had in fact been exported to NUDT in violation of U.S. export control laws, Cadence consented to CSCC’s assignment to Phytium, a semiconductor company closely associated with CSCC and NUDT in the PRC, of CSCC’s contracts for Cadence EDA tools. Prior to the transfer of Cadence’s business from CSCC to Phytium in or about October 2020, Cadence’s business with CSCC included contractual agreements with Phytium, reflecting Phytium’s ongoing collaboration with CSCC and NUDT during the period in which CSCC was used as an alias for NUDT. Cadence, through its subsidiaries, including Cadence China also had knowledge that Cadence China’s business with CSCC involved Phytium, and that NUDT personnel were affiliated with Phytium. Some of Cadence China’s contracts with CSCC listed Phytium as the contractual party and stated that the work would occur at NUDT. Internal Cadence communications show certain Cadence employees’ understanding that CSCC and Phytium were effectively the same entity both before and after the decision to transfer Cadence China’s business from CSCC to Phytium. Cadence and Cadence China transferred U.S.-origin EDA software and IP technology to Phytium until February 2021. In March 2021, Cadence placed Phytium on export hold as a result of its internal compliance review and discontinued transactions with Phytium without completing all of the originally anticipated transfers, including any hardware transfers. Phytium was later designated on the Entity List in April 2021.
CES and NDCA entered into the plea agreement with Cadence after considering the factors set forth in the Department’s Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations and the National Security Division Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations (NSD Enforcement Policy). The Department reached this resolution with Cadence based on a number of factors, including Cadence’s failure to voluntarily disclose the misconduct to NSD pursuant to the NSD Enforcement Policy; the nature and seriousness of the offense, which included exports of sensitive semiconductor design tools and technology to a restricted PRC military university involved in the development of supercomputers with applications for military and nuclear explosive simulations, and which included Cadence agreeing to an assignment of the hardware and software contracts to another PRC-based company despite being aware that those items had been unlawfully exported to a restricted PRC military university; Cadence’s willingness to accept responsibility for the actions of its employees and agents, including its subsidiary Cadence China, by entering into the plea agreement with the Department and resolving the parallel civil investigation with BIS; and Cadence’s efforts to remediate the root cause of the offense conduct by enhancing and agreeing to enhance further its export control compliance program. Cadence received partial credit for its cooperation with the Department’s investigation, which involved collecting and disclosing relevant evidence, facilitating interviews with certain employees, making detailed factual presentations, and agreeing to toll the statute of limitations, but Cadence did not receive full credit for cooperation because it failed proactively to obtain and disclose to the government relevant communications, and it failed proactively to facilitate interviews of certain China-based employees with information relevant to the offense conduct. Accordingly, the amount of the criminal monetary penalty attributable to the criminal fine reflects a 20 percent reduction off the statutory maximum fine.
The plea agreement is subject to the approval of a federal district judge in the Northern District of California.
BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI investigated the case.
Chief Counsel Ian C. Richardson, Deputy Chief Counsel Christian J. Nauvel, and Trial Attorney Emma Dinan Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, together with Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Cheng of the National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, are prosecuting this case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An Arizona man pleaded guilty today to money laundering and conspiracy to obstruct justice for his role in a scheme to defraud investors.
According to court documents, Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., 54, also known as Vincent Midnight, Delta Prime, and Director Vinchenzo, formerly of the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles but residing in Arizona, conspired with his co-defendant and others to defraud investors by falsely promising high-yield profits from investments in cryptocurrency markets using automated trading robots powered by artificial intelligence.
“Vincent Mazzotta defrauded investors in a sophisticated cryptocurrency scheme and then doubled down by using a fake government entity to further victimize those who had entrusted him with their money,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Combatting fraud in digital assets is critical to the Criminal Division’s efforts to vindicate victims’ interests and to keep bad actors out of the crypto markets. The Department and its law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue and hold accountable fraudsters who use the veneer of legitimacy and public trust to steal from investors.”
“New types of investments such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may seem alluring, but they also carry the risk of criminals using their relative novelty to prey on victims,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “I encourage investors to be skeptical when approached by anyone promising novel riches. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
“The defendants in this case purported to be U.S. governmental entities to legitimize their scams, before ultimately attracting the scrutiny of actual federal authorities who were special agents from IRS Criminal Investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s admission of guilt is another example of our resolve and unique ability to unravel complex financial transactions regardless of how sophisticated the scheme may be.”
Mazzotta and his co-defendant, David Saffron, falsely promised victims short-term, high-yield returns from cryptocurrency trading if the victims invested with cryptocurrency investment companies Mind Capital, Cloud9Capital and others. They also created a fictitious government entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve (FCR) and further victimized the investors by soliciting thousands of dollars to hire the FCR to “investigate” Mind Capital, Cloud9Capital and other crypto-investment firms that had disappeared with the victims’ investments. Mazzotta and Saffron defrauded victims of more than $13 million.
According to court documents, Mazzotta also conspired with others to obstruct justice. Specifically, Mazzotta worked with other co-conspirators after Saffron’s initial arrest to conceal and destroy evidence at Saffron’s apartment, including an iPad and the contents of a personal safe. Mazzotta also conspired to falsify the records of his business, Runway Beauty Inc., to conceal his involvement in the investment fraud scheme from a federal grand jury.
Mazzotta pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the money laundering count and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to obstruct justice count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS-CI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Siji Moore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hughes for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.
If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Q Link Wireless LLC (Q Link) and its owner, Issa Asad (Asad), located in Dania Beach, Florida, have agreed to pay $110,637,057 to resolve criminal charges and civil allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Lifeline Program. The Lifeline Program, created by Congress in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, provides nearly $2 billion each year to assist low-income consumers with their telecommunications needs.
Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs), such as Q Link, receive monthly federal payments for providing discounted phone services to qualified consumers who must use their Lifeline phones at least once every 30 days. In order to qualify for Lifeline payments, ETCs certify their compliance with Lifeline rules, including the requirement to de-enroll and to stop submitting claims for customers that are not using their Lifeline phones.
The settlement resolves allegations that Q Link and Asad received monthly federal payments from the Lifeline Program that they were not entitled to through a scheme directed by Asad. The United States alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others conspired to knowingly submit and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent claims to Lifeline for customers who were not using their cellphones consistent with FCC usage regulations, including customers who did not possess activated phones. The United States also alleged that Q Link and Asad understood that Q Link was required to de-enroll and stop seeking payment for customers who were not using their phones consistent with the FCC’s usage rules. The United States further alleged that Q Link, Asad, and others, in order to deceive the FCC and in order to continue billing for Q Link’s customers, manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. The United States also alleged that, in order to obscure Q Link’s and Asad’s actions, Q Link provided false and fabricated records to the FCC purporting to show cellphone usage for customers who were not using their cellphones including for some cellphones that were actually in the FCC’s possession at the time. As a result of this alleged conduct, Q Link received approximately $38,438,541 in improper Lifeline payments between February 2018 and October 2019. Under the civil settlement, Q Link’s and Asad’s payment of the criminal restitution they owe related to the Lifeline Program will be credited toward the amount due under the civil settlement.
“The Justice Department will take action where companies and individuals knowingly violate the rules of federal programs and claim federal funds to which they are not entitled,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates our continuing commitment to preventing fraud against important FCC subsidy programs like Lifeline.”
“The FCC takes very seriously any instance of misuse of public funds and misrepresentation. Protecting taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is central to our work,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. “I thank our partners at the Justice Department and the tireless teams at the FCC – including the Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General – for their relentless pursuit of this matter.”
“When individuals and corporations target programs that serve vulnerable populations to line their own pockets with millions, our office stands ready to investigate and pursue those allegations using all appropriate civil enforcement tools,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “This settlement addresses the integrity of the Lifeline Program, an important program that helps low-income Americans connect to people and information, a modern-day necessity.”
“FCC OIG is committed to vigorously protecting FCC’s low-income subsidy programs and legitimate customers from telecommunications providers who use deceptive practices to perpetrate fraud,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “We appreciate the dedication and outstanding work of our investigative team, our law enforcement partners at DOJ, and our FCC colleagues, in particular OGC, who together strengthen the integrity of FCC programs and ensure that bad actors are held accountable.”
As part of a global resolution, Q Link and Asad entered into criminal plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. On Oct. 15, 2024, Q Link and Asad pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and theft of government funds and defrauding the United States, related to the conduct at issue in today’s civil settlement. Asad also pled guilty to money laundering arising from conduct not related to the civil investigation. Q Link and Asad were sentenced by United States District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz, II on July 24. In connection with the criminal resolution, Q Link and Asad further agreed to not participate in any program administered by the FCC and agree to cooperate in transitioning its Lifeline customers to other ETCs.
The civil False Claims Act resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the FCC’s Office of General Counsel.
The civil False Claims Act investigation was handled by Trial Attorney David M. Sobotkin, Assistant United States Attorney Rosaline Chan, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miriam L. Alinikoff and Christopher Cheek for the Southern District of Florida.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of civil liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department today announced the winners of the Access to Justice Prize Competition. The Department is proud to uplift the incredible work being done across the country through innovative solutions to improve access to justice for all Americans. The Access to Justice Prize focuses on closing the rural justice gap, recognizing that rural communities face unique and significant barriers to resources and support in the legal system. This competition highlights the creativity and dedication of organizations working to expand justice for all. The winning projects represent actionable approaches that will help provide legal support for communities across America.
The Access to Justice Prize was launched on Challenge.gov, and after reviewing an inspiring and thoughtful round of submissions, the Department of Justice is pleased to recognize the five winners whose innovative ideas stood out from a competitive field of applicants. Each of these organizations brought a unique perspective and a shared commitment to expanding resources for communities in rural America.
“The Department of Justice applauds the Prize winners’ dedication, bold ideas and steadfast belief in a better future,” said Acting Director Christina Smith of the Justice Department’s Office for Access to Justice. “The winners are addressing access to justice barriers with innovative solutions that are informed by the needs and strengths of rural communities.”
Each winning organization will receive prize funding of $15,000 to advance their project. The Department of Justice congratulates all prize participants for their passion to remain committed to introducing fresh perspectives and novel approaches to advance access to justice for all.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Florida woman, and dual U.S. and Colombian citizen, was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by, among other things, concealing tens of millions of dollars in undeclared foreign financial accounts, filing false tax returns, and evading taxes.
The following is according to court documents: between 2010 and 2022, Gilda Rosenberg, of Golden Beach, conspired with two family members to conceal from the IRS more than $90 million in assets and income held in undeclared bank accounts in Andorra, Israel, Panama, and Switzerland.
Rosenberg’s family had maintained offshore accounts since the 1970s. By the late 1990s, Rosenberg — who was identified as an owner and an authorized signer on some of the accounts — knew that she and her family members had not disclosed their ownership of these foreign financial accounts to the U.S. government and that they had not paid any taxes on the income earned from the assets in those accounts as was required by law.
Starting in the early 2000s, the family consolidated their assets at accounts with Credit Suisse in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Family members told Credit Suisse employees that they were U.S. persons and seeking to hide their assets from U.S. authorities. The assets remained at Credit Suisse until 2013, when Credit Suisse closed the accounts because the family members were U.S. persons.
When Credit Suisse closed their accounts, the family moved their assets, which were typically titled in the names of nominee entities, to new accounts located at Bank Leumi in Israel, Union Bancaire Privée (UBP) and PKB Privat Bank SA in Switzerland, and an Andorran bank. Rosenberg was documented as the beneficial owner of accounts at UBP and the Andorran bank. She also signed false account opening documents that claimed she was a Colombian citizen and not a U.S. citizen.
Rosenberg, as well as her relatives, did not file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBARS) disclosing their foreign financial accounts, as they were required to do. In addition, Rosenberg and her relatives continued to file false tax returns that omitted income generated by their offshore assets.
In or about 2017, as part of a scheme to continue to evade their U.S. tax and reporting obligations, Rosenberg and the family members divided the family’s assets and signed documents to make it appear that Rosenberg and a relative gifted the offshore assets to another relative after he had renounced his U.S. citizenship. Rosenberg and her relatives then tried to covertly transfer assets to Rosenberg in the United States and to conceal their ongoing and historical tax evasion. To do so, Rosenberg and her relatives, among other things, created fake loan and investment documents to make it appear that transfers to and from Rosenberg were loans and business investments.
From 2010 through 2017, Rosenberg filed false tax returns that did not report income she earned from assets in the account she concealed at UBP. For the 2009 through 2017 tax years, unreported income belonging to Rosenberg and two of her co-conspirators totaled more than $5.5 million, causing a tax loss of $1,927,342. Prior to her sentencing, Rosenberg had agreed to pay $1,927,342 in restitution to the IRS. She had also agreed to pay interest on the restitution. Separately, Rosenberg’s plea agreement required her to agree to pay a penalty of $5,857,045.50 to the IRS to resolve her civil liability for failing to file an FBAR.
Rosenberg previously pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Texas to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to defraud the Army and Air Force Exchange Service by making and presenting false reports in order to avoid fully paying contractually required commissions. See United States v. Rosenberg, 4:24-cr-00062-ALM-AGD (E.D. Tex.).
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation’s International Tax & Financial Crimes Unit investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in obtaining important evidence.
Senior Litigation Counsel Mark Daly and Trial Attorney Marissa Brodney of the Tax Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez for the Southern District of Florida, prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Spaceforce
U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and 35th Medical Group, partnered with the 36th Airlift Squadron and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Misawa Medical Squadron, to conduct a mass casualty exercise and subject matter expert exchange during REFORPAC 2025.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for transporting a minor with the intent to sexually abuse the child and for accessing with intent to view child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, George Travis Woodfield, 41, of Macungie, drove an 11-year-old child across state lines for an overnight trip to New York City in November 2018 in order to engage in sexual activity with the child. After a day of sightseeing, Woodfield sexually abused the child in his hotel room. Further, between September 2015 and July 2024, Woodfield accessed numerous depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent children being sexually abused.
“Child sexual abuse is a depraved criminal act that harms the most innocent among us,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant took a child across state lines with the express intent of abusing that child, and he exploited others by viewing child sexual abuse material. We will swiftly bring to justice any individual who commits these horrific crimes against children in our communities.”
“Woodfield didn’t just view images of child sexual abuse, he sought out sex with a child,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “The sexual exploitation of children causes unthinkable harm. While prosecuting a predator like Woodfield can’t undo that damage, his prison sentence prevents him from causing further harm and provides his victim justice.”
“There’s no greater priority than safeguarding our children from those who seek to exploit or harm them,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “I commend the work done by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and our field office whose expertise was critical in bringing this offender to justice. This sentence is a testament to our shared resolve to hunt down predators that rob children of their innocence. We will not rest until those who commit these heinous crimes are held fully accountable.”
“The exploitation of children remains among the most heinous crimes we investigate,” said Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office. “Let today’s sentencing send a message: if you prey upon our most vulnerable, you will be found and you will be brought to justice. This case is a powerful testament to the unwavering dedication of the personnel in our Allentown Resident Agency and our law enforcement partners, who work tirelessly to protect our children and ensure those who harm them are held accountable.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and FBI Richmond, with assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).
CEOS Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban, CEOS Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer Toritto Leonardo and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca J. Kulik for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: United States Navy
GLADSTONE, Australia — Sailors from the Royal Australian Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy and the U.S. Navy embarked the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS John L. Canley (ESB 6) to conduct integrated mine countermeasures operations during exercise Talisman Sabre, July 13-19, 2025
Source: United States Navy
LIMÓN, Costa Rica – The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in Limón, Costa Rica, July 24, 2025, for the fifth mission stop of Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25). This visit marks the sixth CP mission stop to Costa Rica since its inception in 2007, and the third visit aboard Comfort in support of CP.